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 Movie Reviews
James Bond Returns in Stunning, Spectacular ‘Skyfall’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 30, 2012 - 9:53am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Skyfall” is a gorgeous, action-packed, superbly structured piece of modern filmmaking. It is not only one of the best James Bond movies in the five-decade history of the beloved character but it’s one of the best action movies of the last decade. Sam Mendes’ film is smart, sexy, dangerous, and, most stunningly of all, beautiful.
‘Keep the Lights On’ Plays Like Memory of Doomed Relationship
Submitted by BrianTT on October 26, 2012 - 1:58pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ira Sachs’ intimate “Keep the Lights On” is about the intersection of love and addiction and how the two can rarely exist in the same relationship. It is reportedly at least semi-autobiographical and the film undeniably has the feeling of memory, both in its emotional honesty and its episodic nature. It is a film in which we see snapshots of a long-term love affair that seems doomed from the start. The raw truth of much of it is strong enough to make the sometimes frustrating structure forgivable.
Weak Story Wipes Out ‘Chasing Mavericks’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 26, 2012 - 11:52am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – After the initial disappointment that “Chasing Mavericks” wasn’t about the pursuit of John McCain archetypes – it’s political season, don’t you know – it was interesting to note that mavericks are water waves, and chasing them means surfing. Hang ten, dudes.
John Hawkes’ Honest Work Just Saves ‘The Sessions’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 26, 2012 - 9:06am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sometimes an actor can deliver on so many levels at once that it makes flaws of a film easier to overlook. I’ll admit that while watching “The Sessions,” I was so caught up in the honest, true performance from the great John Hawkes that I didn’t consider many of the film’s dramatic failings until I began to consider my review. Hawkes’ work here is that good that it carries one away on a wave of emotion that dismisses critical thought. The film around him could have been better but you’re unlikely to realize that while you’re watching it.
‘Cloud Atlas’ Reaches For the Sky But Loses Its Way
Submitted by BrianTT on October 25, 2012 - 3:41pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Not all great works of literature make great works of film. David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas” is a masterpiece but Tom Tykwer, Andy & Lana Wachowksi’s “Cloud Atlas” is definitely not. It is an ambitious work with many of Mitchell’s fascinating ideas about the ripple effect of emotion through time left intact but it is a work that frustrates as often as it thrills.
Easy Metaphors for WWII in ‘War of the Buttons’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 21, 2012 - 11:19pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – World War II, also known as “The Good War,” had more than its share of darkness and sorrow. As the conflict winds down for a French town in the new film “War of the Buttons,” young love and rival town kid gangs create metaphors for the context of the war in its time and place.
Pulse-Pounding Action, Complexity Define ‘Easy Money’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 21, 2012 - 9:29pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Desperation is the best emotion for formulating action movies. There is something basic and true about a chase, for example, or a heist gone bad, when it’s the “end of the world” for a character or circumstance. “Easy Money” has that vibe, and delivers on some great sequences.
Oversimplified ‘Paranormal Activity 4’ Insults Your Horror Intelligence Amid Waning Franchise
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 20, 2012 - 7:27pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Following the first “Paranormal Activity” in 2007, which is most profitable film of all time based on return on investment, filmmakers Jason Blum, Oren Peli and Henry Joost have made a killing for Paramount Pictures.
Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Emotionally Wrecked in ‘Smashed’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 19, 2012 - 7:31pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Young Drunks in Love” could be the subtitle of the new film “Smashed,’ or maybe “Recovery Can’t Recover All.” Regardless, Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives a career-defining performance as a young adult facing up to that adulthood, and leaving behind everything she has known for a life that’s healthier, but less familiar.
Tyler Perry Bores Criminals to Death in ‘Alex Cross’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 19, 2012 - 8:42am Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A cinematic lifetime ago, Morgan Freeman injected a bit of class and style into the role of Alex Cross in the adaptations of James Patterson’s “Along Came a Spider” and “Kiss the Girls.” Seventeen years later, director Tyler Perry steps into the shoes of the detective doctor with all the answers in the narcoleptic, horrendous “Alex Cross,” a misfire that makes the Freeman movies look like “The Silence of the Lambs” by comparison.
Ava DuVernay’s ‘Middle of Nowhere’ Resonates by Valuing Truth Over Melodrama
Submitted by BrianTT on October 18, 2012 - 3:58pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ava DuVernay’s Sundance award-winning drama “Middle of Nowhere” is a confident, engaging drama strengthened by genuine, moving performances, particularly the stunningly good one at its center from Emayatzy Corinealdi. The movie sometimes falters due to some melodramatic, on-the-nose dialogue, but there’s an honesty, compassion, and genuine quality here that’s too often missing from adult dramas. It’s a striking debut.
The Most Scary Film of 2012, ‘Sinister’ is Both a Voyeur’s Heaven & Hell
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 13, 2012 - 4:16pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We have forgotten what it’s like to be scared by an actually scary movie. “Sinister” – from producer Jason Blum (“Insidious” and all four “Paranormal Activity” films) – is the first film in 2012 to remind us.
Kevin James Displays Heart in ‘Here Comes the Boom’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 13, 2012 - 9:52amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Seeing the words “Happy Madison Production” on any film means a broad, unfunny and formulaic comedy is about to emerge – usually with company founder Adam Sandler. Although “Here Comes the Boom” has some of those dulling elements, it’s Kevin James who is sincere and motivated as a cage match fighter.
