CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
USA
On-Air Film Review: ‘Aftersun’ is in Memory of Dear Old Dad
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 11, 2022 - 9:53pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Ben Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 10th, 2022, reviewing “Aftersun,” a UK/USA co-production about father and daughter relationships, in select theaters now.
Film Review: Ass Kicker of the Wrong Kind is Downfall of ‘The 355’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 7, 2022 - 8:57amCHICAGO – There’s something to be said for a well done ass kicker in January that provides an entertaining distraction from the ice and snow outside. “The 355” is not it, offering a typical quick cutting action thriller that plods along in the most formulaic and least exciting manner possible. There’s nothing in this movie that hasn’t been done to death already.
Via Zoom: Director Sam Pollard Revives the History of 'MLK/FBI'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 14, 2021 - 12:19pm- 1950s
- 1960s
- Alabama
- assassination
- Civil Rights
- Director
- Editor
- FBI
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Interview
- J. Edgar Hoover
- January 15th
- John F. Kennedy
- Lyndon B. Johnson
- Martin Luther King Day
- Martin Luther King Jr.
- MLK/FBI
- Montgomery
- Pat Über TV
- Patrick McDonald
- Sam Pollard
- Selma
- Spike Lee
- Surveillance
- USA
- Wiretap
- Zoom
CHICAGO – Sam Pollard has been a behind-the-scenes film editor/producer for most of his career, best known for his work with Spike Lee. But recently, after sporadic director assignments over the years, he has broken out with two major profile documentaries, one on Sammy Davis Jr. in 2017, and his most recent “MLK/FBI.”
Film Reviews: HollywoodChicago.com On-Air Reviews of ‘7500’ & ‘Da 5 Bloods’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 23, 2020 - 9:59amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on June 11th, 2020, discussing new VOD releases “The King of Staten Island” and “Working Man.” !—break—>
Podtalk: Director Gigi Saul Guerrero Debuts ‘Culture Shock,’ Streaming on Hulu, July 4, 2019
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 2, 2019 - 10:00amCHICAGO – She calls her style of grindhouse and gore films “Tex Mex,” and you won’t find a better femme fatale producing a better debut film in that genre. Director Gigi Saul Guerrero makes her feature film debut with “Culture Shock,” which will premiere for the Hulu streaming service on July 4th, 2019, part of their “Into the Dark” series of horror films through Blumhouse Television.
Podtalk: Director Gigi Saul Guerrero Previews ‘Culture Shock’ at Cinepocalypse Film Fest
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 20, 2019 - 4:14pmCHICAGO – She calls her style of grindhouse and gore films “Tex Mex,” and you won’t find a better femme fatale producing a better debut film in that genre. Director Gigi Saul Guerrero gave Chicago audiences a sneak preview – at the Cinepocalypse Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre – of her debut “Culture Shock,” which will premiere for Hulu on July 4th, 2019, part of their “Into the Dark” series of horror films through Blumhouse Television.
Theater Review: ‘Freeman’ at Chicago’s Physical Theater Festival is Must See Expressive Truth
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 7, 2019 - 10:31amCHICAGO – We are a sick society, consumed with fear. But the greatest art comes out of that fear, and the Strictly Arts Company – visiting from Britain – assesses the sum of our phobias regarding race relations in “Freeman,” now at the Physical Theater Festival in Chicago. There are two more performances of this must-see expression, Friday, June 7th, and Saturday, June 8th, 2019, at Stage 773 in Chicago’s Belmont theater district. Click here for more details and tickets.
Podtalk: Alice Da Cunha, Co-Founder of Chicago’s Physical Theater Festival, May 31-June 9, 2019
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 29, 2019 - 10:17amCHICAGO – The visual artistry of the stage is often due to the picture that is created through the physicality and movement of the actors. This is brought to light in the 6th annual Physical Theater Festival in Chicago, a cornucopia of international imagination generating theater through the physical realm. Co-founders/Artistic Directors Alice Da Cunha and Marc Frost created the fest, which runs from May 31st through June 9th, 2019, Stage 773 in the Belmont Avenue Theater District. All the Festival information – including tickets – can be found by clicking here.
Podtalk: Wendy Mateo of ‘Good Mothers’ at 35th Chicago Latino Film Festival, April 7, 2019
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 5, 2019 - 8:14pmCHICAGO – The 35th Chicago Latino Film Festival (CLFF) continues this week through April 11th, 2019, with a ghostly double feature. The short film “Good Mothers” (USA) is about two sisters building an altar to their mother, which conjures her spirit for 24 hours. Writer/director/Lead Actor Wendy Mateo will represent the film at the screening on April 7th, paired with “My Girlfriend’s Ghost” (Dominican Republic). For more details and tickets, click here.
Film Review: Relatable Togetherness Highlight 2019 Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 17, 2019 - 12:03pm- Academy Awards
- Alison Snowden
- Andrew Chesworth
- Animal Behavior
- Animated
- Bao
- Bobby Pontillas
- Canada
- China. Pixar
- David Fine
- Domee Shi
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Ireland
- Late Afternoon
- Louise Bagnall
- Movie Review
- Nominated
- Nominees
- One Small Step
- Oscar
- Patrick McDonald
- Short Films
- Shorts TV
- Trevor Jimenez
- USA
- Weekends
CHICAGO – The relationships in our lives affect who we are, whether they are momentary or long term. Interestingly, like the Oscar nominated Live Action shorts, the Animated Short Film nominees have that similar connective themes in four of the five stories. Family relationships, son-to-mother, mother-to-daughter, daughter-to-father and parents-to-child, are explored in poignant and expressive ways. The Landmark Century Centre Cinema in Chicago are currently showing all the shorts in one program. Click here for more information.