CHICAGO – The funny meter of Netflix went off the scale last week, as the animated series “Chicago Party Aunt” made its debut on September 17th. What began as a Twitter account by comic actor Chris Witaske (who also provides his voice talent) has morphed into the cartoon adventures of Aunt Diane Dumbowski, her nephew Daniel, and an array of familiar Chicago-isms and characters.
China
Homage & Reimagining! On-Air Review of ‘Mulan’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 4, 2020 - 11:21am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 3rd, 2020, reviewing the new live action film “Mulan.” This is the Walt Disney Studios adaptation of their own 1998 animated film, originally a March release, now leading off the Fall Season.
An Obsessive Couple’s Journey in ‘Ash is Purest White’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2019 - 10:03am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Obsessive love is a movie story staple, and “Ash is Purest White” puts a Chinese point-of-view on this strange phenomenon. This is a coupling in the background of organized crime and a changing China, and their success and failure is based on the events surrounding them as much as their devotion to each other.
‘The Meg’ is a Proud $150 Million Dollar ‘B’ Movie
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 12, 2018 - 9:27am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – From their golden age from the 1950s to the 1970s, the infamous “B” movies – usually the third feature at the drive-in, or playing in the crumbling old theaters – were targeted to teens. In the modern era, these films are now given $150 million dollar budgets and wide releases. Case in point, the shark movie called “The Meg.”
Odd Times at the Cinema with ‘The Great Wall’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 17, 2017 - 8:17pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Taking a concept higher than the Wall that inspired it, and mostly succeeding, “The Great Wall” gets a nod as one of the oddest stories in a long time. Pre-supposedly based on a “legend,” it brings Matt Damon into ancient China to help battle lizard monsters at the Great Wall. Book it.
‘Samsara’ is a Film That Will Be Whatever You Want
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 7, 2012 - 7:32am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It is revitalizing to take a break from traditional cinema, and the new artistic film “Samsara” is a non-linear quasi-documentary and travelogue that is a parade of images contemplating existence and the beauty around us. Who doesn’t need that tonic of meditation every so often?
Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith Are Kickin’ it in Remake of ‘The Karate Kid’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 11, 2010 - 7:12amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Despite any resistance that must have been felt in remaking the quasi-classic 1984 film “The Karate Kid,” veteran Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith put their best kicking feet forward and spin some new cloth out of the old material. In resetting the location and putting in some surreal modern touches, this remake mostly succeeds.
