CHICAGO – The great and lofty Steppenwolf Theatre of Chicago has brought the current political season right on target with “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive,” now extended through December 17th. Click POTUS.
Novel
No Static at All! On-Air Film Review of ‘White Noise’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 3, 2022 - 8:11am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Jason Makos on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 1st, 2022, reviewing “White Noise,” an adaptation of the iconic 1985 Don DeLillo novel. In select theaters and streaming on Netflix beginning December 30th.
An Appetite for Love! Audio Film Review of ‘Bones and All’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 24, 2022 - 7:35pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Bones and All,” a delicious Bonnie & Clyde twist based on a 2015 novel by Camille DeAngelis featuring Timothée Chalamet and Mark Rylance, in theaters on November 23rd.
Stylish ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ is a Bit Too Soap Opera
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 16, 2018 - 6:19am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Crazy Rich Asians” is not meant to be anything but glitzy fun, but in the midst of the glamour, excessive wealth and beautiful people, there is a plot that ventures into Soap Opera land, and eventually becomes a distraction for the reason an audience goes to this show… to fantasize about living large.
‘Maze Runner: The Death Cure’ Has Run Out of Life
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 26, 2018 - 11:31am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The third part of the “Maze Runner” trilogy is called “The Death Cure,” and that cure best describes the faint pulse of this run-out-of-steam dystopia aimed at “young adults.” It is mostly warring and not much more, except for a stab (literally) at misplaced emotion.
Good vs. Evil Brightly Entertaining in ‘The Dark Tower’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 4, 2017 - 12:17am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Nobody does good vs. evil archetypes like author Stephen King, and this framework is purposeful in the film adaptation of King’s “The Dark Tower.” The popular book series gets a visual kick through the rendering of director Nikolaj Arcel and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.
‘The Sense of an Ending’ Ponders a Vague Mystery
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 17, 2017 - 9:56amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Sense of an Ending” is a highfalutin title, automatically putting most folks into book club mode. It is adapted from a novel, and the narrative has the same page turning-type rhythm. An old man, portrayed by Jim Broadbent, is encountering his past, while his current situation remains untenable.
‘The Shack’ is About Spirituality, Not Filmmaking
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 3, 2017 - 9:03am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – To create spirituality from tragedy is like shooting the proverbial fish – a prominent symbol for Christianity – in a barrel. “The Shack” is based on a popular novel, and doesn’t try to do anything different or cinematic with a man encountering the Holy Trinity after a horrific incident.
‘Nocturnal Animals’ Takes Two Stories to New Levels
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 19, 2016 - 11:08amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Reality and fantasy have separate rules, and in fantasy there are no rules. This is the philosophy of “Nocturnal Animals,” a wild character study that exists on the reality/fantasy planes. And it has the bonus of the Amy Adams/Isla Fisher mix-up and Jake Gyllenhaal at his Gyllenhaal-iest.
‘Third Person’ an Intriguing Yet Foreseeable Labyrinth
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 28, 2014 - 7:48amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Don’t you hate it when you figure out where a film is going long before it gets there? That could be a problem with “Third Person,” but writer/director Paul Haggis (“Crash”) also adds enough secrets to chew on and enough multiple pathways to explore. Enter at your own risk.
