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.
Japan
APUC17: Afghanistan, Iran & Mongolia Spotlight for Sept. 23, 2023
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 20, 2023 - 12:00pmCHICAGO – Week Three of Season 17 Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema’s (APUC17) will focus on some outside-the-norm Asian countries including Iran, Afghanistan and Mongolia, including in-person appearances. For details and ticket info, click APUC17.
Film News: Asian Pop-Up Cinema SEASON 17 Presents Hong Kong Weekend, Sep. 16-17, 2023
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 15, 2023 - 11:17pmCHICAGO – It’s Hong Kong Weekend for Season 17 Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) on September 16th and 17th, 2023, and representing the films there will be actor and filmmaker appearances. APUC will honor three guests with a Pinnacle Career Achievement Award and two Bright Star Awards for up and coming actors.
Podtalk: Sophia Wong Boccio on Asian Pop-Up Cinema SEASON 17
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 6, 2023 - 8:12amCHICAGO – Fall film festivals begin this week with Season 17 of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema, curated by Executive Director/Founder Sophia Wong Boccio. Opening Night is Friday, September 8th, with the Japanese film “Yudo,” subtitled “The Way of the Bath,” directed by Masayuki Suzuki. For tickets and info, click APUC 17.
Podtalk: Sophia Wong Boccio on Asian Pop-Up Cinema SEASON 16
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 21, 2023 - 12:00pmCHICAGO – The Asian Pop Up Cinema (APUC), a Chicago cultural institution, launched Season 16 this past week with a sensational pre-season event featuring Hong Kong superstar Aaron Kwok and the Japan Cinema Showcase. Wrapping up the showcase is “Unami,” CLICK HERE for details.
Theater News: 5th Chicago Intl. Puppet Fest Through Jan. 29th, 2023
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 18, 2023 - 11:43amCHICAGO – Call me an Ismael puppet. We’ll never know if that was the opening line Herman Melville intended for his classic “Moby Dick,” but the 5th Chicago International Puppet Festival presents their Opening Night marionette version on January 18th, 2023 (7:30p), and the fest runs through January 29th. For tickets and info, click 5TH PUPPET FEST.
Film News: Halloween Movie Nights … Asian Pop-Up Cinema, Logan and Music Box Theatres
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 9, 2022 - 8:32pmCHICAGO – Time to get your scare on, and Chicago has the cinema treats that will have you screaming! For the month of October 2022 … Halloween month, natch … one Film Festival (APUC, Asian Pop-Up Cinema) and two city theaters (Logan Theatre and Music Box Theatre) has special spooky programming that is guaranteed to have you jumping in your seat. Links and details be-loooooooow!
Podtalk: Season 15 Asian Pop-Up Cinema Focus on South Korea, Sept. 24-Oct. 2, 2022
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 22, 2022 - 5:43amCHICAGO – South Korea takes the spotlight at the 15th Season Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) film fest, from September 24th through October 2nd, 2022. HollywoodChicago.com caught up with Sophia Wong Boccio … the Founder, Executive Director and Curator of APUC … for a preview of the South Korea Cinema Showcase and her launch of the new season so far. For more information, click SOUTH KOREA.
Podtalk: Mark Schilling, Japan Cinema World Expert, at Asian Pop-Up Cinema, Sept. 17-23, 2022
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 16, 2022 - 7:21pmCHICAGO – It’s Japan’s turn at the Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC), and the guest emcee is Mark Schilling, an American from Tokyo who in the 1980s began his journey as a world expert in Japanese cinema. For more info on this weekend, click JAPAN CINEMA.
Film News: Asian Pop-Up Cinema SEASON 15 Begins Sept. 10, 2022
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 8, 2022 - 10:03amCHICAGO – Out of the gate for Fall film fest time is the milestone 15th Season of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC). This season is taking “the show on the road” with screenings around Chicagoland and their diverse communities. APUC opens on September 10th with the U.S. Premiere of “I Am What I Am” (From China, CLICK HERE).
On-Air Film Review: ‘Bullet Train’ Has the Need for Speed on Track
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 5, 2022 - 9:27amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on August 4th, reviewing “Bullet Train,” featuring Brad Pitt and a very fast train in Japan. The film is in theaters beginning August 5th.
