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CHICAGO – One of the most reliable and relatable character actors in film is Greg Kinnear. The actor, Oscar nominated for “As Good As It Gets,” has been working steadily in film and TV ever since he made a splash on the scene with “Talk Soup.” From there he was cast in the remake of “Sabrina,” and his roles ascended from there. His latest film role is in “Sight.”

One of America’s great Eye Doctor/Scientists is Ming Wang (Terry Chen), a Chinese-American immigrant who came from nothing to become one of the world experts on curing blindness through breakthrough discoveries. When a case of a blind girl from India falls on his lap, it leads to one of this greatest sight reviving ideas, with help from his colleague Misha Bartnovsky (Greg Kinnear). In this incredible true story, Wang goes over his life in flashback, including his survival during China’s cultural uprising in the 1970s.

Greg Kinnear in ‘Sight’
Photo credit: Angel Studios

The film’s story, half of which takes place in Wang’s flashbacks, is the journey of the eye doctor/scientist who uses his past to aid his ideas in the present, and it was a notable way to tell an uplifting story. Kinnear’s supporting role make them an odd Batman and Robin of the eye world, and GK’s steady presence provides a grounding to Wang’s difficult work, visionary thinking and research obsession. This is a fine come-from-nothing and spiritual truth telling about an unlikely medical hero.

Greg Kinnear was born in small town Logansport, Indiana, He was the son of a career diplomat, which meant moving a lot and living overseas as a child. He came into prominence when he hosted the first version of “Talk Soup” on the E! Network in 1991. Four years later, he made a splashy film debut as David Larrabee in the 1995 remake of Billy Wilder’s “Sabrina,” directed by Sydney Pollack.

Three years later, he was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his 1997 role in “As Good As it Gets.” Through his career, he has taken a variety of different character parts, including portraying the double life of sitcom star Bob Crane in “Auto Focus” (2002), but he’s also familiar from “You’ve Got Mail,” “Someone Like You” and “Little Miss Sunshine.” His latest roles include “Flash of Genius” (2010), as JFK in TV’s “The Kennedys” (2011) “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues” (2013) and a notable part in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in its last season.

In Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Greg Kinnear talks about “Sight” and his career adventures …
CLICK HERE for a 2014 interview with Greg Kinnear by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.

”Sight” is in theaters on May 24th. Featuring Greg Kinnear, Terry Chen, Ben Wang, Fionnula Flannigan and Wai Chin Ho. Written by Andrew Hyatt, John Dulgan and Buzz McLaughlin. Directed by Andrew Hyatt. Rated “PG-13”

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – One of the great partners of local filmmaking in the Chicago area is Noisefloor Sound Solutions. The company provides the ambience for storytellers not only in cinema, but for the wide range of creative endeavors in the 21st Century … including TV, Web Series, Video Games and of course, Podcasts.

Starting with just two sound experts in 2005, Noisefloor has grown to a 13 person staff of sound designers, music composers, producers, audio implementors, mixers and location recordists. The team has brought their talent and passion to such projects as the films “Hoop Dreams,” “Apollo 13” and the recent locally produced ”Single Car Crashes”, in addition to the HALO series of video games. With their variety of sound services, Noisefloor’s client list ranges from Coca Cola to EGO to The Big Ten Network to Warner Bros.

Noisefloor Sound Solutions
Photo credit: Noise-Floor.com

Katie Waters is a Foley Artist (reproducing Sound Effects) and provided the tour of Noisefloor’s expansive facilities for me. She began at the company in 2016 as Studio Manager, and has also been a producer on projects for the sound and music tracks. In 2021 she was promoted to in-house Foley Artist. Our tour concluded in their podcast studio, where we conducted the following interview about Noisefloor and her work.

In Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Foley Artist Katie Waters talks about Noisefloor Sound Solutions, and quality of the Podtalk emanates from their in-house podcast studio …

In a clip from the video portion of the Podtalk, Noisefloor’s sound services are described …

Noisefloor Sound Solutions is located at 320 Ohio Street in Chicago. Click NOISEFLOOR for more information regarding the facility and services.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – 2112 is a Chicago Incubator, helping start-ups and entrepreneurs develop, specifically in the creative-entertainment-music industries. 2112 unobtrusively stands in a former industrial district on Chicago’s northwest side. What began (and remains) as a music venture called Fort Knox Studios, has evolved into 2112.

