CHICAGO – YIPPIE! It’s back, in the neighborhood of its roots. YippieFest 2023 will be August 4th-6th in the Lakeview/Buena Park venue of PRIDE ARTS, 4139 North Broadway in Chicago. The space is less than a half mile from the former Mary-Arrchie Theatre, whose “Abbie Hoffman Festival” was the template for the three-day performance celebration. YippieFest currently has slots for theater acts, including one-act plays, monologue, sketch, improv, vaudeville and other stage performance arts. Artists get free admission to the rest of the festival, so click YiPPIE FEST 2023 to sign up.
Allison Janney
On-Air Film Review: The Value of Redemption in ‘To Leslie’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 10, 2022 - 1:24pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on October 6th, 2022, reviewing “To Leslie,” a story of redemption featuring Andrea Riseborough, currently in select theaters and through Video On Demand.!—break—>
Podtalk: Producer Ceci Cleary on Release of ‘To Leslie’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 5, 2022 - 10:59amCHICAGO – The rising star of actor Andrea Riseborough is showcased in another notable film “To Leslie,” releasing in select theaters – including Chicago’s Music Box Theatre – and through Video-On-Demand on October 7th, 2022. Producer Ceci Cleary talked to HollywoodChicago.com about the film.!—break—>
CCFF2022: Preview of ‘To Leslie’ with Producer Ceci Cleary, May 14, 2022, at Music Box Theatre
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 14, 2022 - 10:53amCHICAGO – The 9th Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF) is rolling right along as the second night will feature “To Leslie,” a redemption film that features an excellent Andrea Risborough, directed by Michael Morris and produced by BluewaterLane Productions, who are represented by producer Ceci Cleary. The Fest continues through May 19th, click CCFF for schedule and ticket info.
Film News: ‘The Shape of Water’ Wins 2018 Oscar Best Picture
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 5, 2018 - 1:33amCHICAGO – Even though Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway appeared once again to present the Best Picture at the 90th Academy Awards – as they did last year – the correct film was announced, and it was the romantic fantasy “The Shape of Water” that won the 2018 Best Picture on March 4, 2018.
Film Review: Margot Robbie in ‘I, Tonya’ Can’t Stick the Landing
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 23, 2017 - 11:55pmCHICAGO – We have arrived at point where yesterday’s trash TV has become today’s critical darling of the film festival circuit. As the trailers proclaim, “I, Tonya” desperately wants to be the “‘Goodfellas’ of Figure Skating,” but one of the biggest problems I had is that it’s just trying too hard.
Film Review: ‘The Girl on the Train’ is a Book Club ‘B’ Movie
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 6, 2016 - 7:31pmCHICAGO – “The Girl On The Train” is a decent enough “Book Club” movie potboiler – it passes the time away, but never quite rises above the pulpiness of its source material. It desperately wants to recreate the suburban upper-class ennui and tone from last year’s “Gone Girl.” But while that film had David Fincher behind the camera, this one has Tate Taylor, the director of “The Help.”
Film Review: Nothing of Substance in Cute, Fluffy ‘Minions’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 9, 2015 - 9:29pmCHICAGO – They’re cute, they talk like babies, and they already have “brand recognition.” In what feels like a product exercise rather than a movie, “Minions” extends its story from the dawn of time to 1968. Did we need that much back story? The voices of Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm star.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 20 Pairs of Passes to ‘Minions’ With Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 5, 2015 - 12:00pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the highly anticipated new animated comedy “Minions” starring Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm!
Film Review: Fresh Blast of Funny From Melissa McCarthy in ‘Spy’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 5, 2015 - 9:57amCHICAGO – It can be argued that Melissa McCarthy, with a film a year and a TV sitcom still running, is topping out on exposure. But as long as she teams with writer/director Paul Feig, as she did on “Bridesmaids” and “The Heat,” she will continue to be an original comic force. Their latest is “Spy.”
Interview: Hilarious Writer & Director Paul Feig, of New Film 'Spy'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 4, 2015 - 9:25pmCHICAGO – He’s not a household name, but he has certainly rocked a few houses…with laughter. Writer/director Paul Feig has a new film called “Spy,” in which he re-teams with two of the supporting cast of his “Bridesmaids” romp, Melissa McCarthy and Rose Byrne. “Spy” opens on Friday, June 5th.
