May 2013

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes to ‘The Purge’ From ‘Paranormal Activity’ Producer

6/2/13 6:26 p.m. update: Due to popular demand, we’ve increased 25 pairs to 40 pairs!
CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated speculative horror “The Purge” with Ethan Hawke from the “Paranormal Activity” and “Sinister” producer!

Blu-ray Review: Jason Statham Can’t Keep Dull ‘Parker’ Interesting

Parker

CHICAGO – How could a movie based on a Donald Westlake book that includes Michael Chiklis, Wendell Pierce, Nick Nolte, and even Jennifer Lopez in support of Jason Statham be this dull? It feels like “Parker” director Taylor Hackford set out to make an old-fashioned noir but Statham and his team demanded too much of his square-jawed action. The result is a tonally inconsistent film that’s too silly to be called drama but too dull to be called escapism.

Blu-ray Review: Scream Factory Releases ‘The Burning,’ ‘The Town That Dreaded Sundown’

The Burning

CHICAGO – At its core, “The Burning” is quite clearly an attempt to cash in on the already-waning slasher trend inspired by “Friday the 13th” but it’s a much better film than most of the creatively barren genre. It joins “The Town That Dreaded Sundown” as the latest entries in the increasingly spectacular Scream Factory line of Blu-rays. Both are worth a look.

Blu-ray Review: Gorgeous Transfer For Criterion’s ‘3:10 to Yuma’

3:10 to Yuma

CHICAGO – A simple man tackles an unspeakably evil one. Such is the premise of so many movies of all genres that it would be impossible to count them all. Perhaps in no genre is this structure more popular than the Western, a category in which we love to watch average family men beat the fastest gun in the West. This explains the lasting popularity of Delmer Daves’s “3:10 to Yuma,” a flick I still find relatively slight but appreciate more completely now that I can see it in a gorgeously transferred, 4K-restored version from The Criterion Collection.

TV Review: ‘Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic’ Stays on Surface

CHICAGO – A bit too much of “Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic,” premiering tonight, May 31, 2013, on Showtime, is devoted to adoration of its subject matter from his peers and friends, and not enough insight is offered into from where the true talent or serious demons of the man originated. Perhaps no one really knows.

Film Review: Story of ‘Now You See Me’ a Bit Misdirected

CHICAGO – Boasting a big star ensemble cast, and themes of magical realism and misdirection, “Now You See Me” is an overdone, too-clever-for-its-own-good fantasy with some entertaining tricks.

Story of ‘Now You See Me’ a Bit Misdirected

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Boasting a big star ensemble cast, and themes of magical realism and misdirection, “Now You See Me” is an overdone, too-clever-for-its-own-good fantasy with some entertaining tricks. Jesse Eisenberg and Isla Fisher join veterans Woody Harrelson and Morgan Freeman in the magic mix.

Film Review: ‘I Do’ Tackles Weighty Issues with Tender Insight

I Do Film Review

CHICAGO – Nothing bugs a critic more than obstacles strategically placed in the path of otherwise happy characters. Without the conspiratorial manipulations of the plot, these people would have no problem leading perfectly content lives. Instead of emerging organically from the characters themselves, the conflict swoops in like a speeding car fresh off the highway.

‘I Do’ Tackles Weighty Issues with Tender Insight

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Nothing bugs a critic more than obstacles strategically placed in the path of otherwise happy characters. Without the conspiratorial manipulations of the plot, these people would have no problem leading perfectly content lives. Instead of emerging organically from the characters themselves, the conflict swoops in like a speeding car fresh off the highway.

Film Review: Perfect ‘Before Midnight’ Captures Truth of Romance

CHICAGO – Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” brilliantly captured the live-in-the-moment romanticism of youth, that time in our 20s when anything was possible before the dawn.

Perfect ‘Before Midnight’ Captures Truth of Romance

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 5.0/5.0
Rating: 5.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Richard Linklater’s “Before Sunrise” brilliantly captured the live-in-the-moment romanticism of youth, that time in our 20s when anything was possible before the dawn. “Before Sunset” depicted romance in a time when potential turns into actuality in our 30s, how we need to grab that chance at happiness before time runs out at twilight.

