April 2012

Interview: Kevin Hart Wants You to ‘Think Like a Man’

CHICAGO – Kevin Hart is easily one of the most popular stand-up comedians on the planet and he’s had a consistent film career for years now. But it feels like he’s right on the verge of a breakthrough as his career-best work premieres this weekend in “Think Like a Man” and he co-stars in next week’s “The Five-Year Engagement.”

Video Game Review: ‘I Am Alive’ Finds Atmosphere in Genre Often Dominated by Action

CHICAGO – What would you do if you were one of the few survivors on Earth? You’re trying to get home. You’re low on supplies. Potential enemies who want to take the little that you have are probably around the next corner.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 35 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘The Raven’ With John Cusack

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 35 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance screening of the stylish thriller “The Raven” with John Cusack!

Blu-ray Review: ‘The Darkest Hour’ Deserves None of Your Time

The Darkest Hour

CHICAGO – “The Darkest Hour,” recently released on Blu-ray and DVD, may seem like a fun sci-fi action option for movie night. It is not. There’s nothing fun about this horrifically made film, easily one of the worst of 2011. It’s stunningly bad, almost as if it was made by college students. Otherwise talented actors get sucked into awful performances (both male leads have never given less genuine performances), the special effects are horrible, and there’s never even the slightest flicker of anything worth giving a damn about.

Celebrity News: Legendary TV Host Dick Clark Dies at 82

LOS ANGELES – Dick Clark, the versatile television personality who built his beginnings as host of the long-running “American Bandstand” into a virtual media empire, has died of a heart attack this morning. He was 82 years old.

DVD Review: Greatest Hits Releases For Classic ‘Dark Shadows’

Dark Shadows TV

CHICAGO – Johnny Depp and Tim Burton are teaming yet again for next month’s sure-to-be-hit “Dark Shadows,” a reboot/remake/whatever of the cult soap opera hit from the ’60s. People are insanely loyal to the legend of Barnabas Collins and the occassion of the Hollywood attempt to inject life into again has brought a number of DVD releases to the market, including a MASSIVE collection of all of the episodes of “Dark Shadows” ever produced (at, wait for it, 27,420 minutes).

Trailer Tracking: ‘Rise of the Guardians,’ ‘Looper,’ ‘Ted’

CHICAGO – Now that most of the big summer movies have already had their trailers hit the internet, studios are realizing that we’ve probably decided whether or not we’re seeing “Avengers” (yes) or “Battleship” (no), and, as such, they’re now releasing previews for some of their more interesting films coming out later this year.

Video Game Review: Landmark Pair Included in ‘Silent Hill HD Collection’

CHICAGO – The trend of packaging already-available games in HD collections has finally reached the most terrifying location in the history of gaming — Silent Hill. Interestingly, Konami chose to just take the peaks of the franchise, the brilliant “Silent Hill 2” and “Silent Hill 3,” the two games that really made this mega-franchise what it is today.

DVD Review: ‘Community’ Star Rocks Stage in ‘Donald Glover: Weirdo’

Donald Glover: Weirdo

CHICAGO – We get a lot of stand-up comedy DVDs here in the HollywoodChicago.com offices but we don’t often have the time or interest to include them in our coverage. We had to make an exception for “Donald Glover: Weirdo,” a hysterical stand-up show from the brilliant star of NBC’s “Community” and the man also known as Childish Gambino. Writer, actor, rapper, stand-up — Donald Glover rules.

DVD Review: Emily Browning Stars in Daring ‘Sleeping Beauty’

Sleeping Beauty (Browning)

CHICAGO – “Sleeping Beauty” is such a unique modern fairy tale that it will almost certainly turn off many of the viewers who choose to rent it. As the gorgeous Emily Browning looks longingly over her shoulder, half-naked from the cover of the DVD case, renters may think they’re in for an erotic thriller on a Saturday night.

Video Game Review: Addictive Vita Version of ‘The Pinball Arcade’

CHICAGO – Do kids still play pinball? Or is it a piece of nostalgia now? I must confess to hours spent in the arcade playing the addictive game, always my personal favorite when I had quarters burning a hole in my pocket. And so I’m kind of a soft target when it comes to Farsight Studios’ “The Pinball Arcade,” a clever new title available for the PS3 and PlayStation Vita.

