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.!—break—>
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Despite Daring Genre, ‘3:10 to Yuma’ Packs Powerhouse Acting With Fragmentary Story
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 11, 2007 - 3:20pmCHICAGO – Had you asked me to tag “3:10 to Yuma” before I screened it, you’d think me a bumbling idiot because I had absolutely no clue what to expect.
Slapstick in ‘The Brothers Solomon’ Dumber Than ‘Dumb & Dumber’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 7, 2007 - 6:28pmCHICAGO – With 2007 films like “Knocked Up” and “Superbad,” the smart and embarrassingly truthful geek comedies are the current wave of humor in America.
‘Shoot ‘Em Up’ a Raucous, Viscerally Stimulating Experience
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 7, 2007 - 1:05pmCHICAGO – For a raucously good time, “Shoot ‘Em Up” is a visceral experience you won’t soon forget. Under the guise of a hardcore action gun flick, this film surprisingly has baby undertones.
Instead of Seeing ‘Death Sentence,’ I Would Have Welcomed a Death Sentence
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 31, 2007 - 8:41pmCHICAGO – When an everyday man goes seeking family justice, action-thriller “Death Sentence” teaches us this valuable lesson: Don’t hire Kevin Bacon for a role you wrote for Charles Bronson.
Motley Crew in ‘Ladrón Que Roba a Ladrón’ Pay Spanish Homage to ‘Ocean’s Eleven’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 31, 2007 - 6:31pmCHICAGO – There’s a Latin American proverb that goes like so: “A thief who steals from a thief will receive 100 years of forgiveness.”
‘Balls of Fury’: Thank You; Try Again
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 31, 2007 - 10:31amCHICAGO – Thank you. Try again. When your sell is entirely dependent on being utterly hi-lar-ious, you’d better trigger unruly body spasms.
‘The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters’ is Tour de Force For Arcade Dweebs
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 27, 2007 - 2:54amCHICAGO – There’s nothing more boring than sitting at a bar and watching someone manhandle the joysticks of classic arcade games like Ms. Pac-Man or Donkey Kong.
‘Illegal Tender’ is Yawningly Generic, Must-Miss Movie of Summer
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 24, 2007 - 12:25pmCHICAGO – Though not billed as a comedy, “Illegal Tender” is one of those yawningly generic films that tries too hard to be taken seriously and ends up making you laugh.
Anne Hathaway Steals Show in Slow, Stuffy ‘Becoming Jane’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 3, 2007 - 8:02pmCHICAGO – “Becoming Jane” is slow, stuffy – as it should be in that time period – but beautifully acted and scripted. Anne Hathaway as pre-fame Jane Austen entirely steals the show.
Bourne is Back, Badass in ‘Ultimatum,’ Still Unrealistically Unbreakable
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 1, 2007 - 3:23pm CHICAGO – Matt Damon as Jason Bourne never thinks. He just does.
For ‘Once,’ Carney Casts Musicians – Not Actors – in Masterful Musical
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 27, 2007 - 7:06pmCHICAGO – To purely document the life of a street-singing busker, “Once” director John Carney didn’t engage actors. He married musicians.
‘Shrek the Third’ is Foxy Flirt Between Kid’s Play, Adult Wit
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 18, 2007 - 1:41amCHICAGO – To thwart his fate of being royally screwed (“mommy, what does that mean?”), the ornery ogre who smells like the shallow end of a swamp has unwavering resolve to crown someone else as proxy for his kingdom’s recently croaked king.
‘28 Weeks Later’ is Heart-Palpitating, Seat-Jittering Gore Fest
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on May 15, 2007 - 6:32pmCHICAGO – Having sold so many on a first film that’s watertight in warranting a second, a sequel answers to a much higher authority.