CHICAGO – Society, or at least certain elements of society, are always looking for scapegoats to hide the sins of themselves and authority. In the so-called “great America” of the 1950s, the scapegoat target was comic books … specifically through a sociological study called “The Seduction of the Innocent.” City Lit Theater Company, in part two of a trilogy on comic culture by Mark Pracht, presents “The Innocence of Seduction … now through October 8th, 2023. For details and tickets, click COMIC BOOK.
Kevin Costner
In Character! On-Air Reviews of ‘Let Him Go’ & ‘Jungleland’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 6, 2020 - 6:28am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 5th, 2020, reviewing the new films “Let Him Go” (in theaters) and “Jungleland” (Limited Theaters and VOD).
Aaron Sorkin’s Directorial Debut in ‘Molly’s Game’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 26, 2017 - 1:55pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – High stakes poker are for folks who prefer to get their rush of adrenalin from the turn of a card rather than other life risks. The positives, the negatives and everything in between are in “Molly’s Game,” the feature directorial debut of Aaron Sorkin (“The West Wing” creator). Let’s walk and talk.
Brainiac Fulfillment is the Key to ‘Hidden Figures’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2016 - 10:00amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In America, there is the history we have, and the history that we want to have happened. “Hidden Figures” falls into the second category, but it’s presented in such a way that it fulfills the goal – tell an amazing story about a group of African American women who helped launch men into space.
New Twist to Inspiring Sports Story in ‘McFarland, USA’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 23, 2015 - 12:32pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sports stories are made for the underdog, and it is the conduit for many immigrants and minorities to break through to the American Dream. “McFarland, USA” takes that idea and runs with it, as a high school cross country team of Mexican immigrants head towards the finish line.
Story Choices Aside, Heart Matters in ‘Black or White’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 29, 2015 - 9:09pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – As race issues continue in the news, in the wake of Ferguson and “I Can’t Breathe,” the movies exhibit an extraordinary piece of timing with the new film “Black or White.” Oscar winners Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer participate in a story of family and healing.
‘Draft Day’ is Daft, Except as an NFL Infomercial
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 11, 2014 - 4:37pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Kevin Costner has defined a career in sports-themed movies. From the Iowa farmer building a baseball diamond in “Field of Dreams,” to “Bull Durham,” to “For the Love of the Game,” he exemplified game day heroics. Yet being an NFL executive in “Draft Day” isn’t quite as exciting.
Stereotypical ‘3 Days to Kill’ Tonally Uneven
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 21, 2014 - 4:10pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – As a director, Kevin Costner comes across as a patient guy who waits for the right material to come along. Considering the last movie he helmed is a little over ten years old (“Open Range”), one might also consider him picky too. As an actor, it feels like Costner woke up one recent morning and thought, “Hey, I should do a handful of movies in a row. I’m not getting any younger!”
Character Reboot ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’ Pales as Compared to Masterful Predecessors
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 18, 2014 - 7:26pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s been 12 years since we’ve seen Tom Clancy’s masterful, Jason Bourne-esque character Jack Ryan in 2002’s “The Sum of All Fears” (led by Ben Affleck), which itself was a character reboot. We first saw Jack in 1990’s “The Hunt For Red October” as Alec Baldwin and then twice in the body of Harrison Ford with 1992’s “Patriot Games” and 1994’s “Clear and Present Danger”.
High-Level Reboot for ‘Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 17, 2014 - 6:18amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Actor Chris Pine should use the term “Rebooter” as his middle name. After taking on the Captain Kirk role in the “Star Trek” series, he now is the latest to portray CIA super spy as “Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit,” a literate and pulse racing adventure directed by Kenneth Branagh.
‘Man of Steel’ is Strong, But Not Completely Heroic
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 14, 2013 - 4:28pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Place the Superman legend into the hands of director Zack Snyder (“Watchmen”) and storyteller/producer Christopher Nolan (“Dark Knight”), and old Supes is bound for a makeover in “Man of Steel.” When it works, it’s adds to a legend’s richness. When it doesn’t, it is less than hero.