Blu-ray Review: ‘The Iron Lady’ Wastes Meryl Streep’s Brilliant Portrayal

The Iron Lady Blu-ray

CHICAGO – The best scene in Phyllida Lloyd’s biopic, “The Iron Lady,” takes place in a doctor’s office as former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher insists that she’s doing perfectly well, thank you very much. The bullheaded determination that fueled her spectacular success and garnered a fiery backlash has now manifested itself in her elderly years as a warm but firm stubbornness.

Interview: Director Mario Van Peebles Celebrates ‘We the Party’

Mario Van Peebles

CHICAGO – The Van Peebles name has had a long and historic contribution to the history of movies from the 1970s to today. Director Mario Van Peebles has extended a tradition of filmmaker credibility that began with his father Melvin’s breakthrough with “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song” (1971) and continues with Mario’s recent release, “We the Party.”

Interview: Nicholas Sparks Highlights Young Love in ‘The Lucky One’

CHICAGO – The belief that most people are decent at heart may seem overly naive in a society that often favors cynicism over sincerity. Yet it is precisely this hopeful worldview that has made Nicholas Sparks one of the most successful authors of his time. His international bestsellers have captivated readers worldwide, and have inspired seven big screen adaptations.

Film Review: Delightful ‘Life Happens’ Proves Truth is Funny

Life Happens

CHICAGO – Is it possible to be addled in encroaching middle age? Because “Life Happens,” a film about an ex-party girl turned single mother, starring “it” girl Krysten Ritter, actually is quite funny, and gets those laughs simply by applying some simple truths to a unique situation. Kate Bosworth, Rachel Bilson, Justin Kirk and Kirsten Johnston co-star.

Delightful ‘Life Happens’ Proves Truth is Funny

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Is it possible to be addled in encroaching middle age? Because “Life Happens,” a film about an ex-party girl turned single mother, starring “it” girl Krysten Ritter, actually is quite funny, and gets those laughs simply by applying some simple truths to a unique situation. Kate Bosworth, Rachel Bilson, Justin Kirk and Kirsten Johnston co-star.

TV Review: CBS’s ‘NYC 22’ is TV District That Feels Too Familiar

CHICAGO – “NYC 22” reminds me of a cover song by a really strong bar band. You can admire the craftsmanship. It doesn’t hit any wrong notes. And it reminds you of what you like about the original. But it can’t replace it.

TV Review: Lena Dunham’s ‘Girls’ is Next Great HBO Comedy

CHICAGO – Lena Dunham’s brilliant new HBO series is called “Girls” and not “Women” for a very distinct reason. She’s capturing a rarely-chronicled aspect of the iGeneration, that period where we are definitely not children but also not yet quite adults. And there’s something about the current wave of recession era twentysomethings that’s particularly unique.

Film Review: Advocacy Film ‘Bully’ is a Must See, But for Who?

Bully

CHICAGO – The age-old problem of bullying has reached epidemic proportions. Or is it simply more openly discussed? It seems that for once a light is being pointed at the dark corners of this punishing coercion, and the perpetrators and enablers involved – the bully, his parents, school administrators – are scurrying from that light. The new film “Bully” is an illumination.

Advocacy Film ‘Bully’ is a Must See, But for Who?

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The age-old problem of bullying has reached epidemic proportions. Or is it simply more openly discussed? It seems that for once a light is being pointed at the dark corners of this punishing coercion, and the perpetrators and enablers involved – the bully, his parents, school administrators – are scurrying from that light. The new film “Bully” is an illumination.

Joseph Kahn’s Self-Funded Josh Hutcherson Indie ‘Detention’ Deserves Cult-Hit Status

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 4.0/5.0
Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Don’t be duped by Joseph Kahn’s insultingly unintelligent trailer for his new ADHD high school slasher/comedy “Detention”. Rather than prematurely blowing his load with the film’s crème de la crème in a two-minute trailer, he’s done the reverse. Kahn – who scraped much of this “indie” film’s $10 million budget from his own pockets – has set up disappointed trailer watchers to discover a hidden gem in his second feature-length film.

