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HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 35 ‘New York, I Love You’ Chicago Passes to New Powerhouse Cast Film

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 19:09:43 -0600

CHICAGO – In our latest romance/drama edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 35 admit-two passes up for grabs to the Chicago screening of the new film “New York, I Love You” from an eclectic group of some of today’s most imaginative filmmakers. This film also features a powerhouse of today’s hottest stars!

“New York, I Love You” stars Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Andy Garcia, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Natalie Portman, Irrfan Khan, Emilie Ohana, Orlando Bloom, Christina Ricci, Maggie Q, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thilrlby, Blake Lively, Drea de Matteo, Julie Christie, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Ugur Yucel, Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta, Jacinda Barrett, Shu Qi, Burt Young, Chris Cooper, Robin Wright Penn, Eva Ammuri, Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.

The film is directed by Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Allen Hughes, Shunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Brett Ratner and Randall Balsmeyer.

To win your free pass to the advance Chicago screening of “New York, I Love You” courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is answer our question below. That’s it! This screening will be held on Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2009 at 7 p.m. in Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the graphic below.

“New York, I Love You” stars a powerhouse cast including Andy Garcia, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, Christina Ricci, Maggie Q, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thilrlby, Julie Christie, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Chris Cooper, Robin Wright Penn and more.
Image credit: Vivendi Entertainment

Here is the “New York, I Love You” plot description:

Directed by an eclectic group of some of today’s most imaginative filmmakers (including Jian Wen, Mira Nair, Shunji Iwai, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Allen Hughes, Shekhar Khapur, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akin, Joshua Marston and Randy Balsmyer), “New York, I Love You,” invites audiences into the intimate lives of New Yorkers as they grapple with, delight in and search for love.

In the Diamond District, an intercultural romantic fantasy transforms the purchase of a precious stone. Meanwhile in Chinatown, a desperate artist pursues a reluctant muse. Within an Upper East Side hotel, a sophisticated guest and a mysterious bellboy journey outside of time.

After an unexpected night in Central Park, a young man’s prom date has a surprising revelation. Traveling toward the Village, two lovers speed by taxi, subway and foot to meet for the first time after what they thought was a one-night stand. In Tribeca, a pickpocket finds the tables turned when he follows an alluring girl.

In Brooklyn, a moment of Coney Island bliss envelops an octogenarian couple. These stories and more are all woven together to form a colorful and lyrical collage not only of the city but of the deep yearning for love and human connections that sustain everyone within it.

Bringing to life the film’s host of unforgettable New York characters is an all-star cast that includes Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Andy Garcia, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Natalie Portman, Irrfan Khan, Emilie Ohana, Orlando Bloom, Christina Ricci, Maggie Q, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thilrlby, Blake Lively, Drea de Matteo, Julie Christie, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Ugur Yucel, Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta, Jacinda Barrett, Shu Qi, Burt Young, Chris Cooper, Robin Wright Penn, Eva Ammuri, Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.

Following on the heels of the acclaimed “Paris, je t’aime,” the project is the second in a series of “cities of love” movies conceived by Emmanuel Benbihy who produced this film with Marina Grasic of “Crash”.

The “New York, I Love You” movie trailer can be watched now below.

To secure your free tickets now, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required. Then, simply add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this question:

What do you strongly love or dislike about New York?

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup is simple: Just submit your comment below and we will award 35 people randomly via e-mail for our “New York, I Love You” Hookup. Winners needs to arrive early as seats are consumed on a first-come, first-served basis. Good luck!

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Hookup: 25 Admit-Two Passes to VIP Chicago Screening of TNT Series ‘Saving Grace’ With Holly Hunter

HollywoodChicago.com — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 20:20:51 -0700

CHICAGO – In a special edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV, we have 25 admit-two passes up for grabs to the exclusive Chicago VIP screening party of the new TNT drama “Saving Grace” starring Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter (“Crash,” “The Firm”) with cast member Kenny Johnson in attendance.

Winners will also be treated to a special advance screening of an all-new episode of “Saving Grace” before it airs. Johnson will be staying after the screening for a Q&A and to sign autographs. Winners will also be treated to complimentary appetizers, beverages and goody bags.

To win your free pass to the “Saving Grace” event in Chicago courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just be one of the first 25 people to submit a comment in this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup. That’s it! This event will be held on Feb. 24, 2009 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. Directions to enter this Hookup and immediately win can be found beneath the “Saving Grace” graphic below.

“Saving Grace” on TNT stars Academy Award-winning actress Holly Hunter.
Image credit: TNT

Here is the “Saving Grace” plot description:

Living life in the fast lane comes naturally to Oklahoma City major crimes detective Grace Hanadarko who – despite being at the top of her field – takes self-destruction to new heights.

After seeing tremendous tragedy in her life both professionally and personally, Grace embraces living life hard and fast. Though it can be fun, she often drinks too much, sleeps with the wrong men and defies authority.

