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+.
Sony Pictures Classics
‘The Armstrong Lie’ Relies Mostly on Overkill
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 15, 2013 - 7:03pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Lance Armstrong lied, we get it. He was busted in that lie, and he went to the nations confession facilitator – Oprah – and looked appropriately concerned when he did confess that he was dishonest. Alex Gibney’s further indictment, “The Armstrong Lie,” has the feeling of piling it on.
Daniel Radcliffe Finds a Beat in ‘Kill Your Darlings’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 1, 2013 - 4:15pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The movies has been berry berry good to 1950s Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsburg. For the sixth time since 2009, his persona is actualized on celluloid – this time by Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe – in the coming-of-age part of the poet’s story, “Kill Your Darlings.”
‘The Patience Stone’ Reveals Eternal Truths
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 6, 2013 - 10:36am Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Despite any manmade restrictions through governments, religion, commerce or trumped-up morality, the truth has a way of mightily conquering all. “The Patience Stone” is a perfect example of that luxurious truth, and it is an important contemporary fairy tale.
Jane Rolls Over Again for Wretched ‘Austenland’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 23, 2013 - 4:41pm Rating: 1.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the most incorrect assumptions in literature iconography is the focus on Jane Austen as a purely romantic writer – skipping the depth of character, humor and cynicism in her work, for the sake of mooning over “Mr. Darcy.” The new film “Austenland” continues this trend.
‘Blue Jasmine’ Puts Woody Allen Back on Top
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 2, 2013 - 5:59am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The auteur Woody Allen is one of the most prolific post-studio-system directors, averaging one film a year for close to 40 years. His meditations on life have become part of the culture, and he brilliantly expresses himself once again – with help from Cate Blachett – in the emotional “Blue Jasmine.”
An Insider’s View of Religious Tradition in ‘Fill the Void’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 17, 2013 - 2:09pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The absolution of marriage is difficult enough without having the specter of the “arranged” situation within a religious tradition. A new Israeli film, “Fill the Void,” explores the issues and answers within these arrangements, as the modern world pushes against Orthodox Hasidic Judaism.
More is Preferred in ‘Love is All You Need’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 10, 2013 - 5:48pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Creating the lofty name for this film, “Love is All You Need” – from a translation of its original title, “Den skaldede friser” – is intently ambitious considering its source is a lyric from one of The Beatles most famous songs. The film has its moments, but cannot sustain itself in a stew of high drama and mixed emotions.
Robert Redford Focuses on ‘The Company You Keep’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 13, 2013 - 1:44amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The golden age of the great Robert Redford occurred in the 1970s, when he participated in making passionate political statements with “All the President’s Men,” “The Candidate” and “Three Days of the Condor.” Redford stars in and directs a throwback to those times, the equally passionate yet softer-in-narrative “The Company You Keep.”
Taut, Witty ‘No’ Celebrates Unorthodox Marketing of Freedom
Submitted by mattmovieman on March 8, 2013 - 10:30amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The controversy swirling around Pablo Larraín’s Oscar-nominee “No” is typical of the outrage garnered by many a historical drama. Since the film focuses solely on one crucial segment of the activism that ousted Chilean dictator Pinochet during the 1988 plebiscite, some viewers will complain that not every hero in the tale is represented. Of course, that’s what encyclopedias are for.
Oscar Nominee ‘The Gatekeepers’ is Truth to Power
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 22, 2013 - 5:17pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Normal job justification makes most people defensive. Imagine justifying an anti-terrorist organization. What weapons – besides the physical variety – would be available to you? Fear, jingoism and marginalizing of the “other” are a few of the defensives used by “The Gatekeepers.”
