Jeff Garlin

CHICAGO – Chicago is acknowledged as one of the great comedy cities in the world mostly for The Second City influence. However like other cities, there is an ebb and flow regarding stand-up comedy, and during the late 1980s/early 1990s there was a stand-up boom in the Windy City, chronicled in the film “Out of the Loop.” Producer Scott Perlman provides the context behind the documentary, now available for free on PLEX and TUBI, and for download on various platforms.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the newly released “Out of the Loop,” an overview of the Chicago stand up scene, with many notable names that began their career in the Windy City. Currently available through Video On Demand, since April 11th.

CHICAGO – The April “Mainframe Comic Con” … an entire online Comic Con, including guests, artists, exhibitors and even cosplay … was a huge success. So the team decided to do it again. Mainframe Comic Con 2.0 will take place on this upcoming Saturday and Sunday, May 30th and 31st, 2020.

CHICAGO – Apparently “Laggies” is a term which does mean one is “lagging behind” in the growing-up-to-be-an-adult requirement. The term is the title of a new comedy, which places the main character in a high concept situation, which only resides in the parallel universe of movieland.

CHICAGO – The story of a Chicago-based woman – who died in 2009 at age 83 – has become the subject of a remarkable new documentary. “Finding Vivian Maier” is a film about revelation, and was created by co-directors John Maloof and Charlie Siskel, with the support of Executive Producer and comedian Jeff Garlin.

CHICAGO – One of the finest film fest gathering places in Chicago is the Midwest Independent Film Festival, a year-long event that meets every first Tuesday of the month. The festival’s 10th year kicks off on Tuesday, February 4th, with the comedy “Adventures in the Sin Bin.”

CHICAGO – It takes guts or stupidity to launch an entire night of new programing but that’s what ABC is attempting this evening, September 24, 2013. And they’re not even doing it consistently in terms of genre and quality. It starts strong with “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” and ends on a whimper with “Lucky 7.” In between?

CHICAGO – One the most familiar movie clichés is the sonorous voice that intones “In a world…” to begin a movie trailer, and then extols the virtues of that upcoming feature. Lake Bell, who wrote, directed and stars in the new movie, “In a World…,’ creates a delightful and gentle satire of voiceover artists and their journeys.

CHICAGO – Lake Bell is a recognizable and successful character actress, having prominence in television (“Boston Legal”) and films (“It’s Complicated”). For her latest film, she wrote, directed and starred in a gentle parody of the voiceover profession, especially the intoned voices that narrate movie trailers, “In a World…”

CHICAGO – Jeff Garlin has created a good “character” in TV and films – a gruff but affable schlemiel that ambles through life as if distracted. He amplifies that role in his latest comedy, “Dealin’ with Idiots,’ but the loose improvisation style has too many unfunny stretches and an unpleasant spirit.