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.
Tracy Letts
Over Their Heads! On-Air Film Review of ‘Deep Water’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 18, 2022 - 8:12pm Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 17th, reviewing “Deep Water,” featuring Ben Affleck in an adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel, and is streaming on HULU beginning March 18th.
'The Woman in the Window' Offers a Muddled Yet Entertaining View
Submitted by JonHC on May 16, 2021 - 2:18pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – People in waste management have a mantra that seems to have been awkwardly adopted by the film industry: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. In the film industry’s case, ‘reduce’ doesn’t mean to create less waste, but to reduce the amount of money spent taking a chance on original content.
‘The Post’ Illuminates the Skills of Meryl Streep
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 4, 2018 - 10:45am Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For all the films Meryl Streep is privileged to make – which is remarkable considering the industry’s attitude toward older actresses – she has even admitted that the audience may be tired of seeing her. But as publisher Katherine Graham in ‘The Post’, she nails yet another great performance.
Authentic Coming-of-Age in Expressive ‘Lady Bird’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 13, 2017 - 12:30pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In one of the best American films of 2017, Greta Gerwig went behind the camera to write and direct an autobiographical overview of her Senior Year in high school, within a directionless town and family. The result is enlightening truth, told with laugh-out-loud directness and connective empathy. The film is a total winner.
Superb Allegorical Story Told in Essential ‘Christine’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 18, 2016 - 7:25pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In one of the great American films of the year, character actor Rebecca Hall interprets a based-on-truth incident from the 1970s, as she portrays the title character of “Christine.” The film encapsulates the nature of mental health, gender issues and the pursuit of random numbers.
Unexpected Lessons for the Student of ‘Indignation’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 10, 2016 - 8:20am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – America was a very different place in 1951, and there are very few people around to tell us about it. That is why reminders of the more confining social order that existed back then is necessary, and is expressed in the film “Indignation.” This is an adaptation of a recent Philip Roth novel, and he was able to articulate the era.
Realistic, Difficult Lives Are Exposed in ‘Wiener-Dog’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 20, 2016 - 1:39pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO –Director Todd Solondz has made a career out of not shying away from the most uncomfortable negativities of life. From extreme disconnection (“Happiness”) to pedophilia (“Life During Wartime”) to the sad rejection of pre-teen years (“Welcome to the Dollhouse”), Solondz pulls no punches. He achieves that harsh intent yet again in “Wiener-Dog.”
Unoriginal, Unfunny ‘This is Where I Leave You’ a Poor Man’s ‘August: Osage County’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on September 19, 2014 - 7:26pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jason Bateman and an all-star cast got me there. The unfunny copycat story left me regretting it. If you don’t start with a solid plot that’s at least somewhat new, it doesn’t matter how many “A”-listers you throw into an ensemble. They’re just individuals doing the best they can with weak material. But the film’s fatal flaw is it can’t figure out who it is – a comedy, drama or dramedy? – and it didn’t do just one thing well.
Family Secrets, Fine Acting in ‘August: Osage County’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 10, 2014 - 9:02amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – There will be inevitable comparisons to the Pulitzer Prize-winning stage version of “August: Osage County” from the thousands of people who have been touched by the stage play. But in giving the film version a chance, there is the same passion, drama and heat of family dysfunction within it, with a dream cast.
Matthew McConaughey Delivers in Searing ‘Killer Joe’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 2, 2012 - 8:52amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – William Friedkin’s film of Tracy Letts’ “Killer Joe” takes no prisoners. One of the central characters is introduced from the waist down and to say that the film climaxes in violent, sexual oddity would be like saying “The Avengers” features a few superheroes. However, it would be a mistake to allow the controversy or the shock value to become the story of this excellent noir comedy that takes black humor to a new level of darkness.
