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+.
IFC Films
Film Review: Mellow Fellow Owen Wilson Channels Bob Ross in ‘Paint’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 6, 2023 - 11:04pmCHICAGO – The newly released “Paint” film offers an amiable enough premise that’s amusing in a two minute trailer, but entirely out of gas 20 minutes into the story, and then plods around for a whole other hour. While it’s hard to hate it, but I don’t think my time was very well spent either. !—break—>
SXSW2023: Spotlight Narrative ‘BlackBerry’ Tells a Story of Our Times
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 27, 2023 - 2:19pmAUSTIN, TX – Remember the term “CrackBerry”? It described the addicts of the earliest multi-function smartphone, the BlackBerry. In the days before the iPhone, it was the BlackBerry that held the mobile communication crown. The fascinating story of extreme success and monumental miscalculation is all encompassing.
Podtalk: Director David Siev for His Doc on Hometown ‘Bad Axe’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 14, 2022 - 12:17pmCHICAGO – The combination of the divisive Donald Trump election and the pandemic affected many U.S. communities. David Siev, an American filmmaker from a Cambodian-origin family, turned on his camera to tell the story of that time in his hometown of Bad Axe, Michigan. The results became the documentary “Bad Axe.”!—break—>
On-Air Film Review: Got to Begin Again with ‘Resurrection’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 3, 2022 - 7:52amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on WSSR-FM (Star 96.7 Joliet, Illinois) on July 29th, 2022, reviewing the film “Resurrection,” featuring Rebecca Hall and Tim Roth, currently in theaters.!—break—>
Audio Film Review: The Faces of Face-Off in ‘Official Competition’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 3, 2022 - 7:32pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on “Official Competition,” a new Spain/Argentina film about a trio – two actors and a director – trying to get a film out of rehearsal and in front of the cameras. It opened in select theaters on July 1st, 2022, see local listings.!—break—>
Via Zoom: Director Stefan Forbes Wants You to ‘Hold Your Fire’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 19, 2022 - 1:48pmCHICAGO – Police reform and procedural alternatives in the U.S. continue to be in a hurricane of evolution. Despite the attention that the George Floyd incident brought to the perception, the law enforcement culture continues to resist. Stefan Forbes goes back to the past (1973), to inform them (and us) that change can work with his new documentary “Hold Your Fire.” !—break—>
Via Zoom: Audrey Diwan & Anamarie Vartolomei of ‘Happening’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 12, 2022 - 9:28amCHICAGO – In an extraordinary flash of timing, the new French film “Happening” gets a general release in select theaters on May 13th, right in the midst of an another abortion debate in the U.S. The story of a young woman seeking the procedure in 1963 features Anamarie Varolomei and is adapted by director Audrey Diwan. They spoke to HollywoodChicago.com.
Via Zoom: Isabelle Fuhrman & Lauren Hadaway of ‘The Novice’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 22, 2021 - 5:41pmCHICAGO – One of the great indie films of 2021 is “The Novice,” written and directed by Lauren Hadaway, and featuring Isabelle Fuhrman. This intimate and fascinating look at female student athletes in crew (rowing) has many underlying themes and relationships. It opens at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago on December 26th. See below for details.
Via Zoom: Directors Jim Cummings & PJ McCabe of ‘The Beta Test’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 7, 2021 - 6:34amCHICAGO – Creating a complex story and delivering it in a spectacular way was the accomplishment of two self-described “best friends.” Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe are the co-writers, directors and friends of the new film “The Beta Test” – releasing November 5th, 2021 – a thriller that takes on the darker side of human motivations.
Audio Film Review: Ingmar Persona-fied! Review of ‘Bergman Island’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 19, 2021 - 4:51pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on the new filmmaker-on-filmmaker narrative film “Bergman Island” – the first English language film by Mia Hansen Løve – currently in select theaters, see local listings for theaters and show times.!—break—>