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
Eli Roth Stars in Convoluted, Manic ‘Aftershock’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 8, 2013 - 1:28pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Eli Roth may be in front of the camera for the earthquake horror film “Aftershock,” opening in some markets this weekend, but his fingerprints are all over it as a creative voice as well. From the long “Hostel”-esque set-up about the dread that can come just from being a foreigner in a strange land to the shock value of some of the extreme places that the film goes, it’s a Roth joint.
Oceanic Adventure of ‘Kon-Tiki’ Still Enthralls
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 3, 2013 - 5:55pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Mention the name Thor Heyerdahl or his sea-faring vessel “Kon-Tiki,” and half-remembered images of a voyage across the sea in a ship that looks like it was built on “Gilligan’s Isle” might cross memory neurons. Why, when and how he did it is brought to screen in the excellent and appropriately titled “Kon-Tiki.”
Profiling Transforms ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 3, 2013 - 4:03pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Given the recent media coverage of the Boston bombings, the issue of profiling – judging a individual as suspect based on religion or appearances – is an ongoing problem. Director Mira Nair explores profiling in the context of September 11th in “The Reluctant Fundamentalist.”
Frustrating ‘At Any Price’ with Dennis Quaid
Submitted by BrianTT on May 3, 2013 - 9:35am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/director Ramin Bahrani is interested not in agendas, special effects, or broad statements. He makes films about characters, including the widely acclaimed “Chop Shop,” “Man Push Cart,” and “Goodbye Solo.” For his latest drama, “At Any Price,” Bahrani expands his canvas, using more household names in his effort to tell a story of the heartland and the corruption and greed that can infiltrate even the most seemingly pure aspects of American life.
‘Iron Man 3’ Starts Summer with a Mechanized Bang
Submitted by BrianTT on May 2, 2013 - 9:39amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Critics and viewers fell in rapturous adoration of the legend of The Dark Knight when Christopher Nolan and his team took the risk of making character-driven superhero movies. To kick off the second phase of the Marvel Universe of films with this weekend’s “Iron Man 3,” Shane Black and the team behind this guaranteed blockbuster have done the same – presenting us with the most human Marvel flick since “Spider-Man 2.”
Phony Emotional Connections Trip Up ‘Arthur Newman’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 26, 2013 - 8:41pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In what could be subtitled, “The Challenge of American Accents,” the new release “Arthur Newman” has a laugh-inducing U.S. inflection face-off between Brits Colin Firth and Emily Blunt. Amid that obstacle, there is a lame road picture that emotionally is false, and makes no sense.
Ken Loach Misfires with Generic ‘The Angels’ Share’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 26, 2013 - 2:19pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Once you’re involved in the shit, you can’t get out.” Ken Loach, filmmaker of the working class and longtime supporter of people who are just trying to better their lives knows this kind of statement isn’t true. We can all climb out of the shit. And his latest, “The Angels’ Share,” is yet another tale of a young man who has made some mistakes in his life beginning that climb to adulthood and responsiblity. While it has some likable characters, particularly its charismatic lead, it’s impossible to shake the feeling that we’ve seen this movie before. To be blunt, I never had a reason to care, which is not something that can be said about most of Loach’s films. This one is just bland.
Turn Down the Invitation to ‘The Big Wedding’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 26, 2013 - 8:09amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Big Wedding” begins with Robert De Niro performing a particular love making maneuver on Susan Sarandon, and is caught in the act by Diane Keaton. What could have happened in a cutting-edge indie feature in 1981 is the basis of a lame bit in 2013, and so it goes for the rest of the film.
Sensual ‘Renoir’ Fails to Explore Titular Giants’ Genius
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 26, 2013 - 6:35amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Naming a picture after two of the great artistic minds in human history is quite a high bar to set. Director/co-writer Gilles Bourdos attempts to tell the tale of both impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir (Michel Bouquet) and his son, the future filmmaker Jean Renoir (Vincent Rottiers), who would go on to helm controversial masterpieces such as 1939’s “The Rules of the Game.” These are fascinating people, but the script doesn’t even begin to do them justice.
Jeff Nichols’s ‘Mud’ Will Cause Cinephiles’ Hearts to Swell
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 25, 2013 - 1:12pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint the precise moment when one falls in love with a movie. Other times, it’s as effortless and intuitive as the day one stumbles upon a soul mate. That moment struck me like a bolt of lightning early on in Jeff Nichols’s “Mud,” the most richly satisfying and purely enjoyable moviegoing experience I’ve had thus far in 2013.
‘Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal’ Doesn’t Have Enough Bite
Submitted by BrianTT on April 25, 2013 - 10:34amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There’s something deeper going on in “Eddie: The Sleepwalking Cannibal,” opening tomorrow at Music Box. I think. It’s about a struggling artist who finds inspiration in a small town when he’s forced to serve as guardian for the title character. Don’t all artists have something in common with cannibals given the way they turn their own (or other people’s) insides into fuel for their creativity? While that’s an engaging and interesting starting place for a horror-comedy, Boris Rodriguez’s movie sadly ends up being neither an effective horror movie nor a memorable satire. It just kind of, pardon me for going there, sleepwalks through its clever set-up.
Clever Cast Can’t Quite Save Crazy ‘Pain & Gain’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 25, 2013 - 9:43amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Michael Bay’s “Pain & Gain” tells such a ridiculous story that it has to be true. Based on the infamous case of the Sun Gym Gang, a trio of bodybuilders who committed some unspeakable, bizarre crimes, “Pain & Gain” nearly works through the sheer charisma and talent of its A-list cast.
‘The Numbers Station’ Feels Made by a Computer
Submitted by BrianTT on April 24, 2013 - 9:12amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – John Cusack’s new spy thriller is so routine, predictable, and dull that they could have called it “By-the-Numbers Station”. Too easy? How about “Paint-by-Numbers Station”? OK, I’ll stop now before @FakeShalit comes after me.
