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.
Demian Bichir
Titans Clash! On-Air Review of ‘Godzilla vs Kong’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 2, 2021 - 7:03pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on April 1st, 2021, reviewing the new film “Godzilla vs. Kong,” in theaters now and streaming on HBO Max.
Spaced Out! On-Air Review of ‘The Midnight Sky’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 18, 2020 - 10:26pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 17th, 2020, reviewing the new film “The Midnight Sky,” which will stream on Netflix beginning December 23rd.
‘Alien: Covenant’ is a Pale Copy of Previous Best Films
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 18, 2017 - 6:30pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s worth noting that the Alien series extends back nearly 40 years, and yet the chest-bursting Xenomorphs have produced a grand total of exactly two good movies. The orginal “Alien” and “Aliens” are great films that stand the test of the time, while every other entry in this series would require a significant stretch of the imagination to be called barely watchable.
Quentin Tarantino Stays Familiar in ‘The Hateful Eight’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2015 - 6:09am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Story-wise, there is not much difference in “The Hateful Eight” – regarding themes and violence – that writer/director Quentin Tarantino hasn’t explored before. But it is also an outrageous and big western tale, and it’s presented in some theaters in a huge 70mm screen format.
Melissa McCarthy, Sandra Bullock Fuel ‘The Heat’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 27, 2013 - 9:51amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – An incredibly talented ensemble elevates a pretty pedestrian script in the just-funny-enough “The Heat,” a movie that gets better as it goes along, largely because its two mega-talented stars carry it over some mediocre patches of writing. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock simply have unimpeachable comic timing.
Mexicans in America Keep Striving in ‘A Better Life’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2011 - 6:35pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the most contentious issues in America now is the handling of “illegal” immigrants from Mexico. They, like anyone else, want a better circumstance for themselves and their families, as director Chris Weitz explores in the new film “A Better Life.”
Benicio Del Toro Shines in Steven Soderbergh’s Mesmerizing ‘Che’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 16, 2009 - 9:21am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Steven Soderbergh’s “Che” not only features one of the best recent performances by the excellent Benicio Del Toro but this challenging biopic, unlike any that has been made in years, is one of the best films of 2008.
