Patrick McDonald
Star-Crossed Lovers Create Road to Ruin in ‘Before the Rains’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 13, 2008 - 10:13pm.
CHICAGO – By its very nature, colonialism is bad karma waiting to happen.
You are a sovereign nation with weaponry and a desire for treasure. While you invade and take over a country with that treasure, it also comes with a society you don’t understand. You stir in religious dogma, native slavery and the defiling of lands and create an evil stew that’s ripe to boil over.
Tepid Con Job Spoils Sexual Intrigue in ‘Deception’ With Ewan McGregor
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 25, 2008 - 12:01am.
CHICAGO – Despite its timid title, “Deception” has all the right ingredients for a decent tale of mystery: a strong premise, sound acting and the famous femme fatale. It even starts with a promising conviction: How does a background player in life deal with initiation into a secret society?
‘Deal’ is No Big Deal as Career of Burt Reynolds Fades Away
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 24, 2008 - 12:07am.
CHICAGO – Poor Burt Reynolds. As the No. 1 box-office star from 1978 to 1982, he revived his film career in 1997 with “Boogie Nights”. Since then, he has had the long, slow decline of “B” movies and bad remakes. Reynolds even tainted his own legacy by participating in the horrible 2005 redo of “The Longest Yard”.
Considering Sore Subject Matter of ‘Chapter 27,’ ‘Why?’ is Only Plausible Reaction
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 21, 2008 - 9:50pm.
CHICAGO – As a contemporary of the John Lennon assassination in 1980 and an ardent admirer of the late Beatle, I had a hard time figuring out the reasons for making the film “Chapter 27”.
‘The Visitor’ Works Out America’s Demons Following Sept. 11, 2001
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 20, 2008 - 10:53pm.
CHICAGO – “The Visitor” is a subtle film. Created by the unique talent of writer and director Thomas McCarthy – who also generated the equally subtle world of “The Station Agent” – this new work explores the nature of who belongs where.
‘Zombie Strippers’ an Intentionally Killer ‘B’ Movie That Loves the Skin It’s In
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 18, 2008 - 11:00am.
CHICAGO – As the title implies, “Zombie Strippers” has everything and more. How many films about strippers who are zombies also quote the bible and Friedrich Nietzsche? This film is loads of fun because it has loads of everything.
Ignoring Old Show-Business Rules, Rolling Stones Brightly ‘Shine a Light’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 4, 2008 - 3:52am.
CHICAGO – In The Beatles versus The Rolling Stones debate (which no one under 40 would have), I’m decidedly in the corner of the Fab Four. I do acknowledge, however, the sheer stamina and staying power of The Rolling Stones.
Veteran Michael Caine Makes ‘Flawless’ Sparkle, Reveals Great Crime Behind Great Fortune
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 31, 2008 - 11:20pm.
CHICAGO – As this year of heist films set in London continues (“The Bank Job” was last month), “Flawless” does adhere to the rules of successful application of this genre.
Sundance Winner ‘Teeth’ Bites Right to Point of Men’s Greatest Sexual Fear
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 26, 2008 - 2:35am.
CHICAGO – In one of the great light bulb ideas that could only happen in association with making movies, along comes “Teeth” to bite us in the – well, to bite us hard. Writer and director Mitchell Lichtenstein has fashioned a one-of-a-kind horror epic (based, of course, on a Japanese film) that at the same time tangles with significant social and cultural issues.
Academy Award-Nominated ‘Beaufort’ Ponders Question of Why We Fight
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 25, 2008 - 11:35pm.
CHICAGO – History eludes us. It’s what happens when we’re busy making other plans. In his new film “Beaufort,” director Joseph Cedar turns his lens toward the history and misery of a Mideastern soldier’s outpost eight years ago that was both defended and attacked while highlighting the human element that has to endure when protecting the territory of warfare.