2112 is focused on the Entertainment & Creative Industries, as well as Lifestyle Brands. With a huge space housing rental music spaces, production facilities, a major studio stage for filmmaking, podcast studios and a bullpen of interactive idea people/start-ups/businesses, 2112 is fast becoming the place to get things done.

Rob Tovar (inset) & Work Stations at 2112
Photo credit: 2012Inc.com

Rob Tovar is the Co-Founder and Director of the Hangar, the aforementioned studio stage, and an Operations Director at 2112. In the last decade Rob has been involved with multi-media sales, operations and productions. Some of Rob’s recent projects have included the acclaimed TV series CBS “Redline,” NBC’s “Chicago Fire,” and the feature films “Come as You Are,” ”Chasing the Blues” and “Signature Move.” Production show runs musicians and bands include Chance the Rapper, Smashing Pumpkins, Spite, Non-point, Night Ranger, Chevelle, and Louis the Child.

In Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Rob Tovar of 2112 talks about the scope of the organization …

In a clip from a 2022 World Business Chicago video, a tour of the facilities via Rob Tovar…

The 2112 Music, Film and Tech Incubator is located at 4245 North Knox Avenue, Chicago. Click 2112 for more information and background.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – When in the presence of a powerful acting force like Michael Shannon, the depth of performance is emotional and passionately essential. He co-leads with Travis A. Knight in Red Orchid Theatre’s World Premiere of Levi Holloway’s “Turret,” just extended to June 22nd at the Chopin Theatre. For tickets and info, click TURRET.

The story, written and directed by Levi Holloway, is set in a dystopian future, as two men are holed in an underground bunker, after an unnamed event has poisoned the air outside the protective room. Green (Michael Shannon) is a military officer, and Rabbit (Travis A. Knight) is an enlisted grunt who share the bunker space. The place is outfitted with electricity generation, data processing and supplies, which interests an outsider named Birdy (Lawrence Grimm). Can humanity survive in such conditions? 

Red Orchid’s ’Turret’ at the Chopin Theatre Extended through June 22nd
Photo credit: RedOrchidTheatre.org

Audio Theater Review of “Turret” by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com …

CLICK HERE for an interview with co-lead actors Michael Shannon and Travis A. Knight by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com.

Red Orchid Theatre presents “Turret,” extended through June 22nd at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division Street, Chicago. Featuring Michael Shannon, Travis A. Knight and Lawrence Grimm. Written and directed by Levi Holloway. For more information on Red Orchid, click here.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 16th, reviewing “Babes,” the director debut of Pamela Adlon (FX’s “Better Things). In select theaters on May 17th. See local listings.

Eden (ilana Glazer) is a nutty yoga instructor in New York City, who hangs with her lifelong best pal Dawn (Michelle Buteau), and they are with each other when Dawn delivers her second child with husband Marty (Hasan Minhaj). On a long subway ride home, Eden meets Claude (Stephan James), an actor who she immediately is attracted to. After a one night stand later, Eden is preggers and finds out that Claude is ghosting her because he actually has died. With only her best friend, who is exhausted with two kids, Eden will try to single mother her way into a new world.

“Babes” is in select theaters on May 17th. See local listings. Featuring Ilana Glazer, Michelle Buteau, Hasan Minhaj, Stephan James, Sandra Bernhard, Oliver Platt. Written by Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz. Directed by Pamela Adlon. Rated “R”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of “IF”

Babes
Photo credit: A24

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of “IF”

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 16th, reviewing “IF” (which means Imaginary Friend) a new live action/animated epic written and directed by John Krasinski. In theaters on May 17th.

