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.
Patrick McDonald
Film News: ‘Moonlight’ Tops Chicago Film Critics Association 2016 Best Film Nominees
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 12, 2016 - 9:35am- 2016
- Adam Driver
- Amy Adams
- Best of
- Casey Affleck
- CFCA
- Chicago Film Critics Association
- Colin Farrell
- Denzel Washington
- Emma Stone
- Film News
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Isabelle Huppert
- Jackie
- LA LA Land
- Manchester by the Sea
- Moonlight
- Natalie Portman
- Nominations
- Patrick McDonald
- Rebecca Hall
- The Handmaiden
CHICAGO – The poignant journey of “Moonlight” topped the 2016 Chicago Film Critics Association nominations list with 11, as announced on Monday, December 12th. Other notable multi-category nominees included the biopic “Jackie,” the drama “Manchester by the Sea” and the musical “La La Land.” Janelle Monae (“Hidden Figures”), Lily Gladstone (“Certain Women”) and Lucas Hedges (“Manchester by the Sea”) scored double nominations in the Best Supporting Actress and Actor categories, as well as Most Promising Performer.
Film Review: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life in Concert’ at Chicago Symphony Center
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 10, 2016 - 11:19amCHICAGO – The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) has come up with the perfect celebration for the pre-holiday weekend, presenting Frank Capra’s classic film “It’s a Wonderful Life in Concert.” On Dec. 10th and 11th, 2016. The CSO will accompany the soundtrack on a restored version of the film.
Film News: ‘For Grace’ is Top Film at 2016 ‘Best of the Midwest’ Awards Night
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 8, 2016 - 8:56pmCHICAGO – On Tuesday, December 6th, the Midwest Independent Film Festival gave out their 2016 “Best of the Midwest” Awards with a ceremony at Rockit Bar & Grill in Chicago. Best Feature honors went to “For Grace,” directed by Mark Helenowski and Kevin Pang. Best Female Actor was Amy Frazzini of “Guidance,” Best Male Actors were T.J. Jagodowski and David Pasquesi of “T.J. & Dave,” and Best Screenplay was Robert Putka of “Mad,” among other categories.
Interview: Co-Directors Josh Gordon & Will Speck Invite All to ‘Office Christmas Party’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 7, 2016 - 2:00pmCHICAGO – The raucous party movie has become a reliable staple in movieland, and now a production tackles the holiday soiré, and all that can go wrong. “Office Christmas Party” is co-directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, who also gave us “Blades of Glory” and “The Switch.”
Film News: Midwest Independent Film Festival ‘Best of the Midwest’ on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2016
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 5, 2016 - 12:39pm- 2016
- Bradley Bischoff
- Christine Dudley
- Dave Pasquesi
- Film News
- For Grace
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Josh Hyde
- Killing Them Safely
- Mad
- Midwest Independent Film Festival
- Midwest Indie
- Mike McNamara
- My Friend’s Rubber Ducky
- Patrick McDonald
- Periscope Post & Audio
- Rockit Bar & Grill
- T.J. Jagodowski
- Who Gets the Dog?
CHICAGO – On Tuesday, December 6th, the Midwest Independent Film Festival will award their 2016 “Best of the Midwest” honors with a ceremony at Rockit Bar & Grill, 22 W. Hubbard, in Chicago. The evening will be hosted by Festival Director Mike McNamara, and nominees include the short film “Lady of the House” (directed by Brad Bischoff), plus feature films “Mad” (directed by Robert Putka), and “My Friend’s Rubber Ducky” (directed by Josh Hyde).
Film Review: Natalie Portman Embodies a Magnificent ‘Jackie’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 2, 2016 - 8:26amCHICAGO – Capturing one of the most familiar woman of the last fifty years would seem impossible, except when focusing on one of the defining moments of her life. “Jackie” reveals Jacqueline Kennedy during the time of her husband John’s assassination, and when the nation lost a president.
Interview: Director Jack C. Newell on Digital Release of ‘Open Tables’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 30, 2016 - 4:08pmCHICAGO – Local filmmaking has always gotten a boost through director Jack C. Newell. His 2015 film “Open Tables,” shot in Chicago and Paris, will get it’s digital release on Tuesday, December 6th, 2016, on iTunes and Video-On-Demand. This coincides with his art project “The Wabash Lights,” and his continued production work.
Film News: Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema to Screen ‘The Assassin' & ‘Round Trip Heart’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 30, 2016 - 1:03amCHICAGO – The Asian Pop-Up Cinema Series, spotlighting a variety of diverse Asian films, concludes its 2016 Fall Season with two films in the next week, ”The Assassin” (Taiwan), on Wednesday, Nov 30th; and ”Round Trip Heart” (Japan), on Sunday, Dec. 4th (Director Yuki Tanada will attend). Click each individual title for more details.
Interview: Director Julie Dash of ‘Daughters of the Dust’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 29, 2016 - 3:55pmCHICAGO – Iconic and historical are the two apt terms for a film directed by an African American woman, the first to be distributed theatrically, Was it the 1920s? 1940s? It had to be the 1970s. No, it was 1992 when that barrier was broken, with the film “Daughters in the Dust,” directed by Julie Dash.
Interview: Christine Dudley, Director of The Illinois Film Office
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 26, 2016 - 2:06pmCHICAGO – When filmmakers are searching for the “rules of the road,” when seeking to produce in Chicago or elsewhere in Illinois, one of the stops they need to make is with The Illinois Film Office. The Film Office is part of the state’s Department of Commerce, and not only takes care of production coordination, but the economic incentives for film, television and advertising in the area. Since 2015, the Director of The Illinois Film Office has been Christine Dudley.