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+.
John Michael Higgins
Sequel’s Tune is Off Key in ‘Pitch Perfect 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 15, 2015 - 5:51pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Pitch Perfect 2” wasn’t bad. There was the same off-kilter weirdness and funny lines of the first film, but in this sequel there were also stretches of boring, seemingly made-up stuff to slog through. I guess repeating a premise about college singing groups doesn’t offer much more to say.
The Gang Happily Reunites in ‘The Best Man Holiday’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 15, 2013 - 5:48pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Like a black “Big Chill,” the gang from the 1999 essential film “The Best Man” reunite to see old friends, celebrate the season, open old wounds and bury the past in a surprisingly serious yet emotionally spiritual sequel “The Best Man Holiday.”
‘Pitch Perfect’ Succeeds By Making Fun of Itself
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 28, 2012 - 8:12amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When we last saw Anna Kendrick, she was the mid-twentysomething girlfriend of cop Jake Gyllenhaal in “End of Watch.” This week, she reverts back to freshman year in college, portraying a rebellious D.J. and songstress in the not-taking-themselves-seriously “Pitch Perfect.”
Matt Damon Closes Deal in ‘We Bought a Zoo’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 22, 2011 - 11:16amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo” is an undeniably manipulative crowd-pleaser but there’s something about being manipulated in such an expert manner that makes the tugging on the heartstrings easier to take. We know what we’re in for when we buy a ticket for a movie about children grieving the loss of their mother, endangered animals, and the healing process through talking to tigers. Most movie goers are smart enough not to expect a deep dose of subtlety.
Cameron Diaz Commits Sin of Boredom in ‘Bad Teacher’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 25, 2011 - 6:59am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you’re going to be bad, be bad. But this is mainstream Hollywood “product,” starring Cameron Diaz, and while the concept of the new film “Bad Teacher” had promise, it eventually fell down on the weight of happy resolutions and the worse mortal sin for a comedy…it was dull.
