CHICAGO – It began with a boy and his dream (nightmare?). John LaFlamboy, to be exact, as he took an idea he had in college and made it his life’s work. He owns and operates the HellsGate Haunted House in Lockport (Illinois), which was designed, built and put together by Haunted House experts expressly for the spookiest month of the year. For info on how to purchase tickets, click HellsGate.
Walt Disney Pictures
On-Air Film Review: To Afterlife & Boo-yond in ‘Haunted Mansion’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 27, 2023 - 2:02pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 28th, reviewing “Haunted Mansion,” another film based on a ride at the Walt Disney Theme Parks. In theaters beginning July 28th.!—break—>
Film Review: Indy the Fifth! ‘Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 28, 2023 - 3:50pmCHICAGO – By all accounts the Indiana Jones series had nowhere to go but up after the woebegone “Crystal Skull.” But “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” manages to clear that admittedly low bar to add a sense of adventure back to the tales of the graying archeologist. That said there’s a certain pointlessness to the whole endeavor. !—break—>
Film Review: Pocket Rocket in ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 5, 2023 - 8:27amCHICAGO – The Guardians of the Galaxy have lost some of their freshness over the years. They’re no long the scrappy obscurities who came out of nowhere to deliver one of the more idiosyncratic and enjoyable adventures in the Marvel Cinema Universe. But while familiarity has taken some of the elements of surprise, they’re still an agreeable bunch to watch. !—break—>
Film Review: Shrink Wrapped ‘Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 17, 2023 - 7:17amCHICAGO – Ant-Man gets supersized in this agreeable Marvel Studios movie, which pits our tiny hero against his most formidable foe yet. While the first two Ant-Man movies were largely comic detours where the bug sized superhero carved a small but charming place in the larger universe, the third Ant-Man and the Wasp film puts him squarely at the center of the next phase of Marvel moviemaking.
Audio Film Review: Chef’s Special of the Day in ‘The Menu’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 18, 2022 - 10:54pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “The Menu,” featuring Ralph Fiennes and Anya Taylor-Joy in a social satire about a Chef and his unique multi-course meal plan, in theaters on November 18th.!—break—>
On-Air Film Review: Thunder Struck by ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2022 - 10:47amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 7th, reviewing “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the continuing Marvel Universe adventures of the God of Thunder, opening everywhere on July 8th.
On-Air Film Review: ‘Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers’ is a ‘90s Reunion
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 20, 2022 - 7:45pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on WSSR-FM (Star 96.7 Joliet, Illinois) on May 20th, 2022, reviewing the new release, “Chip ’n Dale: Rescue Rangers,” a reboot of the late 1980s/‘90s cartoon series featuring gumshoe chipmunks, streaming on Disney+ beginning May 20th.
Film Review: Fists of Feminism! On-Air Review of ‘Black Widow’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2021 - 4:12pm- Black Widow
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CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 8th, 2021, reviewing the latest film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Black Widow,” in theaters and streaming on Disney+ Premium Access on July 9th.!—break—>
Film Review: ‘The Call of the Wild’ Offers Only Tame Adventure
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 24, 2020 - 1:31pmCHICAGO – “The Call Of The Wild” is an old fashioned story with some expensive and unnecessary technological upgrades. Foregoing man’s best friend in reality, the film replaces the featured dog with an entirely digital creation … which I can’t say was an improvement.!—break—>
Film Review: Copy Cat Live Action ‘The Lion King’ Seems Unnecessary
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 19, 2019 - 11:21amCHICAGO – The latest tendency of Walt Disney Pictures to make live action remakes of their classic cartoons should have stopped at “Jungle Book” and “Beauty and the Beast.” The last three, “Dumbo,” “Aladdin” and now “The Lion King” subtract from their source cartoons, and the King is downright weird.
