CHICAGO – It began with a boy and his dream (nightmare?). John LaFlamboy, to be exact, as he took an idea he had in college and made it his life’s work. He owns and operates the HellsGate Haunted House in Lockport (Illinois), which was designed, built and put together by Haunted House experts expressly for the spookiest month of the year. For info on how to purchase tickets, click HellsGate.
Drama
Film Review: There Are Places! On-Air Review of ‘All My Life’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 7, 2020 - 11:17amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show on WSSR-FM (Star 96.7 Joliet, Illinois) on December 4th, 2020, reviewing “All Our Life,” a new romantic drama featuring Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr. In theaters now.
Film Review: De-Glamorizing Nicole Kidman Can’t Save ‘Destroyer’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 11, 2019 - 10:22amCHICAGO – If you are in a particular frame of mind you can kinda see why someone thought “Destroyer” would be a good idea. It’s got an Academy Award winner, doing a physical transformation, and has a hard-boiled detective story. All of these elements in the right hands could have added up to awards show adulation.
Podtalk: Josh Hope, Co-Director of the Windy City International Film Fest, July 12-15, 2018
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 12, 2018 - 8:14amCHICAGO – This is Year Two for the Windy City International Film Festival (WCFF) – from Thursday, July 12th to Sunday, July 15th, 2018 – and the festival that celebrates indie filmmaking both locally and internationally will have its screenings at Chicago’s historic Biograph Theater (2433 North Lincoln Avenue). Also for the second year, the festival is co-directed by Mindy Kay Parks and Josh Hope. For a complete weekend schedule, click here.
Theater Review: Brown Paper Box Company Hosts a Monumental ‘Speech & Debate’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 19, 2018 - 3:07pmCHICAGO – “Speech & Debate,” the latest production from the mighty Brown Paper Box Company, continues their tradition of thinking outside that “box” in presenting storefront theater that makes a statement and a difference. “Speech” goes inside America by showcasing the outsiders… those who create art because they can’t get it right in real life. This non-equity Chicago stage play premiere is finely tuned and wonderfully acted, and runs through March 4th, 2018. Click here for more details, including ticket information.
Interview: Sean Patrick Leonard, on World Premiere of ‘Rockabye’ at Twister Alley Film Festival
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 28, 2017 - 4:04pmCHICAGO – The sudden drama of tragic death is beautifully rendered in a new short film called “Rockabye,” a Chicago-based production directed by David Bradburn and written/performed in by Sean Patrick Leonard. The World Premiere of the film will take place at the Twister Alley International Film Festival in Woodward, Oklahoma, on April 29th, 2017.
