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
‘The Twilight Saga: New Moon’ Offering Free Clip on iTunes
Submitted by BrianTT on October 20, 2009 - 4:50pmCHICAGO – iTunes has released a free clip from “The Twilight Saga: New Moon” staring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart that you can download as of today, October 20th, 2009.
Blu-Ray Review: Takashi Miike’s ‘Audition’ More Effective 10 Years Later
Submitted by BrianTT on October 20, 2009 - 3:47pmCHICAGO – Takashi Miike’s controversial and terrifying “Audition,” recently released in a ten year anniversary Blu-Ray edition, feels even richer and more dramatically interesting than it did ten years ago as the dating world has become so much more reliant on technology.
2009 Chicago International Film Festival ‘Best of the Fest’ For Oct. 21, 2009
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 20, 2009 - 10:33amCHICAGO – As the 45th Chicago International Film Festival comes to a close, this year’s award-winning and most popular films are being screened one more time. All of the screenings will be held at the AMC River East 21 theater at 322 E. Illinois St.
DVD Round Up, Oct. 20, 2009: ‘Medium,’ ‘Princess,’ ‘Top Chef’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 20, 2009 - 1:06amCHICAGO – Over the course of dozens of editions of HollywoodChicago.com’s DVD Round-Up column, we have brought our readers more than a few collections that possessed a remarkable variety of genres in one piece, but few match this week’s column, a quartet of titles that include supernatural drama, reality television, foreign animation, and classic fantasy.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory’ in HD
Submitted by BrianTT on October 20, 2009 - 12:26amCHICAGO – You can keep Tim Burton’s remake of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” with Johnny Depp. I’ll be watching the classic “Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory,” recently released on Blu-Ray, for years to come. It’s not a must-own family film release like the recent “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” or “Wizard of Oz” packages, but the film remains remarkably timeless.
DVD Review: ‘Il Divo’ Explores the Bloody Trenches of Italian Politics
Submitted by BrianTT on October 19, 2009 - 11:39pmCHICAGO – Since the totality of what I know about Italian politics could fit inside a fortune cookie, I’d normally be inclined to demand that films on the subject keep it simple by not utilizing too many characters and not bothering with a complicated plot that spans roughly fifteen years. But the slick “Il Divo” didn’t have me pleading with writer director Paolo Sorrentino to slow down so that I could catch up with its history.
Blu-Ray Review: Predictable ‘The Proposal’ Elevated By Fine Cast
Submitted by BrianTT on October 19, 2009 - 11:26pmCHICAGO – Just as “My Best Friend’s Wedding” existed solely to provide Julia Roberts with a career comeback, “The Proposal” aimed to prove that Sandra Bullock still has what it takes to headline a romantic comedy. In that regard, it succeeded admirably.
Interviews: Winners at the 2009 Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 19, 2009 - 10:16pmCHICAGO – “Mississippi Damned,” the feature film winner of the Gold Hugo, the top prize at the Chicago International Film Festival, was a labor of passion for producer Morgan R. Stiff and director/writer Tina Mabry.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: One ‘Brütal Legend’ PlayStation 3 Video Game With Jack Black
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on October 18, 2009 - 10:06pmCHICAGO – In our latest extra-special edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Video Games, we have one PlayStation 3 video game up for grabs to the new video game “Brutal Legend” with Jack Black! This video game retails for $60!
Interview: Director Brian Caunter of ‘Chicago Overcoat’ at the Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 18, 2009 - 6:25pmCHICAGO – Last Saturday at the Chicago International Film Festival was a very important debut for the new film “Chicago Overcoat,” directed by newcomer Brian Caunter. The hometown audience gave big thumbs up to the gritty mobster film.
‘Mississippi Damned,’ ‘Vincere’ Big Winners at 45th Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by BrianTT on October 18, 2009 - 2:40pmCHICAGO – The winners for films in competition at the 45th Chicago International Film Festival were announced in a ceremony on Saturday night at the famed Pump Room at the Ambassador East Hotel. Michael Kutza, Founder and Artistic Director of the Chicago International Film Festival, Mimi Plauche, Head of Programming, and Jesse Berkowitz, Documentary and Short Film Programmer, proudly announced the winners.
TV Review: ‘The Simpsons’ Scares Up Few Laughs With ‘Treehouse of Horror’
Submitted by BrianTT on October 18, 2009 - 2:11pmCHICAGO – Even the most diehard fans of “The Simpsons,” a group of which I would proudly call myself a member, would admit that the last few seasons of the show have been disappointing at best and, at times, downright bad (especially the current season we’re in, which has produced fewer laughs than anything on FOX Sunday nights).
TV Review: BBC America’s ‘Occupation’ Features Great Performances
Submitted by BrianTT on October 18, 2009 - 12:32pmCHICAGO – The American perspective on the war in Iraq has been well-documented in feature films and TV movies, but I was intrigued at the idea of seeing a British film about the Middle East, especially one with great actors like James Nesbitt and Stephen Graham.