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+.
Michael Pena
Film Review: Tartan Prancer – Yes, a Fictional Albanian Car – Steals the Otherwise Borrowed Show in ‘Vacation’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 28, 2015 - 5:12pm- Adam Fendelman
- Beverly D'Angelo
- Charlie Day
- Chevy Chase
- Chris Hemsworth
- Christina Applegate
- Ed Helms
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- John Francis Daley
- Jonathan M. Goldstein
- Kaitlin Olson
- Keegan-Michael Key
- Leslie Mann
- Michael Pena
- Movie Review
- National Lampoon's Vacation
- Nick Kroll
- Norman Reedus
- Regina Hall
- Ron Livingston
- Skyler Gisondo
- Steele Stebbins
- Tim Heidecker
- Vacation
CHICAGO – Retreads from classics are often as weary as having to write that they are almost never as good as the original. And here we go again with the Ed Helms-led “Vacation,” which fails to capitalize on the beloved Chevy Chase film “National Lampoon’s Vacation” from 1983.
Film Review: A Perfect Paul Rudd, Michael Peña Bring Often-Overlooked Humor to ‘Ant-Man’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 20, 2015 - 5:09pmCHICAGO – In 1989, Rick Moranis played a scientist father in “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids” who accidentally shrinks kids to the size of insects. But dating back to a first appearance in 1962, Marvel Comics first published the Ant-Man character. His persona was the superhero alias of the scientist Hank Pym after inventing a substance that allowed him to shrink himself.
Film Review: World War II Drama ‘Fury’ Fires on All Cylinders
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 17, 2014 - 7:05pmCHICAGO – “Fury” just might be Brad Pitt’s “Saving Private Ryan.” At its heart it’s a crowd pleaser, but it never shies away from the sheer brutality of war. While it doesn’t have anything quite so devastating as “Saving Private Ryan’s” D-day sequence, it depicts the everyday horrors of killing the enemy and the men who must force themselves to make their peace with the casualties that pile up in the muck. “Fury” is equally successful in its battle sequences and in its smaller moments among its crew inside the tank. Most surprisingly of all it coaxes a decent, dare I say good, performance out of none other than Shia LaBeouf – wonders never cease.
Film Review: ‘Cesar Chavez’ is Stiff History of a Heroic Man
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 29, 2014 - 11:05amCHICAGO – How can one man bring down a ruthless industry? By building a union that never backs down, because he never backed down. ‘Cesar Chavez’ depicts the United Farm Workers union organizer in the 1960s who sought justice against virtual slave conditions for immigrant labor, assuring his place in history.
Film Review: Great Performances Drive Entertaining ‘American Hustle’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 11, 2013 - 10:45amAs career con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) introduces newly-undercover FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper) to his world of criminal enterprise, he shows him a Rembrandt painting in a museum, revealing that it’s a fake. Millions of people have seen and admired it, not realizing that it’s not the original. Does it matter if they get the same artistic enjoyment out of it?
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 Blu-ray, DVD Combo Packs to ‘Turbo’ From ‘Kung Fu Panda’ Makers
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on November 9, 2013 - 6:10pm- Adam Fendelman
- Ben Schwartz
- Bill Hader
- Darren Lemke
- David Soren
- Fox Home Entertainment
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Combo Pack
- Ken Jeong
- Kung Fu Panda
- Luis Guzman
- Madagascar
- Maya Rudolph
- Michael Pena
- Michelle Rodriguez
- Paul Giamatti
- Richard Jenkins
- Robert D. Siegel
- Ryan Reynolds
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Snoop Dogg
- Turbo
CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Combo Pack with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 5 free Blu-ray and DVD combo packs up for grabs for the highly anticipated home release of “Turbo” from the makers of “Kung Fu Panda” and “Madagascar”!
Film Review: Light, Speedy ‘Turbo’ is a Great Race for Kids
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 17, 2013 - 10:06amCHICAGO – Summer vacation means summer animated movies, and nothing will give the kids more of a break than rooting for a snail that becomes as fast as an Indy race car. Why not put him in the Indianapolis 500? Ryan Reynolds is the voice of that miracle mollusk named “Turbo.”
Interview: Actor Michael Peña on the Fast Track in ‘Turbo’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 15, 2013 - 4:33pmCHICAGO – Michael Peña is a serious guy – dedicated to his career direction, acting craft and perspective on a life in show business. But that is not all he is, as he has dedicated a new role for his young son. It is the new animated film called “Turbo,” and Peña portrays the voice of Tito, the owner of the world’s fastest snail.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 Free ‘End of Watch’ Blu-rays With Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 20, 2013 - 3:58pmCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Blu-ray, we have 5 free Blu-rays up for grabs for the highly anticipated home entertainment release of “End of Watch” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña!
Film Review: Josh Brolin, Sean Penn Sleep Through Dull ‘Gangster Squad’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 11, 2013 - 12:43pmCHICAGO – I know it’s only January but Ruben Fleischer’s “Gangster Squad” is sure to be one of the most disappointing films of 2013. Look at that cast! Look at them playing caricatures and doing absolutely nothing of interest! “Gangster Squad” is a total mess and absolutely none of it has to do with notorious reshoots after the shooting in Aurora that pushed the flick back four months.