CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Robert Pattinson Anchors the Forgettable ‘Remember Me’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 12, 2010 - 9:47am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The hottest actor of the moment, smoldering Robert Pattinson, gets the opportunity to ditch the “Twilight” fangs and sink his teeth into a drama about New York City and the splintering factions of family in “Remember Me.”
Don Cheadle, Wesley Snipes, Richard Gere Are ‘Brooklyn’s Finest’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 5, 2010 - 10:02am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The “thin blue line,” that imaginary border that separates society between order and chaos, is experienced on a daily basis by the police “force.” The human beings knighted with this responsibility are “Brooklyn’s Finest.”
Go Ask ‘Alice in Wonderland’ With Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 5, 2010 - 8:23am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s like living in a dream. Director Tim Burton’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” uses 3-D magic for a timeless classic and creates gratitude for this current era of technology and creativity.
‘The Crazies’ Defies Rule That Horror Remakes Never Work
Submitted by BrianTT on February 26, 2010 - 4:28pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Horror remakes are almost never a good idea but there seems to be something about George A. Romero’s work that defies that expectation. Zack Snyder delivered with his version of “Dawn of the Dead” and now Breck Eisner has shocked genre fans with his effective take on the low budget classic “The Crazies”.
Take Trip to Riveting ‘Shutter Island’ With Leonardo DiCaprio
Submitted by BrianTT on February 19, 2010 - 2:46pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Shutter Island” is a riveting trip through a cinematic funhouse led by one of the best filmmakers of all time in Martin Scorsese, who fully employs the copious skills of his most talented collaborators including star Leonardo DiCaprio. It is a technical masterpiece that gets under your skin and stays there for days.
‘The Wolfman’ With Benicio Del Toro Misses By a Hair
Submitted by BrianTT on February 14, 2010 - 2:02pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Joe Johnston’s “The Wolfman” nearly works. The Benicio Del Toro vehicle has a strong supporting cast, a few striking visual compositions, and at least one must-see sequence, but it misses the mark as a complete film, never quite as compelling or entertaining as it could or should have been.
‘Percy Jackson & the Olympians:The Lightning Thief’ Conjures Up a Big Bolt of Bland
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 12, 2010 - 10:00amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Oh, those nutty kids today. At one moment they’re regular high schoolers, doing all those post millennium teen rituals, then suddenly they’re demigods in “Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.”
Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried Can’t Quite Deliver ‘Dear John’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 5, 2010 - 9:26am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Love stories are as common at the movies as popcorn and sticky floors. Despite this, rising stars Channing Tatum and Amanda Seyfried add their own spin to the timeworn plot theme in “Dear John.”
Original, Stylish ‘Daybreakers’ With Ethan Hawke, Willem Dafoe
Submitted by BrianTT on January 8, 2010 - 4:12pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the early part of the last decade, Michael and Peter Spierig (The Spierig Brothers) debuted with the unique zombie cult hit “Undead” and horror nuts waited to see what they’d do next. It took way too long but the brothers are back with the stylish, original “Daybreakers,” a vampire film that injects new life into an often-dead genre.
Heath Ledger Still Lives in ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 8, 2010 - 9:00amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Bogart, James Dean and Heath Ledger are not dead, they’re just stuck in the Netflix queue. And Ledger, with a little help from some friends, gets one more theatrical release in “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.”
Robert Downey Jr.’s Low-Tech ‘Sherlock Holmes’ Packs Powerful Punch
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 27, 2009 - 10:18pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Instead of relying of high-tech gadgetry and big-budget Hollywood CGI, Guy Ritchie’s gritty “Sherlock Holmes” does what major films often don’t: delivers big-payoff action sequences merely utilizing the body and mind.
Colin Firth Plays a Wistful Game of Solitaire in ‘A Single Man’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 26, 2009 - 9:13am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There is a certain madness in the shock of grieving over a loved one who has passed that manifests itself in particular ways. Colin Firth interprets those emotions intuitively in the captivating “A Single Man.”
Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin Shine in ‘It’s Complicated’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2009 - 8:26amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Referring to her new film, “It’s Complicated,” Meryl Steep recently said, “It’s incredible, I’m playing the romantic lead in romantic comedies. Bette Davis is rolling over in her grave.” Tell Kate Hepburn the news.
