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 Review: ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’ Fires Up Screen With Superb Acting
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 8, 2010 - 1:23pmCHICAGO – Antoine Fuqua certainly can’t be faulted for a lack of enthusiasm. His movies often skate on the edge of silliness, and occasionally dive headfirst into the wretched waters of overwrought melodrama. But for all his flaws, Fuqua never seems to be phoning it in. His tireless energy and intensity bolsters the impact of his stories, no matter how preposterous they may be.
TV News: ‘Glee,’ ‘Modern Family,’ ‘The Good Wife’ Lead Emmy Nominees
Submitted by BrianTT on July 8, 2010 - 12:37pmCHICAGO – The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences took our advice and embraced several new programs with today’s Emmy nominations, citing new shows “Glee,” “Modern Family,” “Nurse Jackie,” and “The Good Wife” as among the best of the last year.
Winners of the 17th-Annual Chicago Underground Film Festival
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 7, 2010 - 10:07pmCHICAGO – The winners of the 17th Chicago Underground Film Festival were announced, with the short film winners awarded on June 27th, and the feature-length winners revealed on July 2nd.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Predator: Ultimate Hunter Edition’ Prepares Fans For Reboot
Submitted by BrianTT on July 7, 2010 - 6:10pmCHICAGO – Watching John McTiernan’s “Predator” again to prepare for the upcoming Adrien Brody vehicle “Predators,” I was struck with surprise that this relatively generic action B-movie has spawned such an enormous franchise that includes one sequel, two “Alien vs. Predator” movies, the new reboot, comic books, action figures, and video games. It’s an inarguably decent action flick but who would have guessed what it would lead to?
Blu-Ray Review: Silly ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 7, 2010 - 5:05pmCHICAGO – The most notable thing about “Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief,” now available on Blu-ray and DVD, is that it probably still holds position as the most horribly-titled film of the year. As for the actual movie, it follows in the footsteps of years of films trying to become the next “Harry Potter” franchise and, comparably, makes out much better than disasters like “Eragon” or “The Seeker: The Dark is Rising,” but that’s faint praise indeed.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 40 Chicago Passes to VIP ‘Inception’ Screening With Dinner, Drinks
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 7, 2010 - 3:38pmCHICAGO – Exclusive! In our latest VIP edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 40 admit-one passes up for grabs for our own movie theater screening of “Inception,” which is one of the most-anticipated films of 2010 from the director of “The Dark Knight”!
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Leopard’ Basks in the Bittersweet Glow of Nostalgia
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 7, 2010 - 10:12amCHICAGO – Many great films have been made about the changing of eras and the passing of power from one generation to another. But few are as masterfully conceived and as lovingly detailed as Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti’s 1963 classic “The Leopard.” Gorgeously restored on Blu-Ray, this near-masterpiece was sliced and diced by Hollywood for American audiences, but is now presented in its original three-hour running time.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Chicago Passes to TNT’s VIP ‘Rizzoli & Isles’ Early Screening Party
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 6, 2010 - 9:23pmCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have 25 admit-two passes up for grabs to the Chicago VIP early screening party for TNT’s new mystery/drama series “Rizzoli & Isles”!
Chicago Casting Call For ‘In the Bedroom With Dr. Laura Berman’ on Oprah Winfrey Network
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 6, 2010 - 2:39pmCHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com and Best Foot Forward have confirmed with the new Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) a Chicago casting call for the new OWN TV show “In the Bedroom With Dr. Laura Berman”!
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Crazies’ Updates Classic For a New Generation
Submitted by BrianTT on July 6, 2010 - 12:30pmCHICAGO – Horror remakes almost always fall flat as too many filmmakers fail to recapture the magic of the original but there seems to be something about George A. Romero’s films that defies that rule. Take for example Breck Eisner’s take on “The Crazies,” a shockingly good genre entry that should find a loyal cult following on Blu-ray and DVD.
Video Game Review: ‘Puzzle Quest 2’ Provides Perfect Summer Addiction
Submitted by BrianTT on July 6, 2010 - 10:10am Video Game Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you’ve ever played a solitaire matching game online like “Bejeweled Blitz” or “Chuzzle” then you’ll be familiar with the basic structure of D3’s remarkably addictive “Puzzle Quest 2,” now available on Xbox Live Arcade and for the Nintendo DS. And if you’ve ever been addicted to one of those popular solitaire matching games, clear your schedule and tell your friends that you’re going to be busy for a while. This is the best game of its kind in a long time.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Don McKay’ Fails to Evoke the Coen Brothers’ Spirit
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 6, 2010 - 7:24amCHICAGO – The Duplass Brothers recently told me that they avoid making movies blatantly modeled after the work of other filmmakers because they often end up “derivative and bad.” Jake Goldberger’s debut feature “Don McKay” is living proof of this principle. It is a monumentally awkward rip-off of the debut feature from the most well-known filmmaking team of brothers in modern cinema.
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion’s ‘Everlasting Moments’ Has Timeless Power
Submitted by BrianTT on July 5, 2010 - 2:02pmCHICAGO – Jan Troell’s “Everlasting Moments” is a beautiful film; a perfect fit for Criterion’s Blu-ray line in that it’s the kind of work that both could easily slip under the radar of movie history and not be granted the HD treatment that it deserves. There’s been some controversy over Criterion’s arrangement with IFC Films that has allowed some recent questionable inductions into the most esteemed collection in film preservation but I’m here to defend the inclusion of “Everlasting Moments.”
