CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.
Kodi Smit-McPhee
Baz Luhrman’s 'Elvis' is a Hanka Hunka Burning Drudge
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2022 - 9:53amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Baz Luhrman’s “Elvis” has plenty of suspicious minds, but precious little mystery as his trademark excess fails to breathe new life into the tired legacy of the King. No amount of montages, quick cuts, and odd music choices can obscure the fact that we don’t see anything here that even the casual Elvis fan doesn’t already know.
West is One! On-Air Review of ‘The Power of the Dog’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 20, 2021 - 2:20pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 18th, 2021, reviewing the new film adapted and directed by Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” in select theaters, before streaming on Netflix December 1st.
Dull Soap Opera in ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 10, 2014 - 11:50pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes” just goes to show that you can have the most expensive and best looking visual effects money can buy, but it doesn’t mean a damn thing if you haven’t got a good tale to tell.
New ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is Almost Passable if You Haven’t Seen It, Unnecessary if You Have
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 12, 2013 - 4:19pm- Adam Fendelman
- Anton Alexander
- Carlo Carlei
- Christian Cooke
- Damian Lewis
- Douglas Booth
- Ed Westwick
- Hailee Steinfeld
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Julian Fellowes
- Kodi Smit-McPhee
- Laura Morante
- Movie Review
- Natascha McElhone
- Paul Giamatti
- Romeo + Juliet
- Romeo and Juliet
- Stellan Skarsgard
- Tom Wisdom
- Tomas Arana
- William Shakespeare
Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When I walked out of my screening for 2013’s “Romeo and Juliet” with Hailee Steinfeld (Oscar nominated for “True Grit”) and London’s Douglas Booth (previously unknown to the U.S.), I had to remember that not everyone’s seen this story in one way or another.
Fun, Brilliant ‘ParaNorman’ Delivers For All Audiences
Submitted by BrianTT on August 16, 2012 - 9:57amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “ParaNorman” is not only the best animated film of 2012 by a large margin but it’s better than anything that came out last year as well. The latest stop-motion gem from LAIKA (who made another one of the best animated films of the last several years in “Coraline”) is smart, funny, scary, imaginative, and, most surprisingly of all, moving. Don’t miss it.
Harrowing ‘Let Me In’ Stands Tall Next to Original
Submitted by BrianTT on October 1, 2010 - 8:37amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Believing all remakes are pointless is as narrow-minded as suggesting that they’re all worthwhile. It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition. Like a fantastic cover version of an amazing song, there can be room for more than one cinematic interpretation of the same story.
Oppressively Bleak ‘The Road’ Buries Great Viggo Mortensen Performance
Submitted by BrianTT on November 25, 2009 - 1:13pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The long-delayed and highly-anticipated adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road” has moments of stark beauty and a typically fantastic lead performance from Viggo Mortensen, but the film ultimately misses its mark as a whole piece, coming off numbing in its bleak, repetitive view of the end of the world instead of inspiring emotionally or creatively.