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+.
Ice Cube
HollywoodChicago.com On-Air Reviews of ‘The High Note,’ ’The Vast of Night’ & Bonus
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 1, 2020 - 10:00am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 29th, 2020, discussing new releases “The High Note” (VOD) and “The Vast of Night” (Amazon Prime) and BONUS review.
Report Card on ‘Fist Fight’ is a Failing Grade
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 17, 2017 - 12:10pm Rating: 0.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Fist Fight” is such a thin premise it can’t even sustain its own two minute trailer, much less a feature length film. That premise, what there is of it, is simple – English teacher (Charlie Day) and History Teacher (Ice Cube) get involved in an altercation with a student on the last day of class, at a failing high school known for senior pranks. Teacher Ice Cube gets fired, and blames Charlie Day. So they act like children and settle their differences with a fist fight outside.
‘Barbershop: The Next Cut’ Does Their Take on ‘Chi-Raq’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 17, 2016 - 10:07amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Barbershop series of films have always prided themselves on following the “Seinfeld Rule” – they are essentially about nothing. But with this go-around – like the recent “Chi-Raq” – the gang at the shop takes on the Chicago neighborhood violence around them, in “Barbershop: The Next Cut.”
‘Ride Along 2’ Takes a Bumpy Trip to a Dead End
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 15, 2016 - 9:49am Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Kevin Hart’s license to riff should be revoked. “Ride Along 2” is an aimless, pointless and seemingly endless sequel to the bafflingly successful action comedy from a couple years back. Hart hijacks nearly every scene with his incessant hyperactive schtick.
N.W.A. Influences an Era in ‘Straight Outta Compton’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 13, 2015 - 7:28pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Gangsta rap, like all the revolutionary and society bending genres before it, was formulated from dire frustration and a need to shake up the surroundings that encased their creators. The prime movers of gangsta was the group N.W.A., and their story is told in “Straight Outta Compton.”
‘The Book of Life’ Has Uninspired Tale to Tell
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 16, 2014 - 11:52pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Unfortunately you can’t judge “The Book Of Life” by its cover. The movie draws on the fertile imagery of the Mexican “Day Of The Dead” to create its own animated world. The animation is excellent and the wooden characters seem to spring to life – but those performances are as wooden as a board. Which also describes my feelings for most of this uninspired journey…bored.
‘22 Jump Street’ is a Proud Bargain Bin Blockbuster
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 13, 2014 - 7:58am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “22 Jump Street” is a big budget Hollywood sequel that actively comments on the diminishing returns of sequels. Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller know that for every “Lethal Weapon 2,” that manages to surpass the original, there are a dozen “Another 48 Hours” that try and fail to give audiences an approximation of what they enjoyed before.
Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum Have Fun on ‘21 Jump Street’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 16, 2012 - 6:58amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are various opinions about TV-to-movie remakes, mostly negative. That is why “21 Jump Street,” based on a 1980s TV show, manages some grudging respect. Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Rob Riggle, Nick Offerman and Ellie Kemper create some goofy laughs in this farce.
Sirens Flash Red For Woody Harrelson in ‘Rampart’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 17, 2012 - 5:56pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The “thin blue line” is a police term. It represents the designation between the protection the police provides and the anarchy that is on the other side of that protection. The cop that Woody Harrelson portrays in “Rampart” crosses that line repeatably, formulating his own retribution.
