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+.
Ellen Burstyn
DVD Review: Frustrating USA Mini-Series ‘Political Animals’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 12, 2013 - 9:11pmCHICAGO – USA’s mini-series “Political Animals” should have been one of the TV events of 2012. Instead it was just one of its biggest disappointments. That cast! That subject! In a political, election season! Zzzzzzz. Sadly, the creators of “Political Animals” delivered a program more like “Dallas” than “The West Wing” and viewers tuned out to the degree that the potential second season was canned. Now we can see what went wrong in one lackluster DVD set.
TV Review: A&E Mini-Series Remake of ‘Coma’ is Lifeless
Submitted by BrianTT on September 3, 2012 - 9:17amCHICAGO – When I heard that A&E was airing a remake of Michael Crichton’s wonderful slice of ’70s health care paranoia “Coma” (based on the book by Robin Cook), I thought, “That makes perfect sense.” With our current national focus on what’s going to happen to us when we get sick along with the continued health issues of the aging Baby Boomer generation, a “Coma” remake was a great idea.
TV Review: Sigourney Weaver Carries USA’s Disappointing ‘Political Animals’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 15, 2012 - 2:40pmCHICAGO – I’m a political junkie who naturally loves to follow the world of journalism as well and so I was psyched about the premiere of USA’s mini-series, “Political Animals,” a star-studded affair about how a powerful Washington family deals with a headstrong reporter and the secrets they still hope to keep.
DVD Review: ‘Another Happy Day’ Plunges Headfirst Into Familial Hellhole
Submitted by mattmovieman on February 9, 2012 - 10:18amCHICAGO – “Another Happy Day” is essentially the inverse of “Rachel Getting Married.” Instead of an unstable, self-pitying girl wreaking havoc on an otherwise pleasant wedding, we have a sensitive, otherwise pleasant woman driven mad by her unstable, self-pitying family…at a wedding, no less. I’ve seen war enemies with less animosity than this group of miserable basket cases.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 Pairs of Chicago Passes to ‘The Mighty Macs’ on Women’s Basketball
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 15, 2011 - 5:32pmCHICAGO – In our latest sports edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 admit-two movie passes up for grabs to the advance Chicago screening of the original Cinderella story “The Mighty Macs” about women’s basketball!
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Free DVDs to ‘Ira & Abby,’ ‘The Great Buck Howard,’ ‘The Answer Man’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 10, 2011 - 12:12amCHICAGO – In this edition of the HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: DVD, two lucky winners will win three DVDs each from Magnolia Pictures for the movies “Ira & Abby,” “The Great Buck Howard” and “The Answer Man”!
TV Review: Stunning Premiere of ‘Big Love’ Returns Show to Prime Form
Submitted by BrianTT on January 15, 2011 - 11:33amCHICAGO – As the credits for the premiere of the fifth and final season of “Big Love” started, I wondered exactly what I wanted from this year. Like Chloe Sevigny and most fans of the show, I agreed that season four was a serious disappointment, especially after the spectacular third outing.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond’ Revives Lost Play
Submitted by mattmovieman on September 13, 2010 - 9:56amCHICAGO – Ever since Tommy Wiseau declared that his masterpiece of ineptitude, “The Room,” was “filmed with the passion of Tennessee Williams,” I’ve become considerably more weary of any film that makes such an inflated claim. Of course, “The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond” has a better defense, since it’s actually the adaptation of a long-forgotten work from the legendary playwright.
Interview: Linda Blair of ‘The Exorcist’ Reflects on the Devil Inside
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 15, 2010 - 8:06amCHICAGO – Linda Blair trades her celebrity for activism. Her WorldHeart Foundation is a literal pet project, as it rehabilitates neglected and abandoned animals on the streets of Los Angeles. Blair, best known for her unforgettable role as Regan in “The Exorcist,” recently appeared in Chicago at the Hollywood Celebrities & Memorabilia Show.
Interview: 50 Years of Filmmaking With Martin Landau
Submitted by BrianTT on November 2, 2009 - 5:30pmCHICAGO – The legendary Martin Landau was recently in Chicago with two films in special presentation at The 45th Annual Chicago International Film Festival - the classic “North by Northwest,” also releasing on Blu-Ray tomorrow, November 3rd, 2009, and the new drama “Lovely, Still,” co-starring Ellen Burstyn.