CHICAGO – It began with a boy and his dream (nightmare?). John LaFlamboy, to be exact, as he took an idea he had in college and made it his life’s work. He owns and operates the HellsGate Haunted House in Lockport (Illinois), which was designed, built and put together by Haunted House experts expressly for the spookiest month of the year. For info on how to purchase tickets, click HellsGate.
France
Leonardo’s Da Vinci Vision! On-Air Review of ‘The Inventor’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 16, 2023 - 8:17am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 14th, 2023, reviewing “The Inventor,” an animated epic on the final days of inventor and artist Leonardo Da Vinci. In theaters on September 15th.
One Stop Fop Shop! On-Air Film Review of ‘Chevalier’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 21, 2023 - 11:14am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on April 20th, reviewing “Chevalier,” which features Kelvin Harrison Jr. as the title character, set in revolutionary France. In theaters on April 21st.
Reunion of Self! On-Air Film Review of ‘Return to Seoul’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 24, 2023 - 2:55pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker in for Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 23rd, 2023, reviewing “Return to Seoul,” a meditation on an adoptee and identity. In select theaters beginning February 24th.
Mother’s Day in Court! Audio Film Review of ‘Saint Omer’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 25, 2023 - 9:42pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Saint Omer,” the French film narrative debut of documentary maker Alice Diop, based on a real trial that she had observed. Currently in select theaters, see local listings.
French Bliss! On-Air Film Review of ‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 15, 2022 - 7:58amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 14th, reviewing “Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris,” the adventures of a British cleaning lady when she decides to wish upon a dream, in theaters on July 15th.
Place in France! On-Air Review of ‘The French Dispatch’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 22, 2021 - 10:59am- Adrien Brody
- Benecio Del Toro
- Bill Murray
- Elisabeth Moss
- Ennui
- France
- Frances McDormand
- Henry Winkler
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- James Baldwin
- Jeffrey Wright
- Monroe
- Movie Review
- New Yorker
- Owen Wilson
- Pat Über TV
- Patrick McDonald
- Scott Thompson
- Searchlight Pictures
- The French Dispatch
- The Morning Mess
- Tilda Swinton
- Timothée Chalamet
- WBGR-FM
- Wes Anderson
- Wisconsin
Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on October 21st, 2021, reviewing the new Wes Anderson film, “The French Dispatch” in theaters beginning October 22nd.
An Obsessive Couple’s Journey in ‘Ash is Purest White’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2019 - 10:03amRating: 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.
‘Transit’ is an Absorbing Thriller with a Perplexing Conclusion
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 17, 2019 - 10:55amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What if a new fascism were to sweep the land, and affects Paris, as it did in World War 2? “Transit” postulates on that very theory and creates a paranoid atmosphere that is stunningly real, but brings that emotion to a conclusion that I believe is redundant, and pretends to be deeper than it is.
‘The Upside’ Works Because of Kevin Hart & Bryan Cranston
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 11, 2019 - 11:48amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In 2011, there was a notable French film called “The Intouchables,” based on the true story of quadriplegic Phillippe Pozzo di Borgo and the relationship with his caregiver. Leave it to the U.S. film industry to get its sticky fingers on the story, and seven years later Bryan Cranston portrays “Phillip” and his caretaker is portrayed by Kevin Hart. Instead of story, this version relies on its lead actors.
Keira Knightley is Ahead of Her Times as ‘Colette’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 28, 2018 - 10:01amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The maturation of Keira Knightley… from ‘Bend it Like Beckham” to “Pride and Prejudice” to the current “Colette,” has had the actor delivering an evolving depth and purpose to her roles. The latest is a fantastic overview of an ahead-of-her-time French novelist, as the rest of society tried to catch up.
