CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Shame
Oscar Week 2021: Spotlight on Best Actress Nominee Carey Mulligan
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 24, 2021 - 6:37amCHICAGO – Making an impact has pretty much defined the career of Carey Mulligan. Her film characters have had a depth and energy to them that only she can deliver. 11 years after her first Best Actress Oscar nomination (“An Education”), Mulligan is nominated in 2021 for her searing portrayal in “Promising Young Woman.”
Exclusive Red-Carpet Portrait: Director Steve McQueen at 52nd Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 26, 2016 - 9:46pmCHICAGO – He may share a name with a notable movie star, but director Steve McQueen has made his own mark in cinema in a very short time. After his debut with “Hunger” (2008), he followed with the shocking “Shame” (2011). As producer, he won the Academy Award for Best Picture for “12 Years a Slave” (2013), a film he also directed.
Blu-ray Review: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan in Stunning ‘Shame’
Submitted by BrianTT on April 27, 2012 - 1:57pmCHICAGO – We’re never going to get the films we deserve from adult filmmakers if the NC-17 continues to operate under the stigma that it does. “Shame” was a perfect film to warrant an NC-17 and yet the rating became the story instead of the film itself, to the point that critics and awards voters didn’t give this excellent work the credit it deserves. When viewers catch up with it over the next few years, they’ll be stunned that the film earned zero Oscar nominations. What Michael Fassbender and Carey Mulligan do here is nothing short of stunning.
Film Feature: The 11 Biggest Oscar Snubs of 2012
Submitted by BrianTT on January 24, 2012 - 1:04pmCHICAGO – Another year, another bunch of people who call themselves Oscar pundits bitching and moaning. It wouldn’t be late January without it.
Film Feature: Top 10 Films of 2011
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 27, 2011 - 5:16pmCHICAGO – As the days count down to the end of the year, it’s a perfect time for a countdown of the top ten films of 2011. Last week, Brian Tallerico of HollywoodChicago.com posted his 10 Best of 2011, and this week I pick my Top Ten Films of 2011, by Patrick McDonald.
Film Feature: The 10 Best Films of 2011
Submitted by BrianTT on December 20, 2011 - 11:12amCHICAGO – We could tell, very early on, that 2011 would be a stellar year for film. As the year opened, great genre product like “Source Code,” “Hanna,” and “The Adjustment Bureau” entertained viewers and critics alike, while art houses unspooled gems like “Certified Copy” and “Meek’s Cutoff.”
Film News: Terrence Malick’s ‘The Tree of Life’ Leads 2011 Chicago Film Critics Association Nominees
Submitted by BrianTT on December 16, 2011 - 8:03amCHICAGO – It may have had a controversial journey to the big screen, but the Chicago Film Critics Association thought that Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” was worth the wait, nominating it today for a leading seven awards, including Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Brad Pitt), Supporting Actress (Jessica Chastain), Director, Original Screenplay, Cinematography, and Promising Performer (Hunter McCracken).
Film Review: Michael Fassbender Stars in Riveting, Daring ‘Shame’
Submitted by BrianTT on December 1, 2011 - 11:01amCHICAGO – Steve McQueen’s “Shame” is a daring examination of isolation and addiction with the best performance of the year courtesy of Michael Fassbender and one that nearly matches it from the always-stellar Carey Mulligan.
Interview: Steve McQueen, Michael Fassbender Turn ‘Shame’ Into Art
Submitted by BrianTT on November 29, 2011 - 11:41amCHICAGO – Writer/director Steve McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender have the kind of interview dynamic that only comes with two people who know each other very well. They broke through with the same film, 2008’s “Hunger,” a masterpiece of human drama.
Film News: ‘The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 1’ Tops Thanksgiving Box Office
Submitted by TimBMartens on November 27, 2011 - 3:08pmCHICAGO – In the battle of vampires and puppets, the heartthrobs got the win. To clarify, that’s the vampires. “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1” came in at number one in the weekend box office with $42 million over the weekend and $62.3 million over the five-day Thanksgiving break. The total was enough to hold off “The Muppets,” which brought in a very respectable $29.5 million three-day, $42 million five-day total.