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+.
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Film Review: ‘Vox Lux’ is a Visually Stark Metaphor for a Lost Cause
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 12, 2018 - 5:40pmCHICAGO – In the frozen emotional landscape of America, where mass shootings have become as regular as the sunrise, what better symbol for this madness is there than a pop star? Natalie Portman is that singer in “Vox Lux,” a victim and a perpetrator in the sin of mass death, and the soundtrack of gunfire.
Film Review: Truth Upstages Fiction Again in ‘Three Identical Strangers’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 6, 2018 - 10:03amCHICAGO – The eternal debate of what affects human development more, our nature or our nurturing, opens up again in the wild story of “Three Identical Strangers,” a new documentary about triplets who were separated at birth, only to discover each other by chance and uncover some difficult truths about that separation.
Film Review: Margot Robbie in ‘I, Tonya’ Can’t Stick the Landing
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 23, 2017 - 11:55pmCHICAGO – We have arrived at point where yesterday’s trash TV has become today’s critical darling of the film festival circuit. As the trailers proclaim, “I, Tonya” desperately wants to be the “‘Goodfellas’ of Figure Skating,” but one of the biggest problems I had is that it’s just trying too hard.
Film Review: Aubrey Plaza Steers the Unsettling ‘Ingrid Goes West’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 23, 2017 - 6:09pmCHICAGO – Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”) is an actor who always seems to do something memorable in her performances. In “Ingrid Goes West,” she carries an entire movie on her quirky and sometimes disturbing character… that of a bipolar stalker who can’t find balance.
Film Review: Glaring Lack of Originality Handicaps ‘The Bad Batch’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 25, 2017 - 8:03pmCHICAGO – Dystopia has been dissed out. Mining the negative vibe future world can’t seem to touch the rich creative vein any more and the reserves seem dry. Writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour may have an element within her interpretation that is hard core, but it’s not enough to understand the overall vision of her tomorrow world, except that we’re all part of “The Bad Batch.”
Interview, Audio: Director Ana Lily Amirpour Stirs up ‘The Bad Batch’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 21, 2017 - 8:46amCHICAGO – The dystopia – or negative future world – is a genre staple, from “Soylent Green” to “Max Max.” The latest film to ponder the possibilities is “The Bad Batch,” from writer/director Ana Lily Amirpour. This is her sophomore feature, after “A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night,” and features Suki Waterhouse in the lead role.