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+.
Thomas Jane
Film Review: ‘The Predator’ is the Best Sequel Reboot of the Series
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 13, 2018 - 4:15pmCHICAGO – By the standards of Predator sequels, “The Predator” is easily the best of the bunch. But that’s a depressingly low bar to clear… kind of like saying you got the nicest looking “Yugo” on the lot. Coming 31 years after Arnold Schwarzenegger battled the original “one ugly mother f**ker,” this reboot brings the space alien with the heat seeking vision to the suburbs.
Film Review: Geekdom Celebrated in ‘Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 6, 2012 - 2:01pmCHICAGO – Say the words “San Diego Comic-Con” to a certain comic geek subculture and suddenly heart rates are up and anticipation is in the air. The documentary maker Morgan Spurlock (“Supersize Me”) seeks to capture that feeling in “Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan’s Hope,” with help from Seth Rogen, Kevin Smith, Stan Lee, Thomas Jane, Josh Whedon, Seth Green and Matt Groening.
TV News: HBO Renews ‘Enlightened,’ Cancels Three Other Series
Submitted by BrianTT on December 20, 2011 - 2:14pmCHICAGO – HBO has such a limited amount of series and so many critical darlings that when they announce a renewal or a cancellation it carries more weight than most networks. They announced four today with no major surprises as we all expected that Golden Globe-nominated “Enlightened” would return for a second season and even fans of “Hung,” “Bored to Death,” and “How to Make It in America” could have guessed that those series were headed in the other direction.
Film Review: ‘I Melt With You’ Succumbs to Shallow Pretensions
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 9, 2011 - 8:01amCHICAGO – Mark Pellington’s “I Melt with You” is one of the worst movies of 2011, but has the benefit of also being among the weirdest. Students of rotten cinema will surely flock to this disaster simply to watch it in morbid, mouth-gaping awe. Yet without a scenery chewing wild card like Nicolas Cage in the ensemble, this mournful mess is far from an enjoyable guilty pleasure.
TV Review: Mediocre ‘Hung,’ ‘How to Make It in America’ Return to HBO
Submitted by BrianTT on September 30, 2011 - 1:39pmCHICAGO – Not all HBO shows are created equal. While critics have devoted thousands of words to the brilliance of shows like “Boardwalk Empire,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and “Game of Thrones,” a few other offerings from the most important TV network of the last quarter-century have gone under the radar.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘When It Was a Game,’ ‘61*’ Make Great Dad’s Day Gifts
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 16, 2011 - 10:09pmCHICAGO – Baseball is a game made for the romantic hyperbole of otherwise stoic men. The appreciation of the game is often passed from Dad to son, so just in time for Father’s Day along comes two great baseball films, the Billy Crystal directed “61*” and the “When it Was a Game” collection.
Blu-Ray Review: Fans of ‘The Dark Knight’ Should Check Out ‘Batman: Under the Red Hood’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 26, 2010 - 3:26pmCHICAGO – With easily the darkest subject matter and most intense level of violence to date in the DC Universe series of PG-13 animated film, “Batman: Under the Red Hood” is far from your typical Saturday morning cartoon. This is morally complex material much closed to “The Dark Knight” than “Batman & Robin,” and it’s a smash success for the franchise, resulting in easily the best installment in years.
TV Review: HBO’s ‘Hung’ Hopes Viewers Are Ready For Second Date
Submitted by BrianTT on June 27, 2010 - 9:50amCHICAGO – Male prostitute Ray Drecker (Thomas Jane) and his pimp Tanya Skagle (Jane Adams) are back in the second season premiere of “Hung,” a show that improved drastically over its first year (check out our Blu-ray review here) and seems primed for continued growth in its sophomore outing. Shows like “Hung” often fine-tune their characters and themes between the first and second year and this unusual comedy is primed for breakout success.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Hung: The Complete First Season’ Developed Right Chemistry
Submitted by BrianTT on June 25, 2010 - 9:55amCHICAGO – HBO’s “Hung” doesn’t quite live up to the incredibly high standards of the best network on television but the sporadic writing on the show and very strong ensemble did produce enough interesting dramatic and comedic moments to warrant a look on the excellent Blu-ray release of the first season, timed to coincide with the premiere of season two on Sunday, June 27th, 2010.
TV Review: HBO’s ‘Hung’ With Thomas Jane is Surprisingly Limp
Submitted by BrianTT on June 26, 2009 - 7:00amCHICAGO – Pardon the obvious metaphors, but when you name a show “Hung” and feature a motivational speech about the lead character finding “his tool,” it’s damn-near impossible not to fall into the same pattern.