John Carter

Blu-ray Review: ‘John Carter’ Doesn’t Deserve Punchline Status But Does Miss Its Mark

John Carter with Taylor Kitsch and Lynn Collins

CHICAGO – I approached “John Carter” on Blu-ray expecting to fall strongly on either side of the debate surrounding one of the biggest bombs of 2012. The cyclical nature of entertainment journalism means everything that faces as much critical derision as “Carter” did when it hit theaters is likely to get a camp of loyal devotees before long and I had heard from several people that Andrew Stanton’s film wasn’t actually all that bad. It’s not. But it’s not good either. It’s just there. There are elements that work, for sure, but the thin storytelling and characters for whom it’s simply impossible to care about make it more lackluster than anything else.

Film News: ‘21 Jump Street’ Dominates Weekend Box Office

21 Jump Street

CHICAGO – Not too many surprises in the box office this weekend, as pretty much every film placed where it was predicted to finish. Lead by “21 Jump Street,” which came in at number one, the top five was rounded out by “The Lorax,” “John Carter,” “Project X,” and “A Thousand Words.”

Film Review: ‘John Carter’ is Poor Man’s ‘Star Wars’ With Kitschy Taylor Kitsch, Soft-Porn Lynn Collins

CHICAGO – Usually it’s critics critically flogging a film when we say it weakly lacks originality and borrows too heavily from others. Disney’s “John Carter” attacks that classic grumble by promotionally comparing itself to “Star Wars” and “Avatar” before critics even had a chance to deduct points for it.

Slideshow: 21 Official Photos From Disney’s ‘John Carter’ With Taylor Kitsch

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CHICAGO – Coming on March 9th is one of the more anticipated action films of 2012. Walt Disney presents “John Carter,” featuring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Thomas Haden Church, Samantha Morton, Clarán Hinds and Bryan Cranston. The story is based on a 100 year old series of novels by “Tarzan” creator Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Trailer Tracking, Super Bowl Edition: ‘John Carter,’ ‘The Avengers,’ ‘Battleship,’ ‘GI Joe 2: Retaliation’

CHICAGO – Aside from the whole football thing, Superbowl Sunday has always been known as the launch-pad for some of the best commercials in the world and Hollywood has traditionally used the event as the launch-pad for the annual marketing blitzes for their best, brightest, and most expensive films of the year.

Film News: Extended Super Bowl XLVI Ads Released For ‘The Avengers,’ ‘John Carter’

The Avengers -- Black Widow

CHICAGO – Are you one of the millions of people that watched the Super Bowl yesterday, including the Super Bowl ads? Well, even if you were, there are new extended versions of the trailers you saw yesterday now available for your viewing pleasure. I mean, at $3 million per 30 second ad, it would have been costly for every film to have a one-minute-plus trailer.

Trailer Tracking: ‘The Amazing Spider-Man,’ ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ ‘Dream House,’ ‘John Carter’

CHICAGO – It’s Comic-Con week, so you know what that means – a whole lot of sweaty cosplayers questing to hook up with the Sailor Moon of their dreams and a whole lot of new movie trailers. Comic Con is movie trailer nirvana.

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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+.

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    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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