CHICAGO – YIPPIE! It’s back, in the neighborhood of its roots. YippieFest 2023 will be August 4th-6th in the Lakeview/Buena Park venue of PRIDE ARTS, 4139 North Broadway in Chicago. The space is less than a half mile from the former Mary-Arrchie Theatre, whose “Abbie Hoffman Festival” was the template for the three-day performance celebration. YippieFest currently has slots for theater acts, including one-act plays, monologue, sketch, improv, vaudeville and other stage performance arts. Artists get free admission to the rest of the festival, so click YiPPIE FEST 2023 to sign up.
Tom Hanks
‘A Man Called Otto’ is O-T-T-Oh No for Tom Hanks
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 5, 2023 - 9:25am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tom Hanks finds himself – as the title character – stranded in a slough of artificiality in this clumsy manipulative attempt at a crowd pleaser. He plays a grump in “A Man Named Otto,” a remake of a 2015 Swedish film. The setting has been transferred to the grey rust belt of Pittsburgh, and Hanks is a widower with a lot of chips on his shoulder about the world today.
No Strings Attached! On-Air Film Review of ‘Pinocchio’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 8, 2022 - 10:32pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 8th, 2022, reviewing “Pinocchio,” the live-action remake of the 1940 animated classic, directed by Robert Zemeckis. It’s streaming on Disney+ beginning September 8th.
Baz Luhrman’s 'Elvis' is a Hanka Hunka Burning Drudge
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2022 - 9:53am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Baz Luhrman’s “Elvis” has plenty of suspicious minds, but precious little mystery as his trademark excess fails to breathe new life into the tired legacy of the King. No amount of montages, quick cuts, and odd music choices can obscure the fact that we don’t see anything here that even the casual Elvis fan doesn’t already know.
Ford Every Stream! On-Air Review of ‘News of the World’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 26, 2020 - 3:21pm 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 24th, 2020, reviewing the new film “News of the World,” which opened on Christmas Day and is now in theaters.
Another Winner from the Creative Team of ‘Toy Story 4’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 19, 2019 - 8:08pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When you’ve brought to life one of the greatest animation series ever produced, there is not much to prove. The “Toy Story” series has relied on the strong and emotional stories since 1995, and after a nine year break comes back for one more intriguing spin for their characters, finding a new path in “Toy Story 4.”
‘The Post’ Illuminates the Skills of Meryl Streep
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 4, 2018 - 11:45am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For all the films Meryl Streep is privileged to make – which is remarkable considering the industry’s attitude toward older actresses – she has even admitted that the audience may be tired of seeing her. But as publisher Katherine Graham in ‘The Post’, she nails yet another great performance.
‘Inferno’ Was Damned From The Start
Submitted by JonHC on October 28, 2016 - 12:19pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – You can’t keep a good conspiracy down. Tom Hanks returns to a role we thought had joined the pages of history his character was so eager to uncover. Like the previous films in the franchise, “Inferno” promises to deliver a new problem to solve even though they never attempt to fix any of the cinematic and narrative flaws from its past.
Tom Hanks is Solid, But ‘Sully’ Never Really Soars
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 9, 2016 - 2:15pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Sully” is a solid effort from Director Clint Eastwood, but it never really soars the way its supposed to. It’s a good story, helped immeasurably by Tom Hanks low key performance, but it feels unnecessary. The problem may be that the story of the pilot who pulled off the so-called “Miracle on the Hudson” is so well known, the movie can’t really add anything to it.
Tom Hanks Delivers in ‘A Hologram for the King’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 25, 2016 - 10:25pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tom Hanks is using his golden years as a vehicle to stretch his performance skills, and his role as a sort of “Death of a Salesman” spin in “A Hologram for the King” gives him an opportunity to keep stretching. The stylish film floats within the focus on his character, and he delivers.
Celebration of Creation in Warm ‘Saving Mr. Banks’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 13, 2013 - 11:25amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The world of creation, and the imagination behind it, gets an honorable and elegantly performed treatment in the fascinating “Saving Mr. Banks.” What seems like a “making of” film about the legendary “Mary Poppins,” becomes much more rich in symbolism and consideration.
