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+.
Olivia Wilde
Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks in Moving ‘People Like Us’
Submitted by BrianTT on June 29, 2012 - 9:20am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “People Like Us” is an old-fashioned tearjerker with everything that phrase implies. It’s undeniably manipulative and sentimental but it’s also somewhat refreshing to see a drama that isn’t laced with irony, cynicism, or some form of postmodern commentary on the genre. “People Like Us” is a film that wants you to be moved; it wants you to cry; it wants you to feel something.
‘In Time’ With Justin Timberlake Fails to Build on Clever Idea
Submitted by BrianTT on October 28, 2011 - 8:17am Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Andrew Niccol has delivered complex, daring science fiction before, most notably in his scripts for “The Truman Show” and “Gattaca.” Sadly, “In Time” will never be mentioned in the same breath with those films. This is a one-idea film and that one idea is poorly executed. With some of the cheesiest, surface-level dialogue of the year, a complete lack of chemistry between the leads, and some of the choppiest action editing of the year, “In Time” is a near disaster.
Jason Bateman, Ryan Reynolds Buried Under ‘The Change-Up’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 5, 2011 - 8:23am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Change-Up” is an undeniable mess, as any movie that opens with a grown man getting baby crap projected into his mouth would be (and that’s just the beginning), but one of the worst scripts of the year is saved from the depths of comedy hell by a talented cast headlined by the typically-restrained Jason Bateman playing against type.
Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford in Dull ‘Cowboys & Aliens’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 29, 2011 - 9:20amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jon Favreau’s “Cowboys & Aliens” with Daniel Craig & Harrison Ford is a depressing snooze, a film with so many of the right elements but none of the personality to connect them into something memorable. With so many revisions from a number of writers, it feels like everyone added their own color to the piece until it all faded to gray.
Lopsided ‘TRON: Legacy’ is Heavy on Visuals, Light on Humanity
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 17, 2010 - 7:27pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Every great film is a delicate balance of a number of critical elements. Good films lack in one department while mediocre films have serious gaps that stick out like a red dress at a funeral. The overall mediocre “TRON: Legacy” is exceedingly fixated on its impressive visual effects while neglecting to focus on creating an evocative and humanized story.
Russell Crowe Goes Hitchcockian in Taut ‘The Next Three Days’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 19, 2010 - 10:04am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The suspense thriller is a delicate art that depends on situational realism and unlikely circumstances cohabiting in a heart-pounding plot. The Master of the genre was Alfred Hitchcock, who often put ordinary people in these nail biting scenarios. Director Paul Haggis (”Crash”) uses this theme and does the Master proud in “The Next Three Days.”
