CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Jenna Fischer
Clique Bait! Audio Film Review of Musical Version of ‘Mean Girls’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 11, 2024 - 11:13amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Mean Girls,” a movie adaptation of the Broadway musical, which in turn was born from the 2004 comedy … with Tina Fey adapting the screenplay and also featuring Jenna Fischer, Tim Meadows and Jon Hamm. In theaters January 12th.
Strange ‘15:17 to Paris’ Can’t Make the Connection
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 11, 2018 - 12:48pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What’s up with Clint Eastwood, and why in the Sam Hill did he attach himself as director to this film? Also, why was the decision made to use the actual rescuers as the actors in a true terrorist train incident? Nothing adds up in the strangely disconnected “15:17 to Paris.”
Ben Stiller in Character For Thoughtful ‘Brad’s Status’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 26, 2017 - 12:37pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Everyone comes to the point when they question their choices, their life and their truth. This concept is filtered through Ben Stiller in Brad’s Status, portraying a Dad taking his son for college visits, analyzing his life through the boy, his friends, plus his own angst and fears.
‘Are You Here’ Feels Like Mashup of Two Different Films
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 25, 2014 - 10:20amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – You would think that a film written and directed by Matthew Weiner – the creator of “Mad Men” – would be worthwhile company, especially when the cast includes Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Amy Poehler. It is disappointing to note that not only was this cliché-ridden mess unpalatable, but it also switched gears two-thirds of the way through to evoke a different mood, and that schizophrenia didn’t help the overall product.
Jenna Fischer Stars in Sweet ‘The Giant Mechanical Man’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 2, 2012 - 3:48pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Don’t let the awful title fool you — “The Giant Mechanical Man” is not sci-fi. This cute dramedy tackles well-trod ground in the world of indie film but Lee Kirk conveys enough honest affection for his well-crafted characters that the piece works.
Jenna Fischer Falls Victim to Weak Screenwriting in ‘A Little Help’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 29, 2011 - 2:36pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Despite the best efforts by Jenna Fischer (“The Office”) playing against type as a smoking, drinking newly-single mother, “A Little Help” is a mess. This dramedy consists of the kind of characters one only sees in a movie theater and usually only in an indie flick that thinks it’s much smarter and has much more to say about the human condition than it actually does.
Owen Wilson, Jason Sudeikis Skate By in ‘Hall Pass’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2011 - 10:47amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Farrelly Brothers’ “Hall Pass” is a near-miss for the directors of “There’s Something About Mary” and “Dumb & Dumber” that features enough laughs to remember when the boys were in their prime but ultimately doesn’t come enough together to get them back to it. With Owen Wilson delivering a pretty lazy performance but “SNL” star Jason Sudeikis balancing it out with a nearly-great one, “Hall Pass” is a hit-and-miss affair that falls too often on the wrong side of that comedy corridor.
‘Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story’ Taps Best of Must-See TV Kings of Comedy
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 21, 2007 - 12:41pmCHICAGO – The makers of “Scary Movie,” “Date Movie” and “Epic Movie” should be kicking themselves right now for never thinking to make “Musical Bio-Pic Movie”.