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.
Nick Offerman
Film Review: Despite One Premise, Laughs Are Plenty in ‘The Little Hours’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 14, 2017 - 11:07amCHICAGO – It occurred to me in assessing “The Little Hours” that the basic premise is somewhat like “The Beguiled” – a man is taken in, rooster-like, into a henhouse where there are women with “needs.” Except this time, instead of a girl’s boarding school, it is a 14th Century nunnery. Get thee to it, if thou wants to laugheth.
Film Review: Emotionally Perfect Cowboy Elegy in ‘The Hero’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 20, 2017 - 12:31pmCHICAGO – The great character actor Sam Elliott – known mostly for his cowboy roles in film/TV and his unique bass sounding voiceovers – gets an opportunity to deliver a nuanced and emotional performance as a hyper-realized version of himself. There is virtue and truth in this character journey.
Interview, Audio: Director Brett Haley Discovers ‘The Hero’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 13, 2017 - 12:09pmCHICAGO – The familiar character actor and voiceover artist, Sam Elliott, has been breaking out in that latter part of his career. Known for his cowboy roles, smooth bass-tone voice and epic mustache, the icon has been seen lately in diverse roles in “Grandma,” “Digging for Fire,” “Grace and Frankie” and his latest – and perhaps greatest – “The Hero.”
Film News: Chicago Critics Film Festival Opens With ‘The Little Hours’ on May 12, 2017
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 11, 2017 - 3:34pmCHICAGO – The only film festival in the U.S. programmed by a film critics group is right here in the Windy City, with the 5th Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF) taking place at the historic Music Box Theatre from May 12th through May 18th, 2017.
Film Review: Emotionally Animated ‘My Life as a Zucchini’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 11, 2017 - 9:43amCHICAGO – Leave it to the Europeans to inject some realistic drama into the art of animation. The recently Oscar nominated “My Life as a Zucchini” is opening in Chicago this weekend, and tells the story of parental abandonment, orphanages and finding family. Co-produced by France and Switzerland, it uses a familiar claymation stop-motion style for more emotional resonance.
Film Review: Michael Keaton is a Man with a Brand in ‘The Founder’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 19, 2017 - 8:57pmCHICAGO – Michael Keaton is the real reason to see “The Founder” – it’s a movie that probably wouldn’t work at all without him. Keaton portrays Ray Kroc, the man who turned McDonald’s into a multinational fast food behemoth. But “The Founder” is an origin story of both the man and the brand…and Kroc is not the genius of American business he’s been made out to be.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Pairs of Passes to ‘The Founder’ With Michael Keaton
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 16, 2017 - 1:47am- Adam Fendelman
- B.J. Novak
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film
- John Carroll Lynch
- John Lee Hancock
- Kate Kneeland
- Laura Dern
- Linda Cardellini
- Michael Keaton
- Nick Offerman
- Patrick Wilson
- Ray Kroc
- Robert D. Siegel
- Saving Mr. Banks
- The Blind Side
- The Founder
- The Weinstein Company
CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new true-story film “The Founder” starring Michael Keaton about the creation of McDonald’s!
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 Pairs of Passes to ‘Sing’ With Matthew McConaughey, Seth MacFarlane
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on December 19, 2016 - 12:42am- Adam Fendelman
- Christophe Lourdelet
- Despicable Me
- Garth Jennings
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film
- Illumination
- Jennifer Saunders
- John C. Reilly
- Matthew McConaughey
- Nick Kroll
- Nick Offerman
- Reese Witherspoon
- Scarlett Johansson
- Seth MacFarlane
- Sing
- Taron Egerton
- Tori Kelly
- Universal Pictures
CHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new animated comedy “Sing” starring Matthew McConaughey and Seth MacFarlane from the creators of “Despicable Me”!
Film Review: Terence Malick’s Feverish Dream in ‘Knight of Cups’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 11, 2016 - 10:50amCHICAGO – I’ve been quoting Martin Scorsese over the years, that he said “movies are a psychotic’s feverish dream on display.” In searching for those words, I found he never said it. He did say they are “dreams with eyes open.” So let us combine the two quotes in analyzing Terence Malick’s “Knight of Cups.”
Film News: ‘Uncle John’ is Top Film at 2015 ‘Best of the Midwest’ Awards Night
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 3, 2015 - 5:20pmCHICAGO – On Tuesday, December 1st, the Midwest Independent Film Festival gave out their 2015 “Best of the Midwest” Awards with a ceremony at Rockit Bar & Grill in Chicago. Best Film honors went to “Uncle John,” directed by Steven Piet. Best Female Actor was Carisa Barreca of “Doomsdate,” Best Male Actor was Charles Whitcomb of “Full Frame,” and Best Director was Sonny Mallhi of “Anguish,” among other categories.