Film Review: Horrendous ‘After Earth’ Insults Entire Planet

CHICAGO – The “sci” in M. Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi blockbuster “After Earth” clearly stands for Scientology and not science. There’s nothing remotely approaching honest science in this boring, preachy, horrendously made film that occasionally looks good but has nothing more worthwhile to say than a pamphlet trying to get you to convert to a cult.

Horrendous ‘After Earth’ Insults Entire Planet

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.0/5.0
Rating: 1.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The “sci” in M. Night Shyamalan’s sci-fi blockbuster “After Earth” clearly stands for Scientology and not science. There’s nothing remotely approaching honest science in this boring, preachy, horrendously made film that occasionally looks good but has nothing more worthwhile to say than a pamphlet trying to get you to convert to a cult. “Danger is real. Fear is a choice.

Film Review: Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Paradise’ Trilogy Proves Darkly Transfixing

Paradise Trilogy Film Review

CHICAGO – What is paradise but a mirage unaccustomed to reality? It hovers over us at all times, tantalizing our minds with illusions of perfection, divinity and eternal harmony. Only when one reaches out with desiring hands does it fade into the ether. No one seeks utopia without setting themselves up for certain disappointment.

Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Paradise’ Trilogy Proves Darkly Transfixing

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.5/5.0
Rating: 4.5/5.0

CHICAGO – What is paradise but a mirage unaccustomed to reality? It hovers over us at all times, tantalizing our minds with illusions of perfection, divinity and eternal harmony. Only when one reaches out with desiring hands does it fade into the ether. No one seeks utopia without setting themselves up for certain disappointment.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Ultimate Gangsters Collection’ Present Classic Films

CHICAGO – What would you say is the “Ultimate” gangster film? The chances are it’s included in one of two box sets recently released from Warner Bros., separated into “Ultimate Gangsters Collection: Classics” and “Ultimate Gangster Collection: Contemporary.”

Film Review: ‘Shadow Dancer’ with Clive Owen is Tense IRA Thriller

CHICAGO – Would you betray your cause and the rest of your family tree for the safety of your son? Such is the nightmarish question that Collette must answer in James Marsh’s tense, complex “Shadow Dancer,” a slow-burn thriller that may be a bit too slow at times but builds in power by the final reel. It is On Demand now and opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, May 31. It’s worth seeking out.

‘Shadow Dancer’ with Clive Owen is Tense IRA Thriller

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Would you betray your cause and the rest of your family tree for the safety of your son? Such is the nightmarish question that Collette must answer in James Marsh’s tense, complex “Shadow Dancer,” a slow-burn thriller that may be a bit too slow at times but builds in power by the final reel. It is On Demand now and opens in New York and Los Angeles on Friday, May 31. It’s worth seeking out.

Blu-ray Review: Steven Soderbergh’s Brilliant Thriller ‘Side Effects’

Side Effects

CHICAGO – Over a hundred films in and Steven Soderbergh’s “Side Effects” is still one of my favorite flicks of 2013. In fact, I’d say it’s the first great movie of the year released on Blu-ray and DVD. It underperformed at the box office but the star power on its cover is likely to make it a hit on the home market. Renters or buyers will be pleasantly surprised by a rewarding thriller from one our best working filmmakers.

Blu-ray Review: Lavish Season Set For HBO’s Beloved ‘True Blood’

True Blood S5

CHICAGO – I’ve talked to a number of people who think the fifth season of “True Blood” is when it jumped the bloodsucking shark, although there are certainly legions of fans of this HBO smash hit who will never give up on Sookie Stackhouse and her neverending parade of supernatural friends and foes. HBO Home Video knows how faithful viewers for a program like “True Blood” will become even more so with great home releases and so have turned the “True Blood” line into one of their absolute best. The latest, “True Blood: The Complete Fifth Season,” is no exception.

