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+.
Walt Disney Studios
Discover the 2017 Oscar Short Film Nominees
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 14, 2017 - 11:58am- 2017
- Academy Awards
- Animation
- Blind Vaysha
- Borrowed Time
- Danish
- Ennemis Intérieurs
- French
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Las Femme et le TGV
- Live Action
- Magnolia Pictures
- Movie Review
- Oscar
- Patrick McDonald
- Pear Cider and Cigarettes
- Pearl
- Piper
- Short Films
- Shorts HD
- Silent Nights
- Sing
- Timecode
- Walt Disney Studios
Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the more overlooked set of nominees at Academy Awards time is two categories for Best Short Film – Live Action and Animated. The 2017 nominees are packaged as two presentations that are currently screening in Chicago at the Landmark Century Centre Cinema.
Strong Cast Turns on ‘The Light Between Oceans’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 2, 2016 - 1:27pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – In the early 1970s, “Love Story” was all the rage, with its catchphrase “Love means never having to say you’re sorry.” Just as sudsy, and with its own catchphrase, is “The Light Between the Oceans.” The film, set in the early 20th Century, salvages a by-the-numbers tale with fine performances.
Sweetness & Light is the Character of ‘The BFG’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 1, 2016 - 11:07amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One observation…when ‘The BFG” was written in 1982 by iconic children’s author Roald Dahl, little did he know that acronyms would become the way we talk. When I first saw that title, I wondered what that “F” stood for. It’s “Friendly,” by the way, which is perfect for this film.
‘Finding Dory’ Essentially Finds Its Sweet Spot
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 16, 2016 - 3:06pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Pixar’s sequel to its underwater animated tearjerker “Finding Nemo” isn’t quite in the same league, but “Finding Dory” is satisfying all the same. This time the story focuses on Marlin and Nemo’s forgetful friend Dory, as she searches for the family she can’t quite remember.
‘The Jungle Book’ is a Technical Marvel Missing Some Magic
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 15, 2016 - 7:57amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – While Disney Studios’ new live action version of “The Jungle Book” is an improvement over the 1967 animated version, it’s more of a technical marvel than magical fable. And it’s unable to completely transcend the earlier version’s limitations.
Shining Restoration of Jean Cocteau’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2016 - 9:46pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – One of the legendary films in cinema history is Jean Cocteau’s “La Belle et La Bete,” also known to generations as “Beauty and the Beast.” The restored re-release is touring the country, and in Chicago it’s currently at the Gene Siskel Film Center, and Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com will lead a discussion of the film there on Monday, April 11, 2016.
‘Inside Out’ is a Loving Masterwork of Pixar Animation
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 18, 2015 - 2:05pmRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – It starts with the imagination, and the story that comes from that lightning inner creativity. Nobody, it seems, does it better than Pixar Animation, and they are taking it all to a new level. For your consideration, and in a perfect world a candidate for Best Picture, “Inside Out.”
Awe Factor is Sorely Lacking in ‘Tomorrowland’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 21, 2015 - 8:31pmRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – For a movie all about the awesome power of inspiration, innovation and wonder, “Tomorrowland” has precious little of its own. “Tomorrowland” the title promises a kind of retro futuristic world where anything is possible, but “Tomorrowland” the movie rarely delivers anything approximating joy.
‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ More Exhausting Than Exhilarating
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 1, 2015 - 1:14amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “The Avengers: Age Of Ultron” is another overstuffed, action packed CGI addled slugfest from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. but the effects are exhausting instead of exhilarating. What has set the Avengers apart is the great interplay between the characters – and when the movie stops to take a breath, those relationships shine through.
Rousing ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ Hits Modern Society’s Central Nervous System
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 30, 2015 - 11:14pm- Aaron Taylor-Johnson
- Adam Fendelman
- Anthony Mackie
- Avengers: Age of Ultron
- Chris Evans
- Chris Hemsworth
- Cobie Smulders
- Don Cheadle
- Elizabeth Olsen
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Jack Kirby
- James Spader
- Jeremy Renner
- Joss Whedon
- Mark Ruffalo
- Marvel Studios
- Movie Review
- Paul Bettany
- Robert Downey Jr.
- Samuel L. Jackson
- Scarlett Johansson
- Stan Lee
- The Avengers
- Walt Disney Studios
Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Look. We all know sequels usually suck. And blockbuster films often get panned for overprioritizing special effects at the expense of a well-written story and character development. Even when a story in a big-budget film is redeeming, it’s practically impossible not to shoot holes through it.