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+.
Nicole Kidman
Interview: Director Jonathan Glazer Gets ‘Under the Skin’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 10, 2014 - 12:48pmCHICAGO – The buzz for the new film, “Under the Skin,” is tremendous, both for Scarlett Johansson’s performance and the amount of symbolic and real exposure for the actress. Director Jonathan Glazer (“Sexy Beast,” “Birth”) has fashioned a metaphoric gem based on a novel by Michel Faber, about an alien visitor.
Blu-ray Review: Naggingly Hollow ‘Hemingway and Gellhorn’ Falls Flat
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 11, 2013 - 1:30pmCHICAGO – It doesn’t sound like a particularly bad idea. In exploring the globe-trotting adventures of author Ernest Hemingway and war correspondent Martha Gellhorn, why not use archival footage of the actual sights and sounds that they encountered, while nesting the actors into the frame, a la “Forrest Gump”? I didn’t think it was a bad idea at all until roughly three minutes into the movie.
Film Review: Mia Wasikowska Finds Trippy Mystery in ‘Stoker’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 1, 2013 - 11:05pmCHICAGO – There is cause and effect in life, and there are times when random acts of circumstance rinses it all away. Those emotions are realized in the strange yet compelling composition of the new film “Stoker,” featuring Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, and Matthew Goode.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘Stoker’ With Nicole Kidman
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 21, 2013 - 12:55amCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 50 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the new psychological thriller “Stoker” starring Nicole Kidman!
Blu-ray Review: Horrendous ‘The Paperboy’ Wastes Talented Cast
Submitted by BrianTT on February 5, 2013 - 4:16pmCHICAGO – Some have embraced Lee Daniels’ super-weird “The Paperboy,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, as pure pulp entertainment, the kind of sexy, sweaty, ridiculous B-movie that they don’t make enough of any more. Others have called it absolute trash with The Onion A.V. Club going as far as to name it the worst movie of the year. I’m much closer to The Onion in this case. As hard as I tried to get on the wavelength of this film’s growing cult movie reputation, I couldn’t shake the fact that it’s just a piece of junk.
Film Review: Nicole Kidman is Unique in Fluttery ‘The Paperboy’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 5, 2012 - 2:42pmCHICAGO – With all the steamy heat, and the thick, gluey southern accents from mostly non-southern actors, the audience for “The Paperboy” might need to wear lawyer-like suspenders and flap a funeral home fan to take it all in. The sweaty new film features Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey and John Cusack, all chewing the scenery.
TV Review: HBO’s Disappointing ‘Hemingway & Gellhorn’ with Clive Owen, Nicole Kidman
Submitted by BrianTT on May 28, 2012 - 10:00amCHICAGO – It pains me to say this — HBO’s “Hemingway & Gellhorn” is a complete mess, a film littered with awful directorial decisions, built on a misguided screenplay, and featuring performances that range from mediocre to downright horrendous. I’m as big a cheerleader for HBO and their line of original films as you’re likely to find but this is one of the worst.
DVD Review: Nicole Kidman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Renee Zellweger in 4-Film Collections
Submitted by BrianTT on April 3, 2012 - 2:44pmCHICAGO – What’s an inevitability when a company like Lionsgate gets access to a film archive like that of Miramax (besides the wonderful wave of Blu-ray reissues that has seen recent HD releases of “Amelie,” “Shakespeare in Love,” “Swingers,” and more)? DVD collections! Three of today’s biggest stars, all three Oscar winners, are getting the 4-film collection treatment from the company this week with some definite fan favorites in each set. Pick your favorite.
Blu-ray Review: Oscar Favorites ‘Cold Mountain,’ ‘The English Patient,’ ‘Shakespeare in Love’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 31, 2012 - 8:13pmCHICAGO – There have been a series of catalog releases so far this year (releases that aren’t exactly new but weren’t available in HD before) and there are many exciting ones still to come (Universal has an amazing slate of releases scheduled throughout the year). 2012 is going to be the year in which you complete your collection. You may want to include one of the three recently-released Lionsgate/Miramax movies to celebrate Oscar season. These were some of the Academy’s most beloved.
Blu-ray Review: ‘Trespass' Held Hostage By Shrill Drama, Shallow Clichés
Submitted by mattmovieman on November 9, 2011 - 8:13amCHICAGO – Few Oscar-winning actors have made as many bad movies as Nicolas Cage. His cinematic bombs have become so numerous that one could easily mistake him for a bad actor. Yet that is hardly the case. In fact, his vast number of outrageous gambles outweighs his list of easy paychecks. He’s a performer clearly unafraid of falling flat on his face.