CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on WSSR-FM (Star 96.7 Joliet, Illinois) on August 12th, reviewing Season Three of the hit TV series “Never Have I Ever,” streaming on Netflix beginning on August 12th.!—break—>
Italy
Via Zoom: The World According to Performer Natalja Aicardi
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 13, 2022 - 12:29pmCHICAGO – To discover a truly unique interpreter of cabaret is rare and exciting. Natalja Aicardi is a Chicago singer and performance artist, by way of her native Italy. Her multi disciplinary practice of music, movement, singing and energy practice is adds to a mesmerizing performance base, intimate and inviting.
Interview: Author Lorraine Evanoff on Her New Novel ‘Devil’s Ledger’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 28, 2021 - 5:08pmCHICAGO – The Devil is in the Details. The old adage, which primarily describes accounting, is the basis for author Lorraine Evanoff’s third novel in her Louise Moscow Spy Thriller series, “Devil’s Ledger.” This time, her intrepid financial sleuth Louise Moscow investigates the failure of the world’s oldest bank … a mystery that may also contain the key to a hidden treasure.
Audio Film Review: Be Italian Lady Gaga! Review of ‘House of Gucci’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 26, 2021 - 3:38pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review on “House of Gucci,” an epic family story about the famous fashion brand, directed by Ridley Scott and featuring Lady Gaga, Adam Driver and Al Pacino, opening in theaters on November 24th, 2021.
DAY THREE Podtalk: ‘Sole’ at the 55th Chicago International Film Fest on October 18, 2019
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 18, 2019 - 1:29pmCHICAGO – A film that goes deep into lives thrown together by circumstance highlights DAY THREE of the 55th Chicago International Film Festival. The Polish/Italian “Sole” is part of the new directors competition, a debut by Carlo Sironi on October 18th, 2019 (8pm) at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago.
Film Review: Strange ‘15:17 to Paris’ Can’t Make the Connection
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 11, 2018 - 12:52pmCHICAGO – What’s up with Clint Eastwood, and why in the Sam Hill did he attach himself as director to this film? Also, why was the decision made to use the actual rescuers as the actors in a true terrorist train incident? Nothing adds up in the strangely disconnected “15:17 to Paris.”
Film News: 19th Chicago European Union Film Festival at Gene Siskel Center Through March 31, 2016
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 8, 2016 - 12:35pmCHICAGO – Last week, one of the most diverse film festivals of the year in Chicago opened with the Swedish film “The Paradise Suite.” The 19th Annual Chicago European Union Film Fest will be at the Gene Siskel Film Center on State Street. With countries ranging from Austria to Slovakia, European cinema voices will be available to the Chicagoland area through March 31st, 2016.
Film Review: ‘Third Person’ an Intriguing Yet Foreseeable Labyrinth
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 28, 2014 - 8:52amCHICAGO – Don’t you hate it when you figure out where a film is going long before it gets there? That could be a problem with “Third Person,” but writer/director Paul Haggis (“Crash”) also adds enough secrets to chew on and enough multiple pathways to explore. Enter at your own risk.
Interview: Writer/Director Paul Haggis Creates ‘Third Person’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 26, 2014 - 4:39pmCHICAGO – Not many Oscar winning screeenwriters change the course of their professional lives because of a dream (story below), but Paul Haggis is an exceptionally brilliant writer whose credits include “Crash” (2005) and “Million Dollar Baby” (2004) – which both won Best Picture – and his new film, “Third Person.”
Exclusive Portrait: Toni Servillo, Italian Star of Oscar Winner ‘The Great Beauty’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 3, 2014 - 5:14pmCHICAGO – As the envelope was opened at the 86th Academy Awards on March 2nd, announcing the winner of the Best Foreign Language Film – “The Great Beauty” – it was Toni Servillo who was the lead actor in the movie. His long career as a an actor and director has culminated with this honor, to go along being named Best Actor at the 26th European Film Awards for the same film.
Film Review: More is Preferred in ‘Love is All You Need’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 10, 2013 - 6:07pmCHICAGO – Creating the lofty name for this film, “Love is All You Need” – from a translation of its original title, “Den skaldede friser” – is intently ambitious considering its source is a lyric from one of The Beatles most famous songs. The film has its moments, but cannot sustain itself in a stew of high drama and mixed emotions.
