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+.
Alicia Vikander
Film Review: Alicia Vikander Has a Case of the Runs in ‘Tomb Raider’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 15, 2018 - 5:17pmCHICAGO – Movies based on video games are almost never good… even the best ones only ascend to the level of “barely watchable.” By that measure, “Tomb Raider” can be considered a modest success since it didn’t make me want to claw my eyes out. I have to confess I never saw either of the first two films with Angelina Jolie, but after watching this I’m not actually clamoring at the bit to catch up.
Film Review: Strong Cast Turns on ‘The Light Between Oceans’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 2, 2016 - 1:30pmCHICAGO – In the early 1970s, “Love Story” was all the rage, with its catchphrase “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Just as sudsy, and with its own catchphrase, is “The Light Between the Oceans.” The film, set in the early 20th Century, salvages a by-the-numbers tale with fine performances.
Film Review: Matt Damon is Fighting Mad in Tense ‘Jason Bourne’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 30, 2016 - 6:57amCHICAGO – To come back to a character that everyone thought he had left behind, Matt Damon needed the right creative team. He got it again in co-writer (with Christopher Rouse) and director Paul Greengrass, and together they fashioned a paranoid spy tale in the rat-a-tat “Jason Bourne.”
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘Jason Bourne’ With Matt Damon
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 25, 2016 - 10:36amCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new film “Jason Bourne” starring Matt Damon!
Film News: ‘Spotlight’ Wins Best Picture at 2016 Academy Awards
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 29, 2016 - 7:38amCHICAGO – “Spotlight” held off all challengers at the 88th Academy Awards, as the film won Best Picture, after Alejandro González Iñárrittu had won Best Director for the second year in a row for “The Revenant.” Chris Rock held steady as the host, acknowledging Oscar’s diversity problems with a series of comedy bits.
Film News: Chicago Film Critics Association Names ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ as 2015 Best Picture
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 17, 2015 - 10:36amCHICAGO – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” the hyper-driven artistic achievement by director George Miller, was designated Best Picture of 2015 by the Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA), at a ceremony on December 16th. George Miller was also honored as Best Director, and “Mad Max” received five total honors.
Film Review: ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ Just a Big Screen Bore
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 12, 2015 - 2:08pmCHICAGO – Director Guy Ritchie’s big screen version of the 1960’s spy show “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” is a colossal waste of time for all involved. The original show was never all that good to begin with, but this film is never able to clear that admittedly low bar, or even replicate any of the TV show’s small pleasures.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ With Henry Cavill
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 6, 2015 - 2:19pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new action/adventure/comedy “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” (the adaptation of the hit 1960s TV series) starring Henry Cavill from Guy Ritchie (“Sherlock Holmes,” “Snatch”)!
Film Review: There are Future Consequences in ‘Ex Machina’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 19, 2015 - 11:26pmCHICAGO – The title “Ex Machina” is a play on Deus ex machina, the stage/scenario term meaning god from the machine, or the basic happy ending. By cutting out the “Deus” in the phrase, the film is left with just the machine, and the humans.
Interview: Director Alex Garland Seeks Humanity in ‘Ex Machina’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 16, 2015 - 2:59pmCHICAGO – Who are we anyway, when as inventors of artificial intelligence, we can create a new wave of thought process? That is what writer – and now director – Alex Garland (“28 Days Later…,” “Sunshine”) has been grappling with his entire career. His directorial debut is the stunning and prescient “Ex Machina.”