CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.
Gene Siskel Film Center
Realizing Family as Truth! Audio Film Review of ‘Relative’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 8, 2022 - 12:20pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on “Relative,” the latest film from Chicago-based filmmaker Michael Glover Smith. Its theatrical release begins on June 8th (click links) at Music Box Theatre and on June 10th at Gene Siskel Film Center, and will expand from there.
Black Sisters United! Audio Review of ‘Unapologetic’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 19, 2021 - 4:47pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on the new release by Chicago’s Kartemquin Films, “Unapologetic,” premiering at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago on August 20th, 2021.
Frankie and ??? On-Air Review of ‘Annette’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 6, 2021 - 10:03am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on August 5th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Annette.” In theaters on August 6th, 2021, and streaming on Amazon Prime Video beginning August 20th.
The Artist’s Obsession in ‘Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 24, 2018 - 5:54pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The art masters, and the masterpieces they have created, become a background culture in our lives… even if we don’t necessarily know the artist. Paul Gauguin is one of those painters-as-cultural-influencer, and a vital point in his artistic life is told in the film “Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti.”
Zen and the Art of Cinema in ‘24 Frames’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 11, 2018 - 11:10amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The legendary Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (“Certified Copy”) passed away in 2016, but he left one more meditation on cinema and illusion, in the artistic “24 Frames.” Yes, it refers to the number of still photos that make up a second of film, but in this case it is also Kiarostami’s observations of stillness in motion.
‘I Do’ Tackles Weighty Issues with Tender Insight
Submitted by mattmovieman on May 31, 2013 - 6:01am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Nothing bugs a critic more than obstacles strategically placed in the path of otherwise happy characters. Without the conspiratorial manipulations of the plot, these people would have no problem leading perfectly content lives. Instead of emerging organically from the characters themselves, the conflict swoops in like a speeding car fresh off the highway.
Ulrich Seidl’s ‘Paradise’ Trilogy Proves Darkly Transfixing
Submitted by mattmovieman on May 30, 2013 - 9:07am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What is paradise but a mirage unaccustomed to reality? It hovers over us at all times, tantalizing our minds with illusions of perfection, divinity and eternal harmony. Only when one reaches out with desiring hands does it fade into the ether. No one seeks utopia without setting themselves up for certain disappointment.
