CHICAGO – If you’ve never seen the farcical ensemble theater chestnut “Noises Off,” you will see no better version than on the Steppenwolf Theatre stage, now at their northside Chicago venue through November 3rd. For tickets and details for this riotous theater experience, click NOISES OFF.
Jim Broadbent
Zeitgeist of the Heist! On-Air Film Review of ‘The Duke’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 28, 2022 - 10:49pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on April 28th, reviewing “The Duke,” a British heist comedy featuring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren, in select theaters April 29th.
‘The Sense of an Ending’ Ponders a Vague Mystery
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 17, 2017 - 10:56am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Sense of an Ending” is a highfalutin title, automatically putting most folks into book club mode. It is adapted from a novel, and the narrative has the same page turning-type rhythm. An old man, portrayed by Jim Broadbent, is encountering his past, while his current situation remains untenable.
‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ Offers Labored Attempt at Humor
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 16, 2016 - 11:08am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Bridget Jones’s Baby” is the kind of geriatric sequel that makes you retroactively question whether the original film that inspired it was all that good to begin with – it’s less a film than a labored collection of contrived situations involving pregnancy and pratfalls. It’s not painfully unwatchable, but it’s unlikely to inspire anything remotely resembling amusement in its audiences.
‘Eddie the Eagle’ is Predictable But Pleasant Tale
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 27, 2016 - 8:32amRating: 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.
‘Closed Circuit’ is a Tense Reminder of Our Times
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 28, 2013 - 7:55amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The threat of terrorist acts defies security. That is a fundamental truth. With 7 billion people on the planet – and an infinite number of motivations within them – all the security cameras, techniques and agencies cannot stop a determined group or individual, as depicted in “Closed Circuit.”
‘Cloud Atlas’ Reaches For the Sky But Loses Its Way
Submitted by BrianTT on October 25, 2012 - 3:41pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Not all great works of literature make great works of film. David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas” is a masterpiece but Tom Tykwer, Andy & Lana Wachowksi’s “Cloud Atlas” is definitely not. It is an ambitious work with many of Mitchell’s fascinating ideas about the ripple effect of emotion through time left intact but it is a work that frustrates as often as it thrills.
Meryl Streep Accentuates Margaret Thatcher in ‘The Iron Lady’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 14, 2012 - 4:00amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It would be a cheap jab to say that “The Iron Lady” is a drag version of “J. Edgar,” and also redundant (hyy-ooh). Meryl Streep takes on the role of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, with a dreamy and vague interpretation of the PM’s life that at times feels like it’s told through the wrong end of a telescope.
Aardman Studios Offers a Merry ‘Arthur Christmas’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 23, 2011 - 4:49pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Aardman Studios, the creators of the irrepressible “Wallace & Gromit” and the witty “Flushed Away” is back with another animated holiday treat, “Arthur Christmas.” Santa Claus and the gang are taken into the modern era, but the cheeky lads/lasses at Aardman can’t help but throw in a bit of whimsy and heart.
Mike Leigh Finds Heartbreak in Humanity of ‘Another Year’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 14, 2011 - 10:12amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Mike Leigh (“Happy-Go-Lucky,” “Vera Drake”) has long ago been correctly-labeled as one of our most remarkably-attuned writer/directors when it comes to capturing the tragedy of the everyday human condition on film. His latest work, “Another Year,” may seem like just another slice of life and it’s certainly not the drama to see if you need fancy hooks with your popcorn, but realistically presenting the highs and sadness of an unfulfilled life is much harder than it looks.
Emily Blunt is the Girl Who Would Be Queen in ‘The Young Victoria’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 18, 2009 - 8:58amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the functions of royalty seems to be an expected adoration from the peasants. Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend and Paul Bettany offer their interpretation on a monarch’s origins with “The Young Victoria.”
