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+.
December 2008
DVD Review: Fifth Installment of ‘Nip/Tuck’ an Imperfect Season, DVD
Submitted by BrianTT on December 31, 2008 - 12:18pmCHICAGO – “Tell me what you don’t like about yourself.” Doctors, I don’t like what you’ve done to a once-fascinating show. Ryan Murphy and the team behind “Nip/Tuck” missed a great opportunity with the fifth season of their cult hit show, now on DVD, and continued their series’ soapy decline.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Resident Evil: Degeneration’ Dead on Arrival
Submitted by BrianTT on December 31, 2008 - 12:15pmCHICAGO – Instead of playing one of the most anticipated games of the last few years, “Resident Evil 5,” fans of one of gamings most influential franchises are being asked to watch what is essentially a 96-minute cut scene that serves as a prequel or appetizer for what is to come in 2009.
2009 Mid-Season TV Preview: ‘Lost,’ ‘Damages,’ ‘Nip/Tuck,’ ‘24,’ More
Submitted by BrianTT on December 31, 2008 - 12:08pmCHICAGO – Be honest, TV fans. Fall 2008 was lackluster at best. The TV season really starts now.
With the strike delaying production on established series and the development of new ones, many more programs are returning or premiering in Jan. 2009 than the average mid-season. It couldn’t have come at a more important time for the medium, too.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Eagle Eye’ Makes Modern Paranoia Ridiculous
Submitted by BrianTT on December 30, 2008 - 12:20pmCHICAGO – “Eagle Eye,” the second collaboration between new star Shia LaBeouf and director D.J. Caruso after the surprise success of “Disturbia,” isn’t nearly as successful a diversion, stretching the very concept of suspension of disbelief to the breaking point.
Slideshow: 20-Image Gallery, Information on Third After Dark Horrorfest in Chicago
Submitted by BrianTT on December 30, 2008 - 10:36amCHICAGO – The third installment of “After Dark Horrorfest” launches this week at the AMC Barrington 30 and AMC Pipers Alley in Chicago and other theaters around the country. After Dark sent over the details on the eight movies that are “to die for” this year - “Autopsy,” “The Broken,” “The Butterfly Effect: Revelation,” “Dying Breed,” From Within,” “Perkins’ 14,” “Slaughter,” and “Voices”.
Blu-Ray Review: Cult of ‘Serenity’ Will Grow With Great Release
Submitted by BrianTT on December 30, 2008 - 10:10amCHICAGO – The regular flow of imports from standard DVD and HD-DVD to the champion of the format war, Blu-Ray, continues with this week’s release of an HD-DVD hit, Joss Whedon’s excellent “Serenity”.
Blu-Ray Review: Romantic Comedy Lives in ‘Ghost Town’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 29, 2008 - 8:07pmCHICAGO – With three of the most charming and enjoyable leads in any romantic comedy released in 2008, David Koepp’s “Ghost Town” should find a steady and satisfied audience on Blu-Ray this winter.
Blu-Ray Round Up: ‘Ghost,’ ‘The Truman Show,’ ‘Event Horizon,’ More
Submitted by BrianTT on December 29, 2008 - 7:30pmCHICAGO – The second wave of catalog titles from Paramount Home Video hits this week, just in time for buyers to put their gift cards to use. HollywoodChicago.com covered the first wave, including “Into the Wild” and “Old School,” a few weeks ago.
