Chicago – Here we are again, the end of another year, and it’s time to momentarily look back. Thus opens the 10 Best Films Of 2023, the list that represents one soul interacting with the art of cinema. That soul belongs to Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm.
So begins my list, with such a lofty and third person proclamation. By far, the story of the year is Barbenheimer (the same weekend release of Barbie and Oppenheimer), proving in the digital age that something weird and organic can take hold, and get more people to the theaters, celebrating a true movie event. Kudos to the movie celebrators who did both in one magic day.
I format my 10 Best to reflect the on-air reviews I do weekly on Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm and New on Missourinet.com. Each of the 10 Best will be in the on-air or audio format for your listening pleasure.
So begins my list, with such a lofty and third person proclamation. By far, the story of the year is Barbenheimer (the same weekend release of Barbie and Oppenheimer), proving in the digital age that something weird and organic can take hold, and get more people to the theaters, celebrating a true movie event. Kudos to the movie celebrators who did both in one magic day.
I format my 10 Best to reflect the on-air reviews I do weekly on Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm and New on Missourinet.com. Each of the 10 Best will be in the on-air or audio format for your listening pleasure.
- 12/20/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on Wssr-fm on January 20th, reviewing the new series reboot “Velma,” created by Mindy Kaling and featuring the Scooby-Doo gang. Currently streaming on HBO Max.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Mindy Kaling herself voices Velma, the glasses wearing smart nerd of the Scooby-doo gang, and like Kaling, Velma’s roots lie in India immigrants. The rest of the gang is diverse, with bi-racial Norville Aka Shaggy (Sam Richardson) adopted Asian-American Daphne (Constance Wu) and still-white-male Fred (Glenn Howerton). This is an origin story, and of course there are mysteries to be solved.
Velma
Photo credit: HBO Max
Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviews “Velma” during the Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on Wssr-fm (Star 96.7), Joliet, Illinois, January 20th, 2023 …
“Velma” is currently streaming on HBO Max. Featuring the voices of Mindy Kaling, Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, Jane Lynch and Wanda Sykes.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Mindy Kaling herself voices Velma, the glasses wearing smart nerd of the Scooby-doo gang, and like Kaling, Velma’s roots lie in India immigrants. The rest of the gang is diverse, with bi-racial Norville Aka Shaggy (Sam Richardson) adopted Asian-American Daphne (Constance Wu) and still-white-male Fred (Glenn Howerton). This is an origin story, and of course there are mysteries to be solved.
Velma
Photo credit: HBO Max
Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviews “Velma” during the Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on Wssr-fm (Star 96.7), Joliet, Illinois, January 20th, 2023 …
“Velma” is currently streaming on HBO Max. Featuring the voices of Mindy Kaling, Glenn Howerton, Sam Richardson, Constance Wu, Jane Lynch and Wanda Sykes.
- 1/22/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Lists are very arbitrary, but the exercise in determining a personal 10 Best Films list of any year is a celebration of what I love, and there ain’t nothing wrong with that. The filtering of experiences that form our opinions is a great gift, and the journey I’ve had with film criticism and reporting has been the greatest of my life.
So begins my* list of the 10 Best Films Of 2022, in a reflective time I guess. There were more films seen this year on the big screen since the pandemic era began, with a shout out to Avatar: The Way Of Water, Top Gun: Maverick and the Superhero genre for really bringing movie fans back to the theaters.
*The Über Critic, Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Wbgr-fm & Wssr-fm.
For the second year in a row, I’m formatting this 10 Best to reflect the on-air reviews I do weekly on Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm.
So begins my* list of the 10 Best Films Of 2022, in a reflective time I guess. There were more films seen this year on the big screen since the pandemic era began, with a shout out to Avatar: The Way Of Water, Top Gun: Maverick and the Superhero genre for really bringing movie fans back to the theaters.
*The Über Critic, Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Wbgr-fm & Wssr-fm.
For the second year in a row, I’m formatting this 10 Best to reflect the on-air reviews I do weekly on Wbgr-fm and Wssr-fm.
- 12/30/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on Star 96.7 Wssr-fm reviewing the new Blu-Ray edition of “Back to the Beach,” the 1987 parody of Frankie and Annette beach movies from the 1960s, featuring of course Frankie and Annette.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello portray offbeat fictional versions of themselves, married and stuck in Ohio after Frankie (nicknamed the Big Kahuna) wiped out on a monster wave called the Cowabunga from Down Unda, and left the California Beach to raise rebellious Bobby (Demian Slide) and grown daughter Sandi. When Frankie and Annette go back in California to visit Sandi, the old wave meets the new wave.
Extras: Watch anywhere Digital Movie Code, Special Feature “Filmmaker Focus” spotlighting Director Lyndall Hobbs.
’Back to the Beach’ on Blu-Ray
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviewed “Back to the Beach” during the Eddie Volkman...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello portray offbeat fictional versions of themselves, married and stuck in Ohio after Frankie (nicknamed the Big Kahuna) wiped out on a monster wave called the Cowabunga from Down Unda, and left the California Beach to raise rebellious Bobby (Demian Slide) and grown daughter Sandi. When Frankie and Annette go back in California to visit Sandi, the old wave meets the new wave.
Extras: Watch anywhere Digital Movie Code, Special Feature “Filmmaker Focus” spotlighting Director Lyndall Hobbs.
’Back to the Beach’ on Blu-Ray
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures
Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviewed “Back to the Beach” during the Eddie Volkman...
- 8/22/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Shoe on Wssr-fm on October 16th, 2020, reviewing the new Liam Neeson action movie, ‘Honest Thief, also featuring Robert Patrick of “Terminator 2.”
