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.
Spike Walters
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Hints Marvel is Out of Ideas
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2024 - 9:02am![]() Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO –In “Wolverine & Deadpool” we witness the complete and utter exhaustion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This movie is like sitting next to a particularly annoying Twitter/X feed that never stops announcing its own cleverness, but whose quips aren’t nearly as funny as it thinks they are. I may be in the minority, but I’ve always found Deadpool to be a little exhausting.
'Twisters' is the Type of Popcorn Movie it Sets Out to Be
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 18, 2024 - 7:28am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Twisters” is the kind of movie seemingly engineered to be seen on a big screen, accompanied by ear splitting sound that rattles your seat. And in that kind of environment, it’s exactly the kind of big dumb popcorn movie it sets out to be, even if it doesn’t add up to much once it’s all over.
Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Kinds of Kindness’ Distinctly Unsettling
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 28, 2024 - 7:52am![]() Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Distinctive visions are in such short supply in Hollywood these days I suppose we should be grateful when one makes it onto our movie screens. Director Yorgos Lanthimos is nothing if not distinctive, but his films are by no means easy to watch. His latest film “Kinds Of Kindness” consists of three short stories of power and cruelty.
Sophisticated & Thoughtful ‘Inside Out 2’ is Movie Magic
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 14, 2024 - 7:39am![]() Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO –Pixar Studios rediscovers some of its movie magic with the thoughtful and sophisticated “Inside Out 2.” It’s the sequel that doesn’t feel like a retread of what came before but instead is a natural progression of the story we’re already invested in … as early adolescence and puberty arrive to crash the kid party.
‘Bad Boys: Ride or Die’ are Destined on the Road to Nowhere
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 6, 2024 - 9:12am![]() Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO –“Bad Boys: Ride Or Die,” the fourth in this series, is a big budget clunker that’s clearing coasting on fumes. A wheezy Martin Lawrence, and a post-slap Will Smith, are trying to recapture some of their former box office glory by trying to milk their still considerable chemistry for all its worth. The best that can be said is that it’s less of an interminable slog than I thought it would be.
‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ Creates an Energy of Its Own
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 24, 2024 - 6:24am![]() Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It’s no “Fury Road,” but “Furiosa” is a suitably high octane summer blockbuster that delivers the eye popping action that Mad Max fans come for. The film is a prequel to that Oscar winning film, with Anya Taylor-Joy taking over for Charlize Theron as the one armed, shaved headed all around world-class bad ass.
Pride Goeth Before ‘The Fall Guy’ with Ryan Gosling & Emily Blunt
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 4, 2024 - 12:39am![]() Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Fall Guy” is one of those movies where what’s happening on the margins is so much more interesting than the main event. And the promotional campaign for it is far superior to the film itself. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt have the romantic chemistry to fuel a high octane action comedy … but “The Fall Guy” never steps on the gas.
‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’ is Guy Ritchie Forgettable
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 19, 2024 - 11:08pm![]() Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare” wants to be “Inglourious Basterds” in the worst way … but Henry Cavill is no Brad Pitt, and Guy Ritchie is no Quentin Tarantino. It’s a featherweight romp about British rogues killing Nazis that’s arch, witty, and completely forgettable. It goes down easy enough, but seems unlikely to inspire the love and devotion it so clearly craves.
Size Matters in ‘Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 28, 2024 - 2:46pm![]() Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The key to the rapidly expanding Warner Bros. “Mosterverse” of films, now on its fifth installment, is the enduring pleasure of watching giant creatures laying waste to entire cities. Godzilla and Kong are entirely digital creations, but they have all the personality we need in a movie like this.
‘Argylle’ is a Triple Threat … Uninspired, Idiotic and Boring
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 2, 2024 - 10:30am![]() Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Argylle” is a nasty, smelly cinematic hairball coughed up on unsuspecting audiences. It’s a collection of half remembered clichés, atrocious writing, incoherent action, and terrible performances. A flaming dumpster fire of which only the great comic actor Catherine O’Hara emerges largely unscathed.
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