CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Interview
Interview: Ed Asner Keeps Moving Forward in New Comedy ‘Let Go’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 2, 2012 - 10:13amCHICAGO – Bring up the name Ed Asner, and immediately his legendary TV character Lou Grant comes to mind. Asner created the only TV character to successfully transition from a sitcom – “Mary Tyler Moore” – to the cutting-edge TV drama “Lou Grant.” But Asner has also been steadily working since those days, including his latest film “Let Go.”
Interview: Director Jamie Travis, Screenwriter Katie Anne Naylon of ‘For a Good Time, Call...’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 29, 2012 - 6:03pmCHICAGO – The snappy new comedy “For a Good Time, Call…” is the first film of screenwriter Katie Anne Naylon and the feature debut of director Jamie Travis. It’s combines phone sex operators with friendship, and stars Lauren Miller and Ari Graynor.
Interview: Director Craig Zobel of Controversial ‘Compliance’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 28, 2012 - 6:15amCHICAGO – Audience walk-outs, yelling matches at Q&As and accusatory comments have all greeted screenings of “Compliance,” written and directed by Craig Zobel. The controversial film, which focuses on a mysterious caller claiming to be the police, has been stirring the pot regarding human beings and their relationship with authority.
Interview: Novelist Matt Bondurant on ‘Lawless’ Book-to-Film Adaptation
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 27, 2012 - 3:22pmCHICAGO – Ernest Hemingway said the best way to handle Hollywood film adaptations is to meet at the border, throw your book in, have Hollywood throw the money back, and then run from each other in opposite directions. How does that astute observation apply today? Matt Bondurant had his novel adapted into the new film “Lawless.”
Interview: Youngest U.S. Director Emily Hagins Helms ‘My Sucky Teen Romance’
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 24, 2012 - 9:10amCHICAGO – At age 12, Emily Hagins was literally surrounded by cameras. She was in the midst of directing her first feature, a zombie thriller entitled “Pathogen,” while a film crew chronicled her every move for their own documentary, “Zombie Girl: The Movie.” By the time production wrapped, Hagins was considered a budding sensation on the indie film circuit.
Interview: ‘Nate and Margaret’ Star Gaby Hoffmann on Acting, ‘Girls,’ Chicago
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 21, 2012 - 12:39pmCHICAGO – Few performers are lucky enough to make their big-screen debut in a hit movie, let alone two. In 1989, 7-year-old Gaby Hoffmann starred opposite John Candy and Macaulay Culkin in John Hughes’ “Uncle Buck,” as well as shared the screen with Kevin Costner and Burt Lancaster in Phil Alden Robinson’s Oscar-nominee “Field of Dreams.” Not a bad way to start a career.
Interview: ‘Parenthood’ Star Dax Shepard Strikes with ‘Hit & Run’
Submitted by BrianTT on August 21, 2012 - 10:49amCHICAGO – “Parenthood” star Dax Shepard has written, co-directed, and stars in the upcoming “Hit & Run” with real-life love Kristen Bell, Bradley Cooper, Tom Arnold, Beau Bridges and more. The Tarantino-esque comedy/action flick marks a giant leap forward for this often-supporting actor who now finds himself in the spotlight. The Michigan native recently sat down with us to talk about his inspirations, his past, and the hardcore fans of his NBC drama.
Interview: Jordin Sparks Moves to the Spotlight in ‘Sparkle’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 16, 2012 - 6:50pmCHICAGO – Stepping up from American Idol winner to a major film lead role looks smooth and easy for Jordin Sparks. She won Idol in 2007, released a couple of multi-platinum albums, and now plays the title character in “Sparkle,” which also has the final on-screen performance of Whitney Houston. It all seems natural for this major talent.
Interview: Verne Troyer – Mini-Me in ‘Austin Powers’ – in Chicagoland
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 11, 2012 - 1:18pmCHICAGO – The small but mighty Verne Troyer is a lucky and humble star. He grew in Michigan, and maintains his Midwestern roots in his approach to show business. Troyer makes an appearance at the Hollywood Palms (Naperville, Ill.) and the Hollywood Blvd. Cinema (Woodridge) to introduce “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me” and “Goldmember.”
Interview: ‘Forrest Gump’ Star Hanna Hall Tackles Provocative Thriller ‘Scalene’
Submitted by mattmovieman on August 9, 2012 - 10:43amCHICAGO – By the age of 15, actress Hanna Hall had delivered iconic lines in two of the most acclaimed films of the ’90s. After famously yelling, “Run, Forrest, run!” in Robert Zemeckis’s Oscar-winner, “Forrest Gump,” Hall nailed the unforgettable line, “Obviously, doctor, you’ve never been a 13-year-old girl,” in Sofia Coppola’s directorial debut, “The Virgin Suicides.”