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+.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Film Review: ‘Cairo Time’ Bests Season’s Female-Centric Blockbusters
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 20, 2010 - 10:22amCHICAGO – A delicious sip of tea, a cool fragrant breeze, a stroll through a gorgeous foreign landscape. These are but a few of the sensations moviegoers will experience in “Cairo Time,” a deceptively simple, tenderly lyrical love story that is quite simply the most refreshing cinematic surprise of the season. I don’t want to overpraise this lovely little morsel. It’s meant to be savored, and has a rich aftertaste.
Film Review: ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ Performs Strictly on Autopilot
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 20, 2010 - 10:06amCHICAGO – World-renowned dancer Li Cunxin’s autobiography, “Mao’s Last Dancer,” has been transformed into the type of unimaginative, sentimental tear-jerker that will only move viewers who’ve never seen (or heard of) a movie before. It doesn’t adapt Li’s autobiography so much as stage the SparkNotes version.
Film Review: Guy Pearce Delves Into Corruption in Riveting 'Animal Kingdom'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 20, 2010 - 7:09amCHICAGO – The thin line between anarchy and social peace is shriveling into a microscopic blur as sentencing and incarceration become increasingly less effective as a deterrent. The human side of this perspective is explored with an artistic elegance, featuring Guy Pearce in writer/director David Michôd’s “Animal Kingdom.”
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Inducts Terry Zwigoff’s ‘Crumb,’ ‘Louie Bluie’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 19, 2010 - 8:35pmCHICAGO – Terry Zwigoff’s “Crumb” is one of the best documentaries ever made. It’s that cut-and-dry. I can still remember first seeing Terry Zwigoff’s brilliant dissection of art, sexuality, and eccentricity and when the Criterion Blu-ray release made its way to my desk I was stunned to realize that the film was already fifteen years old. It’s still amazing.
The 10 Most Promising New TV Shows of Fall 2010
Submitted by BrianTT on August 19, 2010 - 7:47pmCHICAGO – The broadcast network rookie class of 2009 was one of the best of all time with “Community,” “Glee,” “Modern Family,” “The Good Wife,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “The Middle,” and “Cougar Town” finding loyal fans.
Edward Norton to Walk Red Carpet For ‘Stone’ at 46th Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 19, 2010 - 5:11pmCHICAGO – The 46th Chicago International Film Festival will officially open with the highly anticipated drama “Stone,” which stars Edward Norton, Robert De Niro and Milla Jovovich.
Blu-Ray Review: Kenneth Branagh’s ‘Hamlet’ Was Made For HD
Submitted by BrianTT on August 19, 2010 - 9:58amCHICAGO – Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” got a raw deal. In the shadow of not just the legend of William Shakespeare’s play but the incredible film versions that had come before, “Hamlet” couldn’t even break $5 million at the box office. And yet this gorgeous, incredibly-made retelling of one of the most influential pieces of theater ever written looks simply amazing on Blu-ray. It’s a fantastic release.
Blu-Ray Review: Original ‘Nanny McPhee’ Released Just in Time For Return
Submitted by BrianTT on August 19, 2010 - 9:31amCHICAGO – With the sequel “Nanny McPhee Returns” (also known as “Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang” overseas) about to be released in theaters, Universal has taken the opportunity to release the original 2005 Emma Thompson on Blu-ray. This is a standard import of already-available DVD special features to the HD market in an attempt to spark interest after kids see the new film but it’s still entertaining family filmmaking that’s certainly worth a look if your rugrats have yet to see it.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Heroes: Season 4’ Concludes Botched Sci-Fi Series
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 19, 2010 - 9:24amCHICAGO – Here’s one of the saddest casualties of the recent writer’s strike. Tim Kring’s sci-fi series, “Heroes,” came on like gangbusters when it debuted in 2006. It intriguingly fused the formulas of “X-Men” and “Unbreakable,” as it followed a colorful assortment of earthlings who discover that they have powers unsettlingly akin to those seen comic books.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Joneses’ Has Charming Cast, Clever Premise
Submitted by BrianTT on August 18, 2010 - 9:42pmCHICAGO – A well-cast comedy and a clever concept can help make screenwriting speed bumps much more tolerable. Take “The Joneses,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD. It has an undeniably interesting set-up and a very likable cast and those facts alone make it worth a rental. It’s disappointingly tooth-less and somewhat predictable, but the film’s flaws are easy to overlook.
Video Game Review: ‘Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days’ Has Bite to Go With Bark
Submitted by BrianTT on August 18, 2010 - 9:11pmCHICAGO – The ultra-violent third-person shooter “Kane & Lynch 2: Dog Days” wins points merely by the developer’s refusal to pull any punches when it comes to visceral, pitch-black action, but a few frustrating elements continue to hold the franchise back from what it could have been.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Signed Poster By ‘The Extra Man’ Stars Kevin Kline, Paul Dano; Three Magnolia DVDs
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 18, 2010 - 3:17pmCHICAGO – In this edition of the HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, one lucky winner will clean up with three DVDs from Magnolia Pictures for the movies “The Great Buck Howard,” “What Just Happened” and “Finding Amanda” plus a full-size poster for “The Extra Man” signed by filmmaker Shari Springer Berman and stars Kevin Kline and Paul Dano!
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Elvis on Tour’ Preserves Late Triumph For the King
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 18, 2010 - 3:16pmCHICAGO – Elvis may have left the building, but his work remains viscerally alive in this breezily enjoyable concert documentary. It was filmed during a 15-city tour in April of 1972, and captures the King of Rock at a triumphant peak late in his career, one year before his infamous “Aloha from Hawaii” concert (the first globally broadcast via satellite) and five years before his death.
