CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
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 - 5:37pm Rating: 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 - 10:21am Rating: 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.
Beauty Becomes Beastly in Uneven ‘The Neon Demon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 26, 2016 - 7:49pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Neon Demon” is definitely worth seeing, if only to create an understanding as to what you think beauty is, but the film suffers in its last quarter by taking a turn towards horror. This mix of decisions by director Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”) is audacious and maddening.
Social History is Revitalized in ‘Free State of Jones’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2016 - 12:57pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The United States is still fighting the Civil War, which ended in 1865. The rebellious South has never completely given away its anger and sorrow for the changes the war has wrought on them. These larger themes are examined historically in the new film, “Free State of Jones.”
