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+.
Marilyn Monroe
Interview: Director Rebecca Miller Executes ‘Maggie’s Plan’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 26, 2016 - 9:07amCHICAGO – Quirky Greta Gerwig is at it again (being quirky), and this time she’s looking for solutions in “Maggie’s Plan.” The made-in-New-York-City film has overtures of Woody Allen, combined with “Crossing Delancey.” Director Rebecca Miller (“Personal Velocity”) produces a valentine to all her influences and settings.
Blu-ray Review: Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley in Classics New to HD
Submitted by BrianTT on August 1, 2013 - 8:55amCHICAGO – Few celebrities can be so easily defined by their first names as Marilyn and Elvis. They went beyond their professions to become cultural icons and three of their works have just been released this week on Blu-ray for the first time. While fans of Monroe and Presley will probably gravitate to “Bus Stop” and “Love Me Tender,” the best of the three is easily the underrated “Niagara,” a clever thriller that uses the notorious Falls in a way that Hitchcock probably respected. If you’re going to pick just one, that’s the one.
Interview: Mitzi Gaynor Lights Up the TCM Classic Film Festival
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 25, 2013 - 11:48pmCHICAGO – This weekend is the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) Classic Film Festival, and few movie stars alive represent that classic status better than Miss Mitzi Gaynor. Whether co-starring in movies with Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe, or starring in the film version of “South Pacific,” Mitzi Gaynor always inspires the old “razzle dazzle.”
DVD Review: Some True Classics in ‘The Robert Mitchum Film Collection’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 22, 2012 - 2:26pmCHICAGO – They don’t make ‘em like Robert Mitchum any more. Every few years, there’s a DVD collection of classic movies that rises above the others for the holiday season. One of this year’s most star-packed entries includes not only Mitchum but John Wayne, Deborah Kerr, Kirk Douglas, Shirley MacLaine, Richard Widmark, Gene Kelly, Paul Newman, Shelley Winters, Marilyn Monroe, and many more. Mitchum may be the face on the cover but the set is a trip through the golden era of Hollywood through more than just one star.
Blu-ray Review: Box Set Proves Lasting Power of ‘Forever Marilyn’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 1, 2012 - 3:57pmCHICAGO – There is arguably no one in the history of Hollywood more iconic than Marilyn Monroe. Not only was she a massive star in her day but her tragic death turned her into a beauty that was frozen in time.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 38 Pairs of Sneak-Peek Chicago Passes to Steven Spielberg’s ‘Smash’ on NBC
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 31, 2011 - 5:26pmCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have 38 admit-two VIP party passes up for grabs to the special sneak screening of the premiere episode of Steven Spielberg’s “Smash” on NBC starring Debra Messing!
Film Review: Michelle Williams is Luminous in ‘My Week With Marilyn’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 23, 2011 - 9:59amCHICAGO – Bringing the popular culture past back to life in a movie is always a tricky proposition. No matter what, there are always inevitable comparisons to the real thing.
Interview: Director Simon Curtis Realizes ‘My Week With Marilyn’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 21, 2011 - 5:47pmCHICAGO – Marilyn Monroe will never go away. The iconic actress of a long-gone era is the subject of a new film, “My Week with Marilyn,” directed by Simon Curtis. Ms. Monroe is portrayed during a in collaboration with Sir Lawrence Olivier, and their characters are played with sublime grace by Michelle Williams and Kenneth Branagh.
Blu-Ray Review: MGM Releases Catalog Hits For Father’s Day
Submitted by BrianTT on May 17, 2011 - 10:02amCHICAGO – Twentieth Century Fox & MGM released an onslaught of catalog titles on Blu-ray, many for the first time, on May 10th, and most seem well-timed to the upcoming Father’s Day holiday. The company was kind enough to send us a sample of the ten titles and it seems like this will be an odd mix, from which you can surely choose at least one or two faves.
Blu-Ray Review: Fox Classic Releases ‘All About Eve,’ ‘An Affair to Remember’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 8, 2011 - 5:51pmCHICAGO – Fox has released two of the most beloved films in their extensive back catalog of movies waiting for their HD debut and just in time for Valentine’s Day. Forget traditional flowers or chocolates and pick up the lovingly-packaged, beautifully-transferred, and bonus-packed releases of “All About Eve” and “An Affair to Remember.”