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.
Sony Pictures Releasing
Tangled Weave! Audio Film Review of Marvel’s ‘Madame Web’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 14, 2024 - 4:26pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Madame Web,” a spin-off (grin) of Spider-Man, who first appeared in Marvel Comics back in 1980. This origin story also features a three-woman team (teenagers in the film) that also eventually spin their webs. In theaters on February 14th.
Trip to the Stable! On-Air Review of ‘Journey to Bethlehem’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 10, 2023 - 10:41amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Ben Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 9th, 2023, reviewing “Journey to Bethlehem,” a re-telling of the Baby Jesus story as a musical! In theaters on November 10th, 2023.
Bunch of Smart Ass-ets: On-Air Film Review of ‘Dumb Money’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 28, 2023 - 9:50amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 21st, 2023, reviewing “Dumb Money,” featuring Paul Dano as Keith Gill, a rogue stock trader. Opening in theaters everywhere September 29th.
Scenario of ‘Gran Turismo’ Gets Stuck in First Gear
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 25, 2023 - 10:52pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Gran Turismo” uses the life story of a gamer named Jann Mardenborough to get its message across … he was a college dropout in the UK who used the hours spent behind the steering wheel in his bedroom to become a real race car driver. While the racing scenes deliver the goods, this poorly conceived piece of product placement never gets its narrative out of first gear.
‘No Hard Feelings’ is Hard-R Exposure for Jennifer Lawrence
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2023 - 1:25pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jennifer Lawrence doesn’t hold back and gives it her all in the “Hard R” rated sex comedy “No Hard Feelings.” But despite her herculean efforts, the film only manages the occasional tee-hee when it should be scoring guffaws. You’ve got to hand it to Lawrence for going all in, I just wish the script rewarded her efforts.
In the Web! On-Air Review of ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 1, 2023 - 7:50pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on June 1st, reviewing “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” another animated adventure for the web slinger in the multi-verse. In theaters on June 2nd.
‘A Man Called Otto’ is O-T-T-Oh No for Tom Hanks
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 5, 2023 - 9:25amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tom Hanks finds himself – as the title character – stranded in a slough of artificiality in this clumsy manipulative attempt at a crowd pleaser. He plays a grump in “A Man Named Otto,” a remake of a 2015 Swedish film. The setting has been transferred to the grey rust belt of Pittsburgh, and Hanks is a widower with a lot of chips on his shoulder about the world today.
Greatest Love! On-Air Film Review of 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 23, 2022 - 12:00pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on WSSR-FM (Star 96.7 Joliet, Illinois) on December 23rd, reviewing the new Whitney Houston movie bio “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” in theaters beginning December 23rd.
Winning the Battle! On-Air Film Review of ‘The Woman King’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 16, 2022 - 4:26pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 15th, 2022, reviewing “The Woman King,” about Woman Warriors in 19th Century Africa. In theaters on September 16th..
Out of Tune! Audio Film Review of ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 14, 2022 - 8:12amRating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on “Where the Crawdads Sing,” the highly anticipated adaptation of the huge best selling novel by Della Owens, and featuring Daisy Edgar-Jones, in theater everywhere beginning July 15th.