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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+.
Film Review: ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’ is Action as Phantasm
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 20, 2017 - 11:27am
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”xXx: Return of Xander Cage” opens everywhere on January 20th. Featuring Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Toni Collette, Deepika Paduone, Rory McCann, Kris Wu and Ruby Rose. Written by F. Scott Frazier. Directed by D.J. Caruso. Rated “PG-13” (What! They showed his nipple!)
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”
Serena (Deepika Padukone) Meets Xander (Vin Diesel) in ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”
Printer-friendly versionE-mail page to friendPDF version
CHICAGO – The true miracle of “xXx: Return of Xander Cage” – besides constantly breaking the law of physics – was making the sonorous line readings of Vin Diesel almost palatable. This over-the-top action fantastic turns up every implausibility dial to the red zone, but satisfactorily entertains.
 Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
In this film, you will believe a man can ski without snow, shoot bullets in public without reaction or ramifications, wreck enough cars to affect the auto insurance actuary, free fall from 30,000 feet, and make love to a bevy of willing beauties even though he is clearly 20-25 years older than they are. I got to hand it to the production team, this is perfect escapism for this “historic” weekend and dreaded winter, and they had no shame in presenting impossible stunts and gunplay without winking. This is like a cinematic adrenalin shot.
The “Triple XXX” team – a rogue outside-the-law enforcement agency – is scattered throughout the world, but agent Augustus Gibbons (Samuel L. Jackson) is still out there recruiting. When a satellite falls through the atmosphere and kills Gibbons in Shanghai, CIA operatives capture a “Pandora’s Box” guidance system that presumably can control any satellite and use them to bomb any city in the world.
While the CIA is having a meeting regarding the threat, it is infiltrated by a team led by Xiang (Donnie Yen), and the box is stolen. Operative Jane Marke (Toni Collette) is determined to find the presumed dead Xander Cage (Vin Diesel) of Triple XXX to recover Pandora. Once he is in place, and his team of bad asses (Rory McCann, Kris Wu and Ruby Rose) is behind him, the mission becomes Xanderized (for your protection).
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”Serena (Deepika Padukone) Meets Xander (Vin Diesel) in ‘xXx: Return of Xander Cage’
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Continue reading for Patrick McDonald’s full review of “xXx: Return of Xander Cage”
