CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the streaming series “Emily in Paris” the adventures of Emily Cooper and her fanciful/fashionable Paris friends and lovers, now in its fourth season. Episodes 1-5 currently on Netflix.
Mahershala Ali
The James Cameron Touch Creates ‘Alita: Battle Angel’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 14, 2019 - 11:15am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The creation of new worlds has always been a mainstay of the cinema, virtually since it was invented. And whether you love or are indifferent to the films of James Cameron (“Titanic”), he remains one of the prime movers in advancing the creative tools of films. His influence is all over “Alita: Battle Angel.”
Multi-Dimensional ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 15, 2018 - 6:53am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This animated take on Spider-Man gets a little stuck in a web entirely of its own making. Digging deeper into the weeds of the extended mythology of the comics, “Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse” presents not one but at least seven different versions of the character.
The Friendship Page of Black & White in ‘Green Book’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 19, 2018 - 9:10am![]() Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the original sin of racism in America, structured in the societal relationship between whites and African Americans, there had to be small steps before there were larger ones. In 1962, a black piano virtuoso and his white Italian New Yorker driver toured through the Deep South and developed a friendship, in the new film “Green Book.”
Brainiac Fulfillment is the Key to ‘Hidden Figures’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 25, 2016 - 10:00am![]() Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In America, there is the history we have, and the history that we want to have happened. “Hidden Figures” falls into the second category, but it’s presented in such a way that it fulfills the goal – tell an amazing story about a group of African American women who helped launch men into space.
Redemptive & Emotional Journey Dances in ‘Moonlight’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 29, 2016 - 1:10pm![]() Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – We are all victims of our own circumstances. How we interact with this circumstance, given our DNA, social nurturing, family and relationship ties are thrown in the air like organic confetti, landing here and there, and often in smaller and smaller pieces. “Moonlight” is a film full of this absolution.
Social History is Revitalized in ‘Free State of Jones’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2016 - 12:57pm![]() Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The United States is still fighting the Civil War, which ended in 1865. The rebellious South has never completely given away its anger and sorrow for the changes the war has wrought on them. These larger themes are examined historically in the new film, “Free State of Jones.”
Grim Conclusion for ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 20, 2015 - 8:41pm- Donald Sutherland
- Elizabeth Banks
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Jeffrey Wright
- Jena Malone
- Jennifer Lawrence
- Josh Hutchinson
- Julianne Moore
- Liam Hemsworth
- Lionsgate
- Mahershala Ali
- Movie Review
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman
- Sam Claflin
- Spike Walters
- Stanley Tucci
- The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2
- Willow Shields
- Woody Harrelson
![]() Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This has to be what the filmmakers intended when they split the final book of the “Hunger Games” series into two films. While “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1” was all set up, Part 2 doesn’t just lead up to a huge climax.
Crime, Fatherhood Intersect in ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 5, 2013 - 8:21am![]() Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Derek Cianfrance’s masterful “The Place Beyond the Pines” is a complex, epic piece of storytelling about the ripple effect of crime through families and across generations. Drastic action does not exist in a vacuum. It influences generations below and those impacted by their parent’s decisions.
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