CHICAGO – Society, or at least certain elements of society, are always looking for scapegoats to hide the sins of themselves and authority. In the so-called “great America” of the 1950s, the scapegoat target was comic books … specifically through a sociological study called “The Seduction of the Innocent.” City Lit Theater Company, in part two of a trilogy on comic culture by Mark Pracht, presents “The Innocence of Seduction … now through October 8th, 2023. For details and tickets, click COMIC BOOK.
Benedict Cumberbatch
Mechanical ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 6, 2022 - 12:40am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” proves that more Doctor Stranges do not necessarily equal more fun. And more so than other comic book adventures, this seems like a cog in the Marvel machine first, and an adventure in its own right a very distant second.
Listen Bub! On-Air Review of ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 17, 2021 - 11:16am 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 December 16th, 2021, reviewing the much anticipated Marvel Studios film, of “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” in theaters on December 17th, 2021.
West is One! On-Air Review of ‘The Power of the Dog’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 20, 2021 - 2:20pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 18th, 2021, reviewing the new film adapted and directed by Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” in select theaters, before streaming on Netflix December 1st.
Prisoner of Politics! On-Air Review of ‘The Mauritanian’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 20, 2021 - 1:32pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 18th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Mauritanian,” in theaters now and available through Video-On-Demand on March 2nd.
He’s a Not-So-Mean-One in Remake of ‘The Grinch’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 9, 2018 - 9:38amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – They should have left well enough alone, didn’t anybody learn anything from the trainwreck of the Jim Carrey live-action-as-The-Grinch? Apparently not. A more kid friendly and modern animated version of “The Grinch” opens six weeks before Christmas, and already I want to return it.
Epic Comic Book Story in ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 27, 2018 - 8:43am- Avengers: Infinity War
- Benedict Cumberbatch
- Black Panther
- Captain America
- Chadwick Boseman
- Chris Evans
- Chris Hemsworth
- Don Cheadle
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Iron Man
- Mark Ruffalo
- Marvel Studios
- Movie Review
- Patrick McDonald
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Scarlett Johansson
- Spider-Man
- Stan Lee
- Tom Holland
- Walt Disney Studios
Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Coming off the multi-textured “Black Panther,” Marvel Studios now turns its assignment towards an Avengers movie, and man, everything is on the table. This overstuffed, somewhat overindulged journey of a tale never loses its flavor, and has surprises around every corner. Anticipate “Avengers: Infinity War.”
‘Doctor Strange’ is Odd Enough to be Enchanting
Submitted by JonHC on November 4, 2016 - 6:34pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We’ve reached a point where comic book films are no longer a scarcity, but an eventuality. With several coming out every year, each one competes for our attention even though the originality behind their approach has the opposite effect. A great cinematic fatigue is almost upon us, but “Doctor Strange” shows a promising deviation that could possibly alter the franchise’s fate.
‘Zoolander 2’ Continues Silly, Surreal Hilarity
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 12, 2016 - 9:42amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Humor is subject to the receiver, of course, and what is funny is as distinct to each individual as a fingerprint. Having said that, I found “Zoolander 2” to be hilarious, as it delivered again what made the first film work – tweaking the self-importance of fashion and celebrity.
Johnny Depp is Ghoulish in Mob Saga ‘Black Mass’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 17, 2015 - 4:51pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Black Mass” is a well crafted, if somewhat conventional crime tale. It won’t win any awards, but it’s entertaining enough. The story of real life Boston crime boss “Whitey” Bulger has no shortage of juicy details, and while the saga of this mob boss slash FBI turncoat falls short of greatness, Johnny Depp turns him into an otherworldly presence.
Elegy for a Different Superhero in ‘Mr. Holmes’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 17, 2015 - 10:51amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Sherlock Holmes is the most famous fictional detective in literary history, and his character adaptation into movies, TV and other media shows no sign of slowing down. But what if Holmes were real, and lived as an old man past World War II? This scenario is explored in “Mr. Holmes.”
