CHICAGO – If you’ve never seen the farcical ensemble theater chestnut “Noises Off,” you will see no better version than on the Steppenwolf Theatre stage, now at their northside Chicago venue through November 3rd. For tickets and details for this riotous theater experience, click NOISES OFF.
Mamoudou Athie
Film Review: Yorgos Lanthimos’ ‘Kinds of Kindness’ Distinctly Unsettling
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 28, 2024 - 7:56amCHICAGO – Distinctive visions are in such short supply in Hollywood these days I suppose we should be grateful when one makes it onto our movie screens. Director Yorgos Lanthimos is nothing if not distinctive, but his films are by no means easy to watch. His latest film “Kinds Of Kindness” consists of three short stories of power and cruelty.
On-Air Film Review: ‘The Burial’ is a Sustained Objection
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 17, 2023 - 2:15pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on October 12th, 2023, reviewing “The Burial,” a courtroom drama featuring Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jone. Streaming on Prime Video since October 13th.
On-Air Film Review: ‘Elemental’ is the Star-Crossed Stuff of Life
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 17, 2023 - 8:45amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on June 15th, reviewing “Elemental,” the latest animated film from Pixar Animation and Walt Disney Studios. In theaters on June 16th.
Podtalk: Wendi McLendon-Covey, Voice of Gale in ‘Elemental’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 13, 2023 - 3:58pmCHICAGO – What does an actor do after a successful run of a TV series? If you are Wendi McLendon-Covey, late of “The Goldbergs,” it’s an animation voiceover gig for Pixar Animation and Walt Disney Studios latest release, “Elemental.” McLendon-Covey is the voice of Gale Cumulus, a city official in a wondrous mix of elements.
Interview, Audio: Director Geremy Jasper Rocks ‘Patti Cake$’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 30, 2017 - 7:19amCHICAGO – How does a filmmaker create a movie about a white girl in New Jersey dreaming of being a hip-hop star? He takes the beats from his own life admiration of the music genre and fleshes out a working class story about pushing back against the odds. Geremy Jasper wrote and directed the electrically poignant “Patti Cake$.”
Interview, Audio: Danielle Macdonald on Title Role in ‘Patti Cake$’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 17, 2017 - 9:16amCHICAGO – How does a native Australian actress become a New Jersey hip hop artist? Practice, practice, practice… in formulating the character of “Patti Cake$.” Danielle Macdonald, who had never rapped before in her life, portrayed the title Jersey Girl with a stellar determination, poignancy and heart.
Interview, Audio: Bridget Everett Plays Mom in ‘Patti Cake$’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 16, 2017 - 9:58amCHICAGO – Bridget Everett is a New York City entertainment maven, as a singer and “cabaret provocateur.” She is breaking out recently as a movie actor, with the just-released comedy “Fun Mom Dinner” and her latest role, as a mother to “Patti Cake$,” a white girl hip-hop artist from New Jersey with a determination of gold.
