Interview

CHICAGO – The legend of Bigfoot, the half ape and half human that had its heyday in the 1970s, is kept alive gratefully in the new film “Willow Creek,” directed by comedian and filmmaker Bobcat Goldthwait. The stand-up comic icon was in Chicago last week to present his film at the 2014 Chicago Critics Film Festival.

CHICAGO – Standing out among the crowd of young actors is a daunting task, but Bella Thorne is up to the challenge, portraying Adam Sandler’s teenage daughter in the new film “Blended,” which also features Drew Barrymore.

CHICAGO – You may not know the name Ralph Steadman, but you most certainly have run into his cartoon art. The surrealist was a partner with Hunter S. Thompson, illustrating books like “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas,” and is a subject of a new documentary entitled “For No Good Reason,” directed by Charlie Paul.

CHICAGO – Martin Starr is an actor who is a player. After making an amazing TV debut in “Freaks and Greeks,” as Bill Haverchuck, he has parlayed that unforgettable breakthrough into a number of top roles, including in the film “Dead Snow: Red vs. Dead,” which played at the 2014 Chicago Critics Film Festival.

CHICAGO – There are few TV shows associated with a song more than “The Wonder Years”. Joe Cocker’s raspy version of “With a Little Help From My Friends” immediately conjures up that family sitcom and especially the centerpiece lead child actor Fred Savage.

CHICAGO – There are a couple directions to the long career of Bob Saget. The first is of Danny Tanner, the Dad he portrayed in the 1980s sitcom “Full House,” and the second is his stand-up act, with a reputation for filthy jokes that has no boundaries.

CHICAGO – Driving all night has taken on a different reality, with the invention of the mobile phone. There is no sanctuary within the confines of the automobile, which is now a rolling office or coordination tank. Writer/director Steven Knight portrays this new reality in a fascinating and unique new film called “Locke.”

CHICAGO – “You’re a sick f**k, Fink” is the movie quote I was tempted to throw at John Turturro, the actor who played the title role as “Barton Fink,” and dozens of other memorable movie characters. Turturro is breaking out again as a writer/director, producing a new film co-starring Woody Allen, delicately entitled “Fading Gigolo.”

CHICAGO – The world is full of living components that express the similarities in our differences, and actress Fawzia Mirza is the embodiment of us all coming together. The self described South-Asian-Muslim-American woman has been a force on the Chicago acting scene for years, and recently broke out with a role in the high profile stage play “Brahman/i,” by Aditi Brennan Kapil, which premiered in Chicago on March 27th. The play was recently extended to May 4th.

CHICAGO – World War II will never be over, in a sense, as long as it continues to influence the culture or teach us lessons about our contemporary lives. The new film “Walking with the Enemy” is rooted in the Holocaust, but uses the twist of a Hungarian Jew who brashly impersonated a Nazi officer to relocate his counterparts.