CHICAGO – Like many of you, I have been perusing the digital platforms, looking for the appropriate binge shows that will provide a temporary bit of sanity. Amazon Prime, for example, offers the entire series of “30 Rock” (2006-13), the seminal NBC-TV series created by and featuring Tina Fey.
Diego Luna
Glaring Lack of Originality Handicaps ‘The Bad Batch’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 25, 2017 - 8:00pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Dystopia has been dissed out. Mining the negative vibe future world can’t seem to touch the rich creative vein any more and the reserves seem dry. Writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour may have an element within her interpretation that is hard core, but it’s not enough to understand the overall vision of her tomorrow world, except that we’re all part of “The Bad Batch.”
‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ is a Worthy Addition
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 13, 2016 - 4:37pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I guess from now on, it will never be the holidays without a Star Wars movie, and why not? Every year, we’ll have a celebration with the ardent fans and characters that are one in that universe, “a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.” For 2016, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”
‘The Book of Life’ Has Uninspired Tale to Tell
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 16, 2014 - 11:52pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Unfortunately you can’t judge “The Book Of Life” by its cover. The movie draws on the fertile imagery of the Mexican “Day Of The Dead” to create its own animated world. The animation is excellent and the wooden characters seem to spring to life – but those performances are as wooden as a board. Which also describes my feelings for most of this uninspired journey…bored.
‘Cesar Chavez’ is Stiff History of a Heroic Man
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 29, 2014 - 11:02amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How can one man bring down a ruthless industry? By building a union that never backs down, because he never backed down. ‘Cesar Chavez’ depicts the United Farm Workers union organizer in the 1960s who sought justice against virtual slave conditions for immigrant labor, assuring his place in history.
Will Ferrell Experiments with Surreal ‘Casa de mi Padre’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 16, 2012 - 4:10pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Will Ferrell can never be accused of sitting on his comic laurels, nor repeating himself. “Casa de mi Padre” is a complete set-in-Mexico Spanish language film, including Ferrell’s dialogue. Although uneven, it delivers such a peculiar vibe that it can’t help but be admired, at least for the effort.
Mark Wahlberg’s ‘Contraband’ Steals Half Justice From Icelandic Conquest
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 14, 2012 - 3:00pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One way to craft an unforgettable, undeniably adept film is to make a new one. Hollywood views that as financially risky, though, and it often doesn’t happen without being based on a book with a built-in audience or a film that’s already an international box-office success.
Sean Penn’s Oscar-Possible Harvey Milk Puts Face to Gay Rights in ‘Milk’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on November 27, 2008 - 11:03am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Just as Tom Hanks put a face to AIDS in 1993’s “Philadelphia,” Sean Penn has now put a face to gay rights as Harvey Milk in the new Gus Van Sant true-story film “Milk”.
Actors Awkwardly Impersonate Marilyn Monroe, Charlie Chaplin in ‘Mister Lonely’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 1, 2008 - 8:30pm
CHICAGO – The wonder of a filmmaker’s art and perspective is the ability to challenge and reflect the absurdity of our own nature back to us. Few filmmakers have done more to add provocation to that sensibility than Harmony Korine.
