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+.
Patrick McDonald
Film Review: Unexpected Lessons for the Student of ‘Indignation’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 10, 2016 - 9:23amCHICAGO – America was a very different place in 1951, and there are very few people around to tell us about it. That is why reminders of the more confining social order that existed back then is necessary, and is expressed in the film “Indignation.” This is an adaptation of a recent Philip Roth novel, and he was able to articulate the era.
Film News: Gillian Jacobs at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre on Aug. 9, 2016 for ‘Don’t Think Twice’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 9, 2016 - 8:20amCHICAGO – The Most Valuable Player, in a film that is brimming with great performances, is Gillian Jacobs (“Community”) of “Don’t Think Twice.” The Mike Birblglia-directed film is in the midst of a run at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre, and Jacobs will make an appearance on behalf of the film starting at 7:30pm on Tuesday, August 9th, 2016. For more information, click here.
Entertainment News: Backstage at Cirque du Soleil’s ‘Toruk: The First Flight’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 4, 2016 - 9:14amCHICAGO – The legend of “Avatar,” one of the most popular movies of all time, has expanded to the Cirque du Soleil creative universe. “Toruk: The First Flight” is the latest touring show for the iconic performance company, and tells the story of the flying creature from the original film. The show is at the United Center in Chicago, now through Sunday, August 7th. For more information, including ticket purchasing, click here.
Film Review: Freaky Villains is Where ‘Suicide Squad’ Works Best
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 3, 2016 - 5:48pmCHICAGO – DC Entertainment, feeling the heat from Marvel Studios and the tepid response from “Batman v Superman,” comes back stronger with “Suicide Squad,” an overblown yet psychological comic book film about sociopathic villains who somehow have to save the world.
Interview: Xfinity X1 to Offer Comprehensive Coverage for 2016 Rio Olympic Games
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 3, 2016 - 9:08amCHICAGO – The 2016 Rio Olympics Opening Ceremony is Friday, August 5th, and the the following two weeks of top athletic competition and drama will be more accessible than ever, for TV customers who currently have the Comcast Xfinity X1 platform. The X1 will offer over 6000 hours of live, on-demand and online streaming content for the 2016 Olympic Games, “Rio Experience on X1.”
Interview: Norman Lear of ‘Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 1, 2016 - 1:41pmCHICAGO – Norman Lear is one of the greatest TV creators of the 20th Century, and beyond. The producer was a titan of 1970s television, with shows like “All in the Family,” “Good Times,” “Maude” and “Sanford and Son.” He is the topic of a new film documentary, “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You.”
Film News: Female Filmmakers Night at Midwest Independent Film Festival on Aug. 2, 2016
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 1, 2016 - 10:21amCHICAGO – The inroads of female filmmakers in cinema not only benefits our cultural reflection, but also offers points of view that are often different in their creative scope and storytelling ability. The Midwest Independent Film Festival – the “First Tuesday” Chicago happening – presents a program of women-centric shorts films on “Female Filmmakers Night,” Tuesday, August 2nd, 2016. For more information, click here.
Theater Review: Brown Paper Box Co. Exuberantly Pursues ‘Now. Here. This.’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 31, 2016 - 11:39amCHICAGO – The Brown Paper Box Co., which embodies the passion and simplistic beauty of the storefront theater tradition, presents another fantastic and insightful musical, “Now. Here. This.” Director M. William Panek guides a splendid cast of two women and two men in a reflective, modern day morality tale.
Film Review: Comedy is Humanity in Magnanimous ‘Don’t Think Twice’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 30, 2016 - 8:07amCHICAGO – Comedian/writer/director Mike Birbiglia is breaking out as a filmmaker, and he adds a deft and emotional touch to a story of an improvisation comedy troupe split apart by change they didn’t expect. That sounds a lot like life, and it’s best to “Don’t Think Twice.”
Film Review: Matt Damon is Fighting Mad in Tense ‘Jason Bourne’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 30, 2016 - 6:57amCHICAGO – To come back to a character that everyone thought he had left behind, Matt Damon needed the right creative team. He got it again in co-writer (with Christopher Rouse) and director Paul Greengrass, and together they fashioned a paranoid spy tale in the rat-a-tat “Jason Bourne.”