Dwayne Johnson

Film Review: ‘Fast Five’ Furiously Finds Fun Factor in Franchise Finest

CHICAGO – Maybe director Justin Lin learned how to have fun directing the now-classic paintball episode of “Community.” Wherever he figured out that his movies need not be so damn self-serious or wordy, he took that knowledge to the set of “Fast Five,” a movie that this critic who hated “Fast & Furious” absolutely dreaded when it was first announced. Now I can’t wait for the inevitable sixth movie in the most unexpected mega-franchise of the new millennium.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 100 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘Fast Five’ With World-Premiere Simulcast

Fast Five with Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson and Paul Walker

CHICAGO – In our latest action/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 100 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Fast Five” with Vin Diesel, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Paul Walker!

DVD Review: Dwayne Johnson Wastes Talent on Dull ‘Faster’

Faster, Dwayne Johnson

CHICAGO – After his underrated breakthrough from wrestling into acting, “The Rundown,” we all expected Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson to be the next macho action stars like the icons we grew up with — Sly, Ahnuld, Bruce Willis, and more. But the action market shifted to more average-looking heroes (like Nic Cage & Shia LaBeouf) and The Rock took a left turn into family fare like “The Tooth Fairy” and “Race to Witch Mountain.” “Faster” looked like a return to the genre in which he would have been a mega-star in 1988. Sadly, the result is a dull, boring affair that’s nowhere near as much fun as its title or premise might suggest.

Blu-Ray Review: Funny ‘The Other Guys’ With Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg

The Other Guys

CHICAGO – What does a smart man like Will Ferrell do after a total disaster like “Land of the Lost”? Return to the man who has proven that he knows how to use him best, regular collaborator Adam McKay (“Anchorman,” “Talladega Nights,” “Step Brothers”), delivering the laughs that his fans have come to expect and even a few that they won’t see coming. Recently released on DVD and Blu-ray, “The Other Guys” is a funny movie with a few too many jokes that hit the floor to be considered great but an entertaining diversion nonetheless.

Film Review: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton Are Redemptive in ‘Faster’

Faster, Dwayne Johnson

CHICAGO – The Action Film is getting a bit creaky, relying more on computer generated eye candy than character or plot. It is refreshing to experience a film like “Faster,” featuring Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton, because it is an action film that means something, and puts its inhabitants on a path to their own salvation.

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Chicago Passes to ‘Faster’ With Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

Faster with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton

CHICAGO – In our latest action/thriller edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the new film “Faster” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton!

Film Review: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg Partner in Cop Farce ‘The Other Guys’

CHICAGO – While a cop film take-off is filed under the fish-in-a-barrel category, writer/director Adam McKay manages to spin some absurd gold threads into the thin blue cloth. In other words, Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg are damn funny in this all-in cop farce, with enough familiar co-star support to prop up the whole enchilada.

Slideshow: 15-Image Gallery For ‘The Other Guys’ Starring Will Ferrell

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Mark Wahlberg, left, and Will Ferrell in Columbia Pictures comedy The Other Guys.

CHICAGO – This 15-image slideshow contains all of the official press images for the highly anticipated The Other Guys, starring Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, with Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. The film was written by Adam McKay & Chris Henchy and directed by McKay. It will be released on August 6th, 2010.

Blu-Ray Review: ‘Race to Witch Mountain’ With Dwayne Johnson a Waste of Energy

Race to Witch Mountain

CHICAGO – “Race to Witch Mountain,” now on Blu-Ray and DVD, is a head-scratcher, a movie with more than enough individual elements that should work but proof that a film is not just the sum of its parts.

Slideshow: 18-Image Gallery From ‘Race to Witch Mountain’ With Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson

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Alexander Ludwig, Dwayne Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Carla Gugino

CHICAGO – This 18-image slideshow contains the available press images for Walt Disney Pictures’ “Race to Witch Mountain,” starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Carla Gugino, Anna SophiaRobb, Alexander Ludwig, Carla Gugino, Ciaran Hinds, Tom Everett Scott, Chris Marquette, and Billy Brown. The film, directed by Andy Fickman, opens on Friday, March 13th, 2009.

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  • Manhunt

    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+.

  • Topdog/Underdog, Invictus Theatre

    CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.

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