CHICAGO – Theatrical satires of the Star Wars Universe are like the number of TV series the universe has wrought … too many to figure out if anything is worthwhile. But “Trade Federation” (subtitled “Or Let’s Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels”), presented by Otherworld Theatre in Wrigleyville Chicago, gets it right on.
Jude Law
On-Air Film Review: 'Peter Pan & Wendy' Battle to Never Grow Up
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 29, 2023 - 10:05am- Alexander Molony
- Captain Hook
- Dan Baker
- Disney+
- Ever Anderson
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- J.M. Barrie
- Jacobi Jupe
- Jim Gaffigan
- Joshua Pickering
- Jude Law
- Lost Boys
- Monroe
- Movie Review
- Pat Über TV
- Patrick McDonald
- Polite Society
- Scott Thompson
- Tinkerbell
- Walt Disney Studios
- WBGR-FM
- Wisconsin
- Yara Shahidi
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on April 27th, reviewing “Peter Pan & Wendy,” the live action reboot of the 1953 animated “Peter Pan.” Streaming on Disney+ beginning April 28th.!—break—>
Film Review: Law-Abiding ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 14, 2022 - 11:31amCHICAGO – The elements of the Fantastic Beasts franchise that work at all are the ones most closely connected to the larger world of Harry Potter that enchanted the hearts and minds of millions in the first place. In “Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore,” it’s ostensible main character Newt Scamander demoted to supporting character while Dumbledore is now front and center.
Film Review: Spreading Wings! On-Air Reviews of ‘The Nest’ & ‘Antebellum’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 18, 2020 - 12:28pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 18th, 2020, reviewing the new films “The Nest” (in theaters) and “Antebellum” (VOD).
Podtalk: Writer/Director Sean Durkin Feathers ‘The Nest’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 18, 2020 - 9:55amCHICAGO – His first film in 2011 was classic independent cinema. “Martha Marcy May Marlene” put writer/director Sean Durkin on the map, and now nine years later he has a new film, “The Nest,” which features Jude Law against type as a go-go 1980s financial guru who is trying to balance a career and family. The film releases in theaters on September 18th.
Film Review: ‘Vox Lux’ is a Visually Stark Metaphor for a Lost Cause
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 12, 2018 - 5:40pmCHICAGO – In the frozen emotional landscape of America, where mass shootings have become as regular as the sunrise, what better symbol for this madness is there than a pop star? Natalie Portman is that singer in “Vox Lux,” a victim and a perpetrator in the sin of mass death, and the soundtrack of gunfire.
Film Review: ‘Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald’ Goes Deeper into Harry Potter World
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 16, 2018 - 1:48pmCHICAGO – “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.
Film Review: ‘King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’ is a Dull, Magicless Bore
Submitted by JonHC on May 12, 2017 - 6:29pm- Aidan Gillen
- Annabelle Wallis
- Astrid Bergés-Frisbey
- Charlie Hunnam
- David Dobkin
- Djimon Hounsou
- Eric Bana
- Excalibur
- Guy Ritchie
- HollywoodChicago.com
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Joby Harold
- Jon Espino
- Jude Law
- King Arthur: Legend of the Sword
- Lionel Wigram
- Man from UNCLE
- Merlin
- Movie Review
- Sherlock Holmes
- Tom Wu
- Warner Bros
CHICAGO – Have you ever had such a bad case of déjà vu while watching a film that trying to remember where the familiar elements are from turns into a more enjoyable experience than actually seeing the film itself? If you haven’t, your quest for that kind of film is fulfilled by the incredibly forgettable “King Arthur: Legend of the Sword.”
Film Review: Fresh Blast of Funny From Melissa McCarthy in ‘Spy’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 5, 2015 - 9:57amCHICAGO – It can be argued that Melissa McCarthy, with a film a year and a TV sitcom still running, is topping out on exposure. But as long as she teams with writer/director Paul Feig, as she did on “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat,” she will continue to be an original comic force. Their latest is “Spy.”
Interview: Hilarious Writer & Director Paul Feig, of New Film 'Spy'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 4, 2015 - 9:25pmCHICAGO – He’s not a household name, but he has certainly rocked a few houses…with laughter. Writer/director Paul Feig has a new film called “Spy,” in which he re-teams with two of the supporting cast of his “Bridesmaids” romp, Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne. “Spy” opens on Friday, June 5th.
Film Review: Jude Law Submarines a Passable But Unspectacular ‘Black Sea’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 1, 2015 - 12:49amCHICAGO – I’m on board with Jude Law leading a film and neutral about submarine movies as a genre. My primary pre-screening interest in the quietly marketed thriller “Black Sea” was what Oscar-winning director Kevin Macdonald would do with this material following his hit with the hard-hitting drama “The Last King of Scotland”.
