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+.
Adam Wingard
Film Review: ‘Blair Witch’ Takes a Familiar Trail to a Dead End
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 18, 2016 - 8:10pmCHICAGO – The forest is an elusive environment that can hold hope for one person or isolation for another. You can enter the forest for some Thoreauvian wisdom, but end up being engulfed by its overwhelming monotony. As we revisit the world of “Blair Witch”, we are reminded that the found footage genre has come a long way from its humble origins, but perhaps some footage is better off not “found.”
Blu-ray Review: Cult-Ready Thriller ‘The Guest’ Comes Home
Submitted by NickHC on January 6, 2015 - 11:39amCHICAGO – As the classification of “cult hit” becomes a progressively mainstream notion considering the multitude of “The Room” screenings across our great nation every weekend or the universal quotability of “Troll 2,” “The Guest” arrives. It is a movie made with the degree of madness often found only at midnight, usually at film festivals, or during special events at indie movie houses like Chicago’s Music Box Theater.
Film Review: Superlative ‘The Guest’ Returns a Soldier to Our Times
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 17, 2014 - 5:51pmCHICAGO – The essential killing machine to protect the Homeland hasn’t been invented yet. Or has it? Filmmakers Adam Wingard and Simon Barrett combine “The Terminator” with a perfect metaphor for perpetual war in a new release, “The Guest.”
Interview: Filmmaker Team Comes Together to Invite ‘The Guest’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 16, 2014 - 5:45pmCHICAGO – War is on the country’s mind once again, and in this week’s film releases, “The Guest” is coming to theaters. The main creative team behind it – lead actor Dan Stevens, screenwriter Simon Barrett and director Adam Wingard – weave a tale of a soldier that metaphorically reminds us that something is wrong.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 Pairs of Passes to ‘The Guest’ From ‘V/H/S’ Director
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 9, 2014 - 10:09pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new thriller “The Guest” starring Dan Stevens from the director of “V/H/S” and “V/H/S/2”!
2014 Sundance Diary, Day 2: New Filmmakers Lead the Way
Submitted by BrianTT on January 18, 2014 - 8:20pmSundance has always been an interesting blend of new and old; domestic and international; star power and new faces. In the last 24 hours, the two movies that struck the loudest chord with me come from young filmmakers, and that couldn’t make me happier.
Film Review: Family Reunion Gets Bloody in ‘You’re Next’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 22, 2013 - 3:12pmCHICAGO – “You’re Next” is a brutal, blunt, bloody instrument of a horror film. It works as well as it does because of an engaging performance from a future star at its center and a writer/director team willing to get in, get gory, and get out.
Blu-ray Review: ‘The ABCs of Death’ Mistakes Endurance Test for Entertainment
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 5, 2013 - 11:16amCHICAGO – “The ABCs of Death” may easily rank as the most repugnant two hours I’ve ever had the displeasure of being condemned to review. But don’t let that entice you, gorehounds. It’s also uninspired and thoroughly monotonous. The only thing that scared me was my realization after the first short film had ended that I still had 25 films left to go. This isn’t entertainment. It’s an endurance test.
Film Review: Horror Anthology ‘The ABCs of Death’ Wastes Clever Concept
Submitted by BrianTT on March 7, 2013 - 10:46pmCHICAGO – “The ABCs of Death,” now playing On Demand and opening in select theaters, tomorrow, March 8, 2013 features a few notable short films buried in an anthology of disappointing misfires. The idea for this horror feature is super clever, as are the best of the shorts within it, but the bad far outweighs the good.
Film Review: Horror Anthology ‘V/H/S’ Offers Mixed Bag of Body Parts
Submitted by BrianTT on October 4, 2012 - 11:55amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “V/H/S” is a clever concept for a film executed with decidedly mixed results. There are enough smart ideas and chilling moments to recommend it to fans of any of its multiple genres (horror, found footage, indie film, even mumblecore), but I would never suggest it to a general audience. It is a cult film through and through and it feels like that’s just the way its talented team of creators wants it to be.