CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Emily Blunt
Imagine all the Imaginaries! On-Air Film Review of ‘IF’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 17, 2024 - 3:39pm- Awkafina
- Bobby Moynihan
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- Patrick McDonald
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Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 16th, reviewing “IF” (which means Imaginary Friend) a new live action/animated epic written and directed by John Krasinski. In theaters on May 17th.
Pride Goeth Before ‘The Fall Guy’ with Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 4, 2024 - 12:39amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Fall Guy” is one of those movies where what’s happening on the margins is so much more interesting than the main event. And the promotional campaign for it is far superior to the film itself. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt have the romantic chemistry to fuel a high octane action comedy … but “The Fall Guy” never steps on the gas.
‘Oppenheimer’ is a Masterpiece That Allows Us to Think
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 21, 2023 - 9:19amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With “Oppenheimer,” director Christopher Nolan reminds us of what a blockbuster can be. They need not all be brain dead exercises in grunting and effects. Instead he delivers a thoughtful film that manages to synthesize complex elements like quantum physics into a piece of cinematic entertainment that just might be his most profound film yet.
Mystery Trip! On-Air Review of ‘Jungle Cruise’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 29, 2021 - 7:39pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 29th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Jungle Cruise.” In theaters and streaming on Disney+ Premier Access beginning July 30th.
‘A Quiet Place II’ is No Echo, But a Sonic Boom of a Sequel
Submitted by JonHC on May 27, 2021 - 1:14pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The horror genre gets a bad rap but in many ways, they’ve earned it. That’s not to say that every horror film is inherently bad, but at the smallest sign of financial/critical success, the studios will try to franchise it like it’s an IHOP. For example, let’s look at the cautionary tale known as the Saw franchise, which recently released a film that likely none of you saw.
You’ll Be Wild About Magical ‘Mary Poppins Returns’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 19, 2018 - 6:49amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – They did it. Walt Disney Studios took one of their most beloved live action/animated films and rebooted it for a new millennium. “Mary Poppins Returns” is a song-filled, emotional and magical celebration of all things Mary P, combining the elements that made it great the first time with the modern movie strengths of today.
‘A Quiet Place’ Will Make You Wish You Had a Quiet Place to Hide
Submitted by JonHC on April 5, 2018 - 9:07pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO - Terror and fear take several forms. Sometimes it’s something as simple as spiders or snakes or even an incompetent president. Other times it can take the form of natural states, like darkness. Horror films channel our fears, but the great ones give us something new to fear. “A Quiet Place” lures us in with the safety of silence, only to reveal the monsters hiding within.
‘The Girl on the Train’ is a Book Club ‘B’ Movie
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 6, 2016 - 7:28pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Girl On The Train” is a decent enough “Book Club” movie potboiler – it passes the time away, but never quite rises above the pulpiness of its source material. It desperately wants to recreate the suburban upper-class ennui and tone from last year’s “Gone Girl.” But while that film had David Fincher behind the camera, this one has Tate Taylor, the director of “The Help.”
‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’ is a Bloated Bore
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 22, 2016 - 1:18pmRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This new Hollywood fairy tale does have one thing in common with the bedtime stories of old…it may lull you to sleep in the first 30 minutes. “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” is a special effects extravaganza where the effects aren’t special, the story is thin, and almost all the actors seem to have been allowed or even encouraged to indulge their worst impulses.
Benicio Del Toro is Never Better in Standout 2015 Thriller ‘Sicario’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 26, 2015 - 1:21pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Seeing the man behind the curtains in “The Wizard of Oz” really was when so many of us truly understood what “behind the scenes” means. Today, we’re fascinated by FBI and CIA stories because they grant us top-secret security clearance we’ll otherwise never have.