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
Fresh Performances Drive ‘Gimme the Loot’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 30, 2013 - 12:41pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The world of the movies is also a world of discovery. Like new, hot authors, the breakthrough directors emerge with an original first work that generates deserved attention. Writer/director Adam Leon has created that freshness in the his debut feature, “Gimme the Loot.”
Hilarious ‘Starbuck’ Reinvents the Family Film
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 30, 2013 - 11:38amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “You’ll believe a man can have 533 children” might be a better tagline than, “You’ll believe a man can fly.” The extremely funny new Canadian film “Starbuck” will not only make you a true believer, but also loudly professes a romantic and gooey refrain that is sometimes necessary in a cold, cynical world.
‘The Sapphires’ Don’t Fit Inside its 1960s Setting
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 30, 2013 - 12:49am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Sapphires” is inspired by a true story, about an Australian girl group who entertains the troops in 1968 Viet Nam. There is little feeling regarding the era the film is portraying, and it’s essentially used as a vehicle for period pop songs that have been heard before.
Despite Sci-Fi Intrigue, ‘The Host’ Favors Teen Romance
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 29, 2013 - 8:00am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Author Stephenie Meyer can’t help herself. Despite breaking out from the “Twilight” saga and creating science fiction in her latest novel, it still features angst-ridden teen romance, which becomes less important versus the bizarre other worldly infiltration in the film adaptation of “The Host.”
Studio Ghibli Gives Fans Sweet ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 28, 2013 - 12:33pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The torch is being passed at Studio Ghibli from the great Hayao Miyazaki (“Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away”) to his son Goro, who directs this week’s tender “From Up on Poppy Hill,” certainly not one of the best in the Ghibli canon but a well-made, enjoyable melodrama nonetheless. A full awareness that it’s kind of a cheap melodrama (one of the characters even says so) doesn’t change the fact that it is but the young Miyazaki’s visual palette is notably beautiful and the voice work is strong throughout.
‘G.I. Joe: Retaliation’ Almost Turns Macho Stupidity Into Art
Submitted by BrianTT on March 28, 2013 - 8:36amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” is the kind of dumb summer action blockbuster that works in the season when the kids aren’t in school and the movie theater is used as an excuse to get in the air conditioning as much as see anything approaching filmmaking. It nearly works in March. Nearly.
Hard to Wrap Head Around Misguided ‘Mental’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2013 - 1:33pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Despite boasting the talented efforts of the always-great and tragically underrated Toni Collette, P.J. Hogan’s “Mental,” opening this weekend in Chicago, is a tonal mess. It’s a bewilderingly strange movie, the kind of thing that one might write off as being lost in translation from its Australian origin before realizing it wasn’t that funny there either.
Cannes Winner ‘Reality’ From ‘Gomorrah’ Director Matteo Garrone
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2013 - 12:21pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Matteo Garrone is a notable talent. His highly acclaimed 2008 film “Gomorrah” earned praise around the world and the follow-up, “Reality,” won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival last year. It’s a step down from his previous work as it’s less ambitious and doesn’t quite come together but it features enough interesting ideas about our fame-obsessed culture to see why it connected with the French fest jury.
Visceral ‘On the Road’ Honors a Great American Novel
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 23, 2013 - 7:01amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The 1957 novel “On the Road” by Jack Kerouac, was a missile across the bow of American social conventions, and a precursor to the radical 1960s. For over fifty years, it has eluded a film adaptation, until director Walter Salles (“The Motorcycle Diaries”) found the way to capture it.
‘The Croods’ Rip a Funny Page Out of Pre-History
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 22, 2013 - 8:37pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Good cartoons know that we’re in on the joke, that all the surreal actions will satisfy our basic funny bone. Great cartoons give us a little bit more, an empathy or a story that really goes beyond expectations. “The Croods” is a great cartoon, and a wonderful achievement in animation evolution.
Elle Fanning Delivers Her Best Performance in ‘Ginger and Rosa’
Submitted by mattmovieman on March 22, 2013 - 9:26am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are plenty of good reasons to see Sally Potter’s beguiling, tenderly bittersweet coming-of-age drama, “Ginger & Rosa,” but one reason trumps them all. Her name is Elle Fanning. The enormous potential she exuded in everything from art house gems (“Somewhere”) to mainstream blockbusters (“Super 8”) pays off in this sterling showcase, solidifying her status—at age 14—as one of the top talents in modern film acting.
Tina Fey Difficult to Get Into in ‘Admission’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 22, 2013 - 2:14am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tina Fey, love her. Paul Rudd, like his work, he’s a Judd Apatow guy. Wallace Shawn in “The Princess Bride,” exquisite. Lily Tomlin is a comedy legend. All these great and interesting performers participated in “Admission,” for which they all get an “F.”
Great Performance From Abbie Cornish Carries ‘The Girl’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 21, 2013 - 11:04amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Let’s get this out of the way first – Abbie Cornish is simply great in David Riker’s “The Girl,” opening this weekend in Chicago at the AMC River East 21. She’s genuine, believable, and emotional resonant in ways that make this critic truly wish she would get more great roles (go rent “Bright Star” for further proof of her immense talents). Having said that, “The Girl” only barely works.
