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+.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Blu-Ray Review: Jason Bourne Films Continue to Deliver With Combo Releases
Submitted by BrianTT on February 5, 2010 - 12:01pmCHICAGO – The Universal release of “The Bourne Trilogy” was not only one of the best Blu-ray titles of 2009 but it’s still one of the best box sets on the HD market twelve months later. The question is how does Universal continue to make a dime on the Matt Damon juggernaut of a franchise while we wait for the latest drama regarding the potential fourth film. Welcome to the Bourne flipper discs.
Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried Can’t Quite Deliver ‘Dear John’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 5, 2010 - 9:29amCHICAGO – 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.”
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Love Happens’ Epitomizes Dire State of Romantic Comedy
Submitted by mattmovieman on February 4, 2010 - 3:20pmCHICAGO – In the realm of lazy date movies, “Love Happens” achieves a sort of morbid grandeur. There isn’t a single original or authentic moment in all 109 minutes of the picture, which is so devoted to its formulaic structure that it often doesn’t make a lick of sense. People say and do things for no conceivable reason other than to create “crises” leading to “resolutions” leading to audience exasperation.
Interview: Michael Hoffman Stops at Academy Awards With ‘The Last Station’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 4, 2010 - 2:29pmCHICAGO – When the Oscar nominations were announced earlier this week one of the more unfamiliar titles was probably “The Last Station,” a historical drama nominated for Best Actress (Helen Mirren) and Best Supporting Actor (Christopher Plummer).
TV Review: ‘Important Things With Demetri Martin,’ ‘The Sarah Silverman Program’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 4, 2010 - 11:31amCHICAGO – Demetri Martin and Sarah Silverman are now back-to-back on Thursday nights on Comedy Central with “Important Things With Demetri Martin” and “The Sarah Silverman Program” and the two incredibly talented comedians make for a perfect fit as both shows have similar strengths and weaknesses.
Interviews: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried Talk Twosome in ‘Dear John’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 3, 2010 - 4:21pmCHICAGO – Hot young stars are always welcome on the playground of popular culture. Prime examples are Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, whose charming insights highlight their up-and-coming status in promoting their new film, “Dear John.”
Blu-Ray Review: Great Box Set of ‘Doctor Who: The Complete Specials’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 3, 2010 - 11:48amCHICAGO – The last five hours of David Tennant’s spectacular run as the tenth doctor of “Doctor Who” have been collected in a great Blu-ray box set from BBC Home Video titled “Doctor Who: The Complete Specials”. Tennant was recently voted the most popular doctor in the long history of the beloved show. Watching these five hour-long specials makes it clear why.
Blu-Ray Review: Tense, Clever Horror Throwback ‘House of the Devil’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 3, 2010 - 11:08amCHICAGO – Ti West’s “House of the Devil” became arguably the most buzzed horror film of 2009 not named “Paranormal Activity” with universal critical acclaim and even a spot on a few top ten lists at the end of the year. Most movie goers didn’t get a chance to catch it in theaters, but it will have a huge shelf life on DVD and Blu-ray.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Saw VI’ Improves the Franchise, But Still Weak
Submitted by BrianTT on February 3, 2010 - 10:06amCHICAGO – “Saw VI” opens with two people in a race to cut off as much flesh as possible before time runs out. It’s gross. It’s nauseating. It’s exactly what fans of this franchise have been looking for and what its critics have derided. The twist is that these victims are a part of the current financial crisis, making their torture something audiences, many of which have been impacted through loss of income, would more likely cathartically enjoy.
Interview: Peter Fonda on His Life, Style as an ‘Easy Rider’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 2, 2010 - 6:48pmCHICAGO – Peter Fonda, part of Hollywood acting royalty, made his mark with the counterculture classic “Easy Rider” in 1969. Fonda made an appearance last weekend at the Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville to introduce that seminal film.
Blu-Ray Review: Girl Power Drives Entertaining ‘Whip It’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 2, 2010 - 11:58amCHICAGO – Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut “Whip It” is the kind of fun, girl-power driven comedy that I honestly expected would find a huge word-of-mouth audience in theaters. Its absolutely dismal box office ($13 million) was one of the biggest financial surprises of 2009. People are likely to catch up with the Ellen Page comedy on Blu-ray and DVD.
‘Avatar,’ ‘The Hurt Locker’ Lead Academy Award Nominations
Submitted by BrianTT on February 2, 2010 - 10:28amCHICAGO – The nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning, February 2nd, 2010 and “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker” led the way with nine nominations each, closely followed by fellow Best Picture nominees “Inglourious Basterds,” “Up in the Air,” and “Precious”.
Interview: Kristopher Belman Documents LeBron James in ‘More Than a Game’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 1, 2010 - 7:35pmCHICAGO – “More Than a Game” has to be one of the luckiest documentaries ever made. Director Kristopher Belman began taping a some freshman high school basketball players in 1998. One of those players was future NBA superstar LeBron James.
