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.
Hugh Jackman
As the Tree Bends, So it Grows! Audio Film Review of ‘The Son’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 24, 2023 - 4:24pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “The Son,” a follow up film by writer/director Florian Zeller (“The Father”) … which is another family drama also based on his own play. in theaters beginning January 20th.
'Reminiscence' is a Mystery with Very Little in Mind
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 22, 2021 - 4:30pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Reminiscence” is a futuristic noir with precious little on its mind. Instead of ideas, this sci-fi thriller offers half remembered cop movie cliches and hard boiled detective narration that’s just barely a step above Harrison Ford’s in the original cut of “Blade Runner.”
‘Logan’ Bares Its Sharp Claws & Eviscerates Us Emotionally
Submitted by JonHC on March 2, 2017 - 4:46amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a war raging in the comic book cinematic universe where filmmakers think that these kinds of films should embrace their over the top (verging on campy) nature while others think they should be darker and made deathly serious. “Logan” proves that they are both wrong as it strikes a balance between all of those elements while remaining true to the character.
‘Eddie the Eagle’ is Predictable But Pleasant Tale
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 27, 2016 - 8:32amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Eddie The Eagle” is thoroughly predictable underdog story, but this picture won me over with a plucky persistence fitting for its peculiar protagonist. It’s an admittedly minor but mostly true tale of an oddball outsider overcoming overwhelming odds.
Consciousness Morality for Robots in Odd ‘Chappie’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 6, 2015 - 10:15amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Who would think a robot movie would teach us about being more intuitively “human”? “Chappie” is a very peculiar film – with fighting robots, violence and grit on one side, and the tenderness of finding a nurturing source and a consciousness on the other. It is worth experiencing.
‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’ Dares to Richly Invest in Story First, CGI Second
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 24, 2014 - 2:07pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – After a string of superhero movie disappointments in recent memory, last month “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” renewed our faith in Hollywood blockbusters once again. Just 7 weeks later, can “X-Men: Days of Future Fast” impress us again?
Complex, Wow-Inducing ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 22, 2014 - 7:47pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Although a post graduate degree in space/time continuum studies may be necessary for maximum enjoyment, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” still delivers a comic book wham-bam, and the series continues its exploration of recent history through the prism of a mutant universe.
Jake Gyllenhaal, Hugh Jackman Enter Darkness of ‘Prisoners’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 19, 2013 - 3:28pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What would you do if your child was in jeopardy? We all love to answer quickly and instinctually that we would do absolutely anything but the fact is that we’re incredibly lucky to never be put in that situation. Would you torture someone else? What if you weren’t sure they were responsible?
Audacious ‘The Wolverine’ Also a Bit Excessive
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2013 - 7:08pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Following the release of “Iron Man 3” and “Man of Steel,” “The Wolverine” is the best of the bunch, simply by following “The Dark Knight” and the Marvel Comics formula, creating a conflicted superhero who cannot conform to any conventional definition of heroism.
‘Les Misérables’ Paints Emotion in Widescreen Colors
Submitted by BrianTT on December 19, 2012 - 3:21pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tom Hooper’s “Les Misérables,” the best movie musical in over a decade, is what a musical like this should be – unabashed, unashamed emotion painted in vibrant, broad colors across a massive screen. It is gloriously bereft of the cynicism that has sapped so many stage-to-film adaptations from achieving the heights of their source material and features some of the most striking performances in the history of the genre.