_and_his_brother_Kevin_from_Amir_Bar-Lev's_THE_TILLMAN_STORY_-_Photo_Credit_Donald.thumbnail.jpg "The Tillman Story")
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: Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Color Purple’ Gets HD Upgrade
Submitted by BrianTT on February 1, 2011 - 6:30pmCHICAGO – Alice Walker’s novel “The Color Purple” won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1983 and became a highly-acclaimed film just two years later from what was then-seen as an unlikely directorial choice in Steven Spielberg. Despite the controversy, the film went on to be nominated for a stunning eleven Academy Awards and is now one of the first Spielberg works to get the HD upgrade.
Blu-Ray Review: Brilliant ‘Broadcast News’ Joins Criterion Collection
Submitted by BrianTT on February 1, 2011 - 10:30amCHICAGO – James L. Brooks “Broadcast News” should serve as a stark reminder of how far the romantic comedy has fallen. Believe it or not, young readers, there was a time, not that long ago, when rom-coms weren’t mostly horrendous dreck. There have even been a few nominated for Oscars, including even Best Picture.
Blu-Ray Review: Deadly Dull ‘Red’ Wastes A-List Cast
Submitted by mattmovieman on February 1, 2011 - 9:05amCHICAGO – After 2010, the Golden Globes should officially retire the category of “Best Musical or Comedy” for two reasons: 1. A staggeringly small percentage of American films annually fall under the category of “musical,” and 2. This year’s nominees were so embarrassingly awful that they instantly drained the category of any future credibility.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 3 ‘Conviction’ DVDs With Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 1, 2011 - 6:43amCHICAGO – In our latest biography/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, we have 3 DVDs up for grabs to the new DVD “Conviction” with Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Melissa Leo!
Blu-Ray Review: Riveting ‘Lebanon’ Offers Claustrophobic View of War
Submitted by BrianTT on January 31, 2011 - 6:06pmCHICAGO – It’s not hard to imagine viewers of “Lebanon” starting to sweat. It is a claustrophobic tale of war that has drawn deserved comparisons to Wolfgang Peterson’s brilliant “Das Boot” and it is nearly as good a film. This surreal nightmare stands as one of the better war films of the last several years and deserves a much broader international audience than it has yet achieved.
Blu-Ray Review: Spectacular ‘The Tillman Story’ Demands Your Attention
Submitted by BrianTT on January 31, 2011 - 12:58pmCHICAGO – When the Oscar nominations were announced last week, one of the most egregious snubs took place in the category of Best Documentary, where Amir Bar-Lev’s spectacular “The Tillman Story” missed out on not just the award it should have WON but even a nomination. This is not just a snub, it’s shameful, although this has long been a category in need of a massive overhaul. See for yourself when “The Tillman Story” hits DVD and Blu-ray tomorrow, Feb. 1, 2011.
Blu-Ray Review: Disney Releases Another Timeless Classic in Beautiful ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 31, 2011 - 10:39amCHICAGO – Last week, Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” notched a couple of Academy Award nominations. Do me a favor. Don’t allow your children to only know Johnny Depp’s portrayal of the Mad Hatter when it comes to Lewis Carroll’s timeless tale.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Saw: The Final Chapter’ Hopefully Ends Lackluster Series
Submitted by BrianTT on January 31, 2011 - 9:40amCHICAGO – I’m old enough to remember how the “Friday the 13th” series made a promise of “The Final Chapter” after the fourth film only to return with “Friday the 13th: A New Beginning.” Let’s hope that “Saw: The Final Chapter” (also known as “Saw 7” and “Saw 3D”) does not follow the same pattern because this lackluster series truly needs to end now. At least give it a few years for some filmmaker to find what worked about it in the first place (for the record, I think the original “Saw” is a near-great horror flick…but the franchise went 1-for-7 overall) because this final film does not demand a follow-up. Please.
‘The Fighter,’ ‘The King’s Speech’ Win Screen Actors Guild Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on January 30, 2011 - 9:58pmCHICAGO – “The King’s Speech,” “The Fighter,” and “Black Swan” were the big film winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, while “Boardwalk Empire,” “Modern Family,” “30 Rock,” “The Good Wife,” and “Hot in Cleveland” won awards on the TV side of the presentation. Ernest Borgnine won the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Theater Review: Magnificent ‘Macbeth’ at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 28, 2011 - 10:00pmCHICAGO – One of the jewels of Chicago is right on Lake Michigan. The Chicago Shakepeare Theater within Navy Pier continues to illuminate the immortal Bard resplendently for contemporary audiences. “Macbeth,” playing through March 5th, is part of their ‘Short Shakespeare!’ series.
Film Review: Jason Statham in ‘The Mechanic’ is a Mindless Repeat of All Prior Gun-Toting Slayers
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 28, 2011 - 4:01pmCHICAGO – It wouldn’t be a Jason Statham film if in it he was just fixing cars. In “The Mechanic,” his profession is fixing people. And by fixing, like “The Transporter” he’s again cracking skulls.
Film Review: Javier Bardem Takes a Journey to an End in ‘Biutiful’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 28, 2011 - 7:58amCHICAGO – In the midst of life’s journey, what may seem like a long time suddenly can become short, what seems like the routine suddenly becomes desperate. The theme of these changes and the effect on a dying soul is explored in “Biutiful.”
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 20 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Sanctum’ From ‘Avatar’ Creator James Cameron
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 27, 2011 - 6:04pmCHICAGO – In our latest 3-D action/thriller edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Sanctum” from executive producer James Cameron (creator of “Avatar” and “Titanic”)!
