CHICAGO – Society, or at least certain elements of society, are always looking for scapegoats to hide the sins of themselves and authority. In the so-called “great America” of the 1950s, the scapegoat target was comic books … specifically through a sociological study called “The Seduction of the Innocent.” City Lit Theater Company, in part two of a trilogy on comic culture by Mark Pracht, presents “The Innocence of Seduction … now through October 8th, 2023. For details and tickets, click COMIC BOOK.
Rachel McAdams
Mechanical ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 6, 2022 - 12:40am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” proves that more Doctor Stranges do not necessarily equal more fun. And more so than other comic book adventures, this seems like a cog in the Marvel machine first, and an adventure in its own right a very distant second.
Will Ferrell on the Music Charts? On-The-Air Review of “Eurovision: The Story of Fire Saga”
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 12, 2020 - 2:53pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 9th, 2020, reviewing the instant cult classic from Netflix, “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga.”
Strange Story of ‘Disobedience’ is Constant Distraction
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 9, 2018 - 10:22amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The director Sebastían Lelio is no stranger to oddball human stories. His 2017 film, “A Fantastic Woman” – the Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film – was a one-of-a-kind but amazingly poignant story of identity. His latest, “Disobedience,” mines the same human territory with lesser results.
Jason Bateman & Rachel McAdams Score on ‘Game Night’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 24, 2018 - 12:09pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A game cast elevates what is otherwise a bit of a ho hum affair in the action comedy “Game Night.” Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams are a middle class couple hosting weekly game nights with a group of good friends. But when Bateman’s competitive venture capitalist older brother Brooks (Kyle Chandler) comes to town, he promises to take game night up a notch.
‘Doctor Strange’ is Odd Enough to be Enchanting
Submitted by JonHC on November 4, 2016 - 6:34pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We’ve reached a point where comic book films are no longer a scarcity, but an eventuality. With several coming out every year, each one competes for our attention even though the originality behind their approach has the opposite effect. A great cinematic fatigue is almost upon us, but “Doctor Strange” shows a promising deviation that could possibly alter the franchise’s fate.
‘Spotlight’ Offers a Relevant First Draft to History
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 16, 2015 - 6:57pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Spotlight” is a movie which aspires to greatness and oftentimes just about gets there. It’s a movie that is thoroughly confident that the process of journalism and a great story provides all the excitement it needs to grab an audience’s attention. And what a great story it is.
Unusual, Passionate ‘Aloha’ is Deeply Resonant
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 29, 2015 - 9:34amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Films with major movie stars that take real chances on story formula are rare. “Aloha” is one such example, and produces considerations that are way off the beaten path. Is it an allegory? An absurdity? An homage to 1960s paranoia? Only writer/director Cameron Crowe knows for sure.
Slushy ‘About Time’ Still Says All You Need is Love
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 8, 2013 - 9:38amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/Director Richard Curtis is somewhat of a love guru. Fresh on the heels of the tenth anniversary of what is now his classic Christmas movie, “Love Actually,” comes his latest ode to amore. It’s about life, passion and – oh yeah – a little time travel. It’s “About Time.”
Brian De Palma Returns with Revenge Thriller ‘Passion’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 2, 2013 - 1:51pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Brian De Palma returns to what he does best after a few notable failures in the last decade, producing his best work since 2002’s “Femme Fatale” and arguably returning to form in the surprisingly effective thriller “Passion.” It’s certainly not the home run that fans of “Dressed to Kill” or “Blow Out” still hold out hope for the director to deliver but it’s proof that this very stylish filmmaker hasn’t completely thrown in the towel like some of his ‘70s and ‘80s peers.
Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum Don’t Stick to ‘The Vow’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 10, 2012 - 9:28am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Vow” was “inspired by true events.” The end credits even showed the real couple of those events. Given the actual film, it’s likely that inspiration came in the form of “making stuff up,” as Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum were opposite to any reality in this illogical, strangely cold romance.
