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
Video Game Review: Riveting, Thrilling Action of ‘Splinter Cell: Conviction’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 7, 2010 - 6:12pmVideo Game Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With a consistently intriguing story, excellent voice work, and perfectly-paced gameplay, the Microsoft Xbox 360 game “Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Conviction” is a surprisingly accomplished title, one that will suck you in for hours on end and nearly make you feel like a superspy yourself.
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.
Despite Some Superfluous Story, ‘Iron Man 2’ Delivers Hollywood Oomph
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 7, 2010 - 1:15pmCHICAGO – “Iron Man 2” with returner Robert Downey Jr. and newcomer Scarlett Johansson does what it can within the confines of what it has to do. The Hollywood machine has trained us to have certain expectations for blockbuster sequels and “Iron Man 2” neither deviates nor blazes new territory.
Catherine Keener Shines in Nicole Holofcener’s Rewarding ‘Please Give’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 7, 2010 - 12:40pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/director Nicole Holofcener (“Lovely and Amazing,” “Friends With Money”) has an amazing ability to write characters that immediately feel genuine. It helps to have an actress as free of artifice as Catherine Keener as your regular lead but we shouldn’t diminish Holofcener’s rare ear for dialogue that actually sounds like it wasn’t created by a screenwriting machine.
‘Echotone’ Will Captivate Starving Artists Everywhere
Submitted by BrianTT on May 7, 2010 - 11:18amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Two towering orbs are routinely seen eclipsing each other throughout “Echotone,” the wonderful new documentary by first-time filmmaker Nathan Christ. It’s an apt visual metaphor for representing the film’s titular term, which is defined as meaning, “the point at which nature and civilization meet.”
Exclusive Portrait: Good Golly, It’s Teen Queen Molly Ringwald
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 6, 2010 - 4:32pmCHICAGO – It was nostalgia time as Molly Ringwald made an appearance at the Borders Books in Lincoln Park, Chicago, near the suburban locale of one her great collaborations with the late John Hughes, “The Breakfast Club.”
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Day 8 of 10 Days of ‘Iron Man 2’ Giveaways
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 6, 2010 - 3:26pmCHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com welcomes back our earlier contestants to day eight of our exclusive 10 Days of “Iron Man 2” giveaway! If you didn’t win yesterday or learn about the fun until now, today’s your next chance to win! And if today isn’t yours, tomorrow might be!
‘The Good, The Bad, The Weird’ Favors Spectacle Over Story
Submitted by BrianTT on May 6, 2010 - 11:36amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Any guess what’s going on?” asks Zhang Qi, the befuddled leader of the Tri-Nation gang, as he observes a nearby train erupting into utter chaos. This line earns the first big laugh in Kim Ji-woon’s breathlessly entertaining “The Good, The Bad, The Weird,” precisely because it mirrors the thoughts of audience members during the film’s delirious opening sequence.
Blu-Ray Review: Kathryn Bigelow’s ‘K-19: The Widowmaker’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 6, 2010 - 11:16amCHICAGO – Her ceiling-breaking Oscar win for Best Director and Best Picture for “The Hurt Locker” is likely to send many movie watchers into the back catalog of the great Kathryn Bigelow, a fact that has driven Paramount to release her least accomplished film, the truly mediocre Harrison Ford vehicle “K-19: The Widowmaker” on Blu-ray.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Day 7 of 10 Days of ‘Iron Man 2’ Giveaways
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 5, 2010 - 5:21pmCHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com welcomes back our earlier contestants to day seven of our exclusive 10 Days of “Iron Man 2” giveaway! If you didn’t win yesterday or learn about the fun until now, today’s your next chance to win! And if today isn’t yours, tomorrow might be!
‘Twilight’ Sequel ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn’ Set For Nov. 18, 2011
Submitted by BrianTT on May 5, 2010 - 3:53pmCHICAGO – Summit announced the release date for the final film in the “Twilight” franchise today, “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn,” starring Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, but did not yet reveal if it will be one or two films, as has been rumored. “Breaking Dawn,” helmed by recently-announced director Bill Condon, will be released on Nov. 18, 2011.
Marvel DVD Round Up, May 2010: ‘X-Men,’ ‘Iron Man,’ ‘Wolverine’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 5, 2010 - 1:13pmCHICAGO – With “Iron Man 2” hitting theaters in a matter of hours, the round-up is back with a trio of superhero animated DVDs clearly timed to release with the launch of the biggest Marvel movie of the year. See “Iron Man 2” and take home whichever animated TV on DVD release suits your fancy. Or get all three.
Interview: Writer, Actor Justin Theroux on His ‘Iron Man 2’ Screenplay
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 5, 2010 - 1:07pmCHICAGO – Justin Theroux has a long resume as both a cult actor (”Muholland Dr.”) and screenwriter (”Tropic Thunder”). Through a key connection and his own point-of-view, he was hired to write “Iron Man 2,” the sequel to one of the biggest blockbusters ever.