CHICAGO – Seemingly ripped from the headlines, by way of “Dr. Strangelove,” the new Netflix TV series “Space Force” debuted on May 29th, 2020. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviewed the series during the Eddie Volkman Show (Star 96.7 FM in Joliet, Illinois) on June 5th, 2020.
Frances McDormand
Wes Anderson’s ‘Isle of Dogs’ is Inventive Delight
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 28, 2018 - 1:09pm- akira takayama
- Bill Murray
- Bob Balaban
- Bryan Cranston
- Edward Norton
- F. Murray Abraham
- Fantastic Mr. Fox
- Fisher Stevens
- Fox Searchlight Pictures
- Frances McDormand
- Greta Gerwig
- Harvey Keitel
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Isle of Dogs
- Jeff Goldblum
- Ken Watanabe
- koyu rankin
- kunichi nomura
- Liev Schreiber
- Movie Review
- Scarlett Johansson
- Spike Walters
- Tilda Swinton
- Wes Anderson
- Yoko Ono
 Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Fans of director Wes Anderson will find plenty to love in his second stop motion animated feature (after “Fantastic Mr. Fox”), entitled “Isle Of Dogs.” It’s an immersive and intricately detailed story set in Japan, and features a dizzying array of visual gags, along with Anderson’s trademark whimsy.
‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’ Examines Our Violence
Submitted by JonHC on November 20, 2017 - 9:12pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Film is often an expression of our society, either as a depiction of how it really is or how it should be. Few films are as daring as Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” which isn’t afraid to show us the state of our society and offer a realistic solution through a grim drama that is as humorous as it is devastating.
‘Hail, Caesar!’ is Coen Bros. Excellence for Movie Lovers
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 5, 2016 - 11:12am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/directors Joel and Ethan Coen love the movies, and that love is magnificently played out in “Hail, Caesar!” As they riff on religion, geopolitics and 1950s morality, while wonderfully celebrating and spoofing an era in movies that will never be again, the Coens abide and deliver.
‘The Good Dinosaur’ is Pixar Studio’s Most Ordinary Film
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 25, 2015 - 6:09pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The animation in Pixar Studio’s latest feature ,“The Good Dinosaur,” is nothing short of extraordinary. At times throughout the film, the images looked like they came right out of National Geographic, and I truly couldn’t believe i was watching animation. However, this delightful animation is in service to an undistinguished prehistoric buddy comedy that wouldn’t be out of place in an episode of “The Flintstones.”
Gus Van Sant’s ‘Promised Land’ Breaks Promise to Audiences
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 28, 2012 - 5:32pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When a Gus Van Sant picture works well, it can be as rousing as “Milk” or as thrillingly experimental as “Elephant.” Few filmmakers have straddled the mainstream and independent realms with such success (Steven Soderbergh would be another). But when a Van Sant film fails, it often fails spectacularly, as proven by “Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” and that notoriously pointless “Psycho” remake.
Strange, Beguiling Sean Penn in ‘This Must Be the Place’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 18, 2012 - 2:06am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sean Penn picks his roles carefully, and famously said he didn’t know what the story meant in “Tree of Life.” His attachment to “This Must Be the Place” continues the vague journey through movieland, as he plays a bizarre and aging rock star whose life is about to get interesting.
Sweet, Enjoyable ‘Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 8, 2012 - 8:25amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s incredibly rare to be able to say this – the third installment in a hit animated franchise could arguably be the best. “Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted” is certainly more fun, clever, and enjoyable than the last film in this series and probably holds its own against the original.
Wes Anderson’s ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ Delights with Clever Tale of Young Love
Submitted by BrianTT on May 31, 2012 - 9:22amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” is a true delight — a fun, clever, and, of course, whimsical tale about the days when love seemed worth running away from home over and getting a scout badge meant the world. Easily Anderson’s best film since “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Moonrise” is arguably the most tonally consistent film he’s made to date, a thoroughly enjoyable endeavor that one would have to be pretty cynical to dismiss entirely.
‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ Gets Adrenalin Pumping
Submitted by BrianTT on June 28, 2011 - 9:27amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The final 45 minutes of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” are such an orgy of CGI insanity, falling skyscrapers, and battling robots that the film approaches some sort of summer movie nirvana, or at least it will for the right audience. There’s little debate that the Chicago-set climax of Michael Bay’s third film based on Hasbro’s line of toys delivers what it promises.
‘Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day’ as Rare as Boobs Without Silicone in Hollywood
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 6, 2008 - 1:37pm
CHICAGO – Character comedies that actually have some depth and fun are as rare as boobs without silicone in Hollywood. “Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day” reaches these heights with a sensibility of an old studio picture with stylized glamour, lovable rogues and at the center the great Frances McDormand as the title character taking a chance in 24 sparkling and event-filled hours.
