June 2013

Blu-ray Feature: 2013 Father’s Day Gift Guide

CHICAGO – It’s that time of year, the one in which you have to decide if you’re willing to think outside of the tie box when it comes to getting your pop something for Father’s Day. Another pair of socks? Or how about something he’ll appreciate? A movie? A TV series? A box set?

Film Review: ‘This is the End’ Turns Stoner Fantasy Into Comedy

CHICAGO – When David Gordon Green’s “Your Highness” hit fans of its writer/director and talented stars like a really bad pot hangover, its creators admitted that the project began life as a stoned what-if scenario. “Hey, let’s make a pot-laced fantasy movie, dude.” Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg’s “This is the End” clearly had similar origins.

‘This is the End’ Turns Stoner Fantasy Into Comedy

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – When David Gordon Green’s “Your Highness” hit fans of its writer/director and talented stars like a really bad pot hangover, its creators admitted that the project began life as a stoned what-if scenario. “Hey, let’s make a pot-laced fantasy movie, dude.” Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg’s “This is the End” clearly had similar origins.

Blu-ray Review: Full Set For Beloved ‘Mad Max Trilogy’

Mad Max Trilogy

CHICAGO – With George Miller’s “Mad Max: Fury Road” being prepped for release next year with Tom Hardy in the legendary role (and co-starring Nicholas Hoult, Charlize Theron, and Zoe Kravitz), it seems a perfect time to revisit one of Mel Gibson’s most legendary series of films with Warner Bros.’ “Mad Max Trilogy,” including “Mad Max,” “The Road Warrior,” and “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome.”

TV Review: Star Power Drives TNT’s ‘King & Maxwell’

CHICAGOTNT’s “King & Maxwell” fits squarely in the TNT brand, shows built around the charisma of its stars. Whether it’s the popular gents at the center of “Franklin & Bash,” Kyra Sedgwick on “The Closer” or the likable pair who headline “Rizzoli & Isles,” the brand has worked (and didn’t exactly for ensemble shows like the now-canceled “Monday Mornings” and “Southland.”)

Blu-ray Review: Saskia Rosendahl Delivers Stunning Debut in ‘Lore’

Lore Blu-ray

CHICAGO – From the moment young Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) rises from her bath to witness the long-awaited return of her father, thrusting herself in front of a window as the curtains become pasted to her still-moist back, Cate Shortland’s Holocaust-era drama is conspicuously awash in sensuality. The age of its titular heroine was changed from 12 (in Rachel Seiffert’s award-winning book, “The Dark Room”) to 14 in order for the filmmakers to explore her budding sexuality.

Slideshow: The Light in the Eyes of Rocker Todd Rundgren

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CHICAGO – One of the most influential sound artists in American rock history is Todd Rundgren. Known for radio friendly hits like “Hello It’s Me,” “I Saw the Light” and “Bang the Drum All Day,” Rundgren also is one of rock’s most notable producers, formulating hits for Meat Loaf, Grand Funk Railroad, the New York Dolls and XTC.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to Sundance Winner ‘Dirty Wars’

CHICAGOSundance winner! In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the Sundance-winning documentary “Dirty Wars” from IFC Films!

Film Review: In Youth, It’s Good to Be ‘The Kings of Summer’

CHICAGO – Real summer movies shouldn’t be about superheroes or overwrought science fiction, it should be about long days working that trigger in the animal soul that awakens a sun-warmed spirit. Writer Chris Galletta and Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts crown “The Kings of Summer.”

In Youth, It’s Good to Be ‘The Kings of Summer’

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Real summer movies shouldn’t be about superheroes or overwrought science fiction, it should be about long days working that trigger in the animal soul that awakens a sun-warmed spirit. Writer Chris Galletta and Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts crown “The Kings of Summer.”

Film Review: Stylish ‘Violet & Daisy’ Wastes Talented Cast

Violet & Daisy
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.5/5.0
Rating: 1.5/5.0

CHICAGO – The premise of “Violet & Daisy” and the three actors at its center leave so much room for hope. That room slowly dissipates over the course of the film like air leaking out of a tire. Really? You’ve got this cast with this concept and this is the best you can do? Overly stylized to the point of suffocation, “Violet & Daisy” is the kind of tragic misfire that you just know must have been apparent while it was being made.