Rating: 4.0/5.0
They call him the “In and Out Bandit” because meticulous thief Tom Carter (Liam Neeson) has stolen $9 million from small-town banks while managing to keep his identity a secret. But after he falls in love with the lovely Annie (Kate Walsh), Tom decides to make a fresh start by coming clean about his criminal past, only to be double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents (Jai Courtney and Anthony Ramos), under the noses of their superiors (Robert Patrick and Jeffrey Donovan).
“Honest Thief” opens in theaters on October 16th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Robert Patrick, Jai Courtney and Jeffrey Donovan. Written by Steve Alrich and Mark Williams. Directed by Mark Williams.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
They call him the “In and Out Bandit” because meticulous thief Tom Carter (Liam Neeson) has stolen $9 million from small-town banks while managing to keep his identity a secret. But after he falls in love with the lovely Annie (Kate Walsh), Tom decides to make a fresh start by coming clean about his criminal past, only to be double-crossed by two ruthless FBI agents (Jai Courtney and Anthony Ramos), under the noses of their superiors (Robert Patrick and Jeffrey Donovan).
“Honest Thief” opens in theaters on October 16th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Robert Patrick, Jai Courtney and Jeffrey Donovan. Written by Steve Alrich and Mark Williams. Directed by Mark Williams.
- 10/17/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Seemingly ripped from the headlines, by way of “Dr. Strangelove,” the new Netflix TV series “Space Force” debuted on May 29th, 2020. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com reviewed the series during the Eddie Volkman Show on June 5th, 2020.
Television Rating: 3.5/5.0
“Space Force” is a set-in-the-near future “what-if” about the actual U.S. Space Force, recently formed by the Trump administration (alluded to but never really named in the stories). Combining a starchy general named Naird who heads the agency (Steve Carell) with absurdist humor about personalities and bureaucracy, “Space Force” has the type of laughs familiar to fans of “The Office” … and was co-created by that series’ producer Greg Daniels and Carell.
The supporting cast is stellar as well, featuring John Malkovich as Carell’s irritating scientist co-worker, Lisa Kudrow as the general’s wife, Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”) as the agency’s social media director and Jimmy O. Yang...
Television Rating: 3.5/5.0
“Space Force” is a set-in-the-near future “what-if” about the actual U.S. Space Force, recently formed by the Trump administration (alluded to but never really named in the stories). Combining a starchy general named Naird who heads the agency (Steve Carell) with absurdist humor about personalities and bureaucracy, “Space Force” has the type of laughs familiar to fans of “The Office” … and was co-created by that series’ producer Greg Daniels and Carell.
The supporting cast is stellar as well, featuring John Malkovich as Carell’s irritating scientist co-worker, Lisa Kudrow as the general’s wife, Ben Schwartz (“Parks and Recreation”) as the agency’s social media director and Jimmy O. Yang...
- 6/6/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – It was inevitable that the iconic cartoon character Scooby Doo would get the modern animation treatment, and the new film “Scoob!” opens May 15th, 2020 on VOD platforms. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, reviewed the film during the Eddie Volkman Show.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
“Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” was a Saturday Morning Cartoon in the era of three network television, and premiered in 1969. Since then, it’s become a major franchise for the Hanna Barbera animation house, and has had more variations than the Marvel universe. “Scoobs!” Is a revival of the main characters, the dog named Scooby Doo (voice of Frank Welker) and his gang of mystery solvers … including Fred (Zac Efron), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried), Velma (Gina Rodriguez) and Scoob’s best friend Shaggy (Will Forte).
“Scoobs!” Is a space adventure, most likely to create a setting for its modern animation, and contains many mind blowing scenes. Also this story...
Rating: 3.5/5.0
“Scooby Doo, Where Are You?” was a Saturday Morning Cartoon in the era of three network television, and premiered in 1969. Since then, it’s become a major franchise for the Hanna Barbera animation house, and has had more variations than the Marvel universe. “Scoobs!” Is a revival of the main characters, the dog named Scooby Doo (voice of Frank Welker) and his gang of mystery solvers … including Fred (Zac Efron), Daphne (Amanda Seyfried), Velma (Gina Rodriguez) and Scoob’s best friend Shaggy (Will Forte).
“Scoobs!” Is a space adventure, most likely to create a setting for its modern animation, and contains many mind blowing scenes. Also this story...
- 5/16/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, who appears each Friday at 4:35pm on Star 96.7 FM during the Eddie Volkman Show, will participant further with Eddie on a April 26th Streaming Movie Special with the theme of “Comfort Films” to watch during the pandemic quarantine.
The Special will be on the Star 96.7 website and other platforms – the Star 96.7 Facebook and YouTube pages – Live at 6pm Cst for about 30-40 minutes and will have the option of on-screen audience participation.
Audience members can join Patrick and Eddie on the show by clicking here during the showtime.
The “watch only” option is available by clicking here.
Screen Near You: Eddie Volkman and Patrick McDonald with Audience Participation
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
Eddie Volkman is an iconic Chicagoland radio voice, influencing the area for over 30 years. He is the son of TV weatherman Harry Volkman, who himself influenced the art...
The Special will be on the Star 96.7 website and other platforms – the Star 96.7 Facebook and YouTube pages – Live at 6pm Cst for about 30-40 minutes and will have the option of on-screen audience participation.
Audience members can join Patrick and Eddie on the show by clicking here during the showtime.
The “watch only” option is available by clicking here.
Screen Near You: Eddie Volkman and Patrick McDonald with Audience Participation
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com
Eddie Volkman is an iconic Chicagoland radio voice, influencing the area for over 30 years. He is the son of TV weatherman Harry Volkman, who himself influenced the art...
- 4/24/2020
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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