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CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “The Wild Robot” a new animated film release adapted/directed by Chris Sanders and featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Stephanie Hsu and Kit Connor. In theaters September 27th.

Lupita N-yong’o is the voice of the Rozzum Unit 7134 or “Roz” a robot that exists in the distant future, that ends up on a remote island after falling off a cargo ship and washing ashore. The island is isolated from humans, and contains abundant animal life of several species. Roz is programmed to serve humans, but eventually gains the friendship of a wily Fox named Fink (Pedro Pascal), after wrestling a goose egg from the animal’s mouth. The egg hatches under Roz’s care, and the gosling is Brightbill (Kit Connor), a runt from a litter that had been destroyed. It is up to a mechanical robot and her animal friends to become a Mom and family to an orphan bird, while the Universal Dynamics Company wants their product back.

”The Wild Robot” is in theaters on September 27th. Featuring the voices of Lupita Nyong’o, Pedro Pascal, Kit Connor, Bill Nighy, Mark Hamill, Ving Rhames, Catherine O’Hara and Stephanie Hsu. Screenplay adapted and directed by Chris Sanders. Rated “PG”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “The Wild Robot”

The Wild Robot
Photo credit: Universal Pictures/Dreamworks Animation

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “The Wild Robot”

CHICAGO – It’s that time of year, and this fest is right on time. The Chicago Horror Film Festival – facilitated by Associate Producer Stephanie Sack – is three days/nights of over 200 indie horror films on September 27th-29th at the Logan Theatre in Chicago. For tickets and more information, click CHICAGO HORROR.

The 25th edition of the Chicago Horror Fest is born from the passion of dedicated horror creators and enthusiasts and features captivating programming with carefully curated selection of both local and touring horror short films. The theme this year is “Final Girls & Women in Horror.” The Logan Theatre is the jewel of the Square.

Chicago Horror Film Festival
Photo credit: ChicagoHorrorFilmFest.com

Stephanie Sack is a film programmer/curator/presenter (“La Gialloholique”) and partner in “Barge Lady Cruises,” a travel experience. Since 2008 she has taken classes in both hemispheres, nine countries, dozens of cities, and seven languages (English, French, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, and Estonian). In her film work in Chicago, she focuses on classic and repertory cinema, with an expertise in the Italian “Giallo” genre of horror/thriller.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Chicago Horror Film Festival Associate Producer Stephanie Sack explains it all …

In a Video clip, a Stephanie Sack recommendation …

The 25th Chicago Horror Film Festival takes place Friday, September 27th thru Sunday the 29th, 2024, at the Logan Theatre Chicago. Click link above for details and tickets.

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

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – You can say this for Francis Ford Coppola, He gets an “A” for effort. “Megalopolis” is a project which boasts loads of ambition, but winds up in a narrative cul-de-sac that Coppola never finds a way to create his way out of … he has so many ideas floating around he never manages to establish much momentum because he’s trying to do too much, too often, all at once

“Megalopolis” is an ancient Roman epic set in a slightly futuristic New York (now dubbed New Rome). A visionary architect Caesar (Adam Driver) desperately tries to shed the decaying ruin of the present to fashion a city for the future, while his chief nemesis Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito) wants to keep things decidedly as they are. Caesar has the curious ability to literally stop time, which proves useful in his quest to remake the city for the next millennia.

”Megalopolis” is in theaters on September 27th. Featuring Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito. Nathalie Emmanuel, Shia LaBeouf, Jon Voight, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne and Talia Shire. Written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Rated “R”

Continue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “Megalopolis”

Megalopolis
Photo credit: Lionsgate

Continue reading for Spike Walter’s full review of “Megalopolis”

CHICAGO – The Irish American Movie Hooley … a Hooley is a rowdy party … is celebrating its 10th year, and the “Houli” who began the fest, Mike Houlihan, is back as the congenial host. Three Irish and Irish American feature films will be showcased, and will unspool at the Wilmette (Illinois) Theatre in Chicagoland on September 27th-29th this weekend. For details/ticket info, click MOVIE HOOLEY.

