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+.
Cohen Media Group
An Obsessive Couple’s Journey in ‘Ash is Purest White’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2019 - 10:03am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Obsessive love is a movie story staple, and “Ash is Purest White” puts a Chinese point-of-view on this strange phenomenon. This is a coupling in the background of organized crime and a changing China, and their success and failure is based on the events surrounding them as much as their devotion to each other.
The Artist’s Obsession in ‘Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 24, 2018 - 5:54pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The art masters, and the masterpieces they have created, become a background culture in our lives… even if we don’t necessarily know the artist. Paul Gauguin is one of those painters-as-cultural-influencer, and a vital point in his artistic life is told in the film “Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti.”
Humankind Gets a Necessary Lesson in ‘The Insult’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 2, 2018 - 12:14pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The clash of ideologies or religion that result in war is one of the most emotional of reasons to fight (and convenient for those who manipulate such emotions). “The Insult,” a contender for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, shows how feelings can escalate to bitter conflict.
The Human Being Behind the Greatness in ‘Churchill’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 2, 2017 - 6:37pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Winston Churchill, except to hardcore history buffs, is fast fading from the cultural radar. Often called the Greatest Briton Ever, the lion who led his people for so many years became a bit toothless during the greatest World War II battle ever conceived, D-Day the Sixth of June. That moment in his life, and the lives of those around him, is the subject of the magnificent new film, “Churchill.”
A Celebration of Pure Cinema in ‘Hitchcock/Truffaut’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 27, 2015 - 12:40pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In 1966, a breakthrough book about the movies was released, entitled “Hitchcock/Truffaut.” A new documentary explores the actual interviews that were conducted between French new wave director Francois Truffaut and the legendary Alfred Hitchcock, that would become that book.
‘Blancanieves’ Contributes to Silent Film Art
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 5, 2013 - 3:53pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The silent film, which was revived by the 2011 Best Picture Oscar winner “The Artist,” is honored again in the new film “Blancanieves.” This artful re-imagining of the Snow White story – set in Spanish bullfighting rings – cherishes the feel of silent film, and features clever composition.
‘Farewell, My Queen’ Paints Seductive Portrait of Encroaching Doom
Submitted by mattmovieman on July 20, 2012 - 8:09amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Is there any actress in the world today with more seductive and transfixing eyes than Léa Seydoux? She often tilts her head in a direction that allows her to peer up from beneath lowered brows. Stanley Kubrick would loved to photograph her. Yet her radiant orbs are capable of conveying more than mere menace. She can appear frighteningly vulnerable and coldly calculating within the same take.
