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
DVD Review: Gorgeous ‘Bright Star’ Only Available in Standard Form
Submitted by BrianTT on February 1, 2010 - 12:40pmCHICAGO – One of the most beautiful films of 2009 is only available in standard definition DVD with barely a special feature and a mediocre technical transfer. There are few recent releases that aggravate me as much as that of the great “Bright Star,” a spectacular film given unbelievably shoddy treatment by its studio.
DVD Round Up, Feb. 1, 2010: ‘B-Girl,’ ‘Wushu,’ ‘Fireball’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 1, 2010 - 11:54amCHICAGO – The DVD Round-Up is back with a collection of foreign films, indie flicks, a documentary, and a Kathy Griffin stand-up special. The key word for 2010 is diversity and there’s no DVD column more embracing of the variety of titles at your local store than the Round-Up.
Blu-Ray Review: Incredibly Entertaining ‘Michael Jackson’s This Is It’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 31, 2010 - 11:53amCHICAGO – My concerns that the documentary “Michael Jackson’s This Is It” would be nothing more than morbid exploitation of the death of a music legend were immediately proven unfounded by this mesmerizing document of what life was like behind the scenes with the king of pop, now available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Soul Power’ Lacks Substance, Compensates With Soul
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 29, 2010 - 3:34pmCHICAGO – What can you say about a documentary that lands in theaters thirty-five years too late? “Soul Power” consists of footage from the historic three-night music festival in Zaire, meant to coincide with the heavily hyped “Rumble in the Jungle” between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman. The events took place in 1974, and were filmed in order to spread African culture to the masses.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Atonement,’ ‘Pride & Prejudice’ Perfect Fits For HD
Submitted by BrianTT on January 29, 2010 - 7:00amCHICAGO – Sometimes catalog titles are pulled from the vaults and given the HD upgrade for tie-in reasons that are obvious, but why now for Joe Wright’s “Pride & Prejudice” and “Atonement”? Is it because “Atonement” breakthrough star Saoirse Ronan is appearing in “The Lovely Bones”?
Blu-Ray Review: Snowbound Thriller ‘Whiteout’ Stinks Like a Dead Tauntaun
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 28, 2010 - 3:06pmCHICAGO – Thrillers set in a frigid landscape are nothing new. Just look at “The Thing,” or “The Shining,” or heck, even “The Empire Strikes Back.” Like outer space, a frozen wasteland is an efficiently isolated location where there’s little hope of escape from whatever malevolent forces lurk there. In the case of “Whiteout,” the malevolent forces are the filmmakers and the helpless victims are us.
Blu-Ray Review: Pick Up ‘Smokin’ Aces,’ Ignore Lame ‘Smokin’ Aces 2’ Sequel
Submitted by BrianTT on January 28, 2010 - 7:00amCHICAGO – Does anyone else remember when crappy straight-to-DVD sequels were pretty much reserved for horror movies and kid’s flicks? Sure, we expected a new “Leprechaun” or “Air Bud” movie every now and then, but the action market has really gotten into this game recently and produced their share of junk. Take for example the awful “Smokin’ Aces 2,” a shoot-em-up that makes Joe Carnahan’s original look like a genre classic by comparison.
Video Game Review: ‘Dark Void’ Free Falls as First Disappointment of 2010
Submitted by BrianTT on January 27, 2010 - 10:52pmCHICAGO – There really is a void in the center of the first disappointment of 2010, a game that sucks in too much of its incredible potential into classic traps of the gaming world like thin storytelling, mediocre graphics, and, most damagingly, sketchy controls. “Dark Void” isn’t horrible but that’s faint praise indeed when one considers the expectations for this title and the cleverness of its concept.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 ‘District 13: Ultimatum’ Chicago Passes to Martial Arts Sequel
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 27, 2010 - 9:06pmCHICAGO – In our latest drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of “District 13: Ultimatum”!
DVD Review: ‘The Boys Are Back’ Annoys Rather Than Inspires
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 27, 2010 - 4:29pmCHICAGO – Clive Owen is an immensely charismatic actor, though he seems to fare better in a world without children. His best roles either place him an ensemble of fellow adults (as in “Gosford Park” and “Sin City”) or require him to protect a baby too young to be much of a conversationalist (as in “Children of Men” or “Shoot ‘Em Up”).
Blu-Ray Review: Forgotten ‘Surrogates’ Worth Another Look
Submitted by mattmovieman on January 27, 2010 - 11:19amCHICAGO – We have grown accustomed to experiencing the world through technology. One of the great gifts cinema grants us is the ability to experience the world vicariously through the lives of others. The reason why mainstream movie stars are unnaturally beautiful and glamorous is because they represent how we’d like to envision ourselves.
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Version of Steven Soderbergh’s Riveting ‘Che’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 27, 2010 - 7:00amCHICAGO – Steven Soderbergh’s “Che” is one of the most underrated and misunderstood films of the ’00s. It features not only one of the best performances of the last several years from the great Benicio Del Toro but this challenging biopic should have been embraced by all the critics and audience members who are constantly lamenting the lack of filmmakers willing to take risks and provoke discussion.
HollywoodChicago.com’s Top 7 Interviews of 2009
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 26, 2010 - 9:55pmCHICAGO – The celebrities do come to Chicago, sometimes to sit through the grinding interrogation of HollywoodChicago.com’s Patrick McDonald. The Lucky Seven of 2009 comprise the best of last year, interview-wise.