Slideshow: 16-Image Gallery For ‘Bride Wars’ With Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson
Submitted by BrianTT on December 29, 2008 - 5:32pmCHICAGO – This 16-image slideshow contains official press images for Fox’s “Bride Wars,” which stars Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, Bryan Greenberg, Chris Pratt, Steve Howey, Candice Bergen, and Kristen Johnston from writers Greg DePaul and Casey Wilson & June Diane Raphael and director Gary Winick. The film opens on Jan. 9, 2009.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Duchess’ Looks Great, Ultimately Hollow
Submitted by BrianTT on December 26, 2008 - 12:05pmCHICAGO – Every year produces a movie or two that dazzles with beautiful costumes and lavishly recreated period settings but falls flat when it comes to character.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Death Race’ Movie Loses, Blu-Ray Wins
Submitted by BrianTT on December 26, 2008 - 12:00pmCHICAGO – The Blu-Ray release of “Death Race” with Jason Statham and Tyrese Gibson tests the critical concept of reviewing the movie itself or purely its home presentation.
Bryan Singer’s ‘Valkyrie’ With Tom Cruise Mistakes Morose For Intense
Submitted by BrianTT on December 25, 2008 - 11:07amCHICAGO – Tom Cruise can be a powerfully vibrant actor in the right material but he’s horrendously miscast in Bryan Singer’s “Valkyrie,” a casting decision amplified by poor direction that drains this true story of an assassination attempt on the life of Adolf Hitler of its inherent power.
Bryan Singer’s ‘Valkyrie’ With Tom Cruise Mistakes Morose For Intense
Submitted by BrianTT on December 25, 2008 - 11:05am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tom Cruise can be a powerfully vibrant actor in the right material but he’s horrendously miscast in Bryan Singer’s “Valkyrie,” a decision amplified by poor direction that drains this true story of an assassination attempt on the life of Adolf Hitler of its inherent power.
Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes Make ‘The Reader’ a Worthwhile Adaptation
Submitted by BrianTT on December 25, 2008 - 10:56amCHICAGO – Two of the best actors working in film today, Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet, offer enough to make “The Reader” a cinematic book worth reading, even if it’s not the masterpiece it could have been with a few different choices by its director and writer.
Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes Make ‘The Reader’ a Worthwhile Adaptation
Submitted by BrianTT on December 25, 2008 - 10:52am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Two of the best actors working in film today, Ralph Fiennes and Kate Winslet, offer enough to make “The Reader” a cinematic book worth reading, even if it’s not the masterpiece it could have been with a few different choices by its director and writer.
Interview: Taraji P. Henson of ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ on Playing Brad Pitt’s Mother
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 25, 2008 - 2:11amCHICAGO – It turns out that skipping a “blowout” garage sale she was planning paid off for up-and-coming actress Taraji P. Henson after all, she told HollywoodChicago.com’s Adam Fendelman in a Chicago interview.
Video Game Review: ‘Prince of Persia’ a Mesmerizing, Addictive, Near Masterpiece
Submitted by BrianTT on December 24, 2008 - 5:21pm Video Game Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ubisoft’s “Prince of Persia” does more than just take the opportunity to update a last-generation classic franchise on the next-generation format, just in time for the movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Gemma Arterton, Ben Kingsley, and Alfred Molina to start building buzz for its Memorial Day 2010 release. “Prince of Persia” is that rare game that’s good enough that fans will still be playing it when the Gyllenhaal movie version hits theaters in seventeen months.
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Launches Blu-Ray Division With 1990s Independent Hits
Submitted by BrianTT on December 24, 2008 - 4:37pmCHICAGO – Criterion made their debut on the next-gen format this month with a series of imports from standard to Blu-Ray, the first film by a regular for the Collection, Wes Anderson’s “Bottle Rocket”, and the movie that introduced Wong Kar-wai to the world, “Chungking Express”.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 10 DVDs of David Zucker’s Comedy ‘An American Carol’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 24, 2008 - 2:56amCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 10 DVDs up for grabs for David Zucker’s new comedy “An American Carol”. Zucker has brought us films including “Airplane!,” “The Naked Gun,” “Scary Movie 3,” “Scary Movie 4” and “BASEketball”.
Interview: ‘The Wrestler’ Director Darren Aronofsky on Mickey Rourke’s Comeback
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 23, 2008 - 4:53pmCHICAGO – In his excellent new film “The Wrestler,” director Darren Aronofsky brings back the heyday and underbelly of the 1980s professional wrestling world in the character of Randy “The Ram” Robinson.
