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+.
Taylor Kitsch
Film Review: Oliver Stone’s ‘Savages’ Harpoons Drug War Absurdities
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 6, 2012 - 9:44amCHICAGO – Director Oliver Stone sees a controversy, and comments on a controversy, in his own distinctive cinematic style. The new film “Savages” is no exception, taking on the U.S./Mexican marijuana wars, with performances by Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek and John Travolta.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Pairs of Passes to ‘Savages’ From Oliver Stone with Taylor Kitsch
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 24, 2012 - 11:07pmCHICAGO – Oliver Stone is back! In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 40 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated new Oliver Stone film “Savages”!
Blu-ray Review: ‘John Carter’ Doesn’t Deserve Punchline Status But Does Miss Its Mark
Submitted by BrianTT on June 19, 2012 - 3:26pmCHICAGO – I approached “John Carter” on Blu-ray expecting to fall strongly on either side of the debate surrounding one of the biggest bombs of 2012. The cyclical nature of entertainment journalism means everything that faces as much critical derision as “Carter” did when it hit theaters is likely to get a camp of loyal devotees before long and I had heard from several people that Andrew Stanton’s film wasn’t actually all that bad. It’s not. But it’s not good either. It’s just there. There are elements that work, for sure, but the thin storytelling and characters for whom it’s simply impossible to care about make it more lackluster than anything else.
Film Review: Despite Rihanna, Peter Berg’s ‘Battleship’ Lands as One of the Best Popcorn Flicks Ever
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 18, 2012 - 1:01amCHICAGO – “Battleship” certainly could simplistically be reduced to a 131-minute propaganda piece of why you might want to enlist in the U.S. Navy – that is, if Earth had to ward off lizard-like creatures from a deep-space solar system we can only reach by slingshotting a highly amplified “What’s up, aliens?” broadcast to them.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Battleship’ From ‘Hancock’ Director
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 4, 2012 - 1:53pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 50 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated blockbuster “Battleship” from “Hancock” director Peter Berg!
Film Review: ‘John Carter’ is Poor Man’s ‘Star Wars’ With Kitschy Taylor Kitsch, Soft-Porn Lynn Collins
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 10, 2012 - 6:32amCHICAGO – Usually it’s critics critically flogging a film when we say it weakly lacks originality and borrows too heavily from others. Disney’s “John Carter” attacks that classic grumble by promotionally comparing itself to “Star Wars” and “Avatar” before critics even had a chance to deduct points for it.
Slideshow: 21 Official Photos From Disney’s ‘John Carter’ With Taylor Kitsch
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 22, 2012 - 3:00pmCHICAGO – Coming on March 9th is one of the more anticipated action films of 2012. Walt Disney presents “John Carter,” featuring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Samantha Morton, Clarán Hinds and Bryan Cranston. The story is based on a 100 year old series of novels by “Tarzan” creator Edgar Rice Burroughs.
DVD, TV Review: Final Season of NBC’s Beloved ‘Friday Night Lights’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 15, 2011 - 1:38pmCHICAGO – Even diehard fans of the show have to be stunned that “Friday Night Lights” made it five seasons. And perhaps the program’s most enduring legacy will be that it changes the delivery model. The fifth and final season has already aired on DirecTV’s 101 and starts playing tonight, April 15th, 2011 on NBC, but is also already available on DVD. Yes, the shows haven’t even aired on network TV but they’re already at the DVD store. Times are changing.
DVD Review: Critical Darling ‘Friday Night Lights’ With Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton
Submitted by BrianTT on August 23, 2010 - 10:51amCHICAGO – The saga of “Friday Night Lights,” the fourth season of which is now available on DVD, is not unlike that of an underestimated football player who most people thought wouldn’t make the team despite his obvious talent but who proved everyone wrong by changing the rules of the game.
TV Review: ‘Friday Night Lights’ Continues Stellar Storytelling
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 7, 2010 - 4:01pmCHICAGO – Why has a seemingly ordinary tale of an oil patch town in Texas and their high school football obsession conquered books, film and television? Because the folks telling the story continue a tradition of beautiful, significant truth.