CHICAGO – The great and lofty Steppenwolf Theatre of Chicago has brought the current political season right on target with “POTUS: Or Behind Every Great Dumbass are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive,” now extended through December 17th. Click POTUS.
Aubrey Plaza
Soulful Larceny! On-Air Film Review of ‘Emily the Criminal’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 13, 2022 - 9:45am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on August 11th, reviewing “Emily the Criminal,” featuring Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation). The film is in theaters beginning August 12th.
Less Black Magic, More Black Mirror is a Success in 'Child's Play'
Submitted by JonHC on June 23, 2019 - 5:14amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There are some fears in this world that seem irrational to us. Like a fear of clowns or the fear of using an elevator. Horror films are at the core of some of these fears, with the truly great ones creating new things to fear. The “Child’s Play” franchise may have had its roots in psychopathic soul transfers, but the update focuses on the ghost in the machine.
Aubrey Plaza Steers the Unsettling ‘Ingrid Goes West’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 23, 2017 - 5:04pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”) is an actor who always seems to do something memorable in her performances. In “Ingrid Goes West,” she carries an entire movie on her quirky and sometimes disturbing character… that of a bipolar stalker who can’t find balance.
Despite One Premise, Laughs Are Plenty in ‘The Little Hours’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 14, 2017 - 10:01amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It occurred to me in assessing “The Little Hours” that the basic premise is somewhat like “The Beguiled” – a man is taken in, rooster-like, into a henhouse where there are women with “needs.” Except this time, instead of a girl’s boarding school, it is a 14th Century nunnery. Get thee to it, if thou wants to laugheth.
‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’ is Hilarious Joy
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2016 - 9:21am 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.
Studio Ghibli Gives Fans Sweet ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 28, 2013 - 11:33amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The torch is being passed at Studio Ghibli from the great Hayao Miyazaki (“Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away”) to his son Goro, who directs this week’s tender “From Up on Poppy Hill,” certainly not one of the best in the Ghibli canon but a well-made, enjoyable melodrama nonetheless. A full awareness that it’s kind of a cheap melodrama (one of the characters even says so) doesn’t change the fact that it is but the young Miyazaki’s visual palette is notably beautiful and the voice work is strong throughout.
‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ with Aubrey Plaza is Delightful Journey
Submitted by BrianTT on June 15, 2012 - 10:18am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – I love “Safety Not Guaranteed.” It reminds me of films of my youth – the sci-fi/dramedy hits of directors like Robert Zemeckis, Richard Donner, and Steven Spielberg – that gifted viewers with wonderful characters with which we could identify. The set-up may be ridiculous but as long as we feel grounded with the people within it, we’ll go along with anything. This is something that’s been lost over the years and writer Derek Connolly and director Colin Trevorrow have found in their delicate, lovely film.
Ambition, Ingenuity Win Fight of ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 13, 2010 - 3:04pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Working from the graphic novels by Brian Lee O’Malley, Edgar Wright and Michael Cera deliver one of the most unique films of the year in the comeic-book/romance/comedy/video-game/pop-art/action/musical “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” You won’t see anything like this again for a long time. It’s an imperfect film that can get downright frustrating but it displays enough flashes of genius to warrant your time and demand your forgiveness of flaws.
