CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Brian Tallerico
‘A Good Day to Die Hard’ Makes For Bad Movie Night
Submitted by BrianTT on February 13, 2013 - 12:09pm Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The franchise has been in steady decline since the original “Die Hard,” quite simply one of the best action films of all time, but that still doesn’t prepare one for the truly horrendous “A Good to Day to Die Hard,” a complete waste of time on every level. Loud, obnoxious, boring, cartoonish, morally reprehensible, and just plain stupid, “A Good Day to Die Hard” is just bad, bad, bad.
Challenging ‘Lore’ Features Captivating Central Performance
Submitted by BrianTT on February 12, 2013 - 5:19pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Lore,” opening this weekend at the Landmark Century and Landmark Renaissance theaters here in Chicago and now playing in New York and Los Angeles, is a very unique coming-of-age film. It features a star-making performance from its lead, a girl who learns the truth about not just the brutality of life but the dark secrets of her family and country.
Rooney Mara, Jude Law Star in Steven Soderbergh’s Thrilling, Stellar ‘Side Effects’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 7, 2013 - 1:25pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Steven Soderbergh has given interviews in which he claims that his latest film, the fantastic “Side Effects,” will be his last. As much as I have my doubts that this is true, it makes more sense after viewing the thriller starring Rooney Mara, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Channing Tatum. It plays like a proof of the auteur theory; like a “Greatest Hits” of Soderbergh’s career.
‘John Dies at the End’ Kills Its Own Creativity
Submitted by BrianTT on February 6, 2013 - 11:21am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – You’re at a party. It’s getting late. Chemicals have been ingested, booze has been imbibed, and conversation has been exhausted. You spot an interesting looking fella in the corner and he says he has a story to tell you. Maybe it’s the rush of something different, but the first half hour of that story is fascinating, filled with potential and creative in so many ways.
Inventive, Complex World of ‘The Institute’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 28, 2013 - 4:35pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “To those dark horses with the spirit to look up and see, a recondite family awaits.” While the Sundance Film Festival goes on all through Park City, a select group of truly independent films is unspooling up on Main Street under the banner of Slamdance. One of the more interesting Slamdance selections this year was the great “The Institute,” a quasi-documentary about an “Alternate Reality Game” that took place in San Francisco from 2008 to 2011.
Michael Haneke’s ‘Amour’ Turns Inevitability of Death Into Art
Submitted by BrianTT on January 11, 2013 - 1:24pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the most shocking developments at yesterday’s Oscar nominations was the widespread inclusion of one of international cinema’s most controversial directors, Michael Haneke (“Caché,” “The White Ribbon”). His newest film, “Amour,” opening in Chicago theaters today, was nominated for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Picture of the Year.
Memorable ‘Sister’ Strikes Emotional Chords
Submitted by BrianTT on January 3, 2013 - 3:16pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – With a delicacy and melancholy reminiscent of the Dardennes brothers, Ursula Meier’s “Sister,” shortlisted for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and opening tomorrow in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre, is a heartbreakingly effective piece of work about a boy forced to be a man by his circumstance.
Shattering Power of True Story of ‘The Impossible’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 21, 2012 - 2:21pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Juan Antonio Bayona’s “The Impossible” captures what its title implies. It transports us to an unimaginable situation, into an absolute nightmare in which air is replaced by rushing water, families are ripped apart, and people’s lives hang in the balance. It is a remarkable achievement in filmmaking, a film that is at times devastating, at times emotional, at times inspirational, and always riveting. It’s one of the best films of 2012.
Judd Apatow’s ‘This is 40’ Clutters Truth with Cliché
Submitted by BrianTT on December 20, 2012 - 2:01pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Judd Apatow’s “This is 40” is a true disappointment, a comedy that purports to say something honest and insightful about approaching middle age in the ‘10s but blurs truth by smothering it in contrivance and cliché. Strong work from Leslie Mann and Albert Brooks rescue the project from complete disaster but the largely-unfunny and almost entirely disingenuous script mark this as the talented Apatow’s most notable misfire.
‘Les Misérables’ Paints Emotion in Widescreen Colors
Submitted by BrianTT on December 19, 2012 - 3:21pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tom Hooper’s “Les Misérables,” the best movie musical in over a decade, is what a musical like this should be – unabashed, unashamed emotion painted in vibrant, broad colors across a massive screen. It is gloriously bereft of the cynicism that has sapped so many stage-to-film adaptations from achieving the heights of their source material and features some of the most striking performances in the history of the genre.