As usual, the Irish American Movie Hooley highlights three films. On Friday, September 27th, it’s “Sins of Ireland,” a survey of Catholic priests and the confessional, with director Alex Fegan in attendance. On Saturday the 28th it’s, “Kneecap,” an Irish “rap” film, which includes an appearance by actor Jessica Reynolds. And finally on Sunday the 29th it’s “Stories I Didn’t Know,” a documentary about what filmmaker Rita Davern uncovered about her Irish roots. Ms. Davern will make an appearance at the screening.

The 2024 Irish Movie Hooley
Photo credit: Hibernian Media

The Founder and the Producer of festival is Mike “Houli” Houlihan, who is a fixture in the Chicago entertainment scene as an actor, stand-up comedian, radio personality and filmmaker. In the 1990s, he did a one man show called “Goin’ East on Ashland” that ran for six years, and had a world premiere in 2000 with his play “Mickey Finn” at Chicago’s Royal George Theatre. In 2009, he wrote and was featured in the film “Tapioca.” and released a documentary in 2013 entitled “Our Irish Cousins.” He produced another documentary in 2022 entitled “In Search of Weeping Jim.”

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Mike Houlihan of the Irish American Movie Hooley talks about the fest…

In a Video clip, Houli pitches Hooley …

Mike Houlihan and Hibernian Media presents the 2024 Irish American Movie Hooley, taking place from Friday, September 27th through Sunday, September 29th at the Wilmette Theatre, 1122 Central Avenue, Wilmette, Illinois.

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

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – The Autumnal Film Festivals are in full swing, and filmmakers across the spectrum are screening their cinema works to audiences around the country. Beginning a tour of festivals with his short “Cottage Grove” is writer/director George Ellzey Jr., a Chicago native and DePaul University grad. The film highlights the Chicago neighborhood and parental relations.

Emmanuel (Patrick Agada) is helping out his estranged father (Sean Blake) after the elder has had a stroke. As they sit in a car and watch the Cottage Grove neighborhood idle by, they establish some communication in their very tense relationship. As truths become evident, Emmanuel is getting an opportunity to confront the person that is his “father” in name only.

’Cottage Grove,’ Written and Directed by George Ellzey Jr.
Photo credit: Ellzey Winter Productions

“Cottage Grove” begins its fall festival tour on September 24th at (click links) the Charlotte Film Festival; comes back to Chicago for the Sandy Film Festival on October 4th-5th; moves to Fort Wayne, Indiana, on October 6th at the Hobnobben Film Festival, is featured at the Gary (Indiana) International Black Film Festival from October 10th-13th; lands at the prestigious Micheaux Film Festival in Los Angeles (see video clip below) on October 25th: and screens at the Reel Texas Film Festival in Kilgore on November 7th-10th, 2024.

George Ellzey Jr. is a native Chicago director, screenwriter, and producer most known for his award-winning experimental film, “Switchin’,” featured on NBC5 Chicago and now streaming on OTV Open Television. His work has been screened nationally and internationally at such festivals as Athens International Film Festival, Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival, London International Web & Shorts Film Festival (UK), and many more. According to the filmmaker, he is driven to explore the oft-ignored narratives of minorities in film, specifically focusing on the black male experience.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, filmmaker George Ellzey Jr. provides perspective on “Cottage Grove” …

In a video clip, George gives an intro to “Cottage Grove” …

Trailer, “Cottage Grove” …

”Cottage Grove” is on the film festival circuit. Click links above for specific screenings. Featuring Patrick Agada and Sean Blake. Written and directed by George Ellzey Jr. Not Rated.

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

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Final test.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Photo credit: Warner Bros./Fathom Events

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “The Substance” a new release written/directed by Coralie Fargeat and featuring Demi Moore and Margaret Whalley portraying two sides of the same person … older and younger. In theaters since September 20th.

