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+.
AMC
Blu-ray Review: Second Season of AMC Smash Hit ‘The Walking Dead’
Submitted by BrianTT on September 14, 2012 - 8:41amCHICAGO – The second season of “The Walking Dead” displayed a few of the growing pains of a smash hit series both coming to terms with its own voice after a mini-first season and losing its high-profile showrunner in Frank Darabont. There were some tonal inconsistencies and some repetitive dialogue writing in the first half of the 13-episode season.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Pairs of Anytime IMAX Passes to ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 6, 2012 - 2:58pmCHICAGO – For the first time ever, Indy’s in IMAX! In this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 pairs of run-of-engagement, anytime movie passes up for grabs for the special, one-week theatrical return of “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”!
TV Review: Strong Cast Drives AMC’s Inconsistent ‘Hell on Wheels’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 12, 2012 - 10:32amCHICAGO – Do you know what separates AMC from a majority of networks? The art of the ensemble. The multi-Emmy-winning casts of “Mad Men” and “Breaking Bad” are the bars against which most current dramas are measured. There were issues with some of the writing behind “The Killing” but no one ever complained about the performances. And it’s the people of “The Walking Dead” that keep it interesting.
TV Review: ‘Breaking Bad’ Picks Up Right Where it Left Off
Submitted by BrianTT on July 14, 2012 - 4:14pmCHICAGO – One of my favorite things about “Breaking Bad,” the best drama on television by quite a critical distance, is the way writers play with time. One episode can take place over a few days while another very important week on the calendar may take up half a season just to get through its intense action.
TV Review: Unique Personalities Dominate ‘Small Town Security’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 13, 2012 - 3:58pmCHICAGO – Joan Koplan is one of the more unique reality TV characters of the last few years because she seems refreshingly aware of own personality quirks. We’ve seen dozens of these larger-than-life personalities over the years but Koplan is memorable and genuine enough that AMC has essentially built their newest reality show around her, “Small Town Security,” premiering after the return of “Breaking Bad.”
DVD Review: Incredible Fourth Season of AMC Hit ‘Breaking Bad’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 5, 2012 - 1:08pmCHICAGO – In a great year for television, one that saw the premieres of “Game of Thrones” & “Homeland” and amazing seasons for “Louie,” “Community,” “Parks & Recreation,” and much more, one might think that it would be tough for a TV critic to choose the best show of 2011. It was incredibly easy. Nothing topped the fourth season of “Breaking Bad,” one of the best single seasons of television in the last twenty years and now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Blu-ray Review: First Season of AMC’s Watchable Western ‘Hell on Wheels’
Submitted by mattmovieman on May 22, 2012 - 8:07amCHICAGO – AMC’s watchable western series “Hell on Wheels” is just good enough to sustain audience interest despite its meandering plot. As soon as Gustavo Santaolalla’s catchy theme music kicks in over the brooding title sequence, it’s effortless to become absorbed within Joe and Tony Gayton’s handsomely photographed dramatization of the first transcontinental railroad’s epic construction in 1865.
TV News: AMC Announces Summer Premiere Dates, Including ‘Breaking Bad’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 21, 2012 - 2:29pmCHICAGO – Fans have been asking me for months when Walter White and Jesse Pinkman would return for the fifth and final season of AMC’s amazing “Breaking Bad” and we can now reveal that the date to mark on your calendar is Sunday, July 15, 2012. Eight episodes of the fifth season will air in 2012 with the final eight not airing until 2013. Yes, one could say this is cheating and that we’re just getting a shortened season five and a shortened season six. However you want to slice it, eight this summer, eight next summer.
TV Review: AMC’s Controversial ‘The Killing’ Tries to Win Back Fans
Submitted by BrianTT on April 1, 2012 - 9:17amCHICAGO – When season one of AMC’s hit mystery show “The Killing” came to a conclusion, Detective Linden (Emmy nominee Mireille Enos) thought that the case of Rosie Larsen had been solved and most of the show’s fans were furious that she was wrong.
Blu-ray Review: Memorable, Atmospheric ‘The Killing: The Complete First Season’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 28, 2012 - 12:16pmCHICAGO – With the upcoming second-season premiere of “The Killing” (come back for our review on Sunday, April 1st, 2012), it’s a good time to cram in the first season, recently released on a nice three-disc set from Fox Home Video. With stellar performances, especially from Mireille Enos & Michelle Forbes, and an accomplished sense of atmosphere, this is one of the best shows on TV. The Blu-ray release doesn’t answer questions or criticisms about the controversial season finale, but will allow you to reassess it away from the expectations of a resolution to the mystery of who killed Rosie Larsen.