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+.
Warner Bros.
‘The 33’ Adds Depth to the Trapped Miners of Chile
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 13, 2015 - 12:21pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the art of film, the best way to approach a based-on-truth story – where the outcome is well known – is to create a point-of-view vision for the narrative. The story of “The 33,” the trapped miners from Chile who were rescued with worldwide attention, is a prime example of that vision.
Sandra Bullock Bombs in Bad ‘Our Brand is Crisis’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 30, 2015 - 9:15am- Ann Dowd
- Anthony Mackie
- Billy Bob Thornton
- David Gordon Green
- Dominic Flores
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Joaquim de Almeida
- Louis Arcella
- Movie Review
- Octavio Gomez Berrios
- Our Brand is Crisis
- Peter Straughn
- Rachel Boynton
- Sandra Bullock
- Scott McNairy
- Spike Walters
- Warner Bros.
- Warner Brothers
- Zoe Kazan
Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This misbegotten political satire shows almost as much contempt for its audience as its characters do for the politicians they’re supposed to be helping. This movie thinks it is smartly cynical, but it’s about as smart as a Larry the Cable Guy routine at a Donald Trump rally. Hate is not a big enough word for how I felt about this movie. I loathed, detested, scorned, despised, and abhorred this Hollywood abomination, that is so full of its own smug satisfaction it can’t see how dumb it really is.
‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ Just a Big Screen Bore
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 12, 2015 - 2:04pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Guy Ritchie’s big screen version of the 1960’s spy show “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” is a colossal waste of time for all involved. The original show was never all that good to begin with, but this film is never able to clear that admittedly low bar, or even replicate any of the TV show’s small pleasures.
Despite Same Stale Producer, ‘The Gallows’ a Refreshing Horror Original From New Filmmakers
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 12, 2015 - 12:58pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We all know dramatic films win most of the awards, comedies are hit or miss and horrors often don’t deliver the scares they promise. The problem with the horror genre lately is Hollywood is afraid to go against a “proven” formula (for financial reasons) and really think outside the box.
Miraculous ‘Batkid Begins’ Can Save Us All
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 11, 2015 - 8:44amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sometimes, a simple will of the heart is like a drop of water in the ocean, which ripples so profoundly that it affects the tides. That will is illustrated in the heartbeat of “Batkid Begins,” the story of Miles Scott, a little boy fighting an illness, who wished to be The Batman.
Nichely Entertaining ‘Magic Mike XXL’ a Substanceless Soft Porn
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 30, 2015 - 10:36pm- Adam Fendelman
- Adam Rodriguez
- Amber Heard
- Andie MacDowell
- Channing Tatum
- donald glover
- Elizabeth Banks
- Gregory Jacobs
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Jada Pinkett Smith
- Joe Manganiello
- Kevin Nash
- Magic Mike
- Magic Mike XXL
- Matt Bomer
- Michael Strahan
- Movie Review
- Reid Carolin
- Stephen Boss
- Steven Soderbergh
- Warner Bros.
Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – You know those amateur porns with no-name actors that use cheesy dialogue in between the sex scenes those viewers simply want? You never expect a real story or actually developed characters because it’s a collection of sex scenes. It’s not a real, you know, movie.
‘Max’ is a Step Beyond the Heroic Dog Movie Genre
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 27, 2015 - 8:03amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – From Rin-Tin-Tin to Lassie to Benji, American movie goers have loved the heroic dog. As the film “Max” throws its leash into the ring, the expectation was a dull family drama just about Max the dog himself. What a surprise to learn it was also a poignant meditation on people.
‘San Andreas’ Loads Its Story with Too Many Faults
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 30, 2015 - 1:49pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The best way, perhaps the only way, to enjoy the disaster movie “San Andreas” is to check your brain at the door, or better yet leave it at home for safekeeping. Bringing new meaning to the term mindless entertainment, “San Andreas” dares its audience to turn off their minds, and enjoy the ride.
‘Hot Pursuit’ is an Unoriginal, Redundant Hot Mess
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 8, 2015 - 9:03amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I get it. The old fashioned buddy movie, except with the twist of the femme-flavor-of-the-moment Sofia Vergara and runty Reese Witherspoon. It practically writes itself. In fact, that might be the only legitimate excuse for the mess that is “Hot Pursuit” – it wrote itself.
‘Get Hard’ is Less Than the Sum of Its Parts
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 27, 2015 - 7:07pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Will Ferrell is a funny guy. Kevin Hart can be a funny guy. But the prison buddy comedy “Get Hard” is woefully less than the sum of its comedic parts. It fires buckshot of lame jokes at its audience, but precious few come anywhere near their targets as it squanders nearly every comic opportunity that comes its way.