DVD Review: Audacious ‘Swimming to Cambodia’ Gets Long-Awaited Release

Swimming to Cambodia DVD

CHICAGO – Moviegoers allergic to copious amounts of talk will be hacking and wheezing minutes into “Swimming to Cambodia.” It’s a cinematically lensed 1987 recording of a show that consists entirely of actor/writer Spalding Gray sitting in a chair telling stories. He’s a vibrant presence and a brilliant wordsmith, but his mouth could literally talk one’s ear into a coma.

Film News: ‘Blue is the Warmest Color’ Wins Palme d’Or at Cannes 2013

Cannes 2013 Wrap Up

CHICAGO – After heating up juror monocles with the steamiest three hours at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, the lesbian romance “Blue is the Warmest Color” won the coveted Palme d’Or at the 2013 awards ceremony held Sunday, May 26th. The top prize was shared by French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche (“The Secret of the Grain”) and his two leading ladies, Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos.

Exclusive Portrait: Jessica Alba Promotes Book in Chicagoland

Jessica Alba, photo by Joe Arce.

CHICAGO – Actress Jessica Alba has made her mark in Hollywood, known for her TV show “Dark Angel,” and films like “The Fantastic Four” and “Sin City.” She has expanded her versatility by penning her first book, “The Honest Life: Living Naturally and True to Yourself,” and was recently in the Chicago area promoting the best seller.

TV Review: Charming Desiree Hartsock Becomes ‘The Bachelorette’

CHICAGO – I always say that reality TV is dependent on casting above all else and this is no more truthful than in the “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” franchises. Sure, the producers can do a lot in crafting narratives for their “stars” but if the lead isn’t someone we root for and his or her suitors aren’t equally entertaining, we’ll check out.

TV Review: A&E Mystery Series Return in ‘Longmire,’ ‘The Glades’

CHICAGO – A&E’s “Longmire,” returning tonight for its second season, can be a great show. It’s an underrated Western-mystery hybrid with a stellar lead performance from Robert Taylor and a heavy dose of “No Country For Old Men” atmosphere. “The Glades,” also returning tonight for its fourth season, is a more inconsistent program but has produced some solid episodes over its run.

Interview: Directors David Siegel, Scott McGehee of ‘What Maisie Knew’

What Maisie Knew, David Siegel & Scott McGehee

CHICAGO – The story of “What Maisie Knew” may be unusual, but the reflection of the subject matter fits perfectly within the patterns of contemporary family culture. Directors Scott McGehee and David Siegel create a scenerio in which a custody battle for a little girl named Maisie becomes more about the parent’s egos than her care.

Slideshow: William Shatner Introduces ‘Star Trek’ Films in Chicagoland

| Image 1 of 3 |

CHICAGO – William Shatner, who originated the role of Captain Kirk in the first TV incarnation of “Star Trek,” has beamed aboard the Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville, Ill., and the Hollywood Blvd. Theater in Woodridge this Memorial Day weekend, May 24th-26th, to introduce the films “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” – in which he stars – and the latest chapter of the legacy, “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

TV Review: Michael Douglas, Matt Damon in ‘Behind the Candleabra’

CHICAGO – It could have been so awful. Liberace was such an over-the-top character that capturing his most extreme behavior in the form of a TV movie could have been the kind of campy thing that deserves comparison to “Showgirls.”

Blu-ray Review: New Wave Cool Defined in ‘Band of Outsiders’

Band of Outsiders

CHICAGO – “Band of Outsiders,” recently released in a newly-restored Criterion Blu-ray edition, was one of the most influential films of its era and made waves not only when it was released but continues to influence international cinema today. From Quentin Tarantino’s love for the film (reflected both in “Pulp Fiction” and the name of his production company, A Band Apart) to the numerous ways that the fashion and dancing resonate from Paris to “Saturday Night Live,” “Band of Outsiders” is mesmerizingly cool. It’s Godard’s most accessible film and yet it is also a deconstruction of the very genre that he’s presenting. It’s a crime flick in which the crime doesn’t really matter. It’s the people, the love triangle, and, most of all, the attitude that makes it memorable.

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TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Manhunt

    CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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