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.
Civil War
On-Air Film Review: Days of Future’s Past Haunts ‘Civil War’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 11, 2024 - 9:19amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on April 10th, 2024, reviewing “Civil War,” a new film by writer/director Alex Garland (“28 Days Later,” “Ex Machina”). In theaters on April 12th.
On-Air TV Review: ‘Manhunt’ Reserves a Booth for Lincoln
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 25, 2024 - 10:10am- Abraham Lincoln
- Anthony Boyle
- Apple TV+
- Civil War
- Eddie Volkman
- Ford’s Theatre
- Hamish Linklater
- Hannah B
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- John Wilkes Booth
- Lily Taylor
- Manhunt
- Pat Über TV
- Patrick McDonald
- Patton Oswalt
- Scott Thompson
- Series
- Streaming
- Tobias Menzies
- TV Review
- WBGR-FM
- WSSR
- Theater, TV, DVD & Blu-Ray
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
On-Air Film Review: Will-ing Redemption in ‘Emancipation'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 2, 2022 - 1:45pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Jason Makos on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 1st, 2022, reviewing “Emancipation,” featuring Will Smith and set in the Civil War period within the eradication of slavery. In theaters on December 2nd, streaming December 9th on Apple TV+.
Via Zoom: CJ Hunt on His New Documentary ‘The Neutral Ground’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 3, 2021 - 9:08amCHICAGO – When you are not black in America, you cannot imagine the societal indignities (to say the least) that are endured on a daily basis, both macro and micro. A new documentary on a particular indignity, “The Neutral Ground,” by first time director CJ Hunt, premieres on PBS’s “POV” on July 5th, 2021. Click for details.
Film Review: Ford Every Stream! On-Air Review of ‘News of the World’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 26, 2020 - 3:24pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 24th, 2020, reviewing the new film “News of the World,” which opened on Christmas Day and is now in theaters. !—break—>
Film Review: Spreading Wings! On-Air Reviews of ‘The Nest’ & ‘Antebellum’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 18, 2020 - 12:28pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 18th, 2020, reviewing the new films “The Nest” (in theaters) and “Antebellum” (VOD).
Theater Review: Brown Paper Box Co’s Magnificent, Must-See ‘Little Women: The Musical’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 18, 2019 - 12:56pm- Alan Knee
- Andi Saravsky
- Brown Paper Box Co.
- Civil War
- Denise Tamburrino
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Jason Howland
- Jenny Rudnick
- Jo March
- Kim Green
- Little Women: The Musical
- Louisa May Alcott
- M. William Panek
- Mindi Dickstein
- Patrick McDonald
- Sarah Ford
- Stephanie Rohr
- Tessa Dettman
- Theater Review
- Theater, TV, DVD & Blu-Ray
CHICAGO – The story of “Little Women,” by Louisa May Alcott, has been an American institution since its publication in 1869. The story of four girls-to-little-women during the American Civil War, with their indomitable mother holding down the household while their father is away in the war, was a perfect candidate to become a Broadway musical. The Brown Paper Box Co. (BPBCo) is currently presenting a brilliant adaptation of that musical for the storefront stage, and its emotion, music craft and energy is nothing sort of a triumph… this small theater company that could does it again. The show has various evening/matinee performances at the The Strawdog Theatre in Chicago through February 9th, 2018. Click here for more details, including ticket information.
Film Review: Sofia Coppola Creates a Masterwork with ‘The Beguiled’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 6, 2017 - 10:52amCHICAGO – The human-ness of being human never changes, fundamentally. The mating season arrives, and the effect makes for both great connections and bad decisions. Director Sofia Coppola emphasizes this in a reverent film production of the story called “The Beguiled.”
Exclusive Portraits: Scarlett Johansson Receives Gene Siskel Film Center Renaissance Award
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 9, 2016 - 11:26pmCHICAGO – She’s conquered the box office as the top grossing female star of all time, and she’s had a series of big superhero and prestige films. The Gene Siskel Film Center honored Scarlett Johansson with their Renaissance Award, at the Ritz Carlton in Chicago on June 20th, 2016.
Film Review: Social History is Revitalized in ‘Free State of Jones’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2016 - 1:00pmCHICAGO – The United States is still fighting the Civil War, which ended in 1865. The rebellious South has never completely given away its anger and sorrow for the changes the war has wrought on them. These larger themes are examined historically in the new film, “Free State of Jones.”