Chris Parnell

CHICAGO – “I Am Woman” is a song, which hit number one in 1972, and it’s the title of the newly released biopic of the song’s singer, the chanteuse Helen Reddy. The director of the film is Unjoo Moon, an Australian by way of South Korea. Since Reddy was a fellow Aussie, Moon understood the quirky dynamics of the singer’s life, and uniquely generated it in the film.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 10th, 2020, reviewing the new films “I Am Woman” (VOD and theaters) and “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” (virtual and actual theaters).

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.

Previous | Image 1 of 6 | Next

Chance the Rapper portrays Dax in ‘Slice.’

CHICAGO – One of Chicago’s biggest celebrities and greatest ambassadors was a high school student in 2011. Chancelor Jonathan Bennett, better known as Chance the Rapper, has had a meteoric rise from that Chi-town high school to become one of music’s brightest stars. And besides the fame, he has made it his mission to help others, both with his time, donations and charitable events. And he has just made his debut in a movie, the appropriately titled “Slice.”

CHICAGO – Melissa McCarthy is a comedic force to be reckoned with, able to wring laughs improbably out of the stingiest of material. She always manages to find the funny, which helps elevate everyone around her, and so she slips easily in the durable friendly constructs of the campus comedy in “Life Of The Party.”

CHICAGO – Not content to stand on its status as one of the top tier and weirdest animated series on TV, the season four premiere of “Archer” begins with a premise that redefines the term crossover. The new season of “Archer” begins on FX on January 17th, at 10pm ET/9pm CT.

CHICAGO – You should buy the third season of “Archer,” just released on Blu-ray and DVD, if just for the season premiere, “The Man from Jupiter,” featuring an absolutely amazing guest performance from Burt Reynolds. Actually, that is the fourth episode of this season as the three-part “Heart of Archness” aired three months earlier and kicks off this DVD. Whatever you call it, it’s hysterical. In a crowded field that includes former titans like “Family Guy,” “South Park,” and “The Simpsons,” “Archer” is the funniest animated show on TV.

CHICAGO – There are some major laughs in “The Five-Year Engagement,” good old fashion you-can’t-breathe laughs. But is it also dark and serious at times, and makes some surprising contemporary statements regarding coupling. Jason Segel and Emily Blunt portray the engaged couple.

CHICAGO – There are various opinions about TV-to-movie remakes, mostly negative. That is why “21 Jump Street,” based on a 1980s TV show, manages some grudging respect. Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Rob Riggle, Nick Offerman and Ellie Kemper create some goofy laughs in this farce.

CHICAGO – Combining comedy and action is always a delicate balance, and Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum do it right in the upcoming movie remake of “21 Jump Street.” Goofing on the concept of two police officers undercover in high school, the story has fun with its two back-to-school characters.