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
TV Review: Insightful, Hysterical ‘Colin Quinn: Long Story, Short’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 8, 2011 - 8:11pmCHICAGO – Colin Quinn began one of the most interesting chapters of his career off-Broadway with a one-man show. The former star of “Saturday Night Live” and “Tough Crowd” has been a great stand-up comedian for years, but this was a more ambitious piece, an insightful examination of human nature from The Bible to “Ice Road Truckers.”
Film Review: ‘Soul Surfer’ Simply Too Bland For True Inspiration
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 8, 2011 - 5:06pmCHICAGO – In the pantheon of modern girl surfer movies there is “Blue Crush” and…”Blue Crush 2.” “Soul Surfer” is different, it is based on a true story of a tremendous physical loss for a competitive surfer, and her family’s strength in dealing with the crisis. With so much drama, in fact, its surprising that the film is as flavorless as dry toast.
Film Review: Danny McBride, James Franco Falter With Dreadful Comedy ‘Your Highness’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 8, 2011 - 2:14pmCHICAGO – “Your Highness” just makes me sad. Rarely have so many talented people been sucked into such an unfunny disaster as what will surely be one of the biggest disappointments of the year.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Topsy-Turvy,’ ‘The Mikado’ Join Criterion Collection Together
Submitted by BrianTT on April 8, 2011 - 2:02pmCHICAGO – Leave it to The Criterion Collection to not just perfectly remaster one of the most acclaimed films of the ’90s but to take its ancestor, the film version of the play in which the modern classic centers around, and give it a similarly remarkable treatment. Fans of Mike Leigh’s “Topsy-Turvy” will adore the new Criterion edition, available now on DVD and Blu-ray, but they should also pick up “The Mikado” to see the inspirational musical in its entirety.
Blu-Ray Review: Dario Argento’s ‘Inferno’ Deserves Another Look
Submitted by BrianTT on April 8, 2011 - 11:40amCHICAGO – If you think studios are fickle now and that the foreign film market is weird, you should know that it’s been that way for a very long time. Take the case of “Inferno,” Dario Argento’s follow-up to his breakthrough film “Suspiria.” Instead of giving it the wide release and support it deserved, the film was buried, barely released theatrically even in New York.
DVD Review: François Ozon’s ‘Ricky’ Flies High on Charm
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 8, 2011 - 10:13amCHICAGO – The dreamy and lyrical often forges a duet with the brooding and ominous in the work of French auteur François Ozon, perhaps best known to American audiences for his 2003 mystery “Swimming Pool,” misleadingly billed as a Hitchcockian thriller. It was, in fact, a psychosexual drama about one uptight author’s self-actualization, and the mysterious young woman who sets it into motion.
Film Review: James Gunn’s Memorable ‘Super’ With Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page
Submitted by BrianTT on April 8, 2011 - 9:22am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A much darker cousin of Matthew Vaughn’s “Kick-Ass” by way of “Taxi Driver,” James Gunn’s “Super” is a tonally inconsistent comedy that nevertheless features one of my absolute favorite performances of the year so far and enough interesting ideas to warrant a look. If only those ideas were shaped into something a bit more coherent. “Super” could have lived up to its title.
Film Review: Russell Brand Tries Too Hard in Lame ‘Arthur’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 8, 2011 - 7:59amCHICAGO – There are many problems inherent in film remakes, starting with comparisons to the original source. The first “Arthur,” while not a classic, did have a warm, funny story and Dudley Moore’s title performance. The current remake has none of that.
Film Review: Saoirse Ronan Rocks in Joe Wright’s Riveting ‘Hanna’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 7, 2011 - 3:12pmCHICAGO – You won’t be able to take your eyes of Saoirse Ronan in Joe Wright’s action film “Hanna,” a visceral thrill ride that’s likely to be a more satisfying experience than most of the action blockbusters that will fill the multiplex as the temperatures rise.
Video Game Review: ‘Shift 2 Unleashed’ For Hardcore Drivers Only
Submitted by BrianTT on April 7, 2011 - 12:23pmCHICAGO – Having played racing games since the days when I would go to the arcade and drop quarters into a “Pole Position” game, I’m at the point where I’m somewhat exhausted by the genre. There’s some variety in style, but racing games aren’t really that different from one another, especially ones that take the art of driving as seriously as “Shift 2 Unleashed.”
Blu-Ray Review: Jim Carrey Shines in ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 7, 2011 - 11:07amCHICAGO – With all the creatively bankrupt, audience-repelling dreck clogging up theaters these days, it’s easy to see why a comedian would sign up for a challenging art house satire rather than pick up a fat, unearned pay check. Robin Williams delivered his best work in years in Bobcat Goldthwait’s “World’s Greatest Dad,” and now Jim Carrey adds to his streak of woefully underrated performances in Glenn Ficarra and John Requa’s “I Love You Phillip Morris.”
TV Review: Comedy Central’s ‘Workaholics’ Will Give Viewers a Serious Hangover
Submitted by BrianTT on April 6, 2011 - 3:23pmCHICAGO – You know those slacker frat boys who barely make it to class in the morning and aren’t just hungover but still drunk when the lecture starts? Do you think they just turn that off when they enter the work world?
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1’ Offers More of the Same
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 6, 2011 - 12:31pmCHICAGO – Just as Steven Soderbergh’s “Che” and Olivier Assayas’ “Carlos” recounted the true tale of a controversial revolutionary over the span of at least two theatrically released pictures, Jean-François Richet’s 2008 double feature “Mesrine” stages the jaw-dropping amount of robberies and prison escapes committed by its titular French gangster. His resumé is impressive, but his life makes for rather redundant drama.
