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+.
Patrick McDonald
‘Interstellar’ is Supposed to Mean Something, But What?
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 6, 2014 - 2:33pm- 2001: A Space Odyssey
- Anne Hathaway
- Bill Irwin
- Casey Affleck
- Christopher Nolan
- David Gyasi
- Ellen Burstyn
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Interstellar
- Jessica Chastain
- John Lithgow
- Mackenzie Foy
- Matt Damon
- Matthew McConaughey
- Michael Caine
- Movie Review
- Paramount Pictures
- Patrick McDonald
- Stanley Kubrick
- Topher Grace
- Wes Bentley
Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It is most likely that movie goers were asking the same question of Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” in 1968, but Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar” belongs to its own category of what-is-the-meaning, because it tries to combine pseudo-science with psycho-babble, which clashes into meaninglessness. But the visuals are stunning, and there are moments of fulfillment, especially in a big screen IMAX format.
Jake Gyllenhaal is Eerily Seductive as the ‘Nightcrawler’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 30, 2014 - 9:58pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This film can be defined as “Network” meets Norman Bates, but it also exposes virtually all our modern sins, in a chilling story about a loser who spouts business self help while taping bloody crimes that sell on the morning news. Jake Gyllenhaal is the “Nightcrawler.”
Michael Keaton Soars in Mesmerizing ‘Birdman’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 23, 2014 - 5:58pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are parts of “Birdman” that are absolutely breathtaking, in dialogue, performance and visual acumen. Even its subtitle, “The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance” has a wonderful payoff. Michael Keaton provides an Oscar worthy performance as the title character.
‘Whiplash’ Finds a Big Rhythm, Gives it a Backbeat
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 17, 2014 - 7:14pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When is the last time you had a bit of sweat after coming out of a movie? “Whiplash” will do that, and it contains not one action sequence or superhero, unless you consider J.K. Simmons as a sociopathic music guru a hero (he is in a way), and drumming as action (it is).
Back to Haiti, Finding Identity in Emotional ‘Lakay’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 15, 2014 - 6:50pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Understanding identity is a lifelong pursuit. When two U.S. immigrant brothers – and filmmakers – go back to to their native Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, they find much more than expected. Tirf Alexius and Remoh Romeo documented their journey in the new film “Lakay.”
Meet the Press in Illuminating ‘Kill the Messenger’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 14, 2014 - 12:19pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When journalists were heroes and exposed those in power for their sins, movies were made like “All the President’s Men.” Gary Webb of the San Jose Mercury News was one of those journalist heroes during the 1990s, but he wasn’t celebrated in his time. The indictments, induced paranoia and outright lies against him are distinctly chronicled in the luminary “Kill the Messenger.”
Inauthentic ‘The Judge’ Guilty of a Stale Confrontation
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 11, 2014 - 6:17pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Here comes “The Judge,” here comes “The Judge.” That 1960s catchphrase gets new meaning in the film featuring Robert Downey Jr. and veteran Robert Duvall, in a angry generational face-off that makes little sense and provides a stiff courtroom drama that felt like bad TV.
Searing ‘Last Days in Vietnam’ Documents Vital History
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 3, 2014 - 8:36amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It has been nearly 40 years since the Vietnam War truly ended, with the desperate events during the Fall of Saigon. “Last Days in Vietnam” is a brilliant new documentary that puts it all in perspective, the final surreal folly of America’s nightmarish involvement in the Vietnam War. Director Rory Kennedy – the youngest daughter of Robert F. Kennedy – generates a precise and gripping document that lingers long after it has been experienced.
High-Level Acting, Broad Themes in ‘Gone Girl’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 2, 2014 - 11:28pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – How can a sudsy, Lifetime TV Movie-type plot capture the resonance of our current information age? By twisting it by the ears and having gutsy, high-level performances. “Gone Girl” is a marvelous invention of media satire, celebrity culture and the perfect casting of Ben Affleck.
Animated ‘The Boxtrolls’ Has British Comic Tone
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 26, 2014 - 10:01pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Monty Python, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, Peter Sellers, Mr. Bean, Alan Partridge – all are examples of British comedy, that off-kilter “are you in on the joke?” point of view. That comic tone has arrived in an animated film, within the stop motion world of “The Boxtrolls.’