Stylish ‘Violet & Daisy’ Wastes Talented Cast

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 1.5/5.0
Rating: 1.5/5.0

CHICAGO – The premise of “Violet & Daisy” and the three actors at its center leave so much room for hope. That room slowly dissipates over the course of the film like air leaking out of a tire. Really? You’ve got this cast with this concept and this is the best you can do? Overly stylized to the point of suffocation, “Violet & Daisy” is the kind of tragic misfire that you just know must have been apparent while it was being made.

Blu-ray Review: Dopey Comedy ‘This Girl is Badass’ Puts the Bad in Badass

This Girl is Badass Blu-ray

CHICAGO – It’s difficult to determine whether the Thai action comedy, “This Girl is Badass,” is so stupid it’s funny or just plain stupid. There were long stretches in which I felt utterly dumbfounded by the bizarrely infantile hijinks unfolding on the screen. The film is rated R for violence, but most of the humor seems to be pitched at a third-grade level. It’s like a “Mortal Kombat” game interrupted by knock knock jokes.

Film Review: Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson Lack Brass in ‘The Internship’

CHICAGO – Dang, dang, dang. C’mon, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, how about a little anarchy? “The Internship” is a perfectly nice little comedy about old dudes trying to break into the new world of Google employment. But this new world is just another empire, and nobody wants to topple it.

Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson Lack Brass in ‘The Internship’

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

CHICAGO – Dang, dang, dang. C’mon, Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, how about a little anarchy? “The Internship” is a perfectly nice little comedy about old dudes trying to break into the new world of Google employment. But this new world is just another empire, and nobody wants to topple it.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 5 Blu-ray, DVD Combo Packs to ‘Identity Thief’ with Jason Bateman

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Combo Pack with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 5 free Blu-ray and DVD combo packs up for grabs for the highly anticipated home release of “Identity Thief” with Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy!

Film Review: Opportunity For Insight Wasted in ‘The East’

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

CHICAGO – Brit Marling is an undeniably smart, forward-thinking writer/actress in that she refuses to succumb to gender stereotypes and tries to chart her own way through the independent film movement. If this is true, and I still believe it is, why did “The East,” in which she stars and which she co-wrote, end up so frustratingly melodramatic? Why was the opportunity for true commentary or even character development within this fascinating world discarded in favor of an awkwardly-staged and poorly-written love story laden with genre tropes? I so wanted to like “The East,” but it never pointed me in the direction where I could do so.

Opportunity For Insight Wasted in ‘The East’

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

CHICAGO – Brit Marling is an undeniably smart, forward-thinking writer/actress in that she refuses to succumb to gender stereotypes and tries to chart her own way through the independent film movement. If this is true, and I still believe it is, why did “The East,” in which she stars and which she co-wrote, end up so frustratingly melodramatic? Why was the opportunity for true commentary or even character development within this fascinating world discarded in favor of an awkwardly-staged and poorly-written love story laden with genre tropes? I so wanted to like “The East,” but it never pointed me in the direction where I could do so.

TV Review: The Rock Launches Bizarre Reality Show About ‘The Hero’

The Hero

CHICAGO – What makes a hero? Is it the guy who rappels off a skyscraper with ease or the woman who confronts her fears and climbs a dangerous staircase? Is it the winner or the team player? At its best, TNT’s new reality competition series, “The Hero,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, taps into these questions, but it so often does so in a manipulative, predictable, boring way that you might not want to stick around for the answers.

TV Review: USA Opens ‘Graceland,’ Begins Closure of ‘Burn Notice’

CHICAGOUSA and TNT have owned Summer television for the last several years with hits like “White Collar,” “Burn Notice,” “Royal Pains,” and “The Closer”.

Film Review: ‘Rapture-Palooza’ Makes End of the World Boring

Rapture-Palooza
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.0/5.0
Rating: 2.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Craig Robinson has a movie coming out about the end of the world that co-stars friends and fellow comedians Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, and others. It’s called “This is the End.” Craig Robinson has another movie coming out about the end of the world that co-stars fellow comedians, including Rob Corddry, Paul Scheer, John Francis Daley, and Ana Gasteyer.

