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+.
Melissa Leo
Film Review: Preachy, Absurd ‘Seven Days in Utopia’ Weakens Own Message
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 4, 2011 - 7:45amCHICAGO – What do Robert Duvall and Melissa Leo have in common? They both have won an Oscar and they both cashed a paycheck for the fake virtuous hack job called “Seven Days in Utopia.” For Duvall especially, maybe the mortgage payment is due on the vacation home.
Blu-Ray Review: Underappreciated First Season of HBO’s ‘Treme’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 11, 2011 - 11:00amCHICAGO – Is it unfair to say that “Treme” is to “The Wire” as “John From Cincinnati” was to “Deadwood”? After David Milch’s brilliant Western came to an end, fans eagerly anticipated his follow-up and, almost immediately, spat it out like an undercooked Chicken McNugget. It lasted only one season. Well, “JFC” wasn’t really that bad (and deserved more time to find its feet).
TV Review: Kate Winslet, Todd Haynes Elevate ‘Mildred Pierce’ to Masterpiece
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2011 - 9:04amCHICAGO – When HBO announced that they were producing a six-hour mini-series version of the James M. Cain (“Double Indemnity”) novel “Mildred Pierce” to star Kate Winslet and be directed by Todd Haynes, cinephiles everywhere let out an audible gasp.
Blu-Ray Review: Crowd-Pleasing ‘The Fighter’ Delivers Knockout
Submitted by BrianTT on March 21, 2011 - 2:08pmCHICAGO – One of the strongest ensembles of 2010 worked together to create the crowd-pleasing “The Fighter,” a film with multiple Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director, that walked home with two major trophies for Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) and Best Supporting Actress (Melissa Leo). Sometimes it’s hard to tell if a film will stand the test of time (the jury is still out on how history will judge “The Social Network” and “The King’s Speech”) but there is little doubt that “The Fighter” will be satisfying audiences for decades. A great Blu-ray release from Paramount doesn’t hurt.
Slideshow: 21-Image Gallery of Red Carpet Photos From the 2011 Oscars
Submitted by BrianTT on February 28, 2011 - 10:17amCHICAGO – This 21-image slideshow contains a selection of the available red carpet images from the 2011 Academy Awards including shots of Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Portman, Melissa Leo, Hailee Steinfeld, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams, Amy Adams, Jennifer Hudson, Cate Blanchett, Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Justin Timberlake, Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, and more. The awards were broadcast on ABC on February 27th, 2011.
Film Feature: HollywoodChicago.com Predicts the 2011 Oscar Winners
Submitted by BrianTT on February 24, 2011 - 11:04amCHICAGO – Have you filled out your Oscar pool ballot yet? Let us guide the way. The film think-tank at HollywoodChicago.com (Matt Fagerholm, Patrick McDonald, and, myself, Brian Tallerico) has convened to break down the major eight categories with their picks for who will win, who should win, and who should have been nominated.
Blu-Ray Review: Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell Propel Engaging ‘Conviction’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 11, 2011 - 1:44pmCHICAGO – The incredible true story of Betty Anne Waters and her beloved brother Kenny has enough dramatic potential for any pair of talented actors and a competent director to turn it into quality cinema. The fact that director Tony Goldwyn is just barely competent enough to pull it off is off-set by the fact that he was smart enough to perfectly cast the piece, no more so than in the mega-talented leads, Hilary Swank and Sam Rockwell.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 3 ‘Conviction’ DVDs With Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on February 1, 2011 - 6:43amCHICAGO – In our latest biography/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, we have 3 DVDs up for grabs to the new DVD “Conviction” with Hilary Swank, Sam Rockwell, Minnie Driver and Melissa Leo!
‘The Fighter,’ ‘The King’s Speech’ Win Screen Actors Guild Awards
Submitted by BrianTT on January 30, 2011 - 9:58pmCHICAGO – “The King’s Speech,” “The Fighter,” and “Black Swan” were the big film winners at the Screen Actors Guild Awards, while “Boardwalk Empire,” “Modern Family,” “30 Rock,” “The Good Wife,” and “Hot in Cleveland” won awards on the TV side of the presentation. Ernest Borgnine won the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Film Review: Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg, Amy Adams Deliver Knockouts in ‘The Fighter’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 16, 2010 - 5:51pmCHICAGO – David O. Russell’s “The Fighter” is an old-fashioned crowd-pleaser with one of the strongest ensembles of 2010 and the kind of underdog story that’s easy for an audience to embrace and adore.