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.
Evan Rachel Wood
On-Air Film Review: Eat It with ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 5, 2022 - 9:28pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 3rd, 2022, reviewing “Armageddon Time,” a memoir from writer and director James Gray, in theaters beginning November 5th..!—break—>
Film Review: Celebrating the Farce of July! On-Air Review of ‘Kajillionaire’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 24, 2020 - 10:10amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 24th, 2020, reviewing the new live action film “Kajillionaire,” a new film by quirky writer/director Miranda July.!—break—>
Film Review: Annoying, Inconsistent ‘Charlie Countryman’ with Shia LaBeouf
Submitted by BrianTT on November 15, 2013 - 10:55amRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What happens when you give people two months in Romania to make a movie about a lost soul dealing with grief, love, drug use, and general excess? You get a spoiled, bizarre, annoying piece of work like “Charlie Countryman,” starring talented people given absolutely nothing to do that proves that talent. It’s a film more in love with slow-motion shots of its abrasive lead running to electronic dance music than anything approaching character or plot. It’s like watching the travel video of the most annoying guy you know.
Blu-ray Review: Oscar-Nominated ‘The Ides of March’ With Ryan Gosling
Submitted by BrianTT on January 25, 2012 - 5:10pmCHICAGO – One of the more surprising choices this week by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences was to cite the Adapted Screenplay for George Clooney’s “The Ides of March,” recently released on DVD and Blu-ray. The Ryan Gosling-led drama has some strengths, but it’s script is the weakest element of the film. The sheer force of talent of the people who bring it to life may have led some to believe it’s better than it actually is. See for yourself.
Blu-ray Review: ‘Mildred Pierce: The Collector’s Edition’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 9, 2012 - 12:57pmCHICAGO – I must admit that I am of the school that thinks that “Mildred Pierce” is one of the best things that has ever played on television. It is art of the highest caliber, featuring one of the best performances in the history of the form and were it eligible it would have been in my top ten films of 2011. It’s that good. And the “Collector’s Edition” of the award-winning series lives up to that title, marking the first time that HBO has ever released a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack and weighing the production down with special features. It’s the first must-own of 2012.
Film Review: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney in ‘The Ides of March’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 7, 2011 - 9:37amCHICAGO – George Clooney’s “The Ides of March” is a star-studded political thriller of the variety that was made much more commonly in the ‘70s and would therefore seem like a perfect vehicle to restart for today’s controversial times.
Blu-Ray Review: Third Season of HBO’s Sex-Soaked Smash ‘True Blood’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 17, 2011 - 3:00pmCHICAGO – The most blood and sex-soaked program on television returns at the end of this month for another round of supernatural chaos but there’s still time to catch up with the third season of HBO’s “True Blood,” recently released in a bonus-packed DVD and Blu-ray set.
Film Review: ‘The Conspirator’ Has Lessons That Resonate Today
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 15, 2011 - 5:23pmCHICAGO – The Latin term “Inter arma silent leges.” (There is no law on the battlefield) is coldly stated in “The Conspirator,” directed by Robert Redford. In plain truth, the new film recreates one of the most controversial military trials in American history.
TV Review: Kate Winslet, Todd Haynes Elevate ‘Mildred Pierce’ to Masterpiece
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2011 - 9:04amCHICAGO – When HBO announced that they were producing a six-hour mini-series version of the James M. Cain (“Double Indemnity”) novel “Mildred Pierce” to star Kate Winslet and be directed by Todd Haynes, cinephiles everywhere let out an audible gasp.
TV Review: ‘True Blood’ Promises Bloody Good Time This Summer
Submitted by BrianTT on June 11, 2010 - 3:50pmCHICAGO – Vampire and werewolf fans may be counting the days until the release of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” at the end of this month but HBO’s spectacular “True Blood” returns this weekend with an excellent start to a third season of one of the most unusual and consistently entertaining shows on television.