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+.
Patrick McDonald
Interview: Gordon Quinn of Kartemquin Films Revisits ‘Hoop Dreams’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 22, 2016 - 10:38amCHICAGO – It has been 22 years since one of the greatest documentaries in film history was released, and it was created right here in Chicago by Kartemquin Films. “Hoop Dreams,” produced by Gordon Quinn (among others) and directed by Steve James, was a turning point for Kartemquin, which had at the time been making socially focused docs for over 30 years. As part of the film company’s 50th anniversary, Gordon Quinn revisits the groundbreaking film.
Interview: Elle Fanning, Nicolas Winding Refn on ‘The Neon Demon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 22, 2016 - 10:14amCHICAGO – The contemplation of beauty gets a little more truth in a new film by Nicolas Winding Refn (“Drive”) entitled “The Neon Demon.” It features Elle Fanning as Jesse, a naive girl who wants to break into the world of modeling, and does so in an unexpected way. The symbolic film has both strange drama and touches of horror.
Interview: Gordon Quinn on 50th Anniversary of Kartemquin Films
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 21, 2016 - 12:16pmCHICAGO – Two months ago, producer/director/cinematographer/editor Gordon Quinn received the Baadasssss Award from the 2016 CIMM Fest, for his longtime contributions to the cinema scene in Chicago through Kartemquin Films. The famous production house, known for their documentaries, is celebrating their 50th anniversary.
Interview: Chris Strompolos of ‘RAIDERS! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 15, 2016 - 5:32pmCHICAGO – When it comes to movie fandom, there are acolytes and obsessives, but few stories are better than three fanboys in 1982, who loved a certain film so much they decided to do a shot-by-shot remake. This is chronicled in the new documentary, “RAIDERS! The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made.”
Film Review: Life in 2016 is Famous in ‘Presenting Princess Shaw’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 13, 2016 - 9:25amCHICAGO – Had you told a person 50 years ago that someday we would be able to personally record television and broadcast it to the whole world, they might have laughed and said maybe on the futuristic cartoon “The Jetsons.” But the future is now, and it lives in “Presenting Princess Shaw.”
Film Review: Surprisingly Weird, Wacky ‘Puerto Ricans in Paris’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 12, 2016 - 11:20pmCHICAGO – Occasionally, a film breaks through the miasma of images, and proclaims its uniqueness by just being weird. Case in point, the strange and wacky “Puerto Ricans in Paris,” which may have been created after two rich film producers made a one dollar bet (ala “Trading Places”) that they could come up with a movie simply based on the title.
Film Review: Waste of Talent, Sequel Energy in ‘Now You See Me 2’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 12, 2016 - 7:39amCHICAGO – Separately, you love all these movie star icons and funny people – Daniel Radcliffe, Michael Caine, Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Morgan Freeman, Lizzy Caplan and Dave Franco. Together, they add up to a terrible sequel, “Now You See Me 2.”
Interview: Harry Lennix Directs the New Play ‘A Small Oak Tree Runs Red’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 10, 2016 - 12:12pmCHICAGO – Mention the name Harry Lennix, and images of his many character roles are bound to emerge – Harold Cooper in the TV series “The Blacklist,” General Swanwick from “Batman v Superman” and Commissioner Blades from Spike Lee’s recent “Chi-Raq.” The deeply knowledgeable Lennix brings his years of dramatic expertise, as he directs the Congo Square Theatre Company’s world premiere stage play “A Small Oak Tree Runs Red.’
Interview: Samantha Montgomery of ‘Presenting Princess Shaw’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 7, 2016 - 4:52pmCHICAGO – There are show business stories, and then there are show business miracles. In the tech age we’re living through, the needle-in-a-haystack hope that a song, video or rant will go “viral” online is part of the experience. Singer Samantha Montgomery was one such singer, and her story is in “Presenting Princess Shaw.”
Podtalk: Director Layne Marie Williams, Actor Hannah Kopen on ‘Dollface’ Premiere on June 10, 2016
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 7, 2016 - 12:54pmCHICAGO – The premiere of a director’s first feature film is a major evolutionary moment for the cinema artist, and Layne Marie Williams will debut “Dollface” this Friday, June 10th, 2016, at the Canvas event space in Wicker Park in Chicago. The film features Hannah Kopen in one of the lead roles, and the premiere will be part of a gallery/cinema fusion called SINtegrate. For complete details, click here.