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+.
Theater, TV, DVD & Blu-Ray
DVD Review: ‘Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series’ Finally Available
Submitted by BrianTT on March 24, 2009 - 3:21pmDVD Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When I hear about shows that were “brilliant-but-canceled” one of the first series that comes to mind is the great “Andy Richter Controls the Universe”. Developing a cult following through cable repeats over the years, the complete series has been one of the most requested-but-unavailable titles since the show left the air over five years ago. Andy fans, your day has finally come. Rejoice.
DVD Review: Gabriel Byrne Shines in HBO’s Epic ‘In Treatment’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 24, 2009 - 1:35pmDVD Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Like therapy itself, HBO’s “In Treatment” requires a commitment. The award-winning program aired from Monday to Friday on HBO for nearly nine weeks and took up forty-three episodes. If you’re starting from the beginning of “In Treatment,” you will need to clear approximately 1,290 minutes of your schedule. Don’t go in half-heartedly.
DVD Review: Akira Kurosawa Returns to Criterion Collection With ‘Dodes’da Ken’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 24, 2009 - 10:57amDVD Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I’m not sure, but I think there are more Akira Kurosawa titles available in the Criterion Collection than any other filmmaker. His classic films like “Ran,” “Rashomon,” “Seven Samurai,” and “Yojimbo” have been critically acclaimed releases for the influential series of DVDs. His 24th title in the Criterion Collection is last week’s “Dodes’da Ken,” one of the greatest directors of all time’s first film in color.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Quo Vadis’ is a Classic Made For the Era of HD
Submitted by BrianTT on March 23, 2009 - 4:15pmBlu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It might be a generational thing, but I’ll never understand why people watch movies on smaller and smaller screens like their laptop, cell phone, or iPod. Maybe it’s because I grew up thinking of classic movies as epic adventures that should be larger than life. Movies were arguably never “bigger” than they were in the era of “Quo Vadis,” now available on Blu-Ray.
DVD Round Up, Mar. 23, 2009: ‘Lilo & Stitch,’ ‘The Odd Couple,’ ‘To Catch a Thief’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 23, 2009 - 3:02pmCHICAGO – A Disney movie and two all-time classics being inducted in Paramount’s “Centennial Collection” make up this week’s version of the “DVD Round-Up,” your safety net for titles that may have slipped by your home entertainment radar.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Venture Bros.: 3rd Season’ Continues to Rock in HD
Submitted by BrianTT on March 23, 2009 - 1:29pmBlu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Adult Swim’s “The Venture Bros.” is the best show you’re not watching. As clever as “South Park,” “Family Guy,” or “The Simpsons,” “The Venture Bros.” is a hilarious dissection of the history of adventure animation like “Jonny Quest”. With a commentary on every episode, gorgeous video and audio, and twenty minutes of deleted scenes, “The Venture Bros: Season Three” is a must-buy for TV animation fans.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Quantum of Solace’ Offers Action Ride, Average Blu-Ray
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2009 - 8:38pmBlu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Quantum of Solace,” the second Daniel Craig 007 movie after the earthquake to the franchise that was the brilliant “Casino Royale,” didn’t make quite the same waves in the action genre and left a few viewers dissatisfied but it still makes for a better-than-average action movie rental. Sadly, MGM continues to struggle a bit in the HD revolution, releasing a so-so Blu-Ray that won’t help the viewers who felt let down by the film in theaters.
Blu-Ray Review: Disney Delivers Another Great Release For Super-Cute ‘Bolt’ With Miley Cyrus
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2009 - 6:33pmBlu-Ray Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The first word I think of when I read or hear about Disney’s “Bolt” is cute. The movie is just cute, cute, cute. If your threshold for adorable cartoon characters and heartwarming messages is low, stay away, but if you’re looking for a bright smile to break the darkness of daily life, you could do a lot worse than this clever canine, now the subject of yet another nearly-perfect Disney Blu-Ray release.
Release Date, Cover Art For Criterion’s ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2009 - 12:35pmCHICAGO – Paramount/Criterion made a huge announcement today, revealing that David Fincher’s Oscar-winning “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” will be inducted into The Criterion Collection in its debut on DVD and Blu-Ray on May 5th, 2009. The Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett drama will arrive in a two-disc special edition DVD and two-disc Blu-Ray with over three hours of special features.
Blu-Ray Review: Marvel Character Strikes Out Swinging With ‘Punisher: War Zone’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 18, 2009 - 8:22pmBlu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s officially a strikeout for Marvel’s The Punisher, a character now featured in not one, not two, but three bad movies of his very own. Dolph Lundgren swung wildly and missed with his “The Punisher” and Thomas Jane nearly connected but went foul with his reboot of the franchise. Now, Ray Stevenson is the latest actor to fail to connect with this legendary character in “Punisher: War Zone,” now available on Blu-Ray.