CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the streaming series “Emily in Paris” the adventures of Emily Cooper and her fanciful/fashionable Paris friends and lovers, now in its fourth season. Episodes 1-5 currently on Netflix.
Armie Hammer
A Heroic Ruth Bader Ginsburg in ‘On the Basis of Sex’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 26, 2018 - 11:48am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Many heroes of America toiled long behind the scenes to break the chains of oppression. For every Susan Anthony or Martin Luther King Jr. there were the activists, legal experts and volunteers who sought the justice denied to them by the archaic patriarchal society. One such hero is Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the film “On the Basis of Sex.”
Pungent & Trippy Satire in ‘Sorry to Bother You’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 9, 2018 - 8:47am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – If the film “Get Out” was a shot across the bow in satirizing black and white skin relationships, then “Sorry to Bother You” is a freaking Tomahawk missile. It’s about the time, the space and the state of the human race, which comes to a crescendo of wild and untamed proportions.
Armie Hammer Sits for Geoffrey Rush in ‘Final Portrait’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 2, 2018 - 9:06am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Paris in the 1960s seems to be a place where anything was possible. “Final Portrait” is an indication of this, as Armie Hammer portrays a Mad Men style American critic (what!) in 1964, who sits for a portrait painting by eccentric artist Alberto Giacometti, portrayed with relish by Geoffrey Rush.
‘Cars 3’ Puts Series Franchise Back on Right Track
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 16, 2017 - 7:41amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Cars movies continue to be the kiddieland of Pixar Animation franchises. Kids adore them, parents tolerate them. Unlike the best of Pixar’s output, the Cars films are lovingly crafted cartoons aimed squarely at kids with far more attention detail than the average fare you’d find scrolling through Netflix. The best that can be said is that “Cars 3” represents a considerable step up from “Cars 2”.
'Free Fire' Knows That Happiness is a Warm Gun
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 26, 2017 - 2:21pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In a film that had a sassy, arbitrary perspective on its own flipped-out story, “Free Fire” sought to out-Quentin Tarantino in freaky funny characters and ammo-splurging gun battles. Director Ben Wheatley (“High-Rise”) took an ensemble cast to rarified heights of insult comedy, revenge dynamics and bullets that hit the bone.
‘Nocturnal Animals’ Takes Two Stories to New Levels
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 19, 2016 - 12:08pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Reality and fantasy have separate rules, and in fantasy there are no rules. This is the philosophy of “Nocturnal Animals,” a wild character study that exists on the reality/fantasy planes. And it has the bonus of the Amy Adams/Isla Fisher mix-up and Jake Gyllenhaal at his Gyllenhaal-iest.
‘The Birth of a Nation’ Depends on its Own Piety
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 7, 2016 - 8:40amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Birth of a Nation” has been making news since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival early this year. Taking place before the American Civil War, this incendiary look at a real slave rebellion in the deep South does pack a punch, but its approach isn’t completely successful.
‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ Just a Big Screen Bore
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 12, 2015 - 2:04pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Director Guy Ritchie’s big screen version of the 1960’s spy show “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” is a colossal waste of time for all involved. The original show was never all that good to begin with, but this film is never able to clear that admittedly low bar, or even replicate any of the TV show’s small pleasures.
‘The Lone Ranger’ Rides Again in Classic Western Style
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 2, 2013 - 8:41amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In trying to revive the Western film genre, Walt Disney Pictures is also reviving the “Pirates of the Caribbean” formula – extreme action, intrigue, flamboyant characters and Johnny Depp. Add a dash of a familiar American legend – “The Lone Ranger” – and it’s summer movie time.
Julia Roberts Reflects on Snow White in ‘Mirror Mirror’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 30, 2012 - 2:32pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Since I know I’m the fairest of them all, I won’t focus on the symbolic impressions of ‘Mirror Mirror.’ This is the Snow White legend based on the original story by the Brothers Grimm, and includes Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer and Nathan Lane in its cast.
