CHICAGO – The comic book admiration society has been the fastest growing sub-culture in the last 25 years. Once thought a remnant of childhood is now a flourishing industry in show business, comic book shops and conventions. “Geek Lounge,” a TV series created by producer/director/writer Larry Ziegelman, explores the comic book/pop culture generation, and is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Click here for the details.
Patrick McDonald
A Fashionable Life in ‘The Gospel According to André’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 3, 2018 - 9:27am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – He’s not a household name, but his influence has affected the closets of those households. André Leon Talley (“ALT”) is a New York City fashionista of the highest order, despite a background that would never predict that fate. But a person in the right place at the right time with the right work ethic can product magical results, and “The Gospel According to André” conjures that journey for Talley.
Man & Machine Come Together For a Sci-Fi ‘Upgrade’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 1, 2018 - 9:52am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “We can rebuild him, we have the technology…” Those words from the 1970s series “The Six Million Dollar Man” seems more truth than science fiction these days, as breakthroughs in humans plus robotics get ever closer to rebuilding us. This is all explored in the fun and action-oriented film “Upgrade.”
Awkward Human Nature Explored in ‘On Chesil Beach’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 24, 2018 - 11:46pm![]() Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you hook up with people for that inevitable physical connection, you’ve experienced the odd emotional wrestling match of the “first time” – whether it’s the first “first time” or any other new partner first time. “On Chesil Beach” focuses on a young British couple in 1962, as they first time their virginal wedding night.
Full Glory of Cinema Art Resides in 70mm ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 19, 2018 - 7:58am![]() Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It is the 50th Anniversary of director Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey,” and the film has lost none of its power, freshness and thought process, in a journey of truth that ponders existence. The film has been recently restored in 70mm (overseen by director Christopher Nolan) and now is on a roadshow tour, including Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre.
Formula Works Well in Hilarious ‘Deadpool 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 17, 2018 - 7:33am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We could all use some laughs, and “Deadpool 2” blessedly delivers. The meta superhero Deadpool – who exists both as a anti-hero and actor playing him – provides the wisecracks in the midst of the mayhem he experiences, and entertains in a way that other comic book movies wish they could be.
Strange Story of ‘Disobedience’ is Constant Distraction
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 9, 2018 - 9:22am![]() Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The director Sebastían Lelio is no stranger to oddball human stories. His 2017 film, “A Fantastic Woman” – the Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film – was a one-of-a-kind but amazingly poignant story of identity. His latest, “Disobedience,” mines the same human territory with lesser results.
Remake of ‘Overboard’ a Fun & Unexpected Treat
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 4, 2018 - 9:51am![]() Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When the movie remake of the 1987 charmer “Overboard” was announced last year, immediately my thought was “it will stink.” But the creators of this remake didn’t listen, and produced a charmer of their own, twisting the premise and adding the hope of America. If that ain’t heart, I don’t know what is.
Epic Comic Book Story in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 27, 2018 - 7:43am- Avengers: Infinity War
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Black Panther
- Captain America
- Chadwick Boseman
- Chris Evans
- Chris Hemsworth
- Don Cheadle
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Iron Man
- Mark Ruffalo
- Marvel Studios
- Movie Review
- Patrick McDonald
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Scarlett Johansson
- Spider-Man
- Stan Lee
- Tom Holland
- Walt Disney Studios
![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Coming off the multi-textured “Black Panther,” Marvel Studios now turns its assignment towards an Avengers movie, and man, everything is on the table. This overstuffed, somewhat overindulged journey of a tale never loses its flavor, and has surprises around every corner. Anticipate “Avengers: Infinity War.”
Amy Schumer is Empowering in ‘I Feel Pretty’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 21, 2018 - 11:06am![]() Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It is a neutered Amy Schumer who is portraying her latest character… a schlumpy woman who lacks the confidence to break out of her shell. It takes the most sitcomish of all actions, the whack on the head, to motivate her that she is one of the most beautiful woman in the world. This empowers the story of “I Feel Pretty.”
Stylish, Well Performed ‘You Were Never Really Here’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 15, 2018 - 7:38am![]() Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Actor Joaquin Phoenix almost solely specializes in portraying broken souls, but he also does it with such intensity that he adds necessary depth to those characters, to allow for their redemption. As a hit man for hire in the new film “You Were Never Really Here,” he again reaches beyond the darkness.
