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.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
Freaky Villains is Where ‘Suicide Squad’ Works Best
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 3, 2016 - 5:44pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – DC Entertainment, feeling the heat from Marvel Studios and the tepid response from “Batman v Superman,” comes back stronger with “Suicide Squad,” an overblown yet psychological comic book film about sociopathic villains who somehow have to save the world.
Comedy is Humanity in Magnanimous ‘Don’t Think Twice’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 30, 2016 - 8:01am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Comedian/writer/director Mike Birbiglia is breaking out as a filmmaker, and he adds a deft and emotional touch to a story of an improvisation comedy troupe split apart by change they didn’t expect. That sounds a lot like life, and it’s best to “Don’t Think Twice.”
Matt Damon is Fighting Mad in Tense ‘Jason Bourne’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 30, 2016 - 7:02am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – To come back to a character that everyone thought he had left behind, Matt Damon needed the right creative team. He got it again in co-writer (with Christopher Rouse) and director Paul Greengrass, and together they fashioned a paranoid spy tale in the rat-a-tat “Jason Bourne.”
Strong Cast Makes ‘Bad Moms’ Good for Some Laughs
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 29, 2016 - 8:55am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Bad Moms” is another raunchy women behaving badly comedy that never met a curse word it didn’t like. But I’ll say this for ‘Bad Moms,’ it’s rebellion comes from a relatable place. What parent hasn’t wondered if they were in some way failing their children in some way by failing to live up to our pinterest levels of perfection?
‘Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie’ Too Thin to be Completely Winning
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 24, 2016 - 5:37pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – As far as TV shows that fans wish could be movies, the cult hit “Absolutely Fabulous” was high on the list. The adventures of Patsy and Edina, two middle age Brits with an appetite for self medication, has had a dedicated following since it premiered in 1992. Even though there were six full TV seasons, and various reunions, “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie” has emerged.
Old Hollywood Glamour in Woody Allen’s ‘Café Society’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 23, 2016 - 8:33amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the 1930s, the contrast between the world of Hollywood movie sparkle and the rest of a Depression-era America was as different as peasants and kings. Writer/director Woody Allen captures this dichotomy with an East Coast/West Coast tale of one family in “Café Society.”
‘Star Trek Beyond’ is a Blast of Starship Adventure
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 21, 2016 - 10:04pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the equation of the Star Trek universe, what works best is the emotional connection to the iconic crew. Co-screenwriter Simon Pegg – also portraying Scotty – knew this, and saved the rebooted series from its bloated second film. A magnificent adventure awaits with ‘Star Trek Beyond.’
Realistic, Difficult Lives Are Exposed in ‘Wiener-Dog’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 20, 2016 - 2:39pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO –Director Todd Solondz has made a career out of not shying away from the most uncomfortable negativities of life. From extreme disconnection (“Happiness”) to pedophilia (“Life During Wartime”) to the sad rejection of pre-teen years (“Welcome to the Dollhouse”), Solondz pulls no punches. He achieves that harsh intent yet again in “Wiener-Dog.”
‘Ghostbusters’ Entertains, But Lacks the Paul Feig Edge
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 15, 2016 - 10:18amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO –Throughout the reboot of “Ghostbusters,” it becomes obvious that co-writer/director Paul Feig (“Bridesmaids,” “The Heat”) is just going to do a straight re-do of the 1984 film, because the film lacks his sardonic touch, even though it does entertain and has the requisite big special effects.
‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’ is Hilarious Joy
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2016 - 10:21amRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In these difficult times, we flat out need a belly laugh. The timing of “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” couldn’t be better, because this group of comic actors and this movie provides a respite of hilarious joy. By simply exploiting the truth of the based-on-a-real-story premise, “Mike and Dave” is the type of farce that anybody can relate to, and laugh at gratefully.
‘The Secret Life of Pets’ Neuters Promising Cast
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2016 - 7:31am- Albert Brooks
- Bobby Moynihan
- brian lynch
- chris renaud
- Cinco Paul
- Dana Carvey
- Ellie Kemper
- eric stonestreet
- Hannibal Buress
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Jenny Slate
- Ken Daurio
- Kevin Hart
- Lake Bell
- Louis C.K.
- Movie Review
- Spike Walters
- Steve Coogan
- The Secret Life of Pets
- Universal Pictures
- yarrow cheney
Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A promising voice cast of comedy greats is effectively neutered in the blasé animated family film “The Secret Life Of Pets.” It doesn’t have the multi-layered story of the best Pixar movies – or even the “Despicable Me” films – to satisfy both kids and grownups. The bigger it tries to be, the more exhausted it seems.
Spotty ‘Swiss Army Man’ Has Just Enough Gas
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 2, 2016 - 6:53pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s a simple concept. A man is stuck on an island, and has run out of hope. A dead corpse washes ashore and starts farting. The farts are so frequent that the man rides the corpse like a jet ski. The man is “saved”? Oh yes, and the corpse is portrayed by Daniel “Harry Potter” Radcliffe.
Sweetness & Light is the Character of ‘The BFG’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 1, 2016 - 11:07amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One observation…when ‘The BFG” was written in 1982 by iconic children’s author Roald Dahl, little did he know that acronyms would become the way we talk. When I first saw that title, I wondered what that “F” stood for. It’s “Friendly,” by the way, which is perfect for this film.
