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+.
HBO
TV Review: HBO’s Disappointing ‘Hemingway & Gellhorn’ with Clive Owen, Nicole Kidman
Submitted by BrianTT on May 28, 2012 - 10:00amCHICAGO – It pains me to say this — HBO’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn” is a complete mess, a film littered with awful directorial decisions, built on a misguided screenplay, and featuring performances that range from mediocre to downright horrendous. I’m as big a cheerleader for HBO and their line of original films as you’re likely to find but this is one of the worst.
TV Review: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Returns in HBO’s Hilarious ‘Veep’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 22, 2012 - 9:39amCHICAGO – With the same profane-yet-brilliant rhythm he brought to the Oscar-nominated “In the Loop,” Armando Iannucci now tackles weekly television in the very funny “Veep, a new comedy that doesn’t quite feel like it’s going to change the landscape of TV sitcoms or earn the rapturous praise of its night-mate (“Veep”) but is nonetheless one of the straight-up funniest shows on TV.
TV Review: Lena Dunham’s ‘Girls’ is Next Great HBO Comedy
Submitted by BrianTT on April 14, 2012 - 11:29amCHICAGO – Lena Dunham’s brilliant new HBO series is called “Girls” and not “Women” for a very distinct reason. She’s capturing a rarely-chronicled aspect of the iGeneration, that period where we are definitely not children but also not yet quite adults. And there’s something about the current wave of recession era twentysomethings that’s particularly unique.
TV News: HBO Renews ‘Game of Thrones’ For a Third Season
Submitted by BrianTT on April 10, 2012 - 11:55amCHICAGO – The saga of HBO’s brilliant “Game of Thrones” will continue for at least another season as the network just announced that the hit program has been renewed for a third outing. Michael Lombardo, President of HBO Programming, made the unsurprising announcement today, after only two episodes of the second season have aired to enormous ratings.
TV Review: HBO’s Amazing ‘Game of Thrones’ Returns With Dark, Foreboding Premiere
Submitted by BrianTT on March 31, 2012 - 4:11pmCHICAGO – I know what you’re saying — how can a show that ended with as much death as the first season of “Game of Thrones” return even darker? Watch the season premiere of HBO’s brilliant (and, currently, best) series — “The North Remembers” — and tell me I’m wrong.
Book Review: Unofficial Cookbooks For ‘The Hunger Games,’ ‘Game of Thrones’ For Hardcore Fans
Submitted by BrianTT on March 26, 2012 - 2:26pmCHICAGO – You can tell when a property has reached beyond mere fad to true phenomenon based on the amount of related merchandising, official and otherwise. There have been a growing number of products related to the hit HBO show (and beloved George R.R. Martin books) “Game of Thrones,” including shirts, mugs, and even an upcoming video game.
TV News: HBO Ceases All Future Production on ‘Luck’ After Horse Deaths
Submitted by BrianTT on March 14, 2012 - 6:14pmCHICAGO – It has been a tragic week for the show “Luck,” the critical smash on HBO that stars Nick Nolte and Dustin Hoffman. After a third horse died during production of the show, it has been ceased entirely, according to a just received press release from HBO. Another David Milch show that ended far too soon.
Blu-ray Review: ‘Game of Thrones: The Complete First Season’ is One of Best TV-HD Releases to Date
Submitted by BrianTT on March 13, 2012 - 4:14pmCHICAGO – Being an entertainment critics calls for top ten lists in December of every year but I’ve always been someone who believes that these things are not written in stone. I don’t think there’s a single top ten for film or television that is the same today as on the day I wrote it. Oh, they’re close, but the fact is that not only do some things age better than others but sometimes it takes time to fully appreciate something or to realize one was incorrect the first time around.
TV Review: Stunning Performances Drive HBO’s Fantastic ‘Game Change’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 10, 2012 - 2:06pmCHICAGO – You may be surprised by the angle taken by HBO’s controversial “Game Change,” a film already being summarily dismissed by conservative pundits who probably haven’t even seen the piece and merely assume that it’s another liberal Hollywood hatchet job. It’s not that at all.
TV Review: HBO’s ‘Eastbound & Down,’ ‘Life’s Too Short’ Offer Unique Takes on Comedy
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2012 - 9:54amCHICAGO – HBO brings back a few of their most larger-than-life personalities with the third (and final) season premiere of “Eastbound & Down” and the stateside premiere of “Life’s Too Short.”