Patrick McDonald
Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried Can’t Quite Deliver ‘Dear John’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 5, 2010 - 8:26am. Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Love stories are as common at the movies as popcorn and sticky floors. Despite this, rising stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried add their own spin to the timeworn plot theme in “Dear John.”
Heath Ledger Still Lives in ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 8, 2010 - 8:00am. Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Bogart, James Dean and Heath Ledger are not dead, they’re just stuck in the Netflix queue. And Ledger, with a little help from some friends, gets one more theatrical release in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”
Colin Firth Plays a Wistful Game of Solitaire in ‘A Single Man’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 26, 2009 - 8:13am. Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a certain madness in the shock of grieving over a loved one who has passed that manifests itself in particular ways. Colin Firth interprets those emotions intuitively in the captivating “A Single Man.”
Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin Shine in ‘It’s Complicated’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2009 - 7:26am. Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Referring to her new film, “It’s Complicated,” Meryl Steep recently said, “It’s incredible, I’m playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies. Bette Davis is rolling over in her grave.” Tell Kate Hepburn the news.
Emily Blunt is the Girl Who Would Be Queen in ‘The Young Victoria’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 18, 2009 - 7:58am.Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the functions of royalty seems to be an expected adoration from the peasants. Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend and Paul Bettany offer their interpretation on a monarch’s origins with “The Young Victoria.”
Disney Magic is Hopping to New Orleans in ‘The Princess and the Frog’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 11, 2009 - 8:19am.Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The feature animation film tradition, invented by and fostered by the Walt Disney Company for close to 70 years, gets another glorious rendition in their latest release, “The Princess and the Frog.”
Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman Not Relatable in ‘Brothers’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 4, 2009 - 5:52am. Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The transition from hot young actor to the domestic picket fence is about ten years and a shadowy crow’s foot. One day you’re a galaxy queen, superhero and Donnie Darko, next you’re playing house in “Brothers.”
Sandra Bullock, Strong Script Bring Clarity to ‘The Blind Side’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 20, 2009 - 7:14am.Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Based on a True Story” films are difficult to pull off, especially those that are the improbable story of a white Memphis family adopting an African American football prodigy. Sandra Bullock is the mother, through it all, in “The Blind Side.”
‘Napoleon Dynamite’ Creator Jared Hess Scores With ‘Gentlemen Broncos’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 13, 2009 - 8:29am.Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/Director Jared Hess’ universe, where obscure pop culture references and strange survivors abide, gets another workout with the spontaneously funny “Gentlemen Broncos,” which also features Mike White and Jennifer Coolidge.
Art World Bares its Soul in Adam Goldberg’s Superlative ‘(Untitled)’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 6, 2009 - 10:52am. Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the best and most exciting surprises of the 2009 film year is a smaller, claustrophobic film starring Adam Goldberg and set in the art gallery world of New York City. “(Untitled)” is an honest, uncompromising character study.