Moore is Elisabeth Sparkle, a faded Los Angeles-based former movie star reduced to an exercise show that is plunging in the ratings, much to the chagrin of network exec Harvey (Dennis Quaid). Harvey decides to fire Elisabeth and replace her with someone younger. To add to her misery, Elisabeth has a horrific auto accident the same day, but after being check out as uninjured a young doctor directs her to THE SUBSTANCE, an off-the-grid injectable drug ritual that will make her young (as portrayed by Margaret Qualley) for seven days and back to her older self for seven days. She names her new persona Sue, takes over her old show, and becomes a media sensation. This makes her less inclined to go back to old Elisabeth, so she begins to step beyond the seven days as Sue … but there is a price to pay.

”The Substance” is in theaters on September 20th. Featuring Demi Moore, Margaret Whalley, Dennis Quaid, Hugo Diego Garcia and Oscar Lesage. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat. Rated “R”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “The Substance”

The Substance
Photo credit: MUBI

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “The Substance”

CHICAGO – On September 9th 2024, the world lost an icon of acting, voice work and pop culture stardom. The great James Earl Jones passed away at age 93, after a career of prominent statute, memorable characters and a voice to a generation through Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King” (both versions). Photographer Joe Arce of HollywoodChicago.com took an Exclusive Portrait of Jones in 1993 during a Chicago book tour.

Jones was born in Mississippi, and was raised in Michigan by his maternal grandparents. His estranged father became an film actor, and they reconciled in the 1950s. Jones graduated from the University of Michigan as a drama major, and after a stint in the military made his major Broadway debut in 1958 as Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt’s butler in “Sunrise at Campobello.”

James Earl Jones in Chicago, 1993
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

He shifted to Shakespearian roles thereafter, and gained a reputation as one of the finest interpreters of the Bard in the 1960s. Jones also made a memorable film debut in Stanley Kubrick’s “Dr. Strangelove” in 1964, and won the Tony for the title role as a boxer patterned after black champ Jack Johnson in “The Great White Hope,” a role he repeated in the film version, which earned him an Oscar Nomination for Best Actor.

His Shakespearian stage roles continued throughout the 1970s, as well as TV appearances on “Sesame Street,” “The Guiding Light” and the film “Claudine” (1974). But James Earl Jones’ second act would be his most memorable … the voice of Darth Vader in the 1977 “Star Wars” first film and the subsequent SW film sequels/reboots and TV series to the present day. The current Star Wars producers have preserved his voice in A.I. and he signed a contract shortly before his passing to allow that voice to continue as Darth Vader.

From the 1980s on, Jones would continue a run of memorable stage and screen roles, and became the voice of a news network for his “This is CNN.” He won another Tony for August Wilson’s “Fences,” appeared on stage in “Driving Miss Daisy’ (2010) and scored roles in major film hits like “Conan the Barbarian,” “Coming to America” and “Field of Dreams.” He voiced the title role of Musfasa in Disney Studios animated classic “The Lion King” (1994, and repeated the role in the 2019 remake). He capped his career as Darth Vader in the “Stars Wars” movie/TV reboots (2016’s “Rogue One,” for example) and a coda as King Jaffe Jofer in the sequel “Coming 2 America” (2021).

Jones was married twice. He is survived by his son Flynn. He passed away of natural causes in Pawling, New York, north of NYC. The Hollywood Reporter described him as “one the most admired American actors of all time.”

Source material from Wikipedia.com. James Earl Jones, 1931-2024.

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 “My Old Ass,” a new film release featuring Aubrey Plaza as a “time traveling” 39 year old, and written/directed by Megan Park. In Chicago theaters on September 20th, everywhere on September 27th.

Maisy Stella is Elliott, who has just graduated from high school and is anticipating college, plus she’s having many make-out sessions with her best gal Ro (Kerrice Brooks). When her and Ro indulge in a psychedelic mushroom trip, Elliott’s older 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza) emerges through the trippy portal to confront young E and steer her life path. One piece of advice given? … avoid at all costs a guy named Chad (Percy Hynes White). Despite this, a meet-cute happens with, you guessed it, Chad. How will the teen Elliott react when she has a key clue to her future?

