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
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Lord of the Rings Trilogy’ Exhilarates on Blu-Ray
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 5, 2010 - 3:43pmCHICAGO – The first words we hear are those of the beguiling elf Galadriel, whose ethereal voice haunts an empty screen while declaring, “The world is changed.” And so it had in December 2001, when Americans were reeling from 9/11, and more eager than ever to escape into a fantasy where moral certainty was never in doubt, and pure-hearted heroes clung to the belief that there was still good in the world, and it was worth fighting for.
Blu-Ray Review: Nicolas Cage Rocks ‘Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 5, 2010 - 2:09pmCHICAGO – 2010 is clearly the year of New Orleans with a Saints Superbowl victory, HBO’s highly acclaimed “Treme” debuting this Sunday and the highly underrated and somewhat excellent “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes, debuting on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow, April 6th, 2010.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 20 ‘We Believe’ Chicago Cubs DVDs Narrated By Gary Sinise
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 4, 2010 - 2:02pmCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, we have 20 DVDs up for grabs to the new documentary “We Believe,” which is narrated by Oscar nominee Gary Sinise!
Exclusive Portrait: Eva Marie Saint at ‘North by Northwest’ Screening
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 3, 2010 - 2:32amCHICAGO – The TCM Classic Film Festival, in Hollywood from April 22nd to the 25th, made a stop in Chicago during their “Road to Hollywood” fest promotion. Legendary star Eva Marie Saint introduced the film “North by Northwest.”
Blu-Ray Review: Theatrical Cut of ‘Red Cliff’ Plays Like a Trailer For a Terrific Film
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 2, 2010 - 3:25pmCHICAGO – When moviegoers think of John Woo, the first image that comes to mind isn’t legions of ancient armies fighting each other with bows and arrows, but rather two men holding each other at gunpoint (as in his 1992 classic “Hard-Boiled”). His best action set-pieces are the most intimate, with gunplay and bloodshed taking on an almost balletic grandeur.
Blu-Ray Review: Spectacular ‘Bigger Than Life’ Joins Criterion Collection
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2010 - 3:13pmCHICAGO – “God was wrong!” This line, spoken by the legendary James Mason in the remarkable “Bigger Than Life,” must have sent shockwaves through the audiences that heard it in 1956 and it’s not surprising that the film was shunned, buried, and only recently unearthed as a classic of its era. Directed by Nicholas Ray (“Rebel Without a Cause”), the film is the latest addition to the Criterion Collection and it’s stunningly good.
TV Review: Manipulative, Messy ‘Miami Medical’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2010 - 2:20pmCHICAGO – Television drama is usually a formulaic proposition but rarely has a show been more blatantly derivative of other programs currently on the air than CBS’s new hospital drama, “Miami Medical,” a bizarre, ineffective hybrid of “CSI: Miami” and “Trauma”. Buried in the ratings nether regions of Friday nights, this Jerry Bruckheimer-produced show might just barely deliver for viewers exhausted after a long week of work, but they’ll have forgotten it by Saturday morning.
‘Clash of the Titans’ Bores More Often Than Thrills
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2010 - 10:44amCHICAGO – The unjustified remake of the ’80s camp-fest “Clash of the Titans” may have been re-purposed for the trend of 3-D but its performances are still tragically 2-D and its plot practically see-through.
‘Mid-August Lunch’ Pleasant, Tenderly Tasty Trifle
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2010 - 10:01amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Not much happens in “Mid-August Lunch.” It’s as uneventful and often benign as the title suggests, though that’s not to say it’s dull. Some films are primarily about plot, while others are about behavior, and this quietly observant international crowd-pleaser certainly fits in the latter category.
Nothing is Real With Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies on ‘City Island’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 2, 2010 - 2:57amCHICAGO – A blue collar worker father who has a secret Marlon Brando obsession (gasp!), a son with an improbable fetish and a daughter who quits college to…strip, this is a normal day-in-the-life in the new film “City Island.”
Blu-Ray Review: Marvelous Release For Mediocre ‘Sherlock Holmes’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 1, 2010 - 3:06pmCHICAGO – Guy Ritchie’s wildly successful “Sherlock Holmes” looks and sounds amazing on Blu-ray but the flaws of the blockbuster film remain. Viewed purely as escapist entertainment, “Sherlock” is a reasonably tasty piece of popcorn and the technical treatment and bonus material that accompany the film are unimpeachable but there’s still something not quite right about Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law’s take on Holmes and Watson.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Fantastic Mr. Fox’ is Sure to Delight Adults of All Ages
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 1, 2010 - 2:25pmCHICAGO – It’s taken me longer than most film buffs to warm up to the cinema of Wes Anderson. He’s a designer at heart, and his obsessive eye for intricate visual detail makes the medium of animation an ideal one for him to inhabit. With an army of stop-motion wizards at his command, he has finally come into his own. And unlike Tim Burton, whose “Nightmare Before Christmas” was directed by Henry Selick, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is wholly the vision of one singular artist.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Chicago Passes to ‘After.Life’ With Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 1, 2010 - 10:21amCHICAGO – In our latest horror/thriller edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of “After.Life” starring Christina Ricci, Liam Neeson and Justin Long!