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+.
Magnolia Pictures
Disaster is an Environmental Family Affair in ‘The Wave’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 6, 2016 - 3:48pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Last year, we witnessed the American disaster porn of “San Andreas,” an overwrought attempt to destroy California on film. Norway has an entry into the disaster genre – “The Wave” – and unlike the American special effects pile-on, it’s based on real possibilities, and features a family that won’t give up or give in.
The Fog of Battle is a Heavy Burden in ‘A War’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 22, 2016 - 10:47pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Humanity and war simply do no mix. You could have the biggest guns, the most powerful bombs and the greatest army, but you’re also going to eliminate innocent lives, and affect those soldiers who do the killing. This topic is pungently realized in the Danish film “A War.”
Roger Ebert’s Treasure of a Journey in ‘Life Itself’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 4, 2014 - 8:40am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We will never see the likes of his kind again – the influential arbiter of cinematic taste, whose magic thumb could make or break the dreams of both filmmaker and film fan. The journey of Roger Ebert, the most influential film critic of our times, is told in the new documentary, “Life Itself.”
Brutal Next Chapter Defines ‘Nymphomaniac: Vol. 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 5, 2014 - 8:15am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The exploration of sexuality is a stark breakthrough in the “Nymphomaniac” film series by writer/director Lars von Trier. In the story of a woman interacting with her nature, there are shades of all physically active individuals. “Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1” covered the younger days of the main character of Joe. Vol. 2 takes her to the next, and more brutal phase – challenging her life and her disposition.
Nature, Morality Collide in ‘Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 22, 2014 - 10:57amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/director Lars von Trier creates exposure through his film art. He is unafraid to explore the very nature of being human, while at the same time revealing the very foibles of barriers to our nature – social structures, economies, religion and our own conceits in life. Lars von Trier’s latest barrier breaker is “Nymphomaniac: Vol. 1.”
Deep Two Character Drama Flavors ‘Prince Avalanche’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 16, 2013 - 4:10pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Take actors Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, make them highway line painters, put them in a fire-ravaged woodland and the makings for a savory two character portrait is realized in “Prince Avalanche.” David Gordon Green adapted and directed this appealingly offbeat art film.
‘Blackfish’ Emphasizes Folly of Animal Captivity
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 26, 2013 - 8:08amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We see the public service ads often – dogs and cats in captivity after neglect and abuse. The images parade by, and the sadness in their expressions are heartbreaking. The same can be said for killer whales in captivity, used for SeaWorld shows and exploited in “Blackfish.”
‘No Place on Earth’ Puts Human Peril Underground
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 20, 2013 - 8:11pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The human face of the Holocaust – the Jewish genocide by Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party – has been reflected through many incredible accounts of horror and survival. A new film focuses on another amazing story, set in a cave in the Ukraine, where five Jewish families hid underground from German soldiers in 1942. The survivors give their witness in “No Place on Earth.”
Terrence Malick’s ‘To the Wonder’ Nearly Drowns in its Own Beauty
Submitted by mattmovieman on April 17, 2013 - 9:35am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Deservedly renowned as one of our greatest living filmmakers, Terrence Malick has a reputation for taking his time with each project. He won’t make a picture unless he feels a burning desire to make it, and will put directing on the back burner for two decades, if necessary, in order to pursue other interests. He’s never made what could be conceivably considered a minor work—until now.
Real Hunger Games are Exposed in ‘A Place at the Table’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 1, 2013 - 8:33pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There has been an attitude shift in America in a couple of generations toward the poor and unlucky in life. What was once a campaign to end poverty and take care of that part of the population, has turned into a demonization of them. This is one of the main themes in “A Place at the Table,” an overview of the continuing hunger problem in America.
