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.
The Beatles
Deliverance! Audio Review of The Beatles ‘Get Back’ Part Three
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 26, 2021 - 6:38pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on The Beatles “Get Back” Part Three, part of a three-part documentary series directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings series) and premiering on the Disney+ streaming service on November 27th, 2021.
Redemption! Audio Review of The Beatles ‘Get Back’ Part Two
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 25, 2021 - 8:42pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on The Beatles “Get Back” Part Two, a three-part documentary series directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings series) and premiering on the Disney+ streaming service on November 26th, 2021.
Fab Expanse! Audio Review of The Beatles ‘Get Back’ Part One
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 25, 2021 - 12:52pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on The Beatles “Get Back” Part One, a three-part documentary series directed by Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings series) and premiering on the Disney+ streaming service on November 25th, 2021.
‘Yesterday’ is a Can’t-Miss Premise That Still Misses
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 28, 2019 - 10:07amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – As a Beatles fanatic who has a band because of their existence, the premise of “Yesterday” was can’t miss. A man wakes up after an accident to discover he’s the only person to know that The Beatles existed? Sign me up and buy me popcorn. It’s unfortunate that the story went in a direction that did miss.
A Bit of Pop/Rock Magic Spins in ‘Juliet, Naked’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 26, 2018 - 10:14amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The story of a drop-out rock and roll star… usually disappearing at the height of their fame… has fascinated the movies in both fiction (“Eddie and the Cruisers”) and documentary (“Waiting for Sugarman”). “Juliet, Naked” takes the premise and creates a charming, romantic story about fandom and redemptive decisions.
An Experimental Experience in Non-Biopic ‘Jimi: All is By My Side’
Submitted by NickHC on September 26, 2014 - 5:01pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Jimi: All Is by My Side” shows the Jimi Hendrix experience without having the rights to the Jimi Hendrix Experience. It’s an unofficial rumination that doesn’t have any Hendrix songs, and it focuses on a more day-in-the-life perspective of the rock star, albeit in a career period that would be scooted over through montage in any other film. The endeavor is ambitious in its desires, and stands out most of all for its experimental nature than it does for trying to achieve a truth higher than fact.
‘Cirque du Soleil: World’s Away’ is Visually Arresting Infomercial
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 21, 2012 - 5:09pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Cirque du Soleil, which began with two street performers in Quebec in 1984, has grown into a multi-million dollar enterprise with shows on every continent and seven simultaneous extravaganzas in Las Vegas. The Vegas shows make up the storyline for “Cirque du Soleil: World’s Away.”
Aaron Johnson as John Lennon is a Real ‘Nowhere Boy’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 15, 2010 - 9:37amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The great John Lennon would have been 70 years old on October 9th, but never got to expand upon the journey that started in a small British port town called Liverpool, where a young Lennon was shuffled from home-to-home between his Aunt Mimi and his mother Julia. Aaron Johnson plays the teenage rock icon in a crucial point in his life in the poignant “Nowhere Boy.”
‘Imagine That’: Eddie Murphy’s Family Fare Predictable as Sunrise
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 12, 2009 - 2:22pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Nobody expects an actor to maintain the ambitions of their early career. The manic energy of Eddie Murphy from “Raw” or “48 Hours” is as gone as an ‘80s hairdo. But the numbing sameness of family-friendly Eddie is a direction that is stultifying, and does no favors for him or the audience.
Ignoring Old Show-Business Rules, Rolling Stones Brightly ‘Shine a Light’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 4, 2008 - 3:52amCHICAGO – In The Beatles versus The Rolling Stones debate (which no one under 40 would have), I’m decidedly in the corner of the Fab Four. I do acknowledge, however, the sheer stamina and staying power of The Rolling Stones.