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+.
HollywoodChicago.com Movie Reviews
‘Clash of the Titans’ Bores More Often Than Thrills
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2010 - 10:40am Rating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The unjustified remake of the ’80s camp-fest “Clash of the Titans” may have been re-purposed for the trend of 3-D but its performances are still tragically 2-D and its plot practically see-through.
‘Mid-August Lunch’ Pleasant, Tenderly Tasty Trifle
Submitted by BrianTT on April 2, 2010 - 9:57am Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Not much happens in “Mid-August Lunch.” It’s as uneventful and often benign as the title suggests, though that’s not to say it’s dull. Some films are primarily about plot, while others are about behavior, and this quietly observant international crowd-pleaser certainly fits in the latter category.
Nothing is Real With Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies on ‘City Island’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 2, 2010 - 2:51amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – A blue collar worker father who has a secret Marlon Brando obsession (gasp!), a son with an improbable fetish and a daughter who quits college to…strip, this is a normal day-in-the-life in the new film “City Island.”
‘The Most Dangerous Man in America’ Honors a Patriotic Whistleblower
Submitted by BrianTT on March 31, 2010 - 6:20pm Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Is the Iraq war merely a continuation of Vietnam? In both cases, were we led to war under false pretenses, with the assurance that we were preserving democracy? Viewers on both sides of the political spectrum will be arguing about these questions long after this documentary, and the current war itself, is over.
John Cusack, Rob Corddry Ride ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2010 - 12:05pm Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – What man approaching or in middle age wouldn’t love to go back to when they were in their physical, sexual, and alcohol-imbibing prime and not just feel young again but perhaps even correct a few mistakes that led to a disappointing life?
Every Day is Her Day in Director Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mother’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 26, 2010 - 12:32pm Rating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The concept of family is a fascinating subject for notable South Korean director Bong Joon-ho. His monster movie “The Host” celebrated those familial bonds, and now an even closer relationship emerges in “Mother.”
Jude Law, Forest Whitaker Misfire With Awful ‘Repo Men’
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2010 - 3:05pm Rating: 1.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Reminiscent of vastly superior work by David Cronenberg and Paul Verhoeven but with none of the directorial skill apparent in the films of those two talented men, “Repo Men” with Jude Law and Forest Whitaker is a total disaster possibly unmatched in the careers of its talented stars.
‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ Entertains Rather Than Exhilarates
Submitted by BrianTT on March 19, 2010 - 2:13pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Literary mysteries are harder to adapt for the big screen than one might assume. The trick is to make audiences feel like they’re discovering secrets right alongside the characters. We want to share in their exhilaration, their terror, their epiphanies.
Popular ‘Diary of a Wimpy Kid’ Book Comes to Life on the Big Screen
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 19, 2010 - 8:30amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” and main character Greg Heffley, is familiar to a generation of kid book lovers through the line drawings of creator Jeff Kinney. The film version has child actor Zachary Gordon bringing Greg to life.
Kristen Stewart, Dakota Fanning Rock Out 1970s Style in ‘The Runaways’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 19, 2010 - 6:33amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Joan Jett rocks and her 1975 roots are on display in a movie bio about her first band, “The Runaways.” Kristen Stewart portrays Jett and Dakota Fanning takes on the band’s troubled lead singer, Cherie Currie.
‘Red Riding Trilogy’ Simultaneously Captivates, Infuriates
Submitted by BrianTT on March 16, 2010 - 11:36amRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Much ink has been spilled about how HBO is at the forefront of made-for-TV filmmaking in the world, a fact already demonstrated this year by the brilliant biopic “Temple Grandin” and the stellar WWII mini-series, “The Pacific.”
Lack of Clear Vision, Viewpoint Handcuffs ‘The Art of the Steal’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 12, 2010 - 4:42pmRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Remember the golden rule? Those who have the gold makes the rules. An illustration of this point is in the new documentary “The Art of the Steal,” a stark reminder of territorial power regarding a valuable art collection.
Robert Pattinson Anchors the Forgettable ‘Remember Me’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 12, 2010 - 9:47am Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The hottest actor of the moment, smoldering Robert Pattinson, gets the opportunity to ditch the “Twilight” fangs and sink his teeth into a drama about New York City and the splintering factions of family in “Remember Me.”
