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+.
Nick Allen
Jon Favreau’s Anti-Popcorn Project ‘Chef’ Still Mild
Submitted by NickHC on May 16, 2014 - 6:06pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – By the time of his 2011 box office blitzkrieg otherwise known as “Cowboys & Aliens,” the product that indie director-turned-Hollywood habitue Jon Favreau had been hocking as a “popcorn salesman” had gone stale – to use a showbiz term from Nicholas Ray’s” In A Lonely Place.”
Chaotic Comedy ‘Moms’ Night Out’ Has Wholesome Content, Toxic Attitude
Submitted by NickHC on May 9, 2014 - 1:56pm Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Liberty is a concept expressed only in irony with “Moms’ Night Out,” a female-driven minivan comedy that instructs ultimately to listen to thy husband for it is Biblical, even if thy husband is a child himself. Like sad Mitt Romney and his chocolate milk, this PG-romp is a brief walk on the wild side from the rules that await at the end of the night.
Tom Hardy Drives for His Life in Minimalist Thriller ‘Locke’
Submitted by NickHC on May 1, 2014 - 9:57pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The de facto dazzle of isolated survival movies, regardless of their special effects, comes from pulling off their most impressive practical stunt: envisioning yet deconstructing high stakes drama with alternative spare plot resources, while featuring only a few on-screen characters, if even more than two.
British Import ‘Alan Partridge’ With Steve Coogan is Just Plain Silly
Submitted by NickHC on April 26, 2014 - 4:41pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Before earning Oscar nom validation for his “Philomena” screenplay last year, British comedian Steve Coogan led a separate life as Alan Partridge, a dopey media personality who symbolized the danger of empowering clowns like him with a microphone, whether on a news program, a late night show, or in a radio booth.
Meditative ‘Transcendence’ Also Artificially Intelligent
Submitted by NickHC on April 17, 2014 - 7:53pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The Internet is for real in “Transcendence”, a B-movie with grade-A production quality, loaded with terabyte-size open-ended questions, so long as one can accept it lastly with a scientific mindset. It is a film that perceives technology to be more expansive than a box of wires and computer chips, and actualizes the expanse of the internet as limitless to the realm of spiritual.
Captivating Tale of Primal Manhood in David Gordon Green’s ‘Joe’
Submitted by NickHC on April 12, 2014 - 3:56pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This week in movies about men we have “Joe”, a wild drama about Texas males at their most primal. It is the newest film from director David Gordon Green, and features Nicolas Cage in some of his finest work.
‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’ Pledges Allegiance to Strong Action, Twists
Submitted by NickHC on April 3, 2014 - 9:49pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In record-breaking time, even for Marvel, a comic book character has had their existence (basically) rebooted. The arc may be continued from the previous film, and some of the actors may reappear, but this take on Captain America is bonafide divergent. It’s not the hollow nostalgic relic seen in his debut “Captain America: The First Avenger”, nor is this the goofy time alien/boy scout he was made in to be in the ensemble film “The Avengers”. This version of Captain America, and the world he lives in, is leaner and meaner.
A Sci-Fi Dream is Celebrated in ‘Jodorowsky’s Dune’
Submitted by NickHC on March 29, 2014 - 2:15pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Should Alejandro Jodorowsky have been able to direct his psychedelic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune”, the results would’ve been less of our planet compared to films like “Blade Runner” or “Star Wars”. Prismatic spacecrafts and golden landscapes would have filled Jodorowsky’s mad canvas, as created by stargazing designers like Jean Giraud and H.R. Giger.
Cussing Doesn’t Spell Out Comedy in ‘Bad Words’
Submitted by NickHC on March 22, 2014 - 5:13pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In his directorial debut “Bad Words”, Jason Bateman plays Guy Trilby, a foulmouthed 40 year old man who aggressively competes in local youth spelling bees. The children are confused, and their parents are furious. However, the isolated Guy has no fear, with all of the rule loopholes in his back pocket (specifically that he never graduated eighth grade).
‘Veronica Mars’ Wishes it Was Still on TV
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 14, 2014 - 10:02amRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A TV movie for the silver screen, “Veronica Mars” is a historical film that was Kickstarted into existence by the will of 91,585 backers. Now, it stands like a crossroads in the intersection between TV and film, showing that what may work in TV doesn’t necessarily make for a great film.
