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+.
Roadside Attractions
Richard Gere Symbolizes U.S. Morality in ‘Arbitrage’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 14, 2012 - 8:30am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The concept of crime and punishment is a goalpost that is constantly being moved. Justice becomes an discretionary circumstance, sold to the highest bidder. These are just a view of the happy themes in the new film “Arbitrage,” featuring Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Brit Marling.
Jennifer Westfeldt, Jon Hamm Consider ‘Friends with Kids’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 9, 2012 - 4:27pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jennifer Westfeldt created a distinct movie persona in her debut in 2001 in “Kissing Jessica Stein,” but she has been generally off the radar since then. Her choice for a major film re-emergence is as a nebbish career woman with less memorable character traits. She also directs Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Maya Rudolph in “Friends with Kids.”
Lack of Narrative Focus Handcuffs ‘Answers to Nothing’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 2, 2011 - 7:39pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ensemble films, with their multiple stories and characters, can be a challenging delicate balance. Emphasize one story over another and an audience starts to wonder why the neglected subplot is even in the film. “Answers to Nothing” generates this reaction with all their narrative threads, in a movie that lacks any kind of cohesion.
Life in Iran For Women Produces ‘Circumstance’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 9, 2011 - 8:09am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Power is a strange, corrupting force. Human beings manufacture power based on governments, money and religion. Oftentimes an element of humanity must be sacrificed to obtain power. In Iran, that element is women, as religious and governmental oppression conspire to create “Circumstance.”
The Universe of Miranda July Foresees ‘The Future’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 5, 2011 - 11:09am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The beauty of indie filmmaker Miranda July lies in her ability to create substance and mystery out of the most mundane everyday circumstances. Ms. July wrote, directed and stars in the symbolically rich new film “The Future,” and nurtures the concept of “the relationship” into another realm.
Will Ferrell Seeks Recovery in ‘Everything Must Go’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 13, 2011 - 2:58pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Alcohol mixed with the American Dream sometimes becomes a destructive chemistry. With every individual’s reaction to ethyl alcohol like a fingerprint, the general image of the party animal can easily morph into what John Cheever called “The Sorrows of Gin.” These sorrows are explored through Will Ferrell in “Everything Must Go.”
‘The Conspirator’ Has Lessons That Resonate Today
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 15, 2011 - 5:16pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Latin term “Inter arma silent leges.” (There is no law on the battlefield) is coldly stated in “The Conspirator,” directed by Robert Redford. In plain truth, the new film recreates one of the most controversial military trials in American history.
Jim Carrey, Ewan McGregor Make Unique Couple in ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 10, 2010 - 2:01pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – John Requa and Glenn Ficarra’s “I Love You Phillip Morris” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival nearly two years ago and was released internationally so long ago that it’s out on DVD in most markets around the world. After financial difficulties plagued the first company intent on stateside distribution, the movie sat on a shelf and most of us assumed it would be making its U.S. debut on a round shiny disc.
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