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+.
Hoop Dreams
Interview: Gordon Quinn on 50th Anniversary of Kartemquin Films
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 21, 2016 - 12:16pmCHICAGO – Two months ago, producer/director/cinematographer/editor Gordon Quinn received the Baadasssss Award from the 2016 CIMM Fest, for his longtime contributions to the cinema scene in Chicago through Kartemquin Films. The famous production house, known for their documentaries, is celebrating their 50th anniversary.
Interview: Co-Directors Aaron Wickenden, Dan Rybicky of Outsider Artist Doc ‘Almost There’
Submitted by NickHC on January 9, 2015 - 12:19pmCHICAGO – The discovery of an outsider artist’s eccentric creations leads to the testing revelation of a public shame in “Almost There,” a definitively human documentary that mixes the idiosyncratic canvas of “Grey Gardens” with the compassion of “Hoop Dreams.” Making its Chicago premiere tomorrow night at the Gene Siskel Film Center, “Almost There” has sold out its 7:45pm screening, but tickets a
Film Review: Roger Ebert Doc a Titanic Love Story About Movies, Chaz & ‘Life Itself’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 6, 2014 - 5:40pmCHICAGO – We’d all be so lucky to live a full life of love, success and dignity. But earning it and then dying with it is the ultimate accomplishment.
Film Review: Roger Ebert’s Treasure of a Journey in ‘Life Itself’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 4, 2014 - 8:44amCHICAGO – We will never see the likes of his kind again – the influential arbiter of cinematic taste, whose magic thumb could make or break the dreams of both filmmaker and film fan. The journey of Roger Ebert, the most influential film critic of our times, is told in the new documentary, “Life Itself.”
Interview: Chaz Ebert, Director Steve James on ‘Life Itself’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 3, 2014 - 3:49amCHICAGO – The iconic film critic and renaissance man, Roger Ebert, deservedly gets a full documentary film treatment of his 2011 memoir, “Life Itself,” and who better to create it than the Chicago-based director of “Hoop Dreams,” Steve James. And who better to produce and guide it than Roger’s soulmate, his wife Chaz Ebert.
Exclusive Video: Red-Carpet Premiere of Roger Ebert’s ‘Life Itself’ in Chicago
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on July 1, 2014 - 3:09pmCHICAGO – The only thing Roger Ebert loved more than movies and his wife, Chaz, was “Life Itself”. The riveting new documentary, which opens on Friday, July 4, 2014, premiered in red-carpet Chicago style on June 30, 2014. HollywoodChicago.com publisher Adam Fendelman interviewed Chaz Ebert and the film’s director, Steve James (“Hoop Dreams”).
Film News: Magnolia Pictures Acquires Roger Ebert Biography Film ‘Life Itself’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 5, 2014 - 10:14amCHICAGO – The buzz at Sundance was for a documentary about the life of a film critic – but that film critic happens to be Roger Ebert, and the film is an adaptation of his memoir, “Life Itself.” Magnolia Pictures announced yesterday that they have acquired U.S. theatrical, Video-On-Demand and home entertainment rights to the film, and are planning on a summer release.
Blu-ray Review: Chicago-Based ‘The Interrupters’ is Best Documentary of 2011
Submitted by BrianTT on February 21, 2012 - 7:02pmCHICAGO – On Sunday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will name what they consider to be the Best Documentary of 2011. They will be wrong. How do I know? Because it’s not even nominated. The actual best documentary of last year (which was a VERY good year from the form with everything from “Into the Abyss” to “Tabloid” to “Pearl Jam Twenty” to “Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory”) was not nominated. That title goes to Steve James’ “The Interrupters,” which was recently released on Blu-ray and DVD and is simply a must-see.
Film Review: ‘The Interrupters’ Seek Peace One Soul at a Time
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 12, 2011 - 8:22amCHICAGO – Chicago is a divided city. On one end is prosperity, modernity and all the trappings therein. On the other, abject poverty, anger and killing. One dedicated group is trying to diminish the killing end, and is documented by director Steve James (”Hoop Dreams”) in “The Interrupters.”
Midwest Independent Film Festival to Announce Best of the Midwest Awards
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 6, 2010 - 7:53pmCHICAGO – Tuesday night, December 7th, marks the 2010 edition of the Best of the Midwest Awards, honoring the achievements of local filmmakers who participated in the Midwest Independent Film Festival this year. The festivities will take place at Rockit Bar & Grill in Chicago beginning at 7pm.