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
Shallow, Garish ‘New Year’s Eve’ Ruins Your Holiday
Submitted by BrianTT on December 9, 2011 - 10:51am Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “New Year’s Eve” is so garish and manipulative that it doesn’t really qualify as a film – it’s a product, no more an actual movie than a Hallmark card is a piece of poetry. It is corporate junk at its worst, so shallow that it’s almost remarkably thin, as if director Garry Marshall were trying to win a contest for lack of subtlety.
‘I Melt With You’ Succumbs to Shallow Pretensions
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 9, 2011 - 7:50amRating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Mark Pellington’s “I Melt with You” is one of the worst movies of 2011, but has the benefit of also being among the weirdest. Students of rotten cinema will surely flock to this disaster simply to watch it in morbid, mouth-gaping awe. Yet without a scenery chewing wild card like Nicolas Cage in the ensemble, this mournful mess is far from an enjoyable guilty pleasure.
Lack of Narrative Focus Handcuffs ‘Answers to Nothing’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 2, 2011 - 7:39pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ensemble films, with their multiple stories and characters, can be a challenging delicate balance. Emphasize one story over another and an audience starts to wonder why the neglected subplot is even in the film. “Answers to Nothing” generates this reaction with all their narrative threads, in a movie that lacks any kind of cohesion.
Inspiration, Imagination Soar in Heartwarming ‘Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 2, 2011 - 12:25pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – At first look, Kevin Clash seems like an everyday guy. Walking down the streets of New York City, you would have no idea that this modestly dressed and moderately built man is the man behind one of the most adored characters in the entire world; a character full of curiosity and energy as well as compassion and love; a character that created one of the most insane toy crazes the Christmas season has ever seen.
Muddled Messages in ‘America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 2, 2011 - 9:03am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Americans, as everybody knows, are obsessed with weight issues and dieting. It is a society that has obesity and anorexia as opposing problems, has restaurants that pride themselves in huge portions and watches a TV program called “The Biggest Loser.” Chicagoan Darryl Roberts gets weighty in “America the Beautiful 2: The Thin Commandments.”
Paddy Considine’s ‘Tyrannosaur’ Packs a Gut-Wrenching Punch
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 2, 2011 - 8:26amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – She first finds him hiding behind a rack of clothes in her small charity shop. He’s the sort of a battered soul that her Christian instincts naturally desire to protect. The way he crouches on the floor and snarls at her causes him to resemble a threatening animal, but the calming prayer that she recites quickly reduces him to tears. Even before their eyes have had the chance to meet, a vital connection has been made between the two strangers.
Michael Fassbender Stars in Riveting, Daring ‘Shame’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 1, 2011 - 10:57am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Steve McQueen’s “Shame” is a daring examination of isolation and addiction with the best performance of the year courtesy of Michael Fassbender and one that nearly matches it from the always-stellar Carey Mulligan. This is dark, confrontational material of the kind that too few major filmmakers are willing to tackle and it will haunt you for days after you see it. Don’t miss it.
Dennis Farina is Absolved in ‘The Last Rites of Joe May’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 27, 2011 - 8:42am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Chicago born-and-bred actor Dennis Farina has had many opportunities in his career to distinguish himself in a variety of roles, but never has he carried a film as well as his turn in the recent “The Last Rites of Joe May.” Farina imbues the title character with raw emotion, feral toughness and a touch of fear.
Creature Feature Vibe in ‘Frankenstein: Day of the Beast’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 27, 2011 - 1:17am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If your heart flutters when you think about the drive-in days of old, with a triple feature of B-movie horror films, then writer/director Ricardo Islas delivers a nostalgic kick with “Frankenstein: Day of the Beast.” The film has its world premiere in Chicago on Sunday, November 27th, at the Portage Theater on Milwaukee Avenue.
Aardman Studios Offers a Merry ‘Arthur Christmas’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 23, 2011 - 4:49pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Aardman Studios, the creators of the irrepressible “Wallace & Gromit” and the witty “Flushed Away” is back with another animated holiday treat, “Arthur Christmas.” Santa Claus and the gang are taken into the modern era, but the cheeky lads/lasses at Aardman can’t help but throw in a bit of whimsy and heart.
Gorgeous ‘Hugo’ Plays Like Cinematic Snow Globe
Submitted by BrianTT on November 23, 2011 - 1:58pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Martin Scorsese’s “Hugo” is a deeply personal piece, a magical tale about imagination and the importance of film preservation presented with some of the most technical expertise in years. It is also a strikingly cold film, an adventure that doesn’t contain the whimsy, pace, or charm that it really needed to in order to connect emotionally as well as intellectually.
‘The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch’ is Cliché Drowned in French Style
Submitted by BrianTT on November 23, 2011 - 1:53pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – From what I understand, the name Largo Winch is a household one in Europe. While it may mean nothing here, a French spy thriller with a name like “The Heir Apparent: Largo Winch,” based on a European comic book, might sound like the perfect alternative for arthouse movie goers looking for something different this holiday weekend. Sadly, from the very beginning, “Largo Winch” feels like nothing different at all.
Michelle Williams is Luminous in ‘My Week With Marilyn’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 23, 2011 - 9:53am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Bringing the popular culture past back to life in a movie is always a tricky proposition. No matter what, there are always inevitable comparisons to the real thing. They don’t come any more really famous than Marilyn Monroe, and Michelle Williams takes on a portrayal that exemplifies, honors and humanizes the iconic star in “My Week with Marilyn.”
