HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News

One Sequel Too Many For Sarah Jessica Parker, ‘Sex and the City 2’

CHICAGO – “Sex in the City 2” has very little sex and even less city. That is the least of its sins. This bloated, directionless semi-narrative take the familiar foursome – Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis – into unfamiliar geographic territory, but with no dramatic arc there is simply nothing there.

Footless ‘Body Awareness’ Asks the Tough Questions

"Body Awareness" at Profiles Theatre

CHICAGO – It is a quandary that has plagued the minds of the nations foremost feminists, and even those who would better prefer the perspired mirrors of strippercize classes to the contents of “The Feminine Mystique”. Yet from Betty Friedan to Hillary Clinton, Susan B. Anthony to Katy Perry, the question regarding the often thinly drawn crease between sexual empowerment and objectification still wants for absolution..

Video Game Review: Entertaining, Adrenalin-Pumping ‘Split/Second’

Split/Second

CHICAGO – Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play an over-the-top car chase like the centerpiece of a Jerry Bruckheimer production like “Bad Boys II”? Dodging explosions, other vehicles, and your own tendency to swerve left when you should swerve right? Welcome to the world of “Split/Second,” a variation on the “Death Race” concept in that it’s often the last man standing named the winner.

‘The Karate Kid’ Interview: Jackie Chan Aspires to Be an ‘Asian Robert De Niro’

CHICAGO – When you think of Jackie Chan, you think of comedy blended with marital arts. Not any more, thanks to Will Smith and his new film “The Karate Kid,” which stars Jaden Smith.

Interview: Dana Delany, Dara Torres at More Magazine ‘Reinvention’

CHICAGO – One of the recent stellar events in Chicago was the More Magazine “Reinvention Convention,” a gathering of the magazine’s readers to meet and hear speakers. The featured speaker was actor Dana Delany [“Desperate Housewives”]. Signing her book at the event was Olympic Swimmer Dara Torres.

Blu-Ray Review: BBC Earth’s ‘Life’ Miniseries Proves Impossible to Resist

Life Blu-Ray

CHICAGO – No network or film company has ever come close to equaling the nature documentaries produced by BBC’s Natural History Unit. From 1979’s “Life on Earth” to 2001’s “The Blue Planet” and 2006’s “Planet Earth,” the BBC has electrified viewers worldwide with its stunning and often humbling images of life on our planet. This is the type of programming that Blu-Ray players were made for.

DVD Review: Hilarious ‘Mystery Team’ With ‘Community’ Star Donald Glover

Mystery Team

CHICAGO – Featuring starring or cameo roles from an actor from all four shows on NBC Thursday nights, “Mystery Team” is one of the funniest movies to hit DVD in the last few months, a great comedy that deserved a bigger audience in theaters but should make for a shockingly enjoyable rental for viewers lucky enough to happen upon it on the new releases shelf.

Blu-Ray Review: Honest, Human Drama of Excellent ‘The Messenger’

The Messenger

CHICAGO – Just before the Oscar nominations for 2009 were to be announced, a few pundits went out on a limb and predicted that not only would Oren Moverman’s “The Messenger” be nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Woody Harrelson) and Best Original Screenplay but that it would also find its way into several more categories, including even Best Picture.

Blu-Ray Review: Horrors of Fatherhood Examined in ‘The New Daughter’

The New Daughter

CHICAGO – From “The Exorcist” to “Orphan,” the horror genre has a long history of films about a young lady becoming something truly dangerous. The latest, “The New Daughter,” comes courtesy of the man who wrote the great “[REC]” and stars Kevin Costner and Ivana Baquero (“Pan’s Labryinth”). Sadly, after a strong set-up and with gorgeous cinematography throughout, “The New Daughter” flounders in cliches and ends up too dull to be terrifying.

Blu-Ray Review: Romantic Comedy Fans Deserve Better Than ‘Valentine’s Day’

Valentine's Day

CHICAGO – Clearly conceived as something like an American version of “Love Actually,” Garry Marshall’s “Valentine’s Day” is an unqualified disaster, a film that’s only interesting in that it may hold the record for the most household names sucked into one horrible film.

Blu-Ray Review: Fritz Lang’s ‘M’ Has Lost None of Its Power

M

CHICAGO – When does a great film become less powerful? We’ve all seen movies that worked wonderfully for us at one point in our lives and had less impact when we saw them again a decade or two later. The movies that not only remain powerful but, in some ways, improve upon repeat viewing are rare. They’re the true classics. Fritz Lang’s “M,” recently released on Criterion Blu-ray, is one such movie.

Video Game Review: Atmospheric, Entertaining ‘Alan Wake’ Must Be Played

CHICAGO – With echoes of the literature of Stephen King, “The Twilight Zone,” “Twin Peaks,” and “Lost,” the Xbox-exclusive “Alan Wake” is a daring, ambitious title that demands your attention. Why? Because while it’s an imperfect title on a gameplay level and I wish I could have tweaked the storytelling a bit, games that try to break the mold and present something this unique deserve an audience.

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  • Manhunt

    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+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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