The 10 Best Blu-Ray, DVD Releases of 2008
Submitted by BrianTT on December 23, 2008 - 4:43pmCHICAGO – For audiences increasingly accustomed to watching movies at home instead of at the multiplex, it was an interesting year for DVDs and Blu-rays.
Blu-Ray Review: Anna Faris Shines in ‘The House Bunny’ But Average Blu-Ray
Submitted by BrianTT on December 23, 2008 - 12:53pmCHICAGO – “The House Bunny” never quite comes together as a consistent comedy but its charismatic and talented star, Anna Faris, and an ensemble willing to follow her bubbly lead should help viewers get over the rough spots in the screenplay.
To Our Readers: HollywoodChicago.com Improves Site Performance, Hires Content Director
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 23, 2008 - 12:37pmCHICAGO – On behalf of all of us at HollywoodChicago.com, I’m pleased to announce two exciting and significant developments for this Chicago-based arts and entertainment publication and ultimately for our readers.
Slideshow: 27-Image Gallery For ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ With Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett
Submitted by BrianTT on December 23, 2008 - 10:22am
Brad Pitt stars as Benjamin Button in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button Photo Credit: Digital DomainCHICAGO – This 27-image slideshow contains official press images for Paramount’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” which stars Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Jared Harris, Elle Fanning, Jason Flemyng, Julia Ormond, and Taraji P. Henson from writer Eric Roth and director David Fincher. The film opens on Dec. 25, 2008.
Blu-Ray Review: Remake of ‘The Women’ Fails on Every Level
Submitted by BrianTT on December 23, 2008 - 9:55amCHICAGO – The long-delayed remake of “The Women”, the 1939 classic film that has been in the pipeline for years, should have stayed in terminal development hell.
2009 Walt Disney Pictures Preview: ‘Confessions of a Shopaholic,’ ‘Up,’ ‘The Proposal,’ ‘Surrogates,’ ‘Old Dogs,’ More
Submitted by BrianTT on December 22, 2008 - 12:31pm
Isla Fisher in Confessions of a Shopaholic. Photo Credit: Robert ZuckermanCHICAGO – This 11-image slideshow contains official press images and schedule information for the recently announced slate of films to be released by Walt Disney Pictures in 2009 including new films starring Isla Fisher, Bruce Willis, Robin Williams, John Travolta, Ryan Reynolds, Josh Duhamel, and the newest Pixar film.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Burn After Reading’ Hilarious Movie, Horrible Blu-Ray
Submitted by BrianTT on December 22, 2008 - 12:23pmCHICAGO – It’s impossible for a critic to thoroughly defend something he finds funny but fully realizes that a large majority of the audience may not. Sometimes a film just hits your funny bone in right way. “Burn After Reading” does so for me, but may not for audiences without a little bit of a mean streak.
Video Game Review: ‘Tomb Raider: Underworld’ Buries Treasure With Awkward Gameplay
Submitted by BrianTT on December 22, 2008 - 12:19pm Video Game Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The best way to explain my reaction to “Tomb Raider: Underworld”, the latest next-gen console adventure for the legendary Lara Croft, can be summed up with an anecdote.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Casablanca’ is a Blu-Ray Gift Set For the Ages
Submitted by BrianTT on December 22, 2008 - 12:13pmCHICAGO – An edition of The Hollywood Reporter in January of 1942 announced that Warner Brothers was moving forward with a film called “Casablanca” and that it would star Ann Sheridan, Ronald Reagan and Dennis Morgan.
Clint Eastwood Idles With Caricature Over Character in ‘Gran Torino’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 19, 2008 - 10:54amCHICAGO – With his second film in just a few months, Clint Eastwood makes one of his biggest missteps of his illustrious career as one of the more esteemed American directors in the history of the medium.