12-year-old Bea (Calley Fleming) has lost her mother to cancer and is trying to leave behind her childhood. When her Dad (John Krasinski) also has a hospital stay, the girl retreats further into a pre-pubescent angst. While staying with her grandmother (Fiona Shaw), Bea notices some strange goings-on in the apartment above them, including an animated bee creature (voice of Phoebe Waller-Bridge) and a put-upon caretaker named Calvin (Ryan Reynolds). It turns out they’re trying to match their collective of IFs (Imaginary Friends) to new kids who will believe in them, and Bea turns out to be the perfect organizer for that task.

“IF” is in theaters on May 17th. Featuring John Krasinski, Ryan Reynolds, Calley Fleming, Fiona Shaw and Bobby Moynihan, as well as the voices of Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Awkafina, Emily Blunt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Jon Stewart, Written and directed by John Krasinski. Rated “PG”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of “IF”

IF
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of “IF”

CHICAGO – Writer/director Michael Glover Smith’s award-winning feature film “Relative” (2022) was snapped up by Chicago-based Music Box Films, and will have its Digital release on May 21st, 2024. But first, how about one more special screening at the historic Music Box Theatre on Wednesday, May 15th. Click RELATIVE at for tickets and info.

“Relative” is a film about transition, as a family gathers for the youngest son/brother’s college graduation. Each individual family member is dealing with a situational crossroads, and the family togetherness both modifies and challenges them. Meanwhile, the college graduate (Cameron Scott Roberts) has serendipitously fallen for Hekla (Elizabeth Stam). The film also features Wendy Robie, Francis Guinan, Keith D. Gallagher, Emily Lape, Melissa DuPrey and Clare Cooney.

Relative
Photo credit: Music Box Films

Writer/Director Michael Glover Smith is also an author and film studies instructor (at Oakton Community College, the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and elsewhere), and is based in Chicago. His first feature film, “Cool Apocalypse,” premiered in 2015, the same release year as his first book, “Flickering Empire: How Chicago Invented the U.S. Film Industry.” His next two films were “Mercury in Retrograde” in 2017, and “Rendezvous in Chicago” in 2018. “Relative” was delayed 13 months due to the pandemic, and was complete in 2021. His latest short film, doing the festival circuit, is “Handle with Care.”

In PART ONE of a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, writer/director Michael Glover Smith explains that everything is “Relative” …

In PART TWO Professor Smith corrects the interviewer’s French pronunciation, the origin of which has been cleverly edited out …

In a Video Clip, Michael Glover Smith gives the pitch …

Trailer for “Relative” …

”Relative” will screen in Chicago at the Music Box Theatre on May 15th, 2024, with the digital release through Music Box Films on May 21st (click here). Featuring Wendy Robie, Francis Guinan, Cameron Scott Roberts, Elizabeth Stam, Keith D. Gallagher, Emily Lape, Melissa DuPrey and Clare Cooney. Written and directed by Michael Glover Smith. Not Rated.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the “I Saw the TV Glow,” written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun (“We’re all Going to the World’s Fair”). Currently playing in Chicago, opening wider nationwide on May 17th, 2024. See local listings.

Owen (younger - Ian Foreman, older - Justice Smith) is just trying to make it through life in the suburbs when his classmate Maddy (Bridgette Lundy-Paine) introduces him to a mysterious late-night cable TV show, “The Pink Opaque” … a vision of a supernatural world beneath their own. In the pale glow of the television, Owen’s view of reality begins to crack, even after a number of years go by.

“I Saw TV Glow” is in Chicago theaters now, opening wider nationwide on May 17th. See local listings. Featuring Justice Smith, Bridgette Lundy-Paine, Fred Durst, Danielle Deadwyler and Ian Foreman. Written and directed by Jane Schoenbrun. Rated “PG-13”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “I Saw the TV Glow”

I Saw the TV Glow
Photo credit: A24

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “I Saw the TV Glow”

CHICAGO – When an entrepreneur is also a storyteller, they work to make that creativity happen. Ian LeWinter is the co-founder of Film.io, or FILMIO, a DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) that seeks to make a creator’s dream come true in the ever-evolving Film and TV production industry. Click FILM.IO to begin the journey.

