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
Film Review: Terrence Malick’s Captivating Meditation on ‘The Tree of Life’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 27, 2011 - 3:15pmCHICAGO – I’ve seen Terrence Malick’s “Tree of Life” twice now and I still struggle with how to put my reaction to it into words. The film almost defies typical critical discussion with its lack of narrative thrust and a structure that makes it far closer to a poem than a piece of prose. How do you even begin to talk about a piece that works with emotions instead of plot twists?
Film Review: Takashi Miike’s ‘13 Assassins’ Presents Ballet of Blood
Submitted by BrianTT on May 27, 2011 - 3:02pmCHICAGO – You will see a lot of movies this season that don’t deliver on their set-up. Whether it’s because they’re setting up the audience for another installment in a blockbuster franchise or just the fact that movies made by big studio committees often drop the ball, it’s simply a fact. Whatever one can say about Takashi Miike’s “13 Assassins,” opening this weekend at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago and currently available On Demand, it absolutely, undeniably delivers the goods. And those goods are soaked in blood.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘X-Men: First Class’ Plus 5 Vintage T-Shirts
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 27, 2011 - 2:12pmCHICAGO – In our latest superhero edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 10 admit-two advance-screening movie passes plus 5 vintage “X-Men” T-shirts up for grabs for the highly anticipated new film “X-Men: First Class”!
Film Review: Woody Allen’s Charming ‘Midnight in Paris’ Delights
Submitted by BrianTT on May 27, 2011 - 10:06amCHICAGO – Writer/director Woody Allen and the amazing cinematographer Darius Khondji (“Seven,” “The City of Lost Children”) very purposefully open their new film “Midnight in Paris” with a long series of static shots of the title city before even presenting a cast list. You see, Paris is a cast member in this film.
Film Review: ‘The Hangover Part II’ a Funny, Formulaic, Desperately Shocking Carbon Copy
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 26, 2011 - 11:40pmCHICAGO – Business and creative people go together as well as fine wine at a burger joint. Riding on the heels of the monumentally profitable “The Hangover,” the brass win out over the artists in “The Hangover Part II”.
Film Review: Inconsistent ‘Do Not Disturb’ Features Revolving Door of Quality
Submitted by BrianTT on May 26, 2011 - 4:40pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The beautiful Mali Elfman, daughter of the great composer Danny Elfman, has written and produced (and co-stars in) a unique piece of work called “Do Not Disturb,” a collection of interconnected short films that chronicles the bizarre happenings in a Los Angeles hotel room and is now available On Demand. What goes on behind closed doors? If the walls of even one room could talk, the stories they would tell would be great fodder for filmmaking. “Do Not Disturb” is too inconsistent to recommend completely but features a few interesting elements and bodes well for a promising filmmaker.
Blu-Ray Review: 25th Anniversary of Oliver Stone’s Devastating ‘Platoon’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 26, 2011 - 3:59pmCHICAGO – Oliver Stone’s “Platoon” is easily one of the most important films in my life. It came out in theaters when I was eleven and I saw it not long after that on VHS. My parents decided that, despite the intensity of the film, its subject matter was important enough that I could handle it even at a young age. I remember being simply blown away by the movie for numerous reasons.
On XLC Radio: HollywoodChicago.com’s Brian Tallerico to Discuss Fall Schedule Announcements
Submitted by BrianTT on May 26, 2011 - 1:37pmCHICAGO – Brian Tallerico guests on Jimmy & Jen on 102.3 XLC in Chicago on May 19, 2011 for an interview about current television news including the announcements of the Fall shows, the departure of Lisa Edelstein from “House,’ the news of Ashton Kutcher’s casting on “Two and a Half Men,” and much more.
Film Review: More or Less Same Formula in ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 26, 2011 - 8:25amCHICAGO – Good and evil, chase and fight. Those are the two basic formulas that dominate “Kung Fu Panda 2,” the sequel to the very popular first film. That redundancy is helped by the spirituality of an animated panda and some spectacular 3D rendering.
Film News: ‘Tree of Life’ Wins Top Prize at Cannes Film Festival
Submitted by mattmovieman on May 26, 2011 - 7:43amCHICAGO – Thirty-three years after winning the Best Director Prize at the Cannes Film Festival for his 1978 drama, “Days of Heaven,” maverick filmmaker Terrence Malick has received an even greater honor. His fifth feature, “The Tree of Life,” won the Palme d’Or at the 64th annual Cannes Film Festival, despite mixed reviews and a smattering of boos following its premiere screening.
Blu-Ray Review: Commemorative Editions of ‘Gettysburg,’ ‘Gods and Generals’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 25, 2011 - 5:32pmCHICAGO – “Gettysburg” and “Gods and Generals” have legions of hardcore fans who adored them when they first played in theaters and will love the new Blu-ray editions that feel like hardcover books more than your standard disc release. One has to admire the marketing machine at Warner Bros. who can tie these titles in to the 150th Commemoration of the Civil War and make them perfect Father’s Day gifts at the same time.
DVD Review: Loving Tribute in ‘The Royal Wedding: William & Catherine’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 25, 2011 - 4:32pmCHICAGO – According to reports, billions of people watched the wedding of the new century last month when HRH Prince William and Catherine Middleton were united on April 29, 2011. If you didn’t get enough coverage and don’t have the actual event saved in your DVR for the rest of time, BBC and Warner Bros. have put together a solid tribute to the event called “The Royal Wedding: William & Catherine.”
DVD Review: ‘The Kids in the Hall’ Makes Case For Greatness
Submitted by BrianTT on May 25, 2011 - 4:02pmCHICAGO – I’ve long, long said that any conversation about the best sketch comedy series of all time that doesn’t include “The Kids in the Hall” is totally worthless. Sure, “Saturday Night Live” has longevity and “Mr. Show” was an amazing program, but the recently-released box set of the entire output of “The Kids in the Hall” certainly makes a strong case that they should be not just on the list but arguably at the top. There’s SO much greatness in this box set that it’s nearly overwhelming (and the 2010 comeback series “The Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town” has also been included).
