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
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Transporter 3’ With Jason Statham Speeds to High-Definition Nowhere
Submitted by BrianTT on March 11, 2009 - 6:26pmBlu-Ray Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you’re a big Jason Statham fan, you can move on to another Blu-Ray review. After the pain inflicted on critics in 2008 with the trifecta of “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” “Death Race,” and “Transporter 3,” you won’t read many kind words about him in this one.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘South Park’ Rocks in HD With 12th Season Blu-Ray Box Set
Submitted by BrianTT on March 11, 2009 - 4:53pmBlu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I honestly never though Trey Parker and Matt Stone would still be pumping out “South Park” episodes in the era of HD Blu-Ray. It’s not that I’m not a fan. I’ve seen the brilliant movie, “South Park: Bigger, Longer, & Uncut” a dozen or so times, but I thought that would be near the end of the phenomenon of Stan, Kyle, Kenny, & Cartman. Years later, it looks like it was just the beginning.
Blu-Ray Review: Disposable ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua’ Given Royal Disney Treatment
Submitted by BrianTT on March 10, 2009 - 6:01pmBlu-Ray Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Disney’s “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”, now on Blu-Ray and DVD, is so generic and disposable that it’s easy for an adult to forget they’re watching it while it’s playing. It’s one of those movies that appeals to the little ones because talking animals naturally do so, but so little was done beyond the casting and the concept that adults are going to get bored quickly.
DVD, Blu-Ray Round Up, Mar. 10, 2009: ‘Scarlett Johansson Collection,’ ‘Brokeback Mountain,’ ‘Witch Mountain’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 10, 2009 - 1:02pmCHICAGO – The Round-Up, HollywoodChicago.com’s famous recurring column about lesser Blu-Ray and DVD titles that may have slipped through your fingers at the store recently, is in clean-up mode this week. With a DVD collection for a famous young actress, an old cartoon, a straight-to-video horror movie, and three movies with the word “Mountain” in the title, the only word that comes to mind to tie these titles together is “random”.
Blu-Ray Review: Sean Penn’s Oscar-Winning ‘Milk’ Will Recruit Movie Fans Around the World
Submitted by BrianTT on March 10, 2009 - 8:17amBlu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With the help of Dustin Lance Black’s Oscar-winning screenplay, Sean Penn’s Oscar-winning performance, Josh Brolin’s Oscar-nominated performance, James Franco’s Spirit Award-winning performance and Gus Van Sant’s Oscar-nominated direction, Harvey Milk has been brought back from the dead.
TV Review: Nathan Fillion, Stana Katic Have Perfect Chemistry on Promising ‘Castle’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 9, 2009 - 11:15amTelevision Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Is it finally time for Nathan Fillion to become a star? One of the most charismatic TV actors of the last few years should have become a legend for his work on “Firefly,” but that wasn’t meant to be. Now he’s back and just as good opposite Stana Katic on the very-promising “Castle,” a mystery-of-the-week show distinguished by the excellent chemistry of its leads.
Blu-Ray Review: Sink Your Teeth Into One of the Best of 2008: ‘Let the Right One In’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 9, 2009 - 10:31amBlu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tomas Alfredson’s “Let the Right One In” was one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2008, an arthouse sensation that has been so beloved by everyone who has seen it that it ranks among the best films of all time on IMDB based on user votes.
Blu-Ray Review: 70th Anniversary Two-Disc Edition of ‘Pinocchio’ One of the Best Releases Yet
Submitted by BrianTT on March 9, 2009 - 7:22amBlu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Blu-Ray revolution seems stuck in neutral. It’s going to take a major title to push it over the edge as a must-have technology. Some of us thought it would be “The Dark Knight,” “Iron Man,” or “The Godfather,” but the worsening economic times seem to have put the HD switch on hold.
TV Review: BBC’s Excellent ‘Ashes to Ashes’ Picks Up Where ‘Life on Mars’ Left Off
Submitted by BrianTT on March 7, 2009 - 9:13pmTelevision Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Ashes to Ashes” may be one of the most unusual choices for a TV sequel but sometimes the best series come from the most unexpected places. This may be the most pleasant surprise TV fans will get all year. The BBC’s brilliant “Life on Mars” has been dragged from the glitz and glamour of the ’70s to the turbulent ’80s in the as-good-and-arguably-better “Ashes to Ashes,” another notch in the belt of great BBC programming.
DVD Review: ‘Wonder Woman’ Continues Series of Interesting DC Universe Releases
Submitted by BrianTT on March 6, 2009 - 2:20pmDVD Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Even though I once had a weekly comic book addiction, I was never a big Wonder Woman fan. Maybe it was a trapping of my gender, but I always tended toward books with male heroes like Superman, Batman, and The X-Men. Having said that, I can still respect what the team behind DC Universe’s latest film have accomplished with “Wonder Woman,” another installment in an increasingly intriguing series of straight-to-DVD movies.