”My Old Ass” is opening in Chicago area theaters on September 20th, and nationwide on September 27th. See local listings. Featuring Aubrey Plaza, Maisy Stella, Percy Hynes White, Kerrice Brooks and Maddie Ziegler. Written and directed by Megan Park. Rated “PG-13”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “My Old Ass”

My Old Ass
Photo credit: Amazon MGM Studios

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “My Old Ass”

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story,” a chronicle of the unbelievable and unprecedented life of the Man who would be SuperMan. Fathom Events presents special screenings on September 21st and 25th. See local listings.

This is the incredible, still inconceivable story of Christopher Reeve, who was plucked from obscurity to the role of Superman beginning in 1978 and through three sequels to 1987. His non-Superman work was less successful, but his career was going along as he expanded into directing and TV work. Then in May of 1995 a tragedy occurred. Reeve the active outdoorsman and competitive horse rider was thrown during a jump, and was afterward paralyzed from the neck down until he died in 2004, including tied to a breathing pump. His next phase of life would be his most challenging.

”Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” will have a special screening through Fathom Events on September 21st and 25th. See local listings. Written by Otto Burham,Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui. Directed by Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui. Rated “PG-13”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Photo credit: Warner Bros./Fathom Events

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story”

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “His Three Daughters,” a passionate exploration of the hospice stage of life, and how it affects the three women of the title, as Dad is dying. Currently in theaters or streaming on Netflix beginning on September 20th.

The three women of the title are Katie (Carrie Coon), Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) and Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), and they are gathered together reluctantly to care for their father in New York City as he enters hospice … the final healthcare stage of death. The daughters of Vincent (Jay O. Sanders) are far-flung, with Katie nearby but an impatient mess, out-of-town Christina still in bliss over her 3-year-old daughter and half-sister Rachel as a pot smoking, online bettor who has been taking care of Vincent throughout his illness. The clash of wills in a confined apartment in mourning will take its toll.

”His Three Daughters” is currently in theaters and streaming on Netflix beginning September 20th. Featuring Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, Natasha Lyonne, Rudy Galvan and Jay O. Sanders. Written and directed by Azazel Jacobs. Rated “R”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “His Three Daughters”

His Three Daughters
Photo credit: Netflix

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “His Three Daughters”

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 19th, reviewing the film “Transformers One,” the first animated film in the alien robot series since 1986. In theaters beginning September 20th.

This is an origin story, as Orion Pax (voice of Chris Hemsworth) and his buddy D-16 (Brian Tyree Henry) both toil in the energy mines of planet Cybertron, trying to keep up with demand for power. They are ruled by the overlord Sentinel Prime (Jon Hamm), who separates the worker drones from the elites through their ability to transform. Pax decides to enter an elite race, the consequences of which send him on a journey with D-16, his mining boss Elita-1 (Scarlett Johansson) and a wacky miner friend named B-127 (Keegan-Michael Key). They are all about to transform into the bold face names we all know.

”Tranformers One” is in theaters on September 20th. Featuring the voices of Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Steve Buscemi, Laurence Fishburne and Jon Hamm. Screenplay by Eric Pearson, Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari. Directed by Josh Cooley. Rated “PG-13”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of ”Transformers One”

Transformers One
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of ”Transformers One”

CHICAGO – Before it became a Hollywood franchise, the original “Meet the Parents” was a locally-filmed 1992 indie film co-written, directed and featuring Greg Glienna of Park Ridge, Illinois. That city’s famous Pickwick Theatre will celebrate 30 years of the film with a week long run that begins on Friday, September 20th, 2024, with an appearance at the 7pm show by Glienna, his co-writer/co-star Mary Ruth Clarke and producer Jim Vincent, with moderation by Ian Simmons of Kicking the Seat Vodcast. For ticket info and details, click MEET THE PARENTS.

Like the 2000 version the original film centers on Greg (Greg Glienna), a young advertising agent from Chicago drives to Indiana to meet his fiancé‘s parents for the first time. Despite his best intentions and his desire to make a good impression, he inadvertently sets off mishaps and calamities which causes the weekend to end in disaster. Unlike the later version, the original features a producer credit from comedian Emo Phillips, more extreme/absurdist humor, and was a cult favorite around its 1990s release. The concept was sold to Universal and eventually ended up as the “Focker” franchise.