Simply put, Film.io is the world’s most powerful decentralized filmmaking (and TV series) ecosystem, placing Hollywood decision-making into the hands of creators and fans. Film.io leverages blockchain technology and fan collaboration to provide filmmakers with an end-to-end solution for creating, funding, and distributing their projects.

Film.io
Photo credit: Film.io

FAN Tokens are used to join and participate in the Film.io DAO, allowing creators (as DAO members) to submit their projects as “proposals,” while asking fans to show their support for the projects they believe in by staking their tokens. Film.io also had a significant presence at the 2024 SXSW Festival, sponsoring the Filmmakers Lounge.

Ian LeWinter has 30 years experience in creative industries, managing communications in the technology and entertainment verticals. His strategies have been used to brand and promote industry heavyweights such as Toshiba, Intuit, Tenet Healthcare and Kyocera. As a founder, Ian developed and implemented strategy for ID, which included the identification, engagement and conversion of key influencers for entertainment clients such as Cox Communications. Ian also has acted as Executive Producer for Alicia Keys and Brad Paisley televised concerts. He also co-created the world’s first superhero (“Blank”) created in real-time on Twitter in 2007.

In Part One of a Podtalk interview by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, co-founder Ian LeWinter of film.io talks about the platform …

In Part Two, Ian talks nuts and bolts …

In a Video Clip, Ian LeWinter goes global …
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For more information on Film.io, Go to their knowledge base by clicking FILMIO.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – The Audience is the determiner for the Award Winners of the 11th Chicago Film Critics Film Festival, which took play from May 3rd-9th, 2024. The recipients for the 2024 Rotten Tomatoes Audience Award Winners are for Narrative Feature “Ghostlight,’ directed by Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan, Documentary Feature “Flipside” by Christopher Wilcha and the Short Films “Bob’s Funeral” by Jack Dunphy and “Welcome to the Enclave” by Sarah Lasley.

The 11th CCFF
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com

The 11th Chicago Critics Film Festival is the the only such festival in the country curated by film critics, and highlights the 2024 films from the early year festivals like Sundance, SXSW and more. Below is the FIVE BEST FILMS from HollywoodChicago.com Editor and Film Critic/Writer Patrick McDonald.

FIVE BEST FILMS of 2024 CCFF, Audio Overview by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com

The Chicago Critics Film Festival Audience Awards are sponsored by Rotten Tomatoes and presented by the Chicago Film Critics Association. See you in 2025 for the 12th CCFF!

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the “Evil Does Not Exist,” the latest film from Japanese writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose “Drive My Car” won Best International Film at the 2022 Oscars. In select theaters since May 10, 2024. See local listings.

The film involves a Japanese village within driving distance of Tokyo, pristine in its state of nature and populated by indigenous villagers for several generations. A developer from Tokyo intends to build a “glamping” site … short for luxurious “glamour camping” … to exploit the area’s nature for vacationers. When a meeting is held with the villagers regarding the build-out, there is a questioning to representatives Takahashi (Ryuji Osaka) and Mayuzumi (Ayaka Shibutani) regarding legitimate environmental concerns, especially from Takumi (Hitoshi Omika) the village leader and widower father of daughter Hana (Ryo Nishikawa). When the Tokyo developers ignore the rep’s report, and demand that they alter the villager’s attitudes, at the same time Takumi’s daughter goes missing, and the village pitches in to find her.

“Evil Does Not Exist” is in select theaters since May 10th, including Chicago’s (click) Landmark Century Centre Cinema. Featuring Aryuji Osaka, Ayaka Shibutani, Hitoshi Omika and Ryo Nishikawa. Written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Not Rated.

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “Evil Does Not Exist.”

Evil Does Not Exist
Photo credit: Sideshow

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “Evil Does Not Exist.”

CHICAGO – One of Chicago’s icon theater actors … Michael Shannon … is performing again in town, in the company that he co-founded. Red Orchid Theatre presents Michael Shannon and Travis A. Knight in the World Premiere of “Turret” by Levi Holloway, now at the Chopin Theatre through June 9, 2024. For tickets and info, click TURRET.

