CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.
Alfonso Cuaron
Film News: ‘Green Book,’ Olivia Colman Shock at 91st Oscars
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 25, 2019 - 8:11amCHICAGO – After all the controversies that beset the 91st Academy Awards, the actual event continued to surprise, with the stunning upset of Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) as the Best Actress honoree – besting heavily favored Glenn Close – to the naming of “Green Book” as Best Picture, which overcame a backlash regarding the liberties of its based-on-truth story.
Oscar Week: Interview with Nominees Yalitza Aparicio & Marina de Tavira of ‘Roma’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 19, 2019 - 10:35amCHICAGO – One of the more pleasant surprises of the 2018 film year was the rise of the connectively expressive film “Roma,” written and directed by Alfonso Cuarón. Not only is it nominated for Best Picture, Best Foreign Language Film and Best Director at the 91st Academy Awards, but the two lead actresses – Yalitza Aparicio and Maria de Tavira – are nominated for Best Actress and Supporting Actress. Jon Lennon Espino, contributor at HollywoodChicago.com, interviewed both actresses last October at the 54th Chicago International Film Festival.
Film News: Chicago Film Critics Best Film of 2018 is ‘Roma’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 10, 2018 - 6:26am- Actor
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CHICAGO – The personal, emotional essence of Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” – a memory film set in the Mexico City neighborhood in the early 1970s – took home the Best Picture honor at the 2018 Chicago Film Critics Association annual dinner. “Roma” also was honored as Best Foreign Film, Director, Cinematography and Editing.
Film Review: ‘Roma’ is a Celebration of Human Courage & Spirit
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 6, 2018 - 12:46pmCHICAGO – In one of the most arresting and beautiful films of the year, writer/director Alfonso Cuarón transports us back to 1970s Mexico City, to his childhood and his appreciation of memory. He also creates a human story around all the nostalgia, that all takes place in the neighborhood of “Roma.”
Photo, Interviews: Red Carpet for ‘Roma’ at the 54th Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 19, 2018 - 12:08pmCHICAGO – One of the buzz films at the 54th Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) is “Roma,” the latest from Academy Award winning director Alfonso Cuarón (“Gravity”). This personal and autobiographical film is winning kudos for its beauty and authenticity, as well as its setting in 1970s Mexico City. The film features Mexican actors Marina de Tavira and Yalitza Aparicio.
Film News: ‘12 Years a Slave’ is Best Picture at 2014 Oscars
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 3, 2014 - 1:41amCHICAGO – Hollywood celebrated its big night at the 86th Academy Awards, and the biggest news was the selfie photo that apparently broke Twitter. The stark film “12 Years a Slave” won Best Picture, and Ellen DeGeneres took the celebrity group selfie that immediately was Tweeted around the world, overloading the popular website.
Blu-ray Review: ‘Gravity’ is Elegant, Nail Biting at the Same Time
Submitted by DaveHC on February 26, 2014 - 5:10pmCHICAGO – Some films fundamentally change what you expect from cinema. “Star Wars” (1977), “Jurassic Park” (1996), “Avatar” (2007) all pushed those boundaries. In my first of a whopping eight theatrical viewings of “Jurassic Park” for instance I never once felt the illusion of watching real dinosaurs was interrupted by suddenly realizing how ‘they did it’ I was simply watching real dinosaurs.
Film Review: ‘Gravity’ is a Visionary Expansion on Our Humanity
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 5, 2013 - 6:27pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Space looks like a vast, dark ocean in the new film “Gravity,” with the sparkling blue orb of our planet Earth beckoning the voyagers on that ocean homeward. Co-writer/director Alfonso Cuarón fashions a metaphoric dreamscape that places the small molecules of human beings within the vast expanse, fighting to understand the value of their place in that sea of cosmos.
Film Review: Alfonso Cuaron’s ‘Gravity’ Rekindles Wonder of Cinema
Submitted by BrianTT on October 3, 2013 - 10:36amCHICAGO – There used to be a stronger sense that films could take us someplace new. From the days of audience members screaming at the train coming at the camera because they didn’t understand that they wouldn’t be run over to Dorothy’s trip to Oz to young Skywalker’s family problems, movies captured a sense of wonder that’s been lost in an era when CGI is in KFC commercials and it feels like Hollywood has run out of new places to take us.
Blu-Ray Review: Ultimate Editions of Third, Fourth ‘Harry Potter’ Films
Submitted by BrianTT on October 28, 2010 - 11:54amCHICAGO – Hardcore “Harry Potter” fans will have to clear some shelf space this holiday season for the gigantic “Ultimate Edition” releases of “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” and “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.” Timed to coincide with the upcoming release of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” in November, Warner Bros. has released the third and fourth film in their money-machine, complete with collectibles and new special features that could feel like overkill for most but will make for a happy holiday season for the Potter nut in your clan of Muggles.