CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
Christopher Walken
Spice of Life! On-Air Film Review of Epic ‘Dune Part Two’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 1, 2024 - 10:12am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 29th, 2024, reviewing “Dune Part Two,” the highly anticipated continuation of director Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of author Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic. In theaters beginning March 1st, 2024.
Senior Moment! On-Air Review of ‘The War with Grandpa’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 11, 2020 - 6:34pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on October 8th, 2020, reviewing the new live action film “The War with Grandpa,” featuring Robert De Niro.
‘The Jungle Book’ is a Technical Marvel Missing Some Magic
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 15, 2016 - 6:57amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – While Disney Studios’ new live action version of “The Jungle Book” is an improvement over the 1967 animated version, it’s more of a technical marvel than magical fable. And it’s unable to completely transcend the earlier version’s limitations.
‘Eddie the Eagle’ is Predictable But Pleasant Tale
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 27, 2016 - 7:32am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Eddie The Eagle” is thoroughly predictable underdog story, but this picture won me over with a plucky persistence fitting for its peculiar protagonist. It’s an admittedly minor but mostly true tale of an oddball outsider overcoming overwhelming odds.
‘Jersey Boys’ Can’t Escape Its Broadway Roots
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 21, 2014 - 5:17am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Clint Eastwood’s “Jersey Boys” suffers from the same inherent fundamental flaw in all of these so-called Jukebox Musicals – their stories are mere afterthoughts. You come for the songs, and suffer through the story. They have the narrative equivalent of chicken wire and chewing gum, patchwork filler to tie the songs together.
‘Stand Up Guys’ Worst Waste of Talent Since Booth Shot Lincoln
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 1, 2013 - 5:25pm Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Three actors, with three Oscars and an astounding 14 nominations between them, obviously have lost the ability to read a script late in their careers. That or the producers had dirt on them. There is no other reason why Al Pacino, Alan Arkin and Christopher Walken would be the “Stand Up Guys.”
‘A Late Quartet’ is Passionate Symphony of the Human Condition
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 3, 2012 - 7:51pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Those who know the language of music at its highest levels seemingly know the secret of the world. But as “A Late Quartet” demonstrates, they also possess the same human foibles as the rest of us. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Christopher Walken portray maestros at an emotional crossroads.
Colin Farrell, Sam Rockwell in Fun ‘Seven Psychopaths’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 12, 2012 - 11:52amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Is there room for vengeance if you believe in Heaven and Hell? How do we suppress our need for moral and even physical justice if we believe that violence leads to damnation? Is there a chance to…oh, never mind. Let’s just blow someone’s brains out. That’s essentially how “Seven Psychopaths,” the clever new action comedy from Martin McDonagh (“In Bruges”) works in that it has a number of interesting ideas that aren’t fully developed even if the movie is fun enough to be considered a sin.
Todd Solondz’s ‘Dark Horse’ Brilliantly Deconstructs Man-Child Pathology
Submitted by mattmovieman on June 22, 2012 - 4:00amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Todd Solondz has always been prone to making films about people that most filmmakers wouldn’t touch with a ten-foot pole. His characters crave love but are the opposite of lovable. They inspire the sort of laughter spawned not from amusement but from discomfort, sadness, and occasionally, recognition. It’s refreshing to see characters utterly devoid of pre-packaged, studio-approved appeal.
‘Kill the Irishman’ Offers History as Explosions
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 18, 2011 - 3:47pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The amalgamation of big time unions and organized crime in post-WW2 industrial America is as enlightening as any struggle for power. Cleveland, Ohio, in the 1950s thru the ‘70s was both on the waterfront and had the East Coast influence of New York City’s most notorious crime families. That history is wasted in “Kill the Irishman.”
