Chris Messina

Blu-ray Review: Zoe Kazan, Paul Dano in Smart ‘Ruby Sparks’

Ruby Sparks

CHICAGO – Not enough critics or paying movie goers embraced Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris’ stellar “Ruby Sparks,” a smart, fascinating examination of the romantic life of a creature virtually designed to be alone — the writer. With one of the best scripts of the year courtesy of its luminous star, Zoe Kazan, this is a great rental, even if Sony has completely dropped the ball in terms of bonus material.

Film Review: Ben Affleck Reaches Career Peak with Masterful ‘Argo’

CHICAGO – Ben Affleck has reached the apex of his already impressive directorial career with the stunning “Argo,” a tight, tense machine of a film, a masterwork that delivers as comedy, action, drama, and more. Critics see movies all the time that we understand may produce a divided response. We get that many acclaimed films won’t make a dent with the populous.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘Argo’ From Director Ben Affleck

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 50 pairs of movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the highly anticipated “Argo” from “The Town” director Ben Affleck!

Film Review: Rashida Jones, Andy Samberg in ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’

Celeste and Jesse Forever
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Rashida Jones has been a reliable co-star for years in films like “I Love You, Man” and TV shows like “The Office” and “Parks and Recreation” but she gets her most notable role to date in a film she co-wrote, the romantic dramedy “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” opening this weekend in Chicago. Jones’ complex performance is the best thing about a film that ultimately feels a bit too unfocused, almost as if Jones and her co-writer Will McCormack took the opportunity to use every idea they had about the art of the break-up without streamlining their concepts into something more coherent and entertaining.

Interview: Rashida Jones, Will McCormack Find ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’

CHICAGO – Actors Rashida Jones (“Parks and Recreation”) and Will McCormack (“Dirt”) dated a long time ago and have turned their break-up into an acclaimed new romantic dramedy, “Celeste and Jesse Forever.” Don’t be fooled by its title. Jones and McCormack’s film opens with Celeste (Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) at the end of their marriage.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Pairs of Passes to ‘Celeste and Jesse Forever’ With Andy Samberg

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 25 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the irresistible romantic comedy “Celeste and Jesse Forever”!

Film Review: Zoe Kazan Illuminates Fascinating Fable of ‘Ruby Sparks’

CHICAGO – Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris return to the spotlight this week with their first film since the award-winning “Little Miss Sunshine” and they completely defy the sophomore slump, delivering a smart, fascinating, fun gem in the spectacular “Ruby Sparks.”

Film Review: Jenna Fischer Stars in Sweet ‘The Giant Mechanical Man’

CHICAGO – Don’t let the awful title fool you — “The Giant Mechanical Man” is not sci-fi. This cute dramedy tackles well-trod ground in the world of indie film but Lee Kirk conveys enough honest affection for his well-crafted characters that the piece works.

TV Review: Glenn Close, Rose Byrne Return For More ‘Damages’

CHICAGO – Can DirecTV do what so many other companies have failed to do and actually rewrite the way shows make it to air? They did something truly remarkable with their deal to co-produce and co-air “Friday Night Lights” and now they have taken it a step further by exclusively airing the new season of “Damages,” starting tomorrow night, July 13th, 2011.

DVD Review: Oscilloscope’s ‘Monogamy’ Marred By Unlikable Lead

Monogamy DVD

CHICAGO – With so many unfaithful weiners crowding the daily news cycle, I suppose it’s as appropriate a time as any for a film like Dana Adam Shapiro’s “Monogamy.” As in the over-publicized Anthony Weiner case, the infidelity in Shapiro’s film never actually takes place. Instead of physical contact, the affair takes place entirely within the obsessive mind of a sexually frustrated voyeur.

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  • Manhunt

    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+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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