But Grace does have a tender side that she shares with her 22 nieces and nephews. It’s a side of her that most of the world doesn’t get to see. However, it all catches up with her one night when – as she’s driving too fast after too many drinks – she hits a man who is walking along the road.

In an uncharacteristic moment, Grace asks for help and she gets it in the form of an unconventional angel named Earl. Earl warns Grace that she is in trouble and running out of chances, but he’s here to help. The journey for both of them will not be an easy one.

To secure your free pass now to the “Saving Grace” screening party in Chicago, make sure you’re logged into your HollywoodChicago.com account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having an account with a valid e-mail address is required. Then, add a new comment in the form below. In your comment, include an answer to this question:

What or who has saved you?

Like all Hookups here, this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: TV is simple: The first 25 people to comment below win! We will be in touch with the 25 winners via e-mail to distribute your passes. “Saving Grace” with Holly Hunter returns to TNT for a second season will all-new episodes on March 2, 2009 at 9 p.m. CST.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Debut Film ‘Empathy’ From Israeli Filmmaker Adi Refaeli to Screen in Chicago

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:13:46 -0600

CHICAGO – Adi Refaeli, who’s currently touring the U.S. with her short film debut “Empathy,” has taken a circuitous route to the finished project. Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, she spent three years in Toyko to start a family. All the while, she never let go of her interest to pursue filmmaking.

When she returned to Tel Aviv, she completed “Empathy” as a student project. Its power and purpose, though, has caught the attention of film festivals all around the world and has won at the Jerusalem International Film Festival and the Syracuse International Film Festival.

“Empathy” by writer and director Adi Refaeli.
Photo credit: Other Israel Film Festival

“Empathy” has often been described as an Israeli version of the 2006 best-picture Oscar winner “Crash”. Refaeli, though, points out that principal filming for the 37-minute short film ended before “Crash” was released.

It begins with a woman driving down a highway in Israel while speaking of a new love on her mobile phone. After ending the call, the car drives out of frame. There is a squeal of brakes and a scream. The story then morphs into a series of interrelated events told in flashbacks and flash forwards with a timeline technique that allows the consequences to unfold.

There is a fed-up wife leaving a harried husband and their handicapped son. Also, a Russian immigrant has lost his job while his son is being coerced into committing a crime. Even more, an Arab family suffers a grievous accident and the woman driving the car faces a moral dilemma.

All of these divergent people and situations come together and converge on each other. To get through the crisis, they will all need the strength of empathy.

On Thursday from Chicago, we interviewed “Empathy” writer and director Refaeli in anticipation of her appearance and the screenings of the film this weekend in Chicago. She added: “I was inspired to do the story when a similar instance from the film happened to me. I was driving my car with my husband and we were sitting at a red light.

“Before the light turned green, someone started honking their horn behind me. My husband and I started thinking about why the driver behind us would do something like that. Maybe his wife was having a baby or something else. Suddenly, instead of getting angry, I wanted to help him. I felt empathy toward him.”

Despite the low budget of the film, the acting in it is uniformly excellent. They’re all engaged and appropriately expressive in a myriad of different situations. Refaeli added: “While each individual actor had a different story, they all fit. They all wanted to do it. They all gave me their free time and talent for no pay. I was very lucky the way it worked out.”

Most compelling is a breaking-and-entering scene that’s the centerpiece of the film. Both characters (the teenage burglar and the surprised, middle-aged wife) play out a rape/violation scene with a subtlety that’s poignant and shocking at the same time. Rafaeli says she had a more difficult time with the scene than the actors.

“The subject was really hard for me especially as a beginner filmmaker,” she related. “Here the actors were working for free and he had to touch her inappropriately at times. I was so embarrassed to have to tell them this. The actors were professionals, though, and they just said: ‘Say what you want us to do and we’ll do it.’”

The film also emphasizes the melting pot of Israel with the spotlight on the various ethnicities of the region crowded together in the narrative.

“I decided to go with it because – on one hand – there are a lot of stereotypes about the ethnicities (Russians, Arabs, Jews, etc.). On the other hand, I wanted to explore the ‘why’ behind the stereotypes and why they are the way they are,” Rafaeli said.

The strongest message in the film is the commonality of emotions and the hope that – in feeling other people’s pain, sorrow and even joy – we can come together.

“If you feel empathy toward other people, you’ll feel better with yourself,” Rafaeli concluded. “You can feel the benefits with less anger and tension. It makes life better and easier.”

“Empathy” will screen twice this weekend in Chicago with special appearances by filmmaker Adi Refaeli. The first screening is on March 29 at 12:30 p.m. at Landmark’s Century Centre Cinema at 2828 N. Clark St. in Chicago. The second screening is on March 30 at 2 p.m. at Landmark’s Renaissance Place Cinema at 1850 Second St. in Highland Park, Ill. Click here for more details.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com