Clik here to view.
Steve Carrell, Tina Fey Go Dutch on the Laughs in ‘Date Night’
Rating: 3.5/5.0CHICAGO– In this schizophrenic film, Steve Carrell and Tina Fey portray a “normal” couple from New Jersey who somehow become Steve Carrell and Tina Fey once they go on-the-town in New...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Megamind’ With Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt Barely Wins Animated Fight
Rating: 3.0/5.0CHICAGO– Being a super-villain is apparently going out of style as “Megamind” follows relatively quickly on the heels of “Despicable Me” and both tell the story of a bad guy realizing...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tina Fey Difficult to Get Into in ‘Admission’
Rating: 2.0/5.0CHICAGO– Tina Fey, love her. Paul Rudd, like his work, he’s a Judd Apatow guy. Wallace Shawn in “The Princess Bride,” exquisite. Lily Tomlin is a comedy legend. All these great and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Muppets Still Know How to Entertain in ‘Muppets Most Wanted’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– There is a comfort, like a favorite drink in a childhood mug, about Jim Henson’s legendary Muppets and their standard of entertainment and humor. It’s brilliant that Walt Disney...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Unoriginal, Unfunny ‘This is Where I Leave You’ a Poor Man’s ‘August: Osage...
Rating: 2.0/5.0CHICAGO– 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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
‘Monkey Kingdom’ is a Disappointing Destination
Rating: 2.5/5.0CHICAGO– Disney has always imported a bit of its cutesy narratives into its nature films. The best ones seem to spring organically from the images on-screen and it becomes easy to forget...
View ArticleClik here to view.
SNL Rightly Touts Its Influence in ‘Live From New York!’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– Love, hate or maintain indifference to it, the TV dinosaur “Saturday Night Live” has and will continue to influence American culture as long as it may reign. To celebrate its...
View ArticleClik here to view.
What is Being There? On-Air Review of ‘Soul’
Rating: 5.0/5.0CHICAGO– Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 24th, 2020, reviewing the new animated film...
View ArticleClik here to view.
In Theaters! Audio Reviews of ‘The Blackening’ &‘Maggie Moore(s)’
Rating: 4.0/5.0CHICAGO– Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film reviews for the new releases “The Blackening,” a tart horror/comedy directed by Tim Story and the mystery comedy/romance...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot Will Go ‘A Haunting in Venice’
Rating: 3.5/5.0CHICAGO– While Kenneth Branagh still isn’t a favorite Hercule Poirot, I was as surprised as anyone to find that this third go around as the Belgian detective was my favorite. As the...
View Article
