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+.
Viola Davis
Film News: DAY FOUR of 54th Chicago International Film Festival Visits ‘Widows’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 12, 2018 - 9:11amCHICAGO – DAY FOUR of the 54th Chicago International Film Festival on Saturday, October 13th, 2018… to kick off a huge festival weekend… continues with Industry Days from 10am-5pm (click here for details), a CINEYOUTH “Best of the Fest” screening (click) and the a mega-Red Carpet for the film “Widows,” including Liam Neeson.
Film News: Freaky Oscar Ending Eclipses ‘Moonlight’ Win
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 27, 2017 - 9:37amCHICAGO – And the winner was… a wild and bizarre ending to the 89th Academy Awards, as Best Picture presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were given a wrong envelope, resulting in a call of “La La Land” as top movie, but after an on-stage melee, it was further revealed that the Best Picture was actually “Moonlight.”
Entertainment News: ‘La La Land’ Sweeps 7 Categories at 2017 Golden Globe Awards
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 9, 2017 - 4:16pmCHICAGO – It was a musical-oriented, high octane night at the 74th Golden Globe Awards on January 8th, 2017. Hosted by Jimmy Fallon of NBC-TV’s “The Tonight Show,” the Globes celebrated the best in TV and film in 2016, and selected Best Pictures “La La Land” (Comedy/Musical) and “Moonlight” (Drama), and honored the Best TV Shows with “Atlanta” (Comedy, FX) and “The Crown” (Drama, Netflix).
Film Review: Denzel Washington & Viola Davis Swing for the ‘Fences’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 24, 2016 - 9:18amCHICAGO – Viola Davis and Denzel Washington are actors who are likely to give plays adapted for the screen a good name. Their commitment to the material shines through in the new film “Fences.” Davis and Washington have a well worn familiarity with the characters –having portrayed them on Broadway in the 2010 revival of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize winning play.
Interview: Jovan Adepo & Stephen McKinley Henderson of ‘Fences’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 21, 2016 - 11:25amCHICAGO – The film adaptation of a stage play by August Wilson, the late playwright known for his “Pittsburgh Cycle” of dramas, was aided by Denzel Washington, both portraying the lead role and directing “Fences.” Washington had done the play on Broadway, and recruited to the film his stage mate Stephen McKinley Henderson and newcomer Jovan Adepo.
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.
Film Feature: Global Hacking of ‘Blackhat’ is the Future of Action Movies
Submitted by NickHC on January 17, 2015 - 11:19amCHICAGO – “Blackhat” is a hacker’s actioner of high-tech and low-tech genre jolts, but its construction provides a thrill of its own - that of witnessing the next era of the action movie.
Film Review: Hacker Thriller ‘Blackhat’ Has a Finger on the Enter Key
Submitted by NickHC on January 16, 2015 - 7:28pmCHICAGO – A speedy film project can take about a year from conception to final cut; director Michael Mann’s wired-in thriller “Blackhat” might as well have been written, shot, and cut last month. Not just because of its epilogue to the rise and defeat of the Guardians of Peace, but for its modernity.
Blu-ray Review: James Brown Biopic ‘Get on Up’ Has No Soul
Submitted by NickHC on January 13, 2015 - 3:45pmCHICAGO – When people yawn about the dullness of movies based on life stories, they are certainly referring to films like “Get On Up,” an absurdly uninteresting portrait of a key figure of music, or so this movie claims. From the “The Help’s” vanilla visionary Tate Taylor, this 140-minute ode to James Brown is a half-assed argument about his nonpareil greatness, and full evidence that the biopic may be the weakest genre in film.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 60 Pairs of Passes to ‘Blackhat’ With Chris Hemsworth
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 11, 2015 - 3:16pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 60 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new thriller “Blackhat” starring Chris Hemsworth from writer and director Michael Mann (“Heat,” “Ali,” “Public Enemies”)!