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+.
Michael Douglas
Shrink Wrapped ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 17, 2023 - 7:11am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ant-Man gets supersized in this agreeable Marvel Studios movie, which pits our tiny hero against his most formidable foe yet. While the first two Ant-Man movies were largely comic detours where the bug sized superhero carved a small but charming place in the larger universe, the third Ant-Man and The Wasp film puts him squarely at the center of the next phase of Marvel moviemaking.
‘Ant-Man and The Wasp’ is Abuzz with Laughs & Shrinkage
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 4, 2018 - 9:55pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Gag writers, it’s time to head to Marvel Studios. Apparently the direction their superhero franchises are going for is laughs. “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is a prime example… the second film in the “Ant-Man” series amps up the humor, priming a hero that can go super small or massive. Go ask Alice, I think she’ll know.
A Perfect Paul Rudd, Michael Peña Bring Often-Overlooked Humor to ‘Ant-Man’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 20, 2015 - 3:52pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In 1989, Rick Moranis played a scientist father in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” who accidentally shrinks kids to the size of insects. But dating back to a first appearance in 1962, Marvel Comics first published the Ant-Man character. His persona was the superhero alias of the scientist Hank Pym after inventing a substance that allowed him to shrink himself.
Script Weakens Cast, Director in ‘And So it Goes’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2014 - 11:24am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “And So it Goes” can be summed up in its incredibly weak title, as just lazy hackery. In attempting to tell a story of redemption for a old white rich man, the film falls back on clichés, predictability, improbability, overdone physical comedy and stereotypes. The first-time pairing of Michael Douglas and Diane Keaton, and the direction of old pro Rob Reiner, can’t overcome the stench of the hackneyed screenplay.
More Questions Than Answers in ‘Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 16, 2014 - 2:44pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Not much is really revealed about the subject of the documentary “Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon,” co-directed by comedian Mike Myers. Shep is a rock star agent, Shep gets rich, Shep shares his Hawaiian beach condo with big stars, Shep represents gourmet chefs, Shep likes to cook and Shep strangely wants kids, despite being in his sixties and not being able to maintain any domestic relationship. There is no there in this film, only the spoils of good representation.
Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor in Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Haywire’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 19, 2012 - 3:45pmRating: 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.
Shia LaBeouf, Michael Douglas Drive Energetic ‘Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 24, 2010 - 9:29amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – After a string of disappointments that include “Alexander,” “World Trade Center” and “W,” one of the best directors of the 1980s and 1990s at least draws closer to form with the entertaining “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”. The film is a great vehicle for Shia LaBeouf, Josh Brolin and Michael Douglas that occasionally disappoints but crackles more often than it fizzles.
Matthew McConaughey’s ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’ Overdone, But Relatable
Submitted by Ebeth on May 1, 2009 - 1:01am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” is the cinematic blending of two familiar formulas: the “love, lose and then love again” framework of most romantic comedies with the idea of transforming ghosts from the classic “A Christmas Carol”. The result: an overdone yet relatable story of a man coming to terms with his true desires.
