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+.
HollywoodChicago.com Blu-Ray Reviews
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Sex Drive: Unrated and Cream-filled’ Edition Delivers What Title Promises
Submitted by BrianTT on February 27, 2009 - 11:03am Blu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray for the raunchy teen comedy “Sex Drive” is simply ridiculous. And I think I mean that in a good way. As a DVD critic, I’m constantly faced with “Unrated” editions that don’t really live up to their name. You can say a lot about “Sex Drive,” but the Blu-Ray is undeniably “Unrated and Cream-filled”.
Blu-Ray Round Up, Feb. 26, 2009: ‘Futurama,’ ‘Ronin,’ ‘Vanishing Point’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2009 - 4:55pmCHICAGO – Still trying to get over an Oscar hangover? There’s no better way to deflate the pomposity of awards season than with a wicked car chase. Of course, one of the best of all time hit Blu-Ray this week in the controversial Blu-Ray release of “The French Connection,” but the same studio also released another pair of movies dedicated to automobile aficionados and an animated sci-fi comedy when all the metal destruction gets too much to take.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The French Connection’ Loses None of Its Power, But Video Disappoints
Submitted by BrianTT on February 25, 2009 - 1:50pm Blu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The French Connection” is one of those rare movies that’s always better than I remember it to be. Not that I think poorly of William Friedkin’s masterful procedural, a multiple Oscar winner and game-changer in the world of detective cinema, but that it’s a film that blows me away every time see it. So why did William Friedkin have to mess with the picture?
Blu-Ray Review: Oliver Stone’s ‘W.’ Disappointing Film, Great Blu-Ray
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 9:08pm Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What happened to Oliver Stone? Despite strong performances by Josh Brolin, James Cromwell, and Elizabeth Banks, “W.” is one of the most inert, middle-of-the-road movies that this once-controversial auteur has ever made, helped on the home market by an excellent Blu-Ray release but still a little “eh” as a film.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Midnight Meat Train’ Delivers the Gory Goods
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2009 - 6:15pm Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The world of horror movie distribution is seriously messed up. Millions are allowed to flock to junk like “Saw V,” “The Eye,” and “The Unborn” as they play on thousands of screens, but a lot of the best genre movies for 2008, which was actually a very good year for horror, were barely released. Believe it or not, “The Midnight Meat Train” was one of the best.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Quarantine’ With Jennifer Carpenter Rocks But Forgets Roots
Submitted by BrianTT on February 18, 2009 - 4:19pmBlu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Quarantine” leaves this hardcore horror junkie conflicted. The film itself is one of the better genre entries of 2008, a thrill ride that will satisfy nearly everyone who rents or buys it on Blu-Ray. But the special features on the disc omit something unbelievably important and, in doing so, leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘High School Musical 3: Senior Year’ Shines on 3-Disc Deluxe Extended Edition
Submitted by BrianTT on February 18, 2009 - 1:46pmBlu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “High School Musical 3: Senior Year” certainly won’t stand among the best song-n-dance films of all time, but it delivers a jolt of escapist entertainment to its target audience and the expertly remastered, three-disc Disney Blu-Ray release should be a smash hit for everyone eager to buy it.
Blu-Ray Round Up, Feb. 17, 2009: ‘Amadeus,’ ‘Boondock Saints,’ ‘A History of Violence’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 17, 2009 - 4:04pmCHICAGO – A Best Picture winner that looks nowhere near as old as many of the films that came out a quarter-century ago with it, a recent masterpiece from David Cronenberg that probably should have been more recognized by Oscar, and a little film that was never on the Academy’s radar but has developed an insanely huge and loyal cult following.
Blu-Ray Review: Shockingly High Levels of Melodrama Sink ‘Nights in Rodanthe’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 16, 2009 - 1:15pm Blu-Ray Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I have a very high threshold for melodramatic romance. I was raised on cheesy musicals and will admit to pausing on the underrated “The Notebook” more than once when I pass it on cable.
Blu-Ray Review: Clint Eastwood’s ‘Changeling’ Features Great Performance By Angelina Jolie
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2009 - 1:49pmBlu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I usually don’t agree with suggestions that certain movies need to be seen twice to be appreciated. If a movie doesn’t work on first viewing, then it simply doesn’t work. Having said that, watching Clint Eastwood’s “Changeling” a second time on Blu-Ray made me appreciate the final product significantly more than my disappointed reaction to it in theaters.
