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+.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
DreamWorks’ ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ Has Great 3D Concept, But Falls Flat
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2009 - 12:12pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Hasn’t Pixar proven that animation can be more than just concept and celebrity voice work? The problem with “Monsters vs. Aliens” is that the team behind it clearly prioritized nearly every element of the film over actual storytelling.
Ramin Bahrani’s ‘Goodbye Solo’ Stands Alone So Far in 2009
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2009 - 11:21am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There were a few great films of late 2008 that weren’t widely released until early this year including “Waltz With Bashir” and “Che,” but Ramin Bahrani’s “Goodbye Solo” is the first truly great film of 2009.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Tell No One’ Deserves Positive Word-of-Mouth Buzz
Submitted by BrianTT on March 26, 2009 - 7:49pm Blu-Ray Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Guillaume Canet’s excellent “Tell No One” is perhaps the only 2008 thriller to truly deserve the often overused term, “Hitchockian”. The master would have enjoyed this twisting and turning ride that ironically had enough people talking to make it the most successful foreign language film in the United States last year with $6 million in domestic receipts (yes, I’m sad too that such a low total can claim that title).
Something in the Way it Moves: Factory Theater’s ‘Mop Top Festival’ Celebrates The Beatles
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 26, 2009 - 7:10pm Play Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What has become of what John Lennon called, “The Greatest Show on Earth” (for what it was worth)? The Fab Four are still at The Beatle conventions – now called “The Fest for Beatle Fans”, which have gone on annually since 1977 in Chicago.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Signed ‘Alien Trespass’ Memorabilia From ‘The X-Files’ Director
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 26, 2009 - 3:57pmCHICAGO – The race is on! In our latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have an extraordinarily unique, off-the-beaten-path giveaway for the one-of-a-kind new film “Alien Trespass” from “The X-Files” director R.W. Goodwin.
Blu-Ray Review: Criterion Continues Blu-Ray Expansion With Pair of Truffaut Classics
Submitted by BrianTT on March 26, 2009 - 3:20pm Blu-Ray Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Criterion Collection continues its foray into the world of HD with one of the most beloved directors of all time, taking a film already in the collection and giving it the HD treatment while simultaneously releasing a new edition of one of his later films. The legend is Francois Truffaut and the films are “The 400 Blows” and “The Last Metro”.
Release Date Announced For ‘Call of Duty 4’ Sequel ‘Modern Warfare 2’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 26, 2009 - 2:49pmCHICAGO – Get your calendars out and mark the date for arguably the most anticipated game of the year, “Modern Warfare 2,” Activision’s follow-up to the award-winning “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare”.
Video Game Review: Sony’s ‘Resistance: Retribution’ a Rare Must-Buy PSP Title
Submitted by BrianTT on March 26, 2009 - 2:07pm Video Game Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sony’s “Resistance: Retribution” is a great game but it can be a frustrating experience. More than once while playing through this excellent handheld companion to two of the PS3’s biggest titles - “Resistance: Fall of Man” and “Resistance 2” - I kept asking myself, “Why aren’t there more PSP game like this one?”
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Tales of the Black Freighter’ a Great Companion to ‘Watchmen’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 25, 2009 - 6:58pm Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon’s influential graphic novel “Watchmen” may have not made the impact that we all expected it to in theaters, but it is a film and book that still has legions of fans. Fan of the book or the movie or both should take a look at the interesting “Tales of the Black Freighter,” a companion piece that fills in the world of “Watchmen” and is now available on Blu-Ray.
12th Annual EU Film Festival Highlights, Week Four: ‘Sauna,’ ‘Apres Lui,’ ‘Ben X,’ ‘Patrik Age 1,5’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 25, 2009 - 6:33pmCHICAGO – The final week of the 12th Annual EU Film Festival at the Siskel Film Center perfectly illustrates the main strength of this festival - amazing diversity. From what we had time to see of the final stretch of films, the four highlights couldn’t be more diverse, featuring movies from four different countries with four completely different tones and styles.
Video Game Review: Step Into Your Favorite Show in ‘Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 25, 2009 - 12:40pm Video Game Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If you’re like most people who own a television, you’ve probably seen “American Idol” at least once in its near-decade of ratings dominance and thought that you could do better than the pop star wannabe on the stage. Now you can try and achieve “AI” dominance on your own with “Karaoke Revolution Presents American Idol Encore 2”. Practice your Mariah Carey note runs.
DVD Review: ‘Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete Series’ Finally Available
Submitted by BrianTT on March 24, 2009 - 3:21pm DVD Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – When I hear about shows that were “brilliant-but-canceled” one of the first series that comes to mind is the great “Andy Richter Controls the Universe”. Developing a cult following through cable repeats over the years, the complete series has been one of the most requested-but-unavailable titles since the show left the air over five years ago. Andy fans, your day has finally come. Rejoice.
DVD Review: Gabriel Byrne Shines in HBO’s Epic ‘In Treatment’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 24, 2009 - 1:35pm DVD Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Like therapy itself, HBO’s “In Treatment” requires a commitment. The award-winning program aired from Monday to Friday on HBO for nearly nine weeks and took up forty-three episodes. If you’re starting from the beginning of “In Treatment,” you will need to clear approximately 1,290 minutes of your schedule. Don’t go in half-heartedly.
