CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
1950s
Wartime Flyboys in Black & White! Audio Film Review of ‘Devotion’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 24, 2022 - 8:59pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Devotion,” a based-on-truth scenario regarding Jesse Brown, a Navy black aviator who broke through barriers during the 1950s Korean War, in theaters on November 23rd.
Lift Every Voice and Sing! On-Air Film Review of ‘Till'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 28, 2022 - 5:05pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Ben Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on October 27th, 2022, reviewing “Till,” a narrative re-telling of the Emmett Till civil rights incident from 1955, in wide release beginning October 28th.
Dynamic Florence Pugh Captivates in ‘Don’t Worry Darling’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 22, 2022 - 4:39amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A sure hand behind the camera and a dynamic performance from Florence Pugh help “Don’t Worry Darling” pull off an extremely difficult balancing act. This isn’t a perfect movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it inspires the kind of impressions and ideas that you will still be talking about a week later.
Tailor Made Noir! On-Air Film Review of ‘The Outfit’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 18, 2022 - 9:06am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 17th, reviewing “The Outfit,” a new crime thriller noir set in Chicago, in theaters on March 18th.
HollywoodChicago.com On-Air Reviews of ‘The High Note,’ ’The Vast of Night’ & Bonus
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 1, 2020 - 10:00am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 29th, 2020, discussing new releases “The High Note” (VOD) and “The Vast of Night” (Amazon Prime) and BONUS review.
‘The Wife’ is Classic Drama & Relevant Social History
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 24, 2018 - 12:54amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the more fascinating questions about civilization is ‘how much talent went unrealized because of time and place of birth?’ The patriarchy – which denied people of color and women for so long – often reduced fellow travelers into subservient roles. For example, there were women who were just known as “The Wife.”
‘Phantom Thread’ is Both Beautiful and Muddled
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 15, 2018 - 9:50pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a certain beauty in human creation, and the fashion industry allows that we can be individual in the sense of our clothing choices. The perfection that those creators attend to is nicely defined in “Phantom Thread,” but as an exploration of their personal life, it is frustrating.
Two Stories Clash in Uneven ‘Rules Don’t Apply’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 24, 2016 - 9:41amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Movie icon Warren Beatty had wanted to make a film about 20th Century billionaire Howard Hughes for close to 40 years. On the heels of Martin Scorsese’s “The Aviator,” Beatty has written, directed and portrays Hughes in “Rules Don’t Apply,” and has created a strange farce about the mogul and a romance tale around him.
Unexpected Lessons for the Student of ‘Indignation’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 10, 2016 - 9:20amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – America was a very different place in 1951, and there are very few people around to tell us about it. That is why reminders of the more confining social order that existed back then is necessary, and is expressed in the film “Indignation.” This is an adaptation of a recent Philip Roth novel, and he was able to articulate the era.
‘Hail, Caesar!’ is Coen Bros. Excellence for Movie Lovers
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 5, 2016 - 11:12am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/directors Joel and Ethan Coen love the movies, and that love is magnificently played out in “Hail, Caesar!” As they riff on religion, geopolitics and 1950s morality, while wonderfully celebrating and spoofing an era in movies that will never be again, the Coens abide and deliver.
