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 Movie Reviews
Ralph Fiennes Modernizes Shakespeare in ‘Coriolanus’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 21, 2012 - 6:55pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The plays of William Shakespeare, influencing culture and morality for over 400 years, continue to open themselves up to new interpretations and settings. Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in a film version adaptation of “Coriolanus,” set against the modern day machinations of politics and war.
Seriously Silly ‘Underworld: Awakening’ With Kate Beckinsale Will Put You to Sleep
Submitted by BrianTT on January 20, 2012 - 4:49pm Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a near-great movie opening this weekend that features a bad-ass, gun-toting chick who defeats any obstacle placed in her way. Despite what the advertising may have you believe, that movie is not “Underworld: Awakening” (Hint: It’s “Haywire”).
World War II-Era Tuskegee Airmen Fly in ‘Red Tails’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 20, 2012 - 3:50pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The courage of the Tuskegee Airmen cannot be denied. The all African American World War II fighter pilot squadron not only braved battle, but also the virulent prejudice of the 1940s. The new film “Red Tails” chronicles the circumstance of that squadron, with a sappy and overlong treatment.
Director Wim Wenders Celebrates Choreographer in 3-D ‘Pina’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 20, 2012 - 12:13pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Wim Wenders, famous for his magical takes on life and love in “Wings of Desire” and “Until the End of the World,” brings that same enchantment through a 3-D documentary about a rebellious and unusual German choreographer named Pina Bausch in “Pina.”
‘Norwegian Wood’ Marred By Choppy Editing, Mopey Melodrama
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 20, 2012 - 8:43am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tran Anh Hung’s adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s 1987 novel has garnered a bevy of negative reactions from literary fans, and it’s easy to see why. Pivotal characters remain underdeveloped despite the film’s two-hour-plus running time. Grand gestures are made without any tangible motivation. And epic romances are explored only through a few lustful glances.
All Intention, No Delivery in ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 20, 2012 - 8:15am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The September 11th tragedy is still percolating through the cinematic filter, and there is a well intentioned thread throughout the various interpretations. But the latest attempt, “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close,” stretches this intention too far, despite a cast featuring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock.
Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Haywire’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 19, 2012 - 3:45pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Steven Soderbergh is one of the few directors who can do whatever the hell he wants. Whatever genre, whomever he casts, whichever story he chooses to tell – he pulls it off. He hasn’t made anything approaching a stumble since 2004’s “Ocean’s Twelve” (and, believe it or not, there have been eight films released since including this one) and his latest, “Haywire,” serves as further evidence that any conversation of the best working directors that doesn’t include him is incomplete.
Gospel According to Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah in ‘Joyful Noise’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 16, 2012 - 12:37pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The old fashioned musical has gotten a boost from the recent popularity of “Glee” and other singing shows. It was inevitably that the marriage of the gospel choir and the movie musical would take place, and writer/director Todd Graff (”Camp”) is the matchmaker in “Joyful Noise.”
Joe Swanberg’s ‘Marriage Material’ Deftly Observes Young Adulthood
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 16, 2012 - 7:48amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ever since stumbling upon his 2005 directorial debut, “Kissing on the Mouth,” I’ve been deeply transfixed by the cinema of Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg. There’s a startling honesty to his work that is unmatched by many of his peers, as well as a near-obsessive desire to capture the “truth” in his fictional characters. He never shies away from sexual frankness or raw intimacy if they are required to serve the story.
Mark Wahlberg’s ‘Contraband’ Steals Half Justice From Icelandic Conquest
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 14, 2012 - 3:00pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One way to craft an unforgettable, undeniably adept film is to make a new one. Hollywood views that as financially risky, though, and it often doesn’t happen without being based on a book with a built-in audience or a film that’s already an international box-office success.
Meryl Streep Accentuates Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 14, 2012 - 4:00amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It would be a cheap jab to say that “The Iron Lady” is a drag version of “J. Edgar,” and also redundant (hyy-ooh). Meryl Streep takes on the role of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, with a dreamy and vague interpretation of the PM’s life that at times feels like it’s told through the wrong end of a telescope.
‘Beauty and the Beast 3D’ Brings Magic to New Generation in Unnecessary Dimension
Submitted by BrianTT on January 13, 2012 - 10:46pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It is a tale as old as time, and a film almost as old as I am. After the success that Disney had bringing “The Lion King” back to theaters this past September, it is no surprise that they have decided to bring four more films back to the theaters, starting with the classic tale “Beauty and the Beast,” which was first released in November of 1991.
Jodie Foster, Christoph Waltz Shine in Roman Polanski’s Surprisingly Average ‘Carnage’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 13, 2012 - 11:28amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Roman Polanski may not seem to be the first choice for a film about culture clashes in New York City but he has notable experience with dramas with only a few characters in a few locations (“Knife in the Water,” “Cul-de-sac,” “Death and the Maiden”). He knows how to build character tension through interaction – the games people play with words.
