CHICAGO – The late playwright August Wilson left a gift to the world in the form of his “American Century Cycle,” a series of plays each individually set in a decade of the 20th Century, focusing on the black experience. Chicago’s Goodman Theatre presents Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” now through May 19th, 2024 (click here).
Patrick McDonald
Family Secrets, Fine Acting in ‘August: Osage County’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 10, 2014 - 10:02am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There will be inevitable comparisons to the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage version of “August: Osage County” from the thousands of people who have been touched by the stage play. But in giving the film version a chance, there is the same passion, drama and heat of family dysfunction within it, with a dream cast.
Legacy Matters in ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2013 - 9:39pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The memory of South Africa freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, who passed away on December 5th, is filled with deserved accolades and iconography. Director Justin Chadwick and actor Idris Elba brings the man to human life in the essential “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom.”
Two Old Stars Roast Their Images in ‘Grudge Match’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2013 - 8:57am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sylvester Stallone and Robert De Niro – between them they have over 150 film credits in careers stretching back to the 1960s. Two of their most famous roles, boxers Rocky and the Raging Bull, get the full make-fun-of treatment in the Christmas Day Film “Grudge Match.”
Neil LaBute Spins a Tale on ‘Some Velvet Morning’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 20, 2013 - 6:11pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/Director Neil LaBute has a righteous reputation as a harsh social critic, especially in the arena of relationships between men and women. To past films like “In the Company of Men,” “Your Friends & Neighbors” and “The Shape of Things,” LaBute adds “Some Velvet Morning.”
Even Kids Might Run from ‘Walking with Dinosaurs 3D’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 20, 2013 - 10:14am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Walking with Dinosaurs” depicts the magnificent titular creatures in stunning realism and 3D vision, and then proceeds to give them line readings with the equivalent sophistication of Archie comics. This adds up to an educational film with a long, dull journey ahead.
Celebration of Creation in Warm ‘Saving Mr. Banks’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 13, 2013 - 11:25amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The world of creation, and the imagination behind it, gets an honorable and elegantly performed treatment in the fascinating “Saving Mr. Banks.” What seems like a “making of” film about the legendary “Mary Poppins,” becomes much more rich in symbolism and consideration.
‘The Ghosts in Our Machine’ is Passionate Yet Muddled
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 6, 2013 - 6:13pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s difficult to comment upon a documentary like “The Ghosts in Our Machine,” as it advocates an important issue regarding our very nature – the relationship we have with our food and the animals that provide that food. However, the structure of the film and the centerpiece photographer profile obscures the point of view.
Life’s Other Plans at Full Disclosure in ‘Philomena’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 27, 2013 - 4:22pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Although “Philomena” sounds like a faraway land, it actually is a name of a real Irish lady, who lost her son through a Catholic adoption service that was designed to hide her out-of-wedlock pregnancy. Judi Dench portrays the title character as an older woman, with Steve Coogan as the reporter trying to help locate the son for her.
Dull ‘Homefront’ Can’t Get Action into an Action Movie
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 27, 2013 - 6:22amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sylvester Stallone is a difficult man to comprehend, unless if doing a thesis on male menopause. The one time screenwriter of gritty soul pictures like “Rocky,” “Paradise Alley” and “First Blood” is spending his later years pumping out undistinguished boom-boom pictures like “Homefront.”
Quiet Desperation Gets Louder in ‘Nebraska’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 21, 2013 - 1:13amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Bruce Dern is an actor who has turned in some indelible performances in his over 50 year film career. He saves one of the best for now, as he breathes life into an old man who wants one more time in the sun. So begins a journey with his son, portrayed by Will Forte, in “Nebraska.”
