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
Channing Tatum’s ‘10 Years’ Resuscitates High School For 50 Worthwhile Minutes
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 22, 2012 - 1:38pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “10 Years” unintentionally backfires by proving that a real-life Hollywood couple – Channing Tatum and his actual spouse of three years Jenna Dewan-Tatum – has less on-screen chemistry than two actors who’ve practically never met.
Clint Eastwood Whiffs in ‘Trouble with the Curve’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 21, 2012 - 11:28amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Clint Eastwood keeps going and going. His reputation as an actor is secure in a long career, and his power as a director is Oscar worthy. His ability to recognize a limp script? Not so much, if “Trouble with the Curve” is a gauge. Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake are along for the pitch.
Powerful ‘How to Survive a Plague’ Documents Historic Fight For Life
Submitted by BrianTT on September 21, 2012 - 10:44am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There have been several strong documentaries about the AIDS crisis in America, including last year’s breathtakingly good “We Were Here,” but “How to Survive a Plague” has a unique angle in that it’s not as much about the unimaginable death of a community in a time of crisis but how that community came together to save itself. As people lay dying, those in power needed to be woken up to do something through protest and “Plague” chronicles that movement. It’s a powerful piece of work, one of the best documentaries of the year.
Josh Radnor’s ‘Liberal Arts’ Takes Uncommonly Thoughtful Look at Growing Up
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 21, 2012 - 8:55am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Josh Radnor may be one of the most good natured humanists in modern American film. His perspective contrasts sharply with that of comedic auteurs intent on depicting a cynical view of the modern world clouded with nostalgia. Radnor may not yet be up to par with the filmmakers that have inspired him, namely Woody Allen, but his sophomore directorial effort, “Liberal Arts,” is practically bursting with promise.
‘Hello I Must Be Going’ Provides Well-Deserved Star Vehicle for Melanie Lynskey
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 21, 2012 - 8:24am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Melanie Lynskey is one of those effortlessly sublime character actresses who always seemed destined for stardom. At age 16, she made an astonishing film debut in Peter Jackson’s “Heavenly Creatures” opposite Kate Winslet. In the years that followed, she has proven adept at playing everything from a good-hearted stepsister (in “Ever After”) to a severely screwed-up mom (in “Win Win”).
Street Fight of ‘End of Watch’ Adds in Deep Emotion
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 21, 2012 - 7:32am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the genre known as the cop movie, there are expectations. There will be street evil, informants, ride-alongs and camaraderie. What is surprising and welcome in “End of Watch” is how it takes all those elements and expands them with an emotional link between the cop partners, portrayed by Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña.
Another Great Jennifer Lawrence Turn Can’t Save ‘House at the End of the Street’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 20, 2012 - 9:56pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “House at the End of the Street” is the kind of bland, mediocre thriller that’s tough to review in the sense that it’s difficult to put a shoulder shrug into words. How can I turn “meh” into a full review?
Meandering ‘The Master’ Serves Up Powerful After Effects
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 20, 2012 - 5:20pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – ‘The Master’ is the type of film that invites days of contemplation. It is a film about America, but only a certain type of American. It is a film about the need to belong, but in the end it separates all its characters away from each other. Lead actors Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix radicalize writer/director P.T. Anderson’s strange alchemy.
Katherine McPhee Nearly Saves ‘You May Not Kiss the Bride’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 20, 2012 - 12:57pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Rob Hedden’s “You May Not Kiss the Bride” with Dave Annable, Katharine McPhee, and Rob Schneider is the kind of modest romantic comedy with wacky hijinks and likable central characters that one typically stumbles upon in a video store or when cycling through new On Demand options. Before that happens, the mediocre honeymoon from hell pic is getting a minor theatrical release in some markets, including Chicago, starting this weekend. The charisma and comic timing of the film’s female leads make up for some of the screenwriting rough patches but not enough to justify a trip to the theater.
‘Hotel Transylvania’ Proves Hyper Isn’t Always Funny
Submitted by BrianTT on September 19, 2012 - 4:01pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It was probably just a matter of time. With the current vampire craze dominating pop culture in flicks like “The Twilight Saga” and shows like “True Blood,” it was inevitable that creatures of the night be turned into family entertainment. Even “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein” was recently released on Blu-ray and Universal is about to unleash a whole set of HD monster movie classics. Monsters are hip. “Hotel Transylvania” does its best to put a nail in that coffin.
Inconsistent But Sweet ‘3, 2, 1... Frankie Go Boom’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2012 - 2:27pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jordan Roberts “3, 2, 1… Frankie Go Boom” is available On Demand in advance of its October theatrical release and it’s likely to be enticing to fans of the mega-hit “Sons of Anarchy” (which premiered this week to record-setting numbers) and those looking for a new comedy as the multiplex is crowded with horror and action movies. The raunchy comedy feels like a cousin of the Judd Apatow brand without the same degree of timing but the likable cast goes a long way to getting one over the screenwriting speed bumps.
Richard Gere Symbolizes U.S. Morality in ‘Arbitrage’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 14, 2012 - 8:30amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The concept of crime and punishment is a goalpost that is constantly being moved. Justice becomes an discretionary circumstance, sold to the highest bidder. These are just a view of the happy themes in the new film “Arbitrage,” featuring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Brit Marling.
Influential Filmmakers Discuss Digital Revolution in ‘Side by Side’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 13, 2012 - 9:53amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We are at the tipping point of a technology that has been used for a hundred years to capture the moving image. Shooting on film is going away as more and more filmmakers use digital technology to tell their stories. How does this change the art form? Is it a creative new landscape or the death of something important?