Film Review: Joseph Kahn’s Self-Funded Josh Hutcherson Indie ‘Detention’ Deserves Cult-Hit Status

CHICAGO – Don’t be duped by Joseph Kahn’s insultingly unintelligent trailer for his new ADHD high school slasher/comedy “Detention”. Rather than prematurely blowing his load with the film’s crème de la crème in a two-minute trailer, he’s done the reverse.

Blu-ray Review: Werner Herzog’s ‘Into the Abyss’ Demands to be Seen

Into the Abyss

CHICAGO – No matter which side of the capital punishment debate you fall on, Werner Herzog’s “Into the Abyss” is a masterful documentary, one you simply must see. It brilliantly reflects the complexities of one of the most divisive issues of our time. Herzog is vocally against the death penalty but he doesn’t present a case that would help solidify his arguments. He could have made a film about someone wrongly convicted. Instead, he dares to tell the story of someone who arguably deserves to die and then makes the emotionally difficult case that he still should not.

Blu-ray Review: Huge Collection of Special Features For Sweet ‘We Bought a Zoo’

We Bought a Zoo

CHICAGO – Cameron Crowe’s “We Bought a Zoo” should have made more money. Sure, it’s a cheesy slice of family entertainment but when the cheese is this well-crafted, performed, and delivered, one can’t complain too much about it. “We Bought a Zoo” is too long, not subtle enough, and pretty manipulative, but it the manipulation works. Matt Damon is stellar (as he always seems to be lately) and Crowe tells this old-fashioned tale with enough skill to make it entertaining. “We Bought a Zoo” is one of those rare cross-demographic films — from children to grandparents — that doesn’t insult the intelligence of any of them.

Film Review: Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace in Annoying, Awful ‘Lockout’

CHICAGO – The annoying and boring “Lockout” is a pile of aggressive junk masquerading as a good time. Some critics and viewers will pretend that this is a “fun B-movie” just because it has a few over-the-top sequences (that look completely cartoonish), an absolutely ridiculous premise, and a scenery-chewing performance from the great Guy Pearce.

Guy Pearce, Maggie Grace in Annoying, Awful ‘Lockout’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.0/5.0
Rating: 1.0/5.0

CHICAGO – The annoying and boring “Lockout” is a pile of aggressive junk masquerading as a good time. Some critics and viewers will pretend that this is a “fun B-movie” just because it has a few over-the-top sequences (that look completely cartoonish), an absolutely ridiculous premise, and a scenery-chewing performance from the great Guy Pearce.

Film Review: Whit Stillman’s Wittily Precious ‘Damsels in Distress’ Grows Tedious

Damsels in Distress Film Review

CHICAGO – The sly satires of Whit Stillman have cultivated a fan base that appears to consist largely of his fellow peers. Manhattan-based filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach and Lena Dunham have cited his subdued comedies as an influence on their own similarly mannerist yet considerably more accessible work. For many moviegoers, Stillman’s brilliantly constructed, emotionally distant pictures are easy to admire but difficult to like.

Whit Stillman’s Wittily Precious ‘Damsels in Distress’ Grows Tedious

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.5/5.0
Rating: 2.5/5.0

CHICAGO – The sly satires of Whit Stillman have cultivated a fan base that appears to consist largely of his fellow peers. Manhattan-based filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach and Lena Dunham have cited his subdued comedies as an influence on their own similarly mannerist yet considerably more accessible work. For many moviegoers, Stillman’s brilliantly constructed, emotionally distant pictures are easy to admire but difficult to like.

Film Review: Harmless ‘The Three Stooges’ Can’t Deliver the Goods

CHICAGO – Moe, Larry and Curly are three of the most popular names in the show business universe, and bringing them back to life in the new film “The Three Stooges” was a questionable risk. The re-imaging, with Chris Diamantopoulous, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso filling the trio’s roles, is a loving tribute that unfortunately veers in too many “Un-Stooge” like directions.

Harmless ‘The Three Stooges’ Can’t Deliver the Goods

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.0/5.0
Rating: 3.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Moe, Larry and Curly are three of the most popular names in the show business universe, and bringing them back to life in the new film “The Three Stooges” was a questionable risk. The re-imaging, with Chris Diamantopoulous, Sean Hayes and Will Sasso filling the trio’s roles, is a loving tribute that unfortunately veers in too many “Un-Stooge” like directions.

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  • Manhunt

    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+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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