‘Rapture-Palooza’ Makes End of the World Boring

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 2.0/5.0
Rating: 2.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Craig Robinson has a movie coming out about the end of the world that co-stars friends and fellow comedians Seth Rogen, James Franco, Jonah Hill, and others. It’s called “This is the End.” Craig Robinson has another movie coming out about the end of the world that co-stars fellow comedians, including Rob Corddry, Paul Scheer, John Francis Daley, and Ana Gasteyer.

Blu-ray Review: Derivative ‘Dark Skies’ Botches Potential with Lame Clichés

Dark Skies Blu-ray

CHICAGO – For a good portion of its running time, Scott Stewart’s sci-fi spookfest “Dark Skies” flirts with the possibility of becoming an effective thriller. There are a handful of sequences fraught with palpable tension, yet it becomes apparent around the halfway mark that the filmmakers don’t have an original idea in their heads. There’s nothing here that hasn’t been done better in countless other pictures.

Film Review: ‘The Purge’ is Entertaining What-If Escapism

CHICAGO – A vast majority of James DeMonaco’s “The Purge” makes absolutely no sense. It is the kind of what-if thriller that demands that the viewer put on blinders, suspend disbelief, and not pull at the plot threads left dangling or risk tearing the whole thing apart. It’s totally nonsense.

‘The Purge’ is Entertaining What-If Escapism

HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – A vast majority of James DeMonaco’s “The Purge” makes absolutely no sense. It is the kind of what-if thriller that demands that the viewer put on blinders, suspend disbelief, and not pull at the plot threads left dangling or risk tearing the whole thing apart. It’s totally nonsense. And yet it knows that it’s mostly illogical, embracing its ridiculousness to just the right degree that becomes escapist entertainment if you’re willing not to take it too seriously.

Interview: Producer Jason Blum Looks to the Future of Horror

CHICAGO – With his production company, Blumhouse, Jason Blum might be the most important voice in modern horror. As studio horror films became glutted with remakes and sequels in the ’00s, Blum changed the model with low-budget, high-profit films like “Paranormal Activity” and “Insidious.”

Blu-ray Review: ‘The ABCs of Death’ Mistakes Endurance Test for Entertainment

The ABCs of Death Blu-ray

CHICAGO – “The ABCs of Death” may easily rank as the most repugnant two hours I’ve ever had the displeasure of being condemned to review. But don’t let that entice you, gorehounds. It’s also uninspired and thoroughly monotonous. The only thing that scared me was my realization after the first short film had ended that I still had 25 films left to go. This isn’t entertainment. It’s an endurance test.

Blu-ray Review: ‘Clint Eastwood: 20 Film Collection’ Highlights Legendary Career

CHICAGO – “Clint Eastwood: 20 Film Collection” is a great Father’s Day gift that’s nonetheless a bit difficult to describe. It’s not exactly a greatest hits collection of its legendary star since it’s missing some of his most iconic films and includes some of his most notable failures.

Interview: Three Young Actors Become ‘The Kings of Summer’

CHICAGO – With Memorial Day behind us, thoughts return to the beginning of summer. Writer Chris Galletta and director Jordan Vogt-Roberts have created a coming-of-age film about that particular seasonal ritual, featuring young actors Moises Arias, Nick Robinson and Gabriel Basso as “The Kings of Summer.”

Film Review: Intriguing ‘Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay’

Deceptive Practice
HollywoodChicago.com Oscarman rating: 3.5/5.0
Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Ricky Jay is a fascinating character. He went from a staple of late night TV on shows like “Dinah Shore” and “The Tonight Show” to a notable collaborator with David Mamet, co-starring in most of his films, to an author and performer on Broadway. The man is one of the true living masters of his chosen art form – magic. As one might imagine, getting behind the curtain of this particular wizard proves difficult for “Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay” but the film about him remains an entertaining bio-doc regardless of the fact that the bio portion really only stays within its subject’s profession.

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TV, DVD, BLU-RAY & THEATER REVIEWS

  • 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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