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+.
Emma Stone
Big Spectacle, Small Heart in ‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 2, 2014 - 5:19am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For a film with so much eye candy that it threatens ocular diabetes, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” is decidedly low in story rhythm and energy – even with a villain named Electro. The story also has the “three villain syndrome,” which allows for a lack of focus and heart.
‘The Croods’ Rip a Funny Page Out of Pre-History
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 22, 2013 - 8:37pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Good cartoons know that we’re in on the joke, that all the surreal actions will satisfy our basic funny bone. Great cartoons give us a little bit more, an empathy or a story that really goes beyond expectations. “The Croods” is a great cartoon, and a wonderful achievement in animation evolution.
Josh Brolin, Sean Penn Sleep Through Dull ‘Gangster Squad’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 11, 2013 - 12:38pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I know it’s only January but Ruben Fleischer’s “Gangster Squad” is sure to be one of the most disappointing films of 2013. Look at that cast! Look at them playing caricatures and doing absolutely nothing of interest! “Gangster Squad” is a total mess and absolutely none of it has to do with notorious reshoots after the shooting in Aurora that pushed the flick back four months.
‘The Amazing Spider-man’ Lacks Personality Despite Best Efforts by Talented Stars
Submitted by BrianTT on July 3, 2012 - 10:03am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – They could have called it “The Meh Spider-man.” While Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Denis Leary, Sally Field, and Martin Sheen do their absolute best to elevate one of the most generic and uninspired superhero screenplays since men first put on spandex in front of the camera, they can’t save this wasted opportunity to reboot a franchise in a way that doesn’t feel generated by a committee of Marvel producers.
Emma Stone, Viola Davis Lend a Hand to ‘The Help’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 10, 2011 - 7:50am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Using fiction to express the importance of real historical events is seductive and sometimes disingenuous. The new film “The Help” manages to counteract that notion through high level, emotional performances.
Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling in Great ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love.’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 28, 2011 - 3:17pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” is undeniably clichéd, broad in its humor, and a bit manipulative in its sentimentality, but it should be. This is a movie about grand statements, soulmates, and true passion, a film that unabashedly believes in the craziness and the stupidity of what we call love. It’s also one of the most purely entertaining films of the year.
Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake Try ‘Friends With Benefits’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 22, 2011 - 12:09amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It seems that carnal canoodling without strings attached seems all the rage in romantic comedies these days. The twentysomething set, having seen their share of divorces and break-ups, prefer the Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis method in “Friends with Benefits.”
Low Grade on Report Card For ‘Easy A’ With Emma Stone
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 18, 2010 - 7:37amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO - “Easy A” is simply a hard film to swallow. Set in a high school on another planet, it wants everything and ends up giving very little. The cast is game - Emma Stone, Patricia Clarkson, Stanley Tucci, Thomas Haden Church and Lisa Kudrow - but with few exceptions the players cannot handle the lead balloon banter that passes for jokey dialogue. It wants also to be a grand statement on gossip and those who get hurt by it, but perky Stone doesn’t seem that affected.
Woody Harrelson, Jesse Eisenberg Deliver Action, Laughs With Great ‘Zombieland’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 2, 2009 - 3:08pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The horror/comedy “Zombieland” is one of the few 2009 films to honestly deserve the overused phrase “thrill ride.” From the opening shots to the best post-credits tag in years, “Zombieland” attempts nothing but pure fun and completely delivers.
Matthew McConaughey’s ‘Ghosts of Girlfriends Past’ Overdone, But Relatable
Submitted by Ebeth on May 1, 2009 - 1:01amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” is the cinematic blending of two familiar formulas: the “love, lose and then love again” framework of most romantic comedies with the idea of transforming ghosts from the classic “A Christmas Carol”. The result: an overdone yet relatable story of a man coming to terms with his true desires.