Two men (Shannon and Knight) survive in a facility deep underground somewhere in the wild woods of the Pacific Northwest, hiding away from something terrible from the outside. Ensnared in a relentless loop of endless tomorrows, they discover the wolf isn’t at the door, it’s already inside, waiting in the creeping darkness all around them. “Turret” is an excavation of masculinity, love, loss and isolation, and a claustrophobic carnival of carnage, carrier pigeons, cribbage, whiskey, music, mischief and mayhem.

Red Orchid’s ’Turret’ at the Chopin Theatre through June 9th
Photo credit: RedOrchidTheatre.org

Michael Shannon was born in Kentucky, and moved to the Chicago area when his father became a professor at DePaul University. Bitten with the performance bug at an early age he made his mark on the professional and storefront stages of Chicago. He made his film debut with a small role in “Groundhog Day,” and moved up the film role spectrum with parts in “Jesus’ Son,” “Cecil B. Demented,” “Pearl Harbor” and “8 Mile.” His exquisite performing style made memorable characters out of everyman personas.

In 2008 his stage work (which he has never stopped doing) continued, as he worked with the late Philip Seymour Hoffman on “The Little Flower of East Orange” at the Public Theater in New York City. That same year he appeared in the film “Revolutionary Road,” for which he was nominated for an Oscar. His roles thereafter ranged memorably between TV (HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” “George & Tammy”), stage (“Long Day’s Journey into Night” and “Waiting for Godot” on Broadway) and film (“Take Shelter,” “Man of Steel,” “99 Homes,” “The Shape of Water” “Elvis and Nixon,” “Knives Out” and the upcoming “Bikeriders”).

Co-lead actor Travis A. Knight also serves as the Associate Artistic Director of the Red Orchid Theatre, where he has appeared in “The Malignant Ampersands,” “Grey House” and “Small Mouth Sounds.” His Chicago credits include “The Crucible” (Steppenwolf), “Ah Wilderness,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Measure for Measure,” “Camino Real” (Goodman) and “Camelot” (Drury Lane). His TV credits include the “Chicago” series (Fire, P.D. and Med), films include the made-in-Chicago “Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party” and the short film “Runner.”

In a Podtalk interview by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Michael Shannon reflects on his craft and “Turret” …

In a Podtalk interview by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Travis A. Knight talks about his acting roles and as Red Orchid’s Associate Artistic Director …

Red Orchid Theatre presents “Turret” through June 9th at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division Street, Chicago. Featuring Michael Shannon, Travis A. Knight and Lawrence Grimm. Written and directed by Levi Holloway. For more information on Red Orchid, click here.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 9th, reviewing “The Last Stop in Yuma County,” a throwback noir and the director debut of Francis Galluppi. In select theaters and available for digital download on May 10th.

“Last Stop …” begins with a knife salesman (Jim Cummings) stuck at a last-chance-for-a-hundred-miles gas station/diner with an empty tank, and has to cool his heels at the diner to wait for a delayed fuel truck. A second pair of men walks in (Richard Brake and Nicolas Logan) for the same reason, after having robbed a ban. They assert themselves by taking the salesman and diner owner Charlotte (Jocelin Donahue) hostage, when they become aware that Charlotte is married to the local sheriff. As more folks filter in for the same empty tank reason – and Charlotte and the knife salesman have to keep quiet – the situation is about to get very tense.

“The Last Stop in Yuma County” is in select theaters (see local listings) and available for digital download on May 10th. Featuring Jim Cummings, Jocelin Donahue, Richard Brake, Nicholas Logan and Falzon Love. Written and directed by Francis Galluppi. Rated “R”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of “The Last Stop in Yuma County”

The Last Stop in Yuma County
Photo credit: Well Go USA Entertainment

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of “The Last Stop in Yuma County”

CHICAGO – Get out your flapper dresses and raccoon coats as FACETS Chicago goes back to the early talkies and so-called “pre-code” films, paired with a cocktail bar at their new “Speakeasy Cinema,” programmed by Raul Benitez. The first film is “The Doorway to Hell” (1930) on Saturday May 11th, starting at 6:30p. For ticket info and more details, click SPEAKEASY.

