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+.
Brian Tallerico
‘A Perfect Getaway’ With Steve Zahn, Milla Jovovich Delivers Thrills
Submitted by BrianTT on August 7, 2009 - 12:18pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – David Twohy’s “A Perfect Getaway” is a surprisingly effective thriller, featuring good-to-great performances from Milla Jovovich, Timothy Olyphant, Steve Zahn, and Kiele Sanchez, and a taut, interesting screenplay with enough twists and turns to keep the audience entertained for its scant running time.
Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen Star in Ambitious But Flawed ‘Funny People’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 31, 2009 - 10:55amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Judd Apatow’s “Funny People,” starring Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann, is like watching a friend try out a new stand-up routine. As with a lot of attempts at trying something untested, it doesn’t quite work out, but you have to admire the effort, if not the execution.
Riveting, Must-See ‘The Hurt Locker’ is Flawless Filmmaking
Submitted by BrianTT on July 9, 2009 - 10:26amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Filmmaking simply doesn’t get much more riveting than Kathryn Bigelow’s incredible “The Hurt Locker,” a cinematic experience unlike any other that you will have this year. Building and releasing tension better than her peers have in a long time, Bigelow has made not only the best Iraq War movie to date but the best film of 2009 at just over the halfway point.
Denzel Washington, John Travolta in Average ‘The Taking of Pelham 123’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 12, 2009 - 11:26amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tony Scott’s remake of “The Taking of Pelham 123,” starring Denzel Washington and John Travolta, is likely to meet sun-drained audience expectations for a straight-forward, adult-driven action film this season but the overly stylized and not-so-thrilling train ride is ultimately merely average at best and will disappoint fans looking for anything more.
‘Land of the Lost’ With Will Ferrell Should Never Be Found
Submitted by BrianTT on June 5, 2009 - 11:27amRating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Land of the Lost,” starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, and Anna Friel, is horribly conceived, almost entirely laugh-free, and with absolutely no personality of its own. It’s one of the most inert, dull, and dead-on-arrival major summer films in a very long time with no target audience likely to be satisfied by it.
Sam Raimi Returns to Horror Genre With Thrilling ‘Drag Me to Hell’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 29, 2009 - 12:49pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The gleefully gory Sam Raimi who made “Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn” and “Darkman” is back in close to prime form with this week’s thoroughly enjoyable “Drag Me To Hell,” a horror thrill ride almost certain to satisfy any audience member willing to choose a movie with “Hell” in the title over the latest Pixar offering.
Christian Bale, Sam Worthington in McG’s Disappointing ‘Terminator: Salvation’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 21, 2009 - 11:02amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – McG’s loud-and-annoying “Terminator: Salvation” with Christian Bale and Sam Worthington continues the summer of non-Trek disappointments, delivering nothing but a bloated exercise in CGI overload. With awful dialogue, a ridiculous plot, and mostly uninspired performances, the interesting human element has been drained from the franchise. The machines have won.
Tom Hanks, Ron Howard Misfire With Ridiculous ‘Angels & Demons’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 15, 2009 - 10:31amRating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons,” the sequel to “The Da Vinci Code,” is an absolute mess, a film that tries hard to break free from the dull tone of its predecessor but ends up even more ridiculous, frustrating and generally worthless.
Pure Summer Entertainment Lives on in J.J. Abrams’ ‘Star Trek’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 8, 2009 - 10:52amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It will be a stunning surprise if the summer of 2009 produces another slice of movie entertainment as satisfying and well-made as J.J. Abrams rollicking “Star Trek” reboot, a film that not only delivers on high expectations but shatters them by clicking on every single level.
Hugh Jackman Rocks in ‘X-Men Origins: Wolverine,’ But Movie Falters
Submitted by BrianTT on May 1, 2009 - 11:57amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How did Wolverine get to Northern Alberta, Canada, where he makes his first appearance in a bar cage match in Bryan Singer’s “X-Men”? And what about all those flashbacks to his dark past and the experiments that turned him into a legend?