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
More Questions Than Answers in ‘Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 16, 2014 - 2:44pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Not much is really revealed about the subject of the documentary “Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon,” co-directed by comedian Mike Myers. Shep is a rock star agent, Shep gets rich, Shep shares his Hawaiian beach condo with big stars, Shep represents gourmet chefs, Shep likes to cook and Shep strangely wants kids, despite being in his sixties and not being able to maintain any domestic relationship. There is no there in this film, only the spoils of good representation.
‘Obvious Child’ is a More Authentic Romantic Comedy
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 14, 2014 - 10:43am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Real life is not a romantic comedy, unless you’re willing to understand the levels of clownish tragedy that sometimes accompanies it. The new film “Obvious Child” comprehends all that, and has an unforgettable performance from Jenny Slate in delivering the goods.
Heroic, Visually Bold ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 13, 2014 - 4:46pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “How to Train Your Dragon 2” is spectacular in 3D, the filmmakers actually geared the film to enhance that much maligned vision. It also features a warm and heroic story about the coming-of-age for the character Hiccup, and his now fully trained dragon, Toothless.
Stellar Actors Put ‘Words and Pictures’ Together
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 7, 2014 - 9:57amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Words and Pictures” is a bit twee. In the film’s central debate between which medium has more influence, there was a drunken writer, prep students straight out of “Dead Poet’s Society” and cutesy romance. But there was also Clive Owen and Juliette Binoche at the top of their performance games, and they uplifted all these regular story elements.
Pieces Fit Together in Sublime ‘Chinese Puzzle’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 31, 2014 - 8:03am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Life is chaos. We in the human race can all agree on that. The new film “Chinese Puzzle” allows that chaos to happen, and the results are funny, affecting and warm. Writer/director Cédric Klapisch completes his “Spanish apartment trilogy,” bringing back the characters from “L’Auberge Espagnole” and “Russian Dolls,” to place them squarely in middle age.
‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’ Goes in All Directions
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 29, 2014 - 4:51pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Two observations regarding Seth MacFarlane: one, he is a hilarious writer and voiceover talent. Two, he isn’t as good as a comic leading man, on screen and in live action. Those two elements clash brightly in the overlong but funny “A Million Ways to Die in the West.”
‘Fed Up’ is a Cautionary Story for All of Us
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 23, 2014 - 10:46amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Here’s the deal, America. We’ve got some powerful mega-corporations who manufacture food to make a profit. What makes us buy food? Taste. The reason the obesity rates are skyrocketing has to do with the additives – mostly sugar – that these mega-corps are adding to give their food taste. It’s all exposed nicely in the new documentary, “Fed Up.”
Adam Sandler Exploits the Family, More in ‘Blended’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 23, 2014 - 9:02am Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Trying to understand the psychology and philosophy of manchild Adam Sandler, when it comes to his “middle-age” movies, will perplex film scholars and therapists for generations to come. His latest excuse for a “family comedy” is the insipid and exploitative “Blended.”
Complex, Wow-Inducing ‘X-Men: Days of Future Past’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 22, 2014 - 7:47pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Although a post graduate degree in space/time continuum studies may be necessary for maximum enjoyment, “X-Men: Days of Future Past” still delivers a comic book wham-bam, and the series continues its exploration of recent history through the prism of a mutant universe.
Philip Seymour Hoffman Lives Again in ‘God’s Pocket’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 20, 2014 - 11:34amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Watching Philip Seymour Hoffman perform, now that he has passed on, is a bittersweet reminder of his ability and power to embody his deeply felt characters. He does it again in one of his last roles, adding his special brand of acting to the messy story within the gritty noir drama, “God’s Pocket.”
