Russell Brand

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on June 30th, reviewing “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” the fifth film in the “Despicable Me” animated film series, in theaters beginning July 1st.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 10th, reviewing the new release of “Death on the Nile,” another adventure of detective Hercule Poirot, in theaters on February 11th.

CHICAGO – “Trolls” isn’t the type of confection that I would normally subject myself to, but at least it didn’t make me want to stick knitting needles in my ears. That’s because “Trolls” aspires to be this season’s “Frozen,” a full blown animated musical jam packed with songs you can’t get out of your head as much as you might try.

CHICAGO – The delightful new animated film “Trolls” takes the familiar doll to a new level of fun and heart. Behind this invention is the director team of Mike Mitchell and Walt Dohrn, who have worked together in various animation roles over the years before teaming up in their first collaboration for Dreamworks Studio.

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Combo Pack with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 5 free Blu-ray and DVD combo packs up for grabs for the highly anticipated home release of “Despicable Me 2” starring Steve Carell and Kristen Wiig!

CHICAGO – Diablo Cody’s directorial debut, “Paradise,” now available everywhere On Demand and released this Friday in some markets theatrically, is an unmitigated disaster. It’s the most tonally inconsistent film of 2013, a flick that fluctuates wildly from broad satire to manipulative drama to something altogether indescribably bad.

CHICAGO – Oh those wacky Minions. We just never know what those little yellow guys in “Despicable Me 2” will do, because they simply DO EVERYTHING! They sing, fart, burp, perform parodies and handle hazardous materials. More than comic relief, they are all-purpose story coverage.

CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 25 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated “Despicable Me 2” starring Steve Carell and Russell Brand!

CHICAGO – The great city of Chicago can’t stop the funny this week. The TBS “Just for Laughs Chicago” comedy festival returns for another hilarious six days. Highlights include performances by Russell Brand, John Hodgman, Seth Meyers, Bill Maher and the legendary Chicagoan Bob Newhart.

CHICAGO – Few music documentaries transcend the fan base of their artist to become something greater. Of course, there are the classics like “Stop Making Sense” and “The Last Waltz” and I would add “Pearl Jam Twenty” to that list. But most music films are designed for one purpose — to appeal to the musican’s fans. So, if you’re going to judge a film based on what it intends to accomplish, you have to ask yourself — would Katy Perry fans like “Katy Perry: Part of Me”? Undeniably.