FACETS invites film lovers to leave their troubles at the door, grab a prohibition-era cocktail, listen to some jazz, and make their way through the secret back entrance to an intimate cabaret-style screening room showcasing underrated gems from the Golden Age of Hollywood. From trailblazing pre-code cinema to classic gangster fare, series programmer Raul Benitez has curated a lineup of films to be presented within their historical context, yet appreciated through a modern lens.

Speakeasy Cinema at FACETS Chicago
Photo credit: Facets.org

“The Doorway to Hell” involves Louie Ricarno (Lew Ayres), the leader of a bootlegging gang in Chicago, with his right hand man Steve Mileaway (James Cagney). With ruthless charisma, he brings the other gangs under control. It’s a time of peace in the crime world. Louie now has time to marry his girlfriend Doris (Dorothy Mathews) and tries to retire and go straight. Events conspire to pull him back into the life.

Raul Benitez has been a film programmer in Chicago for over 14 years. He programs at Comfort Station Logan Square, is the Senior Programmer at the Midwest Film Festival, the After Dark and shorts programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Chicagoland Shorts programmer for Full Spectrum Features.

In a Podtalk interview by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, programmer Raul Benitez provides background for “Speakeasy Cinema” …

In a Video Clip, Raul gives the pitch …

FACETS Chicago presents Speakeasy Cinema with “The Doorway to Hell,” on May 11th, 2024, at the cinema, 1517 West Fullerton Avenue, Chicago. For more information on FACETS Chicago, click here.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 9th, reviewing “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes,” the fourth installment of the current iteration of the franchise. In theaters on May 10th.

Many generations after the events of the last film, the society left behind means apes now rule, and humans are the sub species. Noa (Owen Teague as a full CGI ape) is part of a tribe who raise birds for hunting and lives in peace. That peace is upended by Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), King of the Coastal Apes, who accumulates power by destroying other tribes and using the human’s old war technology against his species. When Noa’s tribe becomes victims of destruction, the young ape seeks his revenge with the help of a evolved human named Nova (Freya Allan).

”Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is in theaters on May 10th. Featuring Owen Teague, Freya Allen, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon and William Macy. Screenplay by Josh Friedman. Directed by Wes Ball. Rated “PG-13”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Photo credit: 20th Century Studios

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”

CHICAGO – The Midwest Film Festival of Chicago is on the road this weekend and heading north to Milwaukee to screen writer/director Brittani Ward’s award-winning “Single Car Crashes” at the historic Oriental Theatre on May 11, 2024 (11am). For details and tickets for this road show event, click MFF ROAD TRIP.

Ten years after a devastating car crash took his best friend Zach’s life, Sean (Trevor Morgan), still lives small town where he grew up, struggling with his survivor’s guilt. When Zach’s sister Kendall (Lindsey Morgan) – who also was Sean’s first love – returns to town to marry someone else, Sean is forced to confront his failure to launch and the impact it’s having not only on his own stunted life, but on his now nine-year-old son.

’Single Car Crashes’ at the Midwest Film Festival in Milwaukee
Photo credit: five two one films

Writer/director Brittani Ward of “Single Car Crashes” has built an impressive career, working on projects of every size. Extensive casting associate work under Emmy-award winners (Barbara Fiorentino, Amber Horn, Danielle Aufiero, Laray Mayfield, and Julie Schubert) includes one season of every Marvel/Netflix series, “50 Shades of Gray Darker” and “Freed,” as well as “Death Note,” two Jason Statham-led features and several television pilots and series.

In 2022, she partnered up with Angie Gaffney to produce not only “Single Car Crashes,” but also “Adult Children” and “Desire Lines” (a documentary/narrative-hybrid feature). “Single Car Crashes” was honored with the New Vision Award at its World Premiere during the Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, California.

In a Podtalk interview by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, writer/director Brittani Ward talks about “Single Car Crashes” …

In a Video Clip, Brittani Ward tells everyone “ROAD TRIP!” …

The Midwest Film Festival has been a staple in Chicago’s film community since 2004. At the beginning of 2020, the festival was reinvented with a a new outlook and name, facilitated by Executive Director Erica Duffy. It remains one of the most influential and provocative film festivals in the city, and now it’s coming to Milwaukee!

