CHICAGO – Like many of you, I have been perusing the digital platforms, looking for the appropriate binge shows that will provide a temporary bit of sanity. Amazon Prime, for example, offers the entire series of “30 Rock” (2006-13), the seminal NBC-TV series created by and featuring Tina Fey.
Warner Bros.
Melodrama Mire in ‘Godzilla: King of the Monsters’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 1, 2019 - 9:59am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Everyone’s favorite city-flattening radioactive reptile, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” gets stuck in a mire of third-rate-TV-network domestic melodrama in this disappointing follow up to the thrilling 2014 reboot. But before I roar about the many ways this misbegotten miscreant messes up, let’s throw a few pebbles of praise.
‘Shazam!’ is a Paint by Numbers Superhero Movie
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 5, 2019 - 9:01am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The former Captain Marvel (story below) is now “Shazam!,” and has his own film in the DC Comics universe. Zachary Levi portrays the title character, now with a new origin to go along with his new name. Speaking of that, no new ground is broken in this pretty standard foster-kid-makes-good hero epic.
Something for Everyone in Delicious ‘Isn’t It Romantic’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 13, 2019 - 4:36am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Isn’t It Romantic” knows exactly what it is, and what it wants to be. It is simultaneously for people who love Romantic Comedy, and those who profess to hate them … but may secretly love them. It’s an amusing trifle that’s about as surprising as a heart shaped box of chocolates, but sometimes that’s what you want.
‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’ is Flat Out Funny
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 8, 2019 - 4:48pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are two things I love as a film observer. The pretty colors of modern animation … and to laugh. I got both in the appropriately titled “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part.” Picking up where the first first left off, the gang of Lego brick figures, including Emmet, Wyldstyle and Batman, have a new adventure.
World War I Comes to Life in ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 1, 2019 - 5:58pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The First World War took place (1914-18) in conjunction with the early days of film, with enough cameras available to actually capture it. For years, that dusty and silent celluloid was used in documentaries, but never has it come to life the way that director Peter Jackson presents it in “They Shall Not Grow Old.”
‘Aquaman’ is a Watery Sleep with the Fishes
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 20, 2018 - 9:39amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The dripping sound of water you will hear this upcoming weekend will be the tears of DC Comics fans, as they cry from frustration over the latest cinema hit job on one of the Super-Friends. The tepid and overlong “Aquaman” is another hero movie that tries to combine origin story and “first case” adventure, and fails at both.
Fight for Redemption in the Rocky Universe of ‘Creed II’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 21, 2018 - 9:23amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the EIGHTH exploration (wow) for the story of boxer Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) – that began way back in 1976 – the son of his first opponent, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan), must settle an old score and seek redemption for himself and those around him in “Creed II.”
‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Goes Deeper into Harry Potter World
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 16, 2018 - 1:43pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is like the “Joey” of film franchises, a spinoff which only exists because of its tangential connections to a better (and more beloved) property. But since this is our only current filmed connection to the “wizarding world of Harry Potter,” it’ll have to do.
Lady Gaga Characterizes the Title ‘A Star is Born’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 4, 2018 - 3:53pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Stefani Joanne Angelina Gemanotta, also known as Lady Gaga, is the only reason to see the latest iteration of ‘A Star is Born.’ The luminous stage presence that propelled her to music superstardom is present in her major film debut, taking the female lead reins from Judy Garland and Barbra Streisand.
Stylish ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is a Bit Too Soap Opera
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 16, 2018 - 7:19amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Crazy Rich Asians” is not meant to be anything but glitzy fun, but in the midst of the glamour, excessive wealth and beautiful people, there is a plot that ventures into Soap Opera land, and eventually becomes a distraction for the reason an audience goes to this show… to fantasize about living large.
