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: ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’ Gets Lost in Misty Nostalgia
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 1, 2016 - 2:06pmCHICAGO – When the first strains of “My Sharona” by The Knack come out of the car speakers of a dude going to college in 1980, as “Everybody Wants Some!!” began, my do-you-remember-when sense tingled. The film’s story, unfortunately, could not match that feeling of nostalgia.
Slideshow: New Book for Rocker Lita Ford is ‘Living Like a Runaway’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 30, 2016 - 8:51amCHICAGO – There are rock stars, and then there are the women of “The Runaways.” The girl group that spawned Joan Jett was also notable for proving that punk rock was not just reserved for dudes. Lita Ford, the lead guitarist, has just written a memoir of those heady days – “Living Like a Runaway” – and appeared recently at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., at an event sponsored by Anderson’s Bookshop.
Entertainment News: Film, TV Star & Oscar Winner Patty Duke Dies at 69
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 29, 2016 - 2:47pmCOEUR D’ALENE, IDAHO – She was a lesson in duality. One of her most famous roles was as “identical cousins” on “The Patty Duke Show,” and Anna Marie “Patty” Duke also made public her fight with bipolar disorder. She was also a talented actress, winning an Oscar as teenager for “The Miracle Worker.” Ms. Duke passed away on March 29th, 2016, at the age of 69, at her home in Idaho.
Interview: ‘Mud’ Director Jeff Nichols Drives the ‘Midnight Special’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 29, 2016 - 12:44pmCHICAGO – Writer/Director Jeff Nichols is a pure American voice, understanding the dreams of the U.S. culture, and how those dreams interact with the morality they create. After breaking out with the films “Take Shelter” and “Mud,” he is back with his latest cinema vision, “Midnight Special.”
Interviews: Young Cast Emphasizes That ‘Everybody Wants Some!!’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 28, 2016 - 1:41pmCHICAGO – There are two exclamation points behind the new Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”) film, “Everybody Wants Some!!,” and that could also express the exclamation energy of the cast. Will Brittain, Tyler Hoechlin and Blake Jenner portray college students before the new fall semester in 1980.
Interview: In Appreciation of Phife Dawg, Member of ‘A Tribe Called Quest’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 27, 2016 - 6:14pmCHICAGO – It was announced last week on March 22nd, 2016, that a hip-hop pioneer, Phife Dawg of the group “A Tribe Called Quest,” passed away at the age of 45. It was Phife, along with Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Jarobi White, that created a new voice in the evolution from rap to hip hop.
Film Review: Passion of Young French Love Fuels ‘My Golden Days’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 26, 2016 - 2:38pmCHICAGO – Feel like a French film? Well, “My Golden Days” is just the ticket. Full of existential romance, too many cigarettes, casual carnality and pathological regret, the story should come with its own beret and baguette.
Interviews: Flashback to Nia Vardalos, Lainie Kazan of ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 25, 2016 - 5:47pmCHICAGO – The second biggest release of the 2016 Easter Weekend is “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2.” The sequel to the 2002 mega-hit, the film rolls out the same weekend as a certain “Bats v Supes,” but is a bit quieter – and more Greek – than its weekend neighbors. In anticipation of the new “Wedding,” HollywoodChicago.com reruns a couple interviews from featured stars Nia Vardalos and Lainie Kazan.
Film Review: ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ is Both Despairing & Disappointing
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 23, 2016 - 8:25pmCHICAGO – Dang it, DC Comics and Warner Bros.! Two of my favorite comic book characters get dragged through a dull mud in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” There is a dawn all right, but instead of the bright sun over the horizon, it’s a full mooning to the fans who anticipated the film.
Interview: Jonathan Gold, Iconic Food Writer in ‘City of Gold’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 23, 2016 - 12:57pmCHICAGO – Although Jonathan Gold is not a household name, his food writing and criticisms have influenced Los Angeles palates for a generation. He is the only food critic to have ever received the Pulitzer Prize, and he is profiled in a new documentary by director Laura Gabbert entitled “City of Gold.”