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.
Ron Howard
Muppet Master! On-Air Film Review of ‘Jim Henson Idea Man’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 31, 2024 - 10:05am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Ben Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 30th, reviewing “Jim Henson: Idea Man,” directed by Ron Howard and featuring Frank Oz and The Muppets. Streaming on Disney+ beginning May 31st.
Story is Just a So-So for ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 23, 2018 - 12:51pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Solo: A Star Wars Story” is one intergalactic space adventure that sadly never makes the jump to light speed. The end result Is not awful, it’s not great, it’s just kinda okay… it slavishly attends to the beats hinted at in the original trilogy without offering much in the way of surprises, or freshness.
Good vs. Evil Brightly Entertaining in ‘The Dark Tower’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 4, 2017 - 12:17am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Nobody does good vs. evil archetypes like author Stephen King, and this framework is purposeful in the film adaptation of King’s “The Dark Tower.” The popular book series gets a visual kick through the rendering of director Nikolaj Arcel and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment.
‘Inferno’ Was Damned From The Start
Submitted by JonHC on October 28, 2016 - 11:19am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – You can’t keep a good conspiracy down. Tom Hanks returns to a role we thought had joined the pages of history his character was so eager to uncover. Like the previous films in the franchise, “Inferno” promises to deliver a new problem to solve even though they never attempt to fix any of the cinematic and narrative flaws from its past.
History & Pure Fun in ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 20, 2016 - 9:26amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – They were the greatest show on earth, for what it was worth, but what they also were was one of the most fascinating show business stories in history. Director Ron Howard encapsulates John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr during their initial meteoric rise in the descriptively titled ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years.’
Director Ron Howard Delivers a Meticulous ‘Rush’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 27, 2013 - 1:50pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Defining the glory days of any sport is often centered on personal rivalries. The 1970s – notable for stand-offs like John McEnroe and Björn Borg – had a similarly contentious rivalry between Formula One car racers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, portrayed in Ron Howard’s “Rush.”
Studio Ghibli Gives Fans Sweet ‘From Up on Poppy Hill’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 28, 2013 - 11:33amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The torch is being passed at Studio Ghibli from the great Hayao Miyazaki (“Princess Mononoke,” “Spirited Away”) to his son Goro, who directs this week’s tender “From Up on Poppy Hill,” certainly not one of the best in the Ghibli canon but a well-made, enjoyable melodrama nonetheless. A full awareness that it’s kind of a cheap melodrama (one of the characters even says so) doesn’t change the fact that it is but the young Miyazaki’s visual palette is notably beautiful and the voice work is strong throughout.
Vince Vaughn, Kevin James Seek Trust in Uneven ‘The Dilemma’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 14, 2011 - 9:18amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In many ways, “The Dilemma” is director Ron Howard’s most daring film. Leaving behind the usual brightly lit, good/evil morality tales, Howard weaves a narrative basket filled with infidelity, gambling addiction, blackmail and mistrust. This is Opie on the dark side, with Vince Vaughn and Kevin James along for the journey.
Tom Hanks, Ron Howard Misfire With Ridiculous ‘Angels & Demons’
Submitted by BrianTT on May 15, 2009 - 9:31am Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Ron Howard’s “Angels & Demons,” the sequel to “The Da Vinci Code,” is an absolute mess, a film that tries hard to break free from the dull tone of its predecessor but ends up even more ridiculous, frustrating and generally worthless.
Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Ensemble Save ‘Frost/Nixon’ From Soulless Direction
Submitted by BrianTT on December 12, 2008 - 9:23am Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Peter Morgan’s play “Frost/Nixon” was a searing portrait of two men trying their best to change their image and their future. It was a head-to-head battle between a celebrity interviewer whose reputation was on a steady decline and the man credited with bringing shame to the White House.
