CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
Noomi Rapace
Inner Spirit! Audio Film Review of 'You Won’t Be Alone'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 3, 2022 - 7:42pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on “You Won’t Be Alone,” a UK/Serbia/Australia co-production, and the debut feature film from Goran Stolevski, which opened in theaters on April 1st, including Chicago’s Music Box Theatre.
Black Sheep of the Family! On-Air Review of ‘Lamb’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 8, 2021 - 9:29amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on October 7th, 2021, reviewing the new A24 independent film “Lamb,” in select theaters beginning October 8th.
Animal Psychology Charges Rugged Thug Tale ‘The Drop’
Submitted by NickHC on September 12, 2014 - 10:10am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For a film adapted from “Mystic River” and “Gone Baby Gone” author Dennis Lehane, there are no children in danger in “The Drop,” but there is a pit bull puppy named Rocco. The dog’s involvement in the story, an animal who gets as many closeups this side of a Charles Martin Smith film, invites the uncharacteristically blunt metaphor of how creatures fight for power, or even just the impression of power.
Brian De Palma Returns with Revenge Thriller ‘Passion’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 2, 2013 - 12:51pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Brian De Palma returns to what he does best after a few notable failures in the last decade, producing his best work since 2002’s “Femme Fatale” and arguably returning to form in the surprisingly effective thriller “Passion.” It’s certainly not the home run that fans of “Dressed to Kill” or “Blow Out” still hold out hope for the director to deliver but it’s proof that this very stylish filmmaker hasn’t completely thrown in the towel like some of his ‘70s and ‘80s peers.
Colin Farrell Can’t Let Go in ‘Dead Man Down’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 9, 2013 - 10:24amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Nothing like a high concept crime story to compliment “spring forward.” Colin Farrell plays the revenge card to the nth degree in the unusual and slowly paced “Dead Man Down,” and takes Noomi Rapace (of the Swedish “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) along for the ride.
Fascinating Journey to ‘Prometheus’ Makes For Bumpy Ride
Submitted by BrianTT on June 7, 2012 - 7:39amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ridley Scott’s “Prometheus” rides a wave of expectation, anticipation, hype, and an already-building backlash into theaters this weekend and all I have to say is something that most critics hesitate to do – you need to see this for yourself and make up your own mind. Is it the perfect blend of adult, intellectual science fiction and summer action that I was hoping for at the beginning of the season?
‘The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest’ Underlines Franchise Limitations
Submitted by mattmovieman on October 29, 2010 - 6:12amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Now that the third and final installment of Stieg Larsson’s posthumously published, phenomenally popular book series has been turned into a feature film, the questions emerges: ‘Was it worth it?’ To the worldwide box office and the creatively bankrupt Hollywood, of course it was. But were moviegoers truly satisfied by the experience?
‘The Girl Who Played With Fire’ Snuffs Out Potential
Submitted by BrianTT on July 9, 2010 - 8:31am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Movie trilogies often are judged on the strength of their middle chapters. The “Star Wars” franchise wouldn’t have been continually embraced by new generations if “The Empire Strikes Back” hadn’t deepened the characters to such an extent that they became more than mere Jungian archetypes. If “Empire” jettisoned the franchise’s potential, “Attack of the Clones” brought it in for a crash landing.
‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ Entertains Rather Than Exhilarates
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2010 - 1:13pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Literary mysteries are harder to adapt for the big screen than one might assume. The trick is to make audiences feel like they’re discovering secrets right alongside the characters. We want to share in their exhilaration, their terror, their epiphanies.
