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+.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Blu-Ray Review: ‘A Christmas Tale’ Offers French Take on Family Dysfunction
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 14, 2009 - 12:23pmCHICAGO – When American filmmakers throw a colorful familial ensemble under one roof for the holidays, the result often feels like a forced sitcom. Consider 2005’s “The Family Stone,” an ungainly fusion of slapstick laughs, scathing satire and feel good fuzziness.
DVD Review: ‘Paper Heart’ Intriguingly Blurs Line Between Reality, Fiction
Submitted by mattmovieman on December 11, 2009 - 3:02pmCHICAGO – Some actors are so good that it’s easy to take their work for granted. Take Michael Cera, the veteran child actor-turned-unlikely teen heartthrob. From his breakout work in “Arrested Development,” to his crowd-pleasing performances in “Superbad” and “Juno,” Cera has created a comic persona as indelible as Woody Allen’s.
Disney Magic is Hopping to New Orleans in ‘The Princess and the Frog’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 11, 2009 - 9:24amCHICAGO – The feature animation film tradition, invented by and fostered by the Walt Disney Company for close to 70 years, gets another glorious rendition in their latest release, “The Princess and the Frog.”
DVD Review: ‘The Cove’ Captures Truths That Deserve Global Awareness
Submitted by BrianTT on December 10, 2009 - 3:44pmCHICAGO – Ric O’Barry made the world fall in love with dolphins. He captured and trained the five dolphins used in the classic TV series, “Flipper.” But as he learned more about these extraordinarily intelligent, self-aware creatures, he became increasingly disturbed about the detrimental effects of their captivity.
Blu-Ray Review: First Season of HBO’s ‘The Sopranos’ Comes to HD
Submitted by BrianTT on December 9, 2009 - 9:43pmCHICAGO – The network that redefined TV on DVD has some catching up to do when it comes to Blu-Ray. When you buy a Blu-Ray player for that TV-loving viewer in your family, they can buy all five seasons of “Lost,” the complete series of “Battlestar Galactica,” and even the original “Star Trek” on Blu-Ray, but most HBO series are just catching up. With an excellent recent release for “Rome,” the studio/network now turns its gaze to the best program of the ’00s with the first season of “The Sopranos”.
TV News: FX Comedy ‘The League’ Expands to Second Season
Submitted by BrianTT on December 9, 2009 - 9:27pmCHICAGO – FX has picked up the network’s freshman comedy series “The League”. The network has decided to expand the next season to 13 episodes, announced Nick Gad, Executive Vice President of Original Programming, FX Networks.
Interview: ‘The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day’ Director Troy Duffy on Hollywood’s ‘Financial Irresponsibility’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 8, 2009 - 7:13pmCHICAGO – “There’s not a bigger ‘f*ck you!’ from Hollywood than when they say: ‘Eh, we’re not going to release this film.’”
Blu-Ray Review: Underrated ‘Angel Heart’ With Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro
Submitted by BrianTT on December 8, 2009 - 1:41pmCHICAGO – Some movies from my youth have not aged as well as memory would have me believe. We’ve all been there. A movie we thought was great when we were a teenager looks downright awful with the passage of time. I was worried that my memory of Alan Parker’s “Angel Heart” was through similar rose-colored glasses. Worry not. “Angel Heart” is even better than you remember.
TV Review: ‘Better Off Ted’ Deserves to Develop an Audience
Submitted by BrianTT on December 8, 2009 - 12:38pmCHICAGO – With their renewal of “Better Off Ted” and “Scrubs,” it’s clear that ABC is unwilling to throw in the towel and give up on a comedy that’s not finding its audience. Before the wonderful arrival of “Modern Family,” easily one of the best shows on TV, ABC was not recently known as the place for laughs and there has clearly been a conscious effort to change that including giving the relatively audience deficient “Better Off Ted” another shot at finding a following (as well as scheduling an entire night of new comedy to start the season on Wednesdays).
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: VIP Prize Pack, 15 Passes to George Clooney’s ‘Up in the Air’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 8, 2009 - 2:05amCHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have a VIP prize pack for one lucky winner along with 15 run-of-engagement runners-up movie passes for the new film “Up in the Air”!
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Funny People’ Disappointing Movie, Amazing Blu-Ray
Submitted by BrianTT on December 7, 2009 - 5:17pmCHICAGO – Whatever problems I may have with Judd Apatow’s “Funny People” (and I’ll get to those, trust me), the Blu-Ray release for the comedy is easily one of the most extensive and impressive of the year with hours of bonus material and some amazing archival footage that makes the package a must-own for fans of the film. If only the movie itself lived up to such an impressive HD treatment.
Blu-Ray Review: Forgettable ‘Terminator Salvation’ Gets Supreme Treatment on Blu-Ray
Submitted by BrianTT on December 7, 2009 - 4:38pmCHICAGO – The “Terminator” series is not one of the great modern movie franchises. The films have mainly served as ideal vehicles for the limited acting range of Arnold Schwarzenegger, whose muscular build and Austrian accent were perfect for the role of a formidable, oft-mute cyborg.
Blu-Ray Review: Excellent Release For ‘Fight Club: 10th Anniversary Edition’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 7, 2009 - 4:03pmCHICAGO – What took so long? Seriously, why are studios waiting so long to release some essential titles on Blu-Ray? Every time someone asks me why I think that Blu-Ray hasn’t taken off as quickly as some insiders expected, I have the same answer. “Because your favorite movie isn’t on Blu-Ray.” At least one of those “favorite movies” can be checked off the list with the release of “Fight Club” in a glorious tenth anniversary edition from Fox.
