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 Content
Relentless Pace of French Action Hit ‘Sleepless Night’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 27, 2012 - 4:22pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Sleepless Night” is a relentless thriller about corrupt cops, a kidnapping, a very bad drug deal, and a French nightclub filled with innocent bystanders. The majority of this accomplished action flick takes place in one location on one crazy night and the result is a more intense, visceral experience than a vast majority of the Hollywood blockbusters you could see this Summer movie season.
Ben Stiller in ‘The Watch’ Needs a Better Mechanism
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 27, 2012 - 9:42amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Star studded, special effects ladened “comedies” featuring aliens should have been put to rest after last year’s “Paul.” But “The Watch” is here, and it features Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill and an odd Richard Ayoade as four suburban neighborhood watch volunteers who end up hunting space men. Yep, right after “Paul.”
Zoe Kazan Illuminates Fascinating Fable of ‘Ruby Sparks’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 24, 2012 - 9:40amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris return to the spotlight this week with their first film since the award-winning “Little Miss Sunshine” and they completely defy the sophomore slump, delivering a smart, fascinating, fun gem in the spectacular “Ruby Sparks.” Buoyed by one of the best screenplays of the year courtesy of one of our most interesting young actresses, “Ruby Sparks” is a clever romantic fantasy that works on nearly every level.
Frieda Pinto Takes a Sad, Tragic Journey in ‘Trishna’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 20, 2012 - 9:43pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Transitions are one of the juiciest themes to have in a film, as a character or circumstance takes a path from one way-of-life to another. Director Michael Winterbottom has created “Trishna,” a story based on a 19th Century British novel, but woven into the present day India. Frieda Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”) stars as the title character.
‘Farewell, My Queen’ Paints Seductive Portrait of Encroaching Doom
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 20, 2012 - 8:09amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Is there any actress in the world today with more seductive and transfixing eyes than Léa Seydoux? She often tilts her head in a direction that allows her to peer up from beneath lowered brows. Stanley Kubrick would loved to photograph her. Yet her radiant orbs are capable of conveying more than mere menace. She can appear frighteningly vulnerable and coldly calculating within the same take.
Brian Tallerico: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Gives Fans Epic Conclusion to Beloved Trilogy
Submitted by BrianTT on July 19, 2012 - 1:00pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With “The Dark Knight Rises”, Christopher Nolan epically follows through on most of the themes he set up in “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” with amazing technical skill and an ambitious sense of scope. No one can deny the effort and intensity of this closing chapter of the most acclaimed superhero saga in the history of film.
Patrick McDonald: ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ is Glorious Epic of Heroic Proportions
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 18, 2012 - 10:32amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sound the gong for one of the best films of the summer, as “The Dark Knight Rises” delivers an awe-inspiring blockbuster on virtually every level of storytelling and performance. Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and director Christopher Nolan create grand, metaphoric and visionary cinema.
‘Ice Age: Continental Drift’ Sucks Remaining Life From Franchise
Submitted by BrianTT on July 13, 2012 - 9:47amRating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The families who get suckered into the truly horrendous “Ice Age: Continental Drift” should be angry. Not only does it fail when compared to the best animation of the year (“Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted,” “The Pirates! A Band of Misfits,” “The Secret World of Arrietty,” “Brave”) but it’s less entertaining than most children’s television.
‘Take This Waltz’ with Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen
Submitted by BrianTT on July 12, 2012 - 9:37amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sarah Polley’s “Take This Waltz” both illustrates its director’s uniquely confident vision as a filmmaker and her room to grow as a screenwriter. Despite the best efforts from a very talented cast led by a fearless performance from Michelle Williams, Polley’s film is frustrating in its inability to reflect the real world.
Oliver Stone’s ‘Savages’ Harpoons Drug War Absurdities
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 6, 2012 - 9:40amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Oliver Stone sees a controversy, and comments on a controversy, in his own distinctive cinematic style. The new film “Savages” is no exception, taking on the U.S./Mexican marijuana wars, with performances by Blake Lively, Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek and John Travolta.