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
‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ Dwarfed By Comatose Kristen Stewart, Melodramatic Charlize Theron
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 1, 2012 - 1:01am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you can stomach forgiving the film’s uneven acting, inconsistent pacing and a higgledy-piggledy script that feels like it’s still in draft mode, just zero in on the only newsworthy question about “Snow White and the Huntsman”: Who are those “dwarves”?
‘I Wish’ is Moving Portrait of a Broken Home
Submitted by BrianTT on May 31, 2012 - 2:34pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Hirokazu Koreeda is one of the most interesting and acclaimed international filmmakers alive and his latest drama is one of lingering power, a film that moves a bit too slowly for its own good but has remarkable cumulative strength by its emotional finale. “I Wish” is about those days in which scope is subjective. The smallest things – physical and emotional – can be given life-changing importance. And a kid can convince himself that a miracle can happen.
Wes Anderson’s ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ Delights with Clever Tale of Young Love
Submitted by BrianTT on May 31, 2012 - 9:22am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Wes Anderson’s “Moonrise Kingdom” is a true delight — a fun, clever, and, of course, whimsical tale about the days when love seemed worth running away from home over and getting a scout badge meant the world. Easily Anderson’s best film since “The Royal Tenenbaums,” “Moonrise” is arguably the most tonally consistent film he’s made to date, a thoroughly enjoyable endeavor that one would have to be pretty cynical to dismiss entirely.
Tom Sizemore Tries For Overdue Comeback with ‘Cellmates’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 30, 2012 - 4:31pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I’ve always rooted for Tom Sizemore. Without question, if real-life addiction hadn’t derailed his career, he would be one of our more interesting actors. Go and rent “Natural Born Killers,” “Heat,” and “Saving Private Ryan” if you think I’m wrong. I think about what Sizemore might be doing if he could work with modern masters again like the Coens, Scorsese, or Tarantino.
Story Lets Down Chloe Grace Moretz in Stupid ‘Hick’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 25, 2012 - 2:34pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s understandable that people from the Southern or rural United States would criticize the general media. With films like “Hick,” which generally portray them as idiots or sociopathic, there is no balance or honest characterizations. Chloe Moretz, Blake Lively, Eddie Redmayne and Alec Baldwin add their take on it all.
Good Vibrations for Maggie Gyllenhaal in Uneven ‘Hysteria’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 25, 2012 - 2:17pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Combining late 19th century Victorian England with the invention of the vibrator is a surefire laugh getter, but unfortunately “Hysteria” adds in a romance subplot and doesn’t climax. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Hugh Dancy, Jonathan Pryce and Felicity Jones add to the buzz.
Gripping ‘Wallander: The Revenge’ Shames Most American Thrillers
Submitted by BrianTT on May 25, 2012 - 2:07pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Why can’t American studios make thrillers like “Wallander: The Revenge”? As a matter of fact, why can’t we make ones like the recent production of “Sherlock” or even “Luther”? Perhaps it’s something about producing for TV that gives people more creative depth but the best thrillers so far this year have been the three episodes of “Sherlock” and this week’s release of “Wallander: The Revenge,” opening at Music Box today and available next week in a massive DVD box set.
‘Men in Black III’ Deserves to Be Neuralyzed From Memory
Submitted by BrianTT on May 25, 2012 - 9:41amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Men in Black III” is such a soulless venture, a film made by committee that doesn’t display the touch of anyone with any remaining actual interest in the characters. In the pipeline for years, the film has been fine-tuned to the point that all of its personality was buffed out in the process.
Inconsistent ‘Chernobyl Diaries’ Still Finds Effective Ways to Creep You Out
Submitted by BrianTT on May 24, 2012 - 10:55pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Bradley Parker’s “Chernobyl Diaries” has just enough personality, confident technical elements, and outright weirdness to make it a trip worth taking for horror fans. The fact that the parts of the production that undeniably work couldn’t be wrangled into something that’s more competent overall is disappointing but there’s more to like here than one would expect.
Ballet is a Fierce, Youthful Art in ‘First Position’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 20, 2012 - 9:04pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In general, one of the essential rites of passage for girls in childhood are ballet lessons and costumed recitals. What about those exceptional talents who stick with the art? Director Bess Kargman creates a documentary about the elite youth within the beauty and truth of the dance, “First Position.”
‘Where Do We Go Now?’ Advances a Path Toward Peace
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 19, 2012 - 7:49amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Society constantly needs a reminder about itself, especially in the arena of political and religious conflict. “Where Do We Go Now?,” written and directed with creative delicacy by Nadine Labaki, provides that reminder and fashions an adult fable of how women can do their part to stop war.
Tour de Force for Jack Black in Fact-Based ‘Bernie’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 18, 2012 - 5:27pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jack Black is a smart and interesting actor. Not content to ride on the modern day John Belushi-type roles that might have pigeonholed him, Black portrays “Bernie,” a convincing conniver in Texas, based on a true story. Veterans Matthew McConaughhey and Shirley MacLaine add spice to the brew.
Boredom Awaits During ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 18, 2012 - 11:12am Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Battleship” is getting a lot of flack this week for having little to do with its alleged source. I would argue that the awful “What to Expect When You’re Expecting” is even more dishonest when it comes to its inspiration. Working from an instructional book that’s designed to prepare adults for impending parenthood, the film that steals its title turns truth into cliché.
