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 Arts & Entertainment News
Interviews: Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried Talk Twosome in ‘Dear John’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 3, 2010 - 4:21pmCHICAGO – Hot young stars are always welcome on the playground of popular culture. Prime examples are Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried, whose charming insights highlight their up-and-coming status in promoting their new film, “Dear John.”
Blu-Ray Review: Great Box Set of ‘Doctor Who: The Complete Specials’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 3, 2010 - 11:48amCHICAGO – The last five hours of David Tennant’s spectacular run as the tenth doctor of “Doctor Who” have been collected in a great Blu-ray box set from BBC Home Video titled “Doctor Who: The Complete Specials”. Tennant was recently voted the most popular doctor in the long history of the beloved show. Watching these five hour-long specials makes it clear why.
Blu-Ray Review: Tense, Clever Horror Throwback ‘House of the Devil’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 3, 2010 - 11:08amCHICAGO – Ti West’s “House of the Devil” became arguably the most buzzed horror film of 2009 not named “Paranormal Activity” with universal critical acclaim and even a spot on a few top ten lists at the end of the year. Most movie goers didn’t get a chance to catch it in theaters, but it will have a huge shelf life on DVD and Blu-ray.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Saw VI’ Improves the Franchise, But Still Weak
Submitted by BrianTT on February 3, 2010 - 10:06amCHICAGO – “Saw VI” opens with two people in a race to cut off as much flesh as possible before time runs out. It’s gross. It’s nauseating. It’s exactly what fans of this franchise have been looking for and what its critics have derided. The twist is that these victims are a part of the current financial crisis, making their torture something audiences, many of which have been impacted through loss of income, would more likely cathartically enjoy.
Interview: Peter Fonda on His Life, Style as an ‘Easy Rider’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 2, 2010 - 6:48pmCHICAGO – Peter Fonda, part of Hollywood acting royalty, made his mark with the counterculture classic “Easy Rider” in 1969. Fonda made an appearance last weekend at the Hollywood Palms Cinema in Naperville to introduce that seminal film.
Blu-Ray Review: Girl Power Drives Entertaining ‘Whip It’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 2, 2010 - 11:58amCHICAGO – Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut “Whip It” is the kind of fun, girl-power driven comedy that I honestly expected would find a huge word-of-mouth audience in theaters. Its absolutely dismal box office ($13 million) was one of the biggest financial surprises of 2009. People are likely to catch up with the Ellen Page comedy on Blu-ray and DVD.
‘Avatar,’ ‘The Hurt Locker’ Lead Academy Award Nominations
Submitted by BrianTT on February 2, 2010 - 10:28amCHICAGO – The nominees for the 82nd Annual Academy Awards were announced this morning, February 2nd, 2010 and “Avatar” and “The Hurt Locker” led the way with nine nominations each, closely followed by fellow Best Picture nominees “Inglourious Basterds,” “Up in the Air,” and “Precious”.
Interview: Kristopher Belman Documents LeBron James in ‘More Than a Game’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 1, 2010 - 7:35pmCHICAGO – “More Than a Game” has to be one of the luckiest documentaries ever made. Director Kristopher Belman began taping a some freshman high school basketball players in 1998. One of those players was future NBA superstar LeBron James.
DVD Review: Catch Up With Original ‘Edge of Darkness’ Mini-Series
Submitted by BrianTT on February 1, 2010 - 1:14pmCHICAGO – Mel Gibson’s return to the big screen in the thriller “Edge of Darkness” was relatively disappointing at the box office this weekend (opening with Gibson’s lowest first weekend box office since 1995) but not only is that film worth your time but you should definitely take a look at the award-winning 1985 BBC mini-series that inspired it, directed by the same filmmaker, Martin Campbell (“Casino Royale”).
DVD Review: Gorgeous ‘Bright Star’ Only Available in Standard Form
Submitted by BrianTT on February 1, 2010 - 12:40pmCHICAGO – One of the most beautiful films of 2009 is only available in standard definition DVD with barely a special feature and a mediocre technical transfer. There are few recent releases that aggravate me as much as that of the great “Bright Star,” a spectacular film given unbelievably shoddy treatment by its studio.
DVD Round Up, Feb. 1, 2010: ‘B-Girl,’ ‘Wushu,’ ‘Fireball’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 1, 2010 - 11:54amCHICAGO – The DVD Round-Up is back with a collection of foreign films, indie flicks, a documentary, and a Kathy Griffin stand-up special. The key word for 2010 is diversity and there’s no DVD column more embracing of the variety of titles at your local store than the Round-Up.
Blu-Ray Review: Incredibly Entertaining ‘Michael Jackson’s This Is It’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 31, 2010 - 11:53amCHICAGO – My concerns that the documentary “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” would be nothing more than morbid exploitation of the death of a music legend were immediately proven unfounded by this mesmerizing document of what life was like behind the scenes with the king of pop, now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Soul Power’ Lacks Substance, Compensates With Soul
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 29, 2010 - 3:34pmCHICAGO – What can you say about a documentary that lands in theaters thirty-five years too late? “Soul Power” consists of footage from the historic three-night music festival in Zaire, meant to coincide with the heavily hyped “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The events took place in 1974, and were filmed in order to spread African culture to the masses.
