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
DVD Reviews: 2010 Rookie TV Seasons Including ‘The Good Wife,’ ‘NCIS: Los Angeles,’ More
Submitted by BrianTT on September 2, 2010 - 3:14pmCHICAGO – We have written several times about the strength of the 2009-2010 television season with an incredible number of rookie hits and many of those great programs are now coming out on DVD.
Blu-Ray Review: Sixth Season of FOX Hit ‘House’ With Hugh Laurie
Submitted by BrianTT on September 2, 2010 - 12:31pmCHICAGO – With the departure of Adrian Monk (“Monk”), Jack Bauer (“24”) and Jack Shephard (“Lost”) along with the stoppage of the revolving door of personalities at “Law & Order,” there are very few time-tested icons left on television. One of the remaining TV characters that will clearly have a chapter of his own in the history books of the medium is Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) and his stellar sixth season of the FOX medical drama was recently released in an excellent Universal set.
Blu-Ray Review: Great Release For ‘George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 2, 2010 - 10:49amCHICAGO – It pains me to point out the flaws of “George A. Romero’s Survival of the Dead.” Two of the most influential movies in my entire life are “Night of the Living Dead” and “Dawn of the Dead” and I could write a book on the importance of one of the most essential horror directors of all time. But, despite a fantastic Blu-ray release, “Survival of the Dead” disappoints.
Going the Distance: Top 10 Real-Life On-Screen Couples
Submitted by BrianTT on September 2, 2010 - 9:46amCHICAGO – The personal life of an entertainer shouldn’t be of any entertainment value, regardless of how celebrity gossip columns and the paparazzi would like to convince the general public otherwise. Who cares if two famous people have chemistry if it doesn’t show up onscreen?
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 3 Pairs of Billy Idol, Slash Tickets at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 1, 2010 - 3:02pmCHICAGO – In this edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Music, we have three pairs of tickets up for grabs to see Billy Idol perform at Chicago’s Riviera Theatre with special guests Slash, Steve Stevens and Myles Kennedy!
Film Review: George Clooney Does it Italian Style in ‘The American’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 1, 2010 - 7:54amCHICAGO – What if the most dangerous and pursued assassin in the world began to develop a flaw in his delivery, due to the vulnerability of simple human contact? Where does religion, carnality and love fit in that connection? George Clooney plays that assassin-type in “The American,” holed up for one more job, the job that might answer both of those questions.
DVD Review: Fine Cast Adds Substance to Contrived ‘City Island’
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 1, 2010 - 7:39amCHICAGO – There are many reasons why “City Island” shouldn’t work. It’s entirely contrived, from one end of the script to the other. Every gargantuan misunderstanding in the film has been spawned by festering lies, the kind that sitcoms have thrived on since the beginning of television. Yet what works in a 23-minute TV sketch often becomes tedious and exasperating when stretched to feature length.
Video Game Review: Gorgeous World of ‘Mafia II’ Still Feels Empty
Submitted by BrianTT on August 31, 2010 - 7:52pmCHICAGO – It is not uncommon for major awards season contenders in the world of film to come off more like very expensive paintings with all the right visual flourishes and technical elements but lacking the soul or the heart to make them truly effective. It happens every year. 2K Games’ “Mafia II” is the equivalent in the world of gaming.
Interview: Oscar Winner Rita Moreno on Her Life in America
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 31, 2010 - 7:35pmCHICAGO – The former Rosa Dolores Alverio, better known to audiences as Rita Moreno, has had a glorious and tempestuous journey through life and show business. One of her most notable roles is as Anita, the fiery friend of Maria in the film version of “West Side Story,” in which Moreno stops the show with the song “America.”
Interview: Director Nanette Burstein is ‘Going the Distance’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 31, 2010 - 11:52amCHICAGO – Nanette Burstein, known mostly for her excellent documentaries “The Kid Stays in the Picture” and “American Teen,” makes her narrative feature film director debut with the comedy “Going the Distance,” with Drew Barrymore, Justin Long, Jason Sudeikis, Christina Applegate and Jim Gaffigan.
Blu-Ray Review: John Cassavetes Dazzles in ‘Machine Gun McCain’
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 31, 2010 - 8:51amCHICAGO – It’s pretty hard for contemporary audiences to look at a title like “Machine Gun McCain,” and not immediately make a political joke out of it. The most obvious one would be, “What’s the sequel called, “‘Pistol-Packing Palin’?” Of course, this minor cult classic came out long before the 2008 election, and was playing in theaters at the same time John McCain was being held as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam.
DVD Review: Diminishing Returns Hamper French Sequel ‘OSS 117: Lost in Rio’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 30, 2010 - 8:21pmCHICAGO – Like most people who were lucky enough to see it, I thoroughly enjoyed the clever comedy “OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies.” With a spectacular lead performance by Jean Dujardin, the film was a clever riff on spy movies that played not unlike a French Austin Powers but with the added twist that the title character was actually one pulled directly from ’60s spy movies. Imagine if James Bond went away for four decades and was rebooted as a satire of his sexist, racist, and generally stupid persona.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Simpsons: The Thirteenth Season’ Returns Series to Top Form
Submitted by BrianTT on August 30, 2010 - 4:53pmCHICAGO – Long past the point when most thought it would be canceled, “The Simpsons” moved into its thirteenth season in the fall of 2001, not quite as clever or culturally relevant as at its peak but still funnier than a lot of television of its time. The first season of “The Simpsons” on Blu-ray with the same caliber of special features as the majority of releases for the most influential cartoon of all time returns the series to the must-buy form it lost with the disappointing “The Simpsons: The Complete Twentieth Season.”
