CHICAGO – Theatrical satires of the Star Wars Universe are like the number of TV series the universe has wrought … too many to figure out if anything is worthwhile. But “Trade Federation” (subtitled “Or Let’s Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels”), presented by Otherworld Theatre in Wrigleyville Chicago, gets it right on.
Zoe Kazan
Launching a Movement! On-Air Film Review of ‘She Said’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 18, 2022 - 10:38pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 17th, 2022, reviewing “She Said,” about the New York Times breaking the Harvey Weinstein case that launched #MeToo, in theaters on November 18th.
Sandra Bullock Bombs in Bad ‘Our Brand is Crisis’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 30, 2015 - 9:15am- Ann Dowd
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 Rating: 0.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – This misbegotten political satire shows almost as much contempt for its audience as its characters do for the politicians they’re supposed to be helping. This movie thinks it is smartly cynical, but it’s about as smart as a Larry the Cable Guy routine at a Donald Trump rally. Hate is not a big enough word for how I felt about this movie. I loathed, detested, scorned, despised, and abhorred this Hollywood abomination, that is so full of its own smug satisfaction it can’t see how dumb it really is.
An Unnatural Approach to Romance in ‘What If’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 8, 2014 - 6:02pm Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “What If” is a really bad title, but that is the least of the film’s concerns, apparently, as the old can-man-and-women-be-friends canard rears its indecisive but predictable head (snicker). This time it’s interpreted through Harry Potter and Elia Kazan’s granddaughter, if this is to be believed.
Zoe Kazan Illuminates Fascinating Fable of ‘Ruby Sparks’
Submitted by BrianTT on July 24, 2012 - 9:40am Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Jonathan Dayton & Valerie Faris return to the spotlight this week with their first film since the award-winning “Little Miss Sunshine” and they completely defy the sophomore slump, delivering a smart, fascinating, fun gem in the spectacular “Ruby Sparks.” Buoyed by one of the best screenplays of the year courtesy of one of our most interesting young actresses, “Ruby Sparks” is a clever romantic fantasy that works on nearly every level.
‘Meek’s Cutoff’ Turns Physical Journey Into Riveting Spiritual Drama
Submitted by BrianTT on May 13, 2011 - 2:26pm Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Very few films have ever conveyed an impending sense of doom as successfully as Kelly Reichardt’s stunningly accomplished “Meek’s Cutoff,” a journey into the past that has resonance for any era. Which way do you go when you’ve lost the map? Who do you trust when you can’t see beyond the horizon? How does man simply keep moving forward when it’s so unclear where we’re going?
‘Happythankyoumoreplease’ Falls Flat With Unlikable Characters
Submitted by BrianTT on March 11, 2011 - 5:00pm Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Josh Radnor’s “Happythankyoumoreplease” wants to be a new-generation Woody Allen film but misses the mark wildly by presenting characters that aren’t likable in situations that aren’t believable. None of the relationships that drive this awkward dramedy ring true and only a few supporting performances make the effort worthwhile as they highlight the weaknesses at the core of the manipulative script.
Great Performances Wasted in Sterile ‘Revolutionary Road’
Submitted by BrianTT on January 2, 2009 - 10:50am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Frank (Leonardo DiCaprio) and April Wheeler (Kate Winslet) refuse to believe that they’re like everyone else in the 1950’s suburbia of Sam Mendes’ frustrating “Revolutionary Road”. They may go to the same jobs and travel in the same social circles, but, unlike the bored housewives and husbands around them, they haven’t given up on their dreams.
