Patrick McDonald

CHICAGO – Sometimes, a simple will of the heart is like a drop of water in the ocean, which ripples so profoundly that it affects the tides. That will is illustrated in the heartbeat of “Batkid Begins,” the story of Miles Scott, a little boy fighting an illness, who wished to be The Batman.

CHICAGO – They’re cute, they talk like babies, and they already have “brand recognition.” In what feels like a product exercise rather than a movie, “Minions” extends its story from the dawn of time to 1968. Did we need that much back story? The voices of Sandra Bullock and Jon Hamm star.

CHICAGO – Horror films have many players, but few contenders. Writer/directors Chris Lofing and Travis Cluff debut with “The Gallows,” a “found footage” movie about a force that haunts a typical American high school, complete with familiar student types, and touches on the mysteries of unresolved events and their backlash.

CHICAGO – She burned like a firework in the sky, and just as quickly faded away. The unique voice of Amy Winehouse was fresh air into the music vacuum, and yet the delicate state of her destructive addictions succumbed to a sudden notoriety. Director Asif Kapadia and producer James Gay-Rees tell her story in ‘Amy.’

CHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com is proud to present our new film podcast, Press Play. We filmed our inaugural episode at the 440-seat Navy Pier IMAX theatre immediately following the Chicago advance premiere of “Terminator Genisys”. HollywoodChicago.com and Chicago Film Critics Association-accredited critics discussed “The Terminator” franchise with the following distinguished panelists.

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Heart at Rosemont Theater, Rosemont, Illinois, June 12th, 2015.

CHICAGO – The recent viral YouTube video of Heart’s “Stairway To Heaven” performance – before the surviving members of Led Zeppelin – proved once and for all that Ann and Nancy Wilson of that legendary band are good enough to make Robert Plant, and fans new and old, weep tears of joy. Numerous musical trends and band personnel have come and gone since Heart’s 1976 debut “Dreamboat Annie,” but at its cardiac core the most celebrated sister act of rock continues to beat on as strong as ever, while keeping their love alive.

CHICAGO – The “Terminator” series means so much to so many film fans. What began as a modest sci-fi “what if?” morphed into now four sequels, billions of box office dollars, and the cementing of Arnold Schwarzenegger as an action film titan. It’s all mixed together again in “Terminator Genisys.”

CHICAGO – Jada Pinkett Smith was doing it her way long before she became half of one of Hollywood’s biggest power couples. From modest beginnings, she worked her way up through the entertainment ranks on television, movies and in a metal band (more on that below). She portrays Rome in the sequel “Magic Mike XXL.”

CHICAGO – Adam Scott has become familiar to audiences through his five year run as Ben Wyatt on TV’s “Parks and Recreation,” but he is also creating a presence on the big screen, with various supporting roles in big films (“The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”) and his latest comedy, “The Overnight.”

CHICAGO – From Rin-Tin-Tin to Lassie to Benji, American movie goers have loved the heroic dog. As the film “Max” throws its leash into the ring, the expectation was a dull family drama just about Max the dog himself. What a surprise to learn it was also a poignant meditation on people.