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+.
Liam Neeson
Film Review: Fantasy & Feelings Comingle in ‘A Monster Calls’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 6, 2017 - 7:44pmCHICAGO – The nature of dying, especially in process with a close loved one, is a testing ground for unwieldy and alien emotions. When, why and how we’re challenged does not have a timetable, nor a convenience. All of this is played out as fantasy in the vital “A Monster Calls.”
Film Review: ‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’ is a Bloated Bore
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 22, 2016 - 1:24pmCHICAGO – This new Hollywood fairy tale does have one thing in common with the bedtime stories of old…it may lull you to sleep in the first 30 minutes. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” is a special effects extravaganza where the effects aren’t special, the story is thin, and almost all the actors seem to have been allowed or even encouraged to indulge their worst impulses.
Film Review: ‘Ted 2’ is a Funnier Film Than it Deserves to Be
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 25, 2015 - 7:52pm- Amanda Seyfried
- Dennis Haysbert
- Giovanni Ribisi
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Jay Leno
- Jessica Barth
- John Carroll Lynch
- John Slattery
- Liam Neeson
- Mark Wahlberg
- Michael Dorn
- Morgan Freeman
- Movie Review
- Patrick Stewart
- Patrick Warburton
- Sam J. Jones
- Seth MacFarlane
- Spike Walters
- Ted
- Ted 2
- Tom Brady
- Universal Pictures
CHICAGO – While it’s cruder and it can’t quite match the original “Ted,” “Ted 2” is still funnier than it has any right to be. It is unmistakably a Seth MacFarlane production, and there are a million reasons why this movie shouldn’t work, chief among them a plot that attempts to plop a foul mouthed talking teddy bear into a moralistic legal parable about civil rights. But I can’t deny I laughed throughout, almost despite myself.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 100 Seats to ‘Entourage’ Movie to Bring Your Own Entourage
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 25, 2015 - 12:16pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we are giving away 100 seats to the advance movie screening of the highly anticipated new film “Entourage” based on the hit HBO television show! Bring your own entourage!
Interview: Director Pierre Morel on Sean Penn, Liam Neeson & His Latest ‘The Gunman’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 20, 2015 - 10:10amCHICAGO – There were basically two careers for Pierre Morel, before he directed the mega-hit “Taken,” starring Liam Neeson, and afterward. The French-born cinematographer, camera operator and now director is releasing “The Gunman,” an action film that stars Sean Penn. Like “Taken,” the motivations for the action are based in the real world, and “The Gunman” travels to Africa, London and Barcelona on his way to redeeming his soul.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘Run All Night’ With Liam Neeson
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 7, 2015 - 2:35pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new action/thriller “Run All Night” starring Liam Neeson!
Film Review: Ramshackle, Rickety ‘Taken 3’ is Far Too Predictable
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 9, 2015 - 3:21pmCHICAGO – “Taken 3” is more a brand extension than a movie. Seven years after “Taken” turned Liam Neeson into an unlikely action star, “Taken 3” shows this series has completely run out of gas. The novelty of the hulking Oscar-nominee beating bad guys to a pulp wore off a long time ago.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ Blu-ray Combo Packs
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 12, 2014 - 2:00amCHICAGO – In our latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Combo Pack giveaway, we have 10 free Blu-ray and DVD combo packs up for grabs for the home entertainment release of the comedy “A Million Ways to Die in the West” with Seth MacFarlane and Charlize Theron!
Film Review: ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’ Solidifies Desire for Liam Neeson to Be Your Dad
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 22, 2014 - 12:19amCHICAGO – I don’t know about your dad, but mine – love him as I do – isn’t Jason Bourne, James Bond or Bryan Mills. At the age of 62, Liam Neeson somehow still kicks ass as Bryan Mills in “Taken” and fans everywhere love riding every minute of his butt-kicking thrill rides.
Film Review: Liam Neeson in Forgettable ‘A Walk Among the Tombstones’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 19, 2014 - 6:48pmCHICAGO – Liam Neeson still looks good being a badass., but “A Walk Among The Tombstones” is a vehicle unworthy of his particular set of skills. It’s not a tightly constructed thriller like “Non-Stop,” and it lacks the sheer over-the-top ludicrousness of “Taken 2.”