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+.
Patrick McDonald
Film Review: Story Won’t Go All the Way in ‘The Boy Next Door’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 23, 2015 - 8:50amCHICAGO – There was a different kind of vibe coming from the thriller “The Boy Next Door,” different than what is expected when hearing “Jennifer Lopez as teacher caught in a scandal with a student.” But for every piece of original thinking, there was a fear of making it too different.
Interview: Actor Trai Byers of Film ‘Selma,’ TV’s ‘Empire’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 22, 2015 - 4:34pmCHICAGO – The excellent film “Selma” focuses on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. But just as important as King were the marchers from supporting civil rights societies, such as the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and their leaders like James Forman, portrayed in the film by Trai Byers.
Interview: Chicagoan Eric McCoy, Justus Meyer of McCoy|Meyer Productions
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 20, 2015 - 6:41pmCHICAGO – When HollywoodChicago.com last talked to Eric McCoy, he was a fresh-out-of-film-school director with a notable short work – “Carpe Millennium” – ready to hit the festival circuit, and a different name, Eric Bednarowicz. About a year later, Eric moved to Los Angeles, took his middle name as his new moniker, and teamed up with Justus Meyer to form the new production company McCoy|Meyer. Ironically, Dictionary Films of Chicago just announced that McCoy|Meyer of Los Angeles will join their team of production experts here.
Film Feature: The Top 10 Celebrity Photos of 2014, By Joe Arce
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 20, 2015 - 4:41pmCHICAGO – In a year where shoots with perpetual photo fashionistas like Cindy Crawford and Sarah Jessica Parker still failed to crack the Top Ten list of biggest celebrity photo-ops, you know 2014 was a very good year for HollywoodChicago.com and myself, Joe Arce, as Senior Staff Photographer.
Exclusive Portrait: Patton Oswalt For His Book ‘Silver Screen Fiend’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 18, 2015 - 12:31pmCHICAGO – Raconteur, comedian and Twitter star Patton Oswalt has a new book out, entitled “Silver Screen Fiend.” In it, he chronicles his love for the movies and how it shaped his worldview. He appeared at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., at an event sponsored by Anderson’s Bookshop.
Film Review: Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac Endure ‘A Most Violent Year’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 17, 2015 - 10:25amCHICAGO – The effect of violence, centering on the roughest statistical year for it (1981) in New York City history, becomes a flashpoint for the way business has always been done. If someone isn’t intimidating their competitor with lawyers or shady marketing practices, a few hired goons can do the trick. Oscar Isaac takes the beating, both real and metaphorical, in writer/director J.C. Chandor’s “A Most Violent Year.”
Film Review: Julianne Moore Delivers Shattering Portrayal in ‘Still Alice’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 16, 2015 - 1:01pmCHICAGO – In one of the best film acting performances from 2014, Julianne Moore devastatingly portrays a woman in her fifties who is a victim of early onset Alzheimer’s disease. As the effects of dementia physically deteriorates her life, it is a wonder if she is “Still Alice.”
Film Review: Lack of Full Disclosure Trips Up ‘American Sniper’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 15, 2015 - 11:30pmCHICAGO – A straightforward story about the military marksman Chris Kyle is pretty much told in “American Sniper,” by director Clint Eastwood. But what is left out of the movie – Kyle’s right-wing politics and a depiction of his fate – is more curious than what is actually presented.
Film News: ‘Life Itself’ Snub Mars 2015 Oscar Nominations
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 15, 2015 - 7:02pm- Academy Awards
- American Sniper
- Best Actor
- Best Actress
- Best Supporting Actor
- Best Supporting Actress
- Birdman
- Boyhood
- Film News
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Life Itself
- Neil Patrick Harris
- Nominations
- Oscars
- Patrick McDonald
- Roger Ebert
- Snub
- The Grand Budapest Hotel
- The Imitation Gam. Selma
- The Theory of Everything
- Whiplash. Best Picture
CHICAGO – In an unprecedented oversight, especially for the film community in Chicago, film critic Roger Ebert’s biography “Life Itself” was snubbed for Best Documentary as the nominations were announced on Jan. 15, 2015 for the 87th Academy Awards. The films “Birdman” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” tied for most Oscar nominations with nine.
Interview: Sienna Miller on the Home Front in ‘American Sniper’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 13, 2015 - 4:23pmCHICAGO – Sienna Miller creates illumination that a movie screen never forgets. From her early roles in “Alfie” and “Factory Girl,” to the more recent “Foxcatcher” and “American Sniper,” Miller adds an extra level of truth that generates expressive and notable characteristics to the roles that she portrays.