Joel Edgerton

Film Review: Jingoistic ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Highlights the Mission

CHICAGO – Despite an obsession for killing a single man to represent a foggy revenge, “Zero Dark Thirty” is an effective thriller in the actual re-creation of that Navy Seal operation. Directed by Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”), the all-star cast is led by a miscast Jessica Chastain.

Blu-ray Review: Bizarre Misfire ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ Falls Flat

The Odd Life of Timothy Green Blu-ray

CHICAGO – “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” is the sort of extravagantly wrong-headed misfire that perhaps only could’ve been made by talented people. The director is Peter Hedges, an accomplished screenwriter best known for adapting his excellent book, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” for the big screen. The ensemble cast reads like a roll call of America’s most reliable character actors.

Film Review: ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ Turns CIA Procedural Into Riveting Thriller

CHICAGO – Kathryn Bigelow opens her stunning “Zero Dark Thirty” with a date and a series of voice mail recordings. The date is, of course, September 11, 2001 and the recordings are the ghosts of the people who died that day, perfectly setting the stakes for the story to come – the hunt for and capture of Osama Bin Laden.

Film Review: ‘The Odd Life of Timothy Green’ Misses Emotional Connection

CHICAGO – Peter Hedges’ “The Odd Life of Timothy Green” has a warm, gooey center that’s admirable in a family movie way but what’s around it can’t hold together as the lack of focus in the narrative and the rather grating performance from the young man playing its title character causes it to annoy more than entertain.

Blu-ray Review: ‘The Thing’ Prequel Almost Works But Misses Paranoia of Original

The Thing

CHICAGO – John Carpenter’s “The Thing” is a brilliant study in paranoia. It is more than a mere horror film. The remake/prequel, recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, is a decent horror film but the comparison to the classic original and some serious mistakes in the final act make “decent” not good enough by association.

Blu-ray Review: Riveting ‘Warrior’ With Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte

Warrior

CHICAGO – In much the same way that current movie goers are surprised to learn that a film as beloved as “The Shawshank Redemption” only made $28 million on its initial run in theaters or that a drama that everyone can quote like “Fight Club” only made $37 million, the box office gross for Gavin O’Connor’s incredible “Warrior” will shock future generations. It pulled in a measly $14 million domestically (and only about $9 more worldwide), meaning that most of you haven’t seen it. You must. You will eventually. And you’ll be stunned that Lionsgate couldn’t get it to more people. This is a great film, one of my choices for the best of 2011, and it was recently released on Blu-ray and DVD.

Film Review: Unsettling Paranoia, Special Effects Showcase ‘The Thing’

CHICAGO – With Halloween approaching, what will truly scare us at the cinema this month? One strong entry is this weekend’s “The Thing,” the third remake of a wild and mysterious monster movie. It combines a European-style approach to paranoia with some truly unique monster effects.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Warrior’ With Tom Hardy

CHICAGO – In our latest sport/action edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes (increased from 25 admit-twos!) up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of “Warrior” starring Nick Nolte and rising stars Tom Hardy (Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises”) and Joel Edgerton!

Film Review: Incredible ‘Warrior’ With Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte

CHICAGO – Gavin O’Connor’s “Warrior” is such a powerful, unusual film that we’re doing something we don’t typically do at HollywoodChicago.com – giving you an early warning that an incredible piece of filmmaking hits theaters in a few weeks on September 9th, 2011.

DVD Review: Excellent ‘Animal Kingdom’ Features Oscar-Nominated Performance

Animal Kingdom

CHICAGO – One of the most wonderful nominations on Oscar morning this year was that of the great Jacki Weaver for the movie that most “E!”-watchers probably had never even heard of — “Animal Kingdom.” This searing crime thriller barely found an audience when it was released in art houses but should get a nice boost from the Academy and was just released on DVD last week, Jan. 18, 2011.

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TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • Manhunt

    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+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    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.

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