Chicago’s Midwest Film Festival presents “Single Car Crashes” on May 11th, 2024, at the Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Featuring Trevor Morgan, Lindsey Morgan, Paulina Olszynski, Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel, Chris Lee, Billy Dec, Charín Alvarez, and Billy Zane. Written and directed by Brittani Ward. For more information on The Midwest Film Festival, click here. Chicago is with you all.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – Closing Night for the 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF) is Thursday, May 9th, and the final film centerpiece is “Ghostlight,” directed by Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson. For the full schedule, info and tickets, click CCFF Closing Night. For individual films, click titles below.

GHOSTLIGHT

Writer/Co-Director Kelly O’Sullivan (inset) of ‘Ghostlight’
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com

Dan (Keith Kupferer) is a middle-aged construction worker grieving a family tragedy, and has cut himself off from his devoted wife Sharon (Tara Mallen) and talented but troubled daughter Daisy (Katherine Mallen Kupferer). Through an accidental circumstance, Dan finds comfort and community in a misfit company of amateur actors. While performing for the first in a low-rent production for one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, Dan is forced to confront his buried emotions.

CAPSULE REVIEW: The premise has sitcom-like plot drivers to get the reluctant Dan on stage, but the path to redemption for him is as emotionally freeing as anything you’ll ever see in a film. The creators of the 2019 award-winning “Saint Frances” has produced another exquisite drama of the human condition, filtered through the relevant words of the most masterful of theatrical philosophers, William Shakespeare. Everyone eventually deals in losing a loved one, and this film is comfort for the soul in the crushing feelings of that loss. A must see. (8:30pm, appearances from Kelly O’Sullivan, Alex Thompson and various cast members).

In Podtalk interview by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, writer/co-director Kelly O’Sullivan provides insight on “Ghostlight” …

POWER

Power
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com

Driven to contain threats to social order, American policing has exploded in scope and scale over hundreds of years. Now, it can be described by one word … power.

CAPSULE REVIEW: This overview of the history and recent issues with law enforcement in this country involves many factors, but ultimately it points towards the implications of the non-accountable, unfettered and legal violence that police use for many reasons, and as a consequence the delicate hold on democracy that we the people have (if it still even exists). More chillingly, what a society leading towards even less accountability and more force will mean to everybody. (4pm).

The 11th Chicago Critics Film Festival is the the only such festival in the country curated by film critics, and highlights the 2024 films from the early year festivals like Sundance, SXSW and more. The other film on Closing Night is ”National Anthem” directed by Luke Gilford.

The 11th Chicago Critics Film Festival Closing Night is May 9th, 2024, at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 North Southport, Chicago. For the CCFF website, click here.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – “Dandelion” was the centerpiece film at the 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF) on May 6th, and featured an appearance by the actor portraying the title character, KiKi Layne (“If Beale Street Could Talk”). Ms. Layne walked the Red Carpet at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre.

Dandelion (KiKi Layne) is a struggling Cincinnati singer-songwriter in a downward spiral, takes a last-ditch-effort gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota where she meets Casey (Thomas Doherty), a guitarist who walked away from his dream long ago. As Dandelion joins Casey’s nomadic group of struggling musicians, the kindred spirits make music together and strike up a whirlwind romance.

KiKi Layne at the 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

KiKi Layne is an ascending actor after making her feature film debut in “If Beale Street Could Talk” in 2018 as Tish Rivers. She also had prominent roles in “Native Son,” “The Old Guard,” “Coming 2 America,” and “Don’t Worry Darling.” She makes her debut as a musician in “Dandelion.”

HollywoodChicago.com photographer Joe Arce got the Exclusive Portrait of KiKi Layne at the Chicago Critic’s Film Festival on May 6th, 2024.

The 11th Chicago Critics Film Festival runs through May 9th, 2024, at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 North Southport, Chicago. For the CCFF website, click here.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – The 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival on Day Six – Wednesday, May 8th – screens a feature film director debut about a hiking trip and the scattered remnants of disconnected people. “Good One” is by India Donaldson, and she will appear on behalf of the film For the full schedule, info and tickets, click CCFF May 8th. For individual films, click titles below.

