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+.
Tommy Lee Jones
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ Just Misses Target
Submitted by BrianTT on November 1, 2011 - 2:42pmCHICAGO – Even the name makes it sound like a prequel. There are definitely elements of Joe Johnston’s “Captain America: The First Avenger” that work and the film is certainly worth a rental and certainly better than “Green Lantern” (although nowhere near the entertainment value of “X-Men: First Class”) but I can’t shake the feeling that this blockbuster won’t stand the test of time on its own. It’s an introduction to next year’s “The Avengers,” a way to get the character into the modern Marvel vernacular, that gets less interesting as it goes along. It is very likely that both Joss Whedon’s film and the inevitable sequel to this one will be superior pieces of entertainment but this “First” chapter is a bit of a disappointment.
Film Review: Despite Disastrous Skinny Steve, ‘Captain America: The First Avenger’ is Perfectly Imperfect
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 23, 2011 - 2:10amCHICAGO – With mammoth special effects budgets carelessly puked into blockbuster films these days without story or heart, it’s effortless to wow audiences with beguiling explosions and one or two trademark, “The Matrix”-like innovations.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 22 Pairs of Chicagoland Passes to ‘Captain America: The First Avenger,’ 3D Glasses, Food, Drinks
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 14, 2011 - 1:10pmCHICAGO – In our latest blockbuster edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 22 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicagoland screening of the highly anticipated film “Captain America: The First Avenger”!
Blu-Ray Review: Ben Affleck Stars in Timely ‘The Company Men’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 20, 2011 - 1:02pmCHICAGO – John Wells has been one of the most important voices in television for the last two decades, shepherding “Third Watch,” “The West Wing,” “ER,” “Southland,” “Shameless,” and many more. It’s always hit-and-miss when a talent from one medium jumps to another and such is the case with “The Company Men,” starring Ben Affleck, Chris Cooper, Tommy Lee Jones, Maria Bello, and Kevin Costner. The great cast keeps it together and Wells has a keen ear for dialogue but the film never develops beyond a timely character study.
TV Review: Tommy Lee Jones, Samuel L. Jackson Ride ‘The Sunset Limited’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 11, 2011 - 8:53amCHICAGO – Three amazing talents converge on HBO this weekend for a ride on “The Sunset Limited,” an adaptation of a play about belief, faith, religion, science, and all the other deep issues that come to the surface when one considers the end of their life.
Film Review: Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones Are ‘The Company Men’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 21, 2011 - 11:37amCHICAGO – Dealing with an overall economic downturn, as the world is still experiencing, becomes the story of the individual. The frustration and insecurity that develops in a long dry spell is poignantly rendered in writer/director John Well’s “The Company Men.” Ben Affleck joins Oscar winners Tommy Lee Jones, Chris Cooper and Kevin Costner in telling the story.
Interview: Director John Wells is Hired For ‘The Company Men’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 19, 2011 - 1:04pmCHICAGO – John Wells is a familiar name to televisions fans. As executive producer of “ER” and “The West Wing,” his combination of drama and humanity has left a mark in TV’s evolution for nearly a generation.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Natural Born Killers’ Still Resonates Years Later
Submitted by BrianTT on October 22, 2009 - 9:59pmCHICAGO – Oliver Stone’s “Natural Born Killers” is easily one of the best films of the ’90s, an experimental, daring, visually mesmerizing study of not just violence but America’s obsession with it. At the peak of his directorial abilities, one of the best filmmakers of the ’80s and ’90s turned his lens on the way we turn evil people into tabloid heroes and he did it with such vibrant style that “NBK” has just as much resonance as it did fifteen years ago.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘No Country For Old Men’ Riveting in HD
Submitted by BrianTT on April 13, 2009 - 8:23amBlu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Like most truly great films, “No Country For Old Men” gets better every time I see it. My most recent viewing, in pristine HD with the new Blu-Ray release, made me appreciate this dark masterpiece even more than the last time I saw it and I have a feeling it’s one of those films that will change a bit every time I press play. Films like that, ones that get deeper with time, are what we call “must-owns”.
Blu-Ray Review: Special Edition of ‘JFK’ Still Captivates
Submitted by BrianTT on December 11, 2008 - 12:51pmCHICAGO – As the 2008 awards season kicks into high gear, it’s a good time to catch up with one of the most acclaimed and nominated films of seventeen years ago, Oliver Stone’s “JFK” in a classy and well-packaged Blu-Ray edition from Warner Brothers.