CHICAGO – The funny meter of Netflix went off the scale last week, as the animated series “Chicago Party Aunt” made its debut on September 17th. What began as a Twitter account by comic actor Chris Witaske (who also provides his voice talent) has morphed into the cartoon adventures of Aunt Diane Dumbowski, her nephew Daniel, and an array of familiar Chicago-isms and characters.
Julianne Moore
Deliver a Letter! On-Air Review of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 24, 2021 - 10:07am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 23rd, 2021, reviewing the new movie musical “Dear Evan Hansen” – featuring Ben Platt in the title role – in theaters beginning September 24th.
Spirit Moves She! On-Air Review of ‘Spirit Untamed’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 4, 2021 - 4:48am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on June 3rd, 2021, reviewing the new Dreamworks animated film “Spirit Untamed” in theaters beginning June 4th.
'The Woman in the Window' Offers a Muddled Yet Entertaining View
Submitted by JonHC on May 16, 2021 - 3:18pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – People in waste management have a mantra that seems to have been awkwardly adopted by the film industry: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. In the film industry’s case, ‘reduce’ doesn’t mean to create less waste, but to reduce the amount of money spent taking a chance on original content.
Julianne Moore is a Ringing Sensation in ‘Gloria Bell’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 14, 2019 - 8:16pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The sheer ordinariness of life is not fodder for most dramatic films … the popcorn munchers generally turn out for something more high concept. But in Exhibit A, there is “Gloria Bell,” in which Julianne Moore portrays the title character in a series of ordinary extraordinary events.
Energy of Visual Cinema is the Power of ‘Wonderstruck’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 31, 2017 - 11:02amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In one of the coolest visual films of the Fall Season thus far, “Wonderstruck” is another winner from director Todd Haynes (“Carol”), who adapts a Young Adult graphic novel by Brian Selznick (who also wrote the screenplay). The wonder of it all, baby.
‘Suburbicon’ is the Cinematic Equivalent of a Soccer Mom
Submitted by JonHC on October 27, 2017 - 2:20pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Having lived in both the suburbs and in major cities throughout my lifetime, I can say without hesitation that the suburbs tend to be dull, boring and bereft of creativity. To be fair, it’s not their fault since they’re built for efficiency and with placidity in mind. “Surburbicon” is made in much the same way, becoming the one thing a film shouldn’t be: boring.
‘Kingsman: The Golden Circle’ is High-Flying Spy Fun
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 22, 2017 - 9:41amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” is a hard “R”-rated sequel with a thoroughly juvenile soul. It pairs silly wordplay, dirty jokes and a startling amount of bloody and gratuitous violence while its tongue remains thoroughly in cheek. This is a James Bond movie as made by an unusually sadistic 16-year-old under the influence of some not entirely legal substances.
Grim Conclusion for ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 20, 2015 - 8:41pm- Donald Sutherland
- Elizabeth Banks
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Jeffrey Wright
- Jena Malone
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Josh Hutchinson
- Julianne Moore
- Liam Hemsworth
- Lionsgate
- Mahershala Ali
- Movie Review
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman
- Sam Claflin
- Spike Walters
- Stanley Tucci
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
- Willow Shields
- Woody Harrelson
Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This has to be what the filmmakers intended when they split the final book of the “Hunger Games” series into two films. While “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1” was all set up, Part 2 doesn’t just lead up to a huge climax.
Pre-Apocalyptic Darkness Found in ‘Maps to the Stars’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 11, 2015 - 10:50amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a moral darkness in director David Cronenberg’s “Maps to the Stars” that is hard to shake. It is filled with circumstance and souls right at the edge of insanity, polluted by an atmosphere that doesn’t give them much of a chance. The apocalypse is now, and living in Los Angeles.
Following a Two-Year Delay, ‘Seventh Son’ Should Have Been Shelved
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 8, 2015 - 3:35pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I can’t decide which is worse: the “fake deep talk” from Jeff Bridges in “Seventh Son” or the “angry whisper talk” from Eddie Redmayne in “Jupiter Ascending,” which also opened on Friday. Both speech impediments are ugly fish out of water, both films are getting punished by critics and both are underperforming at domestic box offices.