GOOD ONE

Good One
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com

17-year-old Sam (Lily Collias) embarks on a three-day backpacking trip in the Catskills with her dad, Chris (James Le Gros) and his oldest friend, Matt (Danny McCarthy). As the two men quickly settle into a gently quarrelsome brotherly dynamic, airing long-held grievances, Sam, wise beyond her years, attempts to mediate. But when lines are crossed and Sam’s trust is betrayed, she is confronted with her dad’s emotional limitations and experiences the universal moment when the parental bond is tested.  

CAPSULE REVIEW: The world is a cruel place that is increasingly unsafe, especially for women. This remarkable statement is encapsulated in a soft narrative about a hiking trip, familiar as a plot line in a movie … usually for redemption … but in this case it is about truth. A must-see authenticity, and a remarkable debut (7pm, Appearance from writer/director India Donaldson).

The 11th Chicago Critics Film Festival is the the only such festival in the country curated by film critics, and highlights the 2024 films from the early year festivals like Sundance, SXSW and more. The other two films on May 8th is “Gasoline Rainbow”, directed by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross, in addition to ”Handling the Undead”, directed by Thea Hvistendahl.

The 11th Chicago Critics Film Festival runs through May 9th, 2024, at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 North Southport, Chicago. For the CCFF website, click here.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – The 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival Day Four – Monday, May 6th – presents a film about music dreams and a documentary on a music store. “Dandelion” is written and directed by Nicole Riegel and “Flipside” by Chris Wilcha are the centerpiece screenings. For the full schedule, info and tickets, click CCFF May 6th. For individual films, click titles below.

DANDELION

Dandelion
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com

Dandelion (KiKi Layne) is a struggling Cincinnati singer-songwriter in a downward spiral, takes a last-ditch-effort gig at a motorcycle rally in South Dakota where she meets Casey (Thomas Doherty), a guitarist who walked away from his dream long ago. As Dandelion joins Casey’s nomadic group of struggling musicians, the kindred spirits make music together and strike up a whirlwind romance.

CAPSULE REVIEW: This is a passionate meditation on young love and the sensitive artist trying to interpret it. The love is as much about the title character’s passion toward music as the misplaced emotions regarding coupling. The story is deliberate and beautifully filmed, and reaches its destinations through that defiant, unquenchable need to create. Dandy. (7pm, Appearances from lead actor KiKi Layne and writer/director Nicole Riegel).

FLIPSIDE

Flipside
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com

When filmmaker Chris Wilcha revisits the record store he worked at as a teenager in New Jersey, he finds the once-thriving bastion of music and weirdness from his youth slowly falling apart and out of touch with the times. “Flipside” documents his tragicomic attempt to revive the store while revisiting other documentary projects he has abandoned over the years. In the process, Wilcha captures a disparate collection of stories that develops into something strange and expansive … a moving meditation on music, work, and the sacrifices and satisfaction of trying to live a creative life.

CAPSULE REVIEW: For all of us who believe we can never get anything done, this documentary is all in. Filled with surprises, random thoughts and unlikely human profiles, this is a documentary within several documentaries, and the inevitability of this life all going away. As a creative, then to capture something, and then give it to the world. Aye, there is the rub. Meet you on the flip side.(9:45pm).

The 11th Chicago Critics Film Festival is the the only such festival in the country curated by film critics, and highlights the 2024 films from the early year festivals like Sundance, SXSW and more. The other film on May 6th is Shorts Program 2. Day Five is Tuesday, May 7th, and features ”What You Wish For”, directed by Nicholas Tomnay, and two anniversary revivals … the 25th Anniversary screening of Martin Scorcese’s ”Bringing out the Dead” and the 20th Anniversary of the anime classic ”Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence”.

The 11th Chicago Critics Film Festival runs from May 3rd through May 9th, 2024, at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 North Southport, Chicago. For the CCFF website, click here.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com