The Original ‘Meet the Parents’ (1992)
Photo credit: CEM Productions

“It means a great deal to me to return to the theater where not only the film first screened but where I worked as an usher when I was sixteen years old,” observed Glienna. “That’s just like something that would happen in the movies.” Glienna received writing credits on the later “Meet the Parents,” “Meet the Fockers” and “Little Fockers.”

The film will then have a week-long run at the historic Pickwick Theatre, and will be released in 2025 digitally, and a new book “The Meet the Parents Story: The True and Terrible Tale of How a Little Independent Film Spawned a Billion-Dollar Franchise” by Laura Enright will be released around the same time.

”Meet the Parents” (1992) will screen at the Pickwick Theatre in Park Ridge (Illinois) September 20th-25th, 2024, with an appearance by co-writer, director and featured actor Greg Glienna at the 7pm Sept. 20 screening. For more information on the Pickwick Theatre, click PickwickTheatre.com.

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

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – The 42nd edition of the REELING International LBGTQ+ Film Festival (Reeling42) kicks off on September 19th, 2024, and runs through October 6th. The Opening Night film is “Young Hearts” at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre. For info/tickets click REELING42.

“Young Hearts” captures the pain and joy of falling in love for the first time in a beautifully filmed coming-out story. Set in a charming town in the Belgian countryside, the emotionally guarded fourteen-year-old Elias finds his world turned upside down when he meets his new neighbor and classmate, Alexander, who is an open book and confidently gay. As they adventure together around the idyllic countryside and become filled with emotions they are too young to fully comprehend, an innocent first love blossoms.

Director Anthony Schatteman of “Young Hearts” will walk the Red Carpet Opening Night, along with director Cory Wexler Grant of “Screams From the Tower” (9/21, 12:30p). Director Mike Spears of “Moving In: A Modern Musical (9/23. 8:45p) and producer Trey Tetreault of “Holding Back the Tide’ (9/21, noon).

REELING42 Opens with ‘Young Hearts,’ Directed by Anthony Schatteman (inset)
Photo credit: REELINGFilmFestival.org

With programs including narrative features, documentary features, a virtual program and shorts, there many ways to enjoy REELING42. To check out the schedule for all films and options, click SCHEDULE. For ticket and pass options, click TICKETS. The in-person festival runs through September 29th, the online virtual fest will have select titles available September 27th through October 6th. Click VIRTUAL REELING42 for more info on that option.

REELING42: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival is the second longest-running film festival of its kind, and prides itself on showcasing the best LGBTQ+ films and videos each year. From award-winning international feature films to social documentaries to experimental shorts, REELING has always presented a range of genres that demonstrate the rich diversity of work being produced. Not only has REELING become one of the most important cultural events for Chicagoans, it also attracts LGBTQ+ people from throughout the Midwest who consider the festival to be the highlight of their cinematic year.

The 42nd edition of REELING International LBGTQ+ Film Festival runs from September 19th through October 6th, 2024. For tickets, schedule and all information, click REELINGFilmFestival.org.

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

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

CHICAGO – It’s time to get some “Wizdom”! In the WORLD PREMIERE at the same Chicago studio (CineCity) where it was filmed, the completed short will premiere on Friday, September 20th (6pm), and that screening will be facilitated by Producer/Co-Writer/Lead Actor Ashton Swinford and Producer/Director Layne Marie Williams.

Ashton Swinford is Eos, a futuristic thief and outlier living in a dystopian time to come. She lives with her sibling Vayle (Simone Brazzini) and seeks to disrupt the controlling power of “Wizdom,” a corporation who has blotted the world in permanent darkness and uses brain-attached devices to assure the population that all is well. When Eos steals a powerful hallucinatory drug, what she experiences on that drug’s trip is a threat to the power, represented and discovered by Carbon (Elizabeth Laidlaw).

Wizdom
Photo credit: Poster by Jillian Adel, Studio of Earthly Delights for Paragram Productions

Actor/Producer/Co-Writer Ashton Swinford and Producer/Director Layne Marie Williams are both veterans in their respective crafts, and have participated in a six year process to get “Wizdom” to the screen. They both crystallized their careers in the Windy City, and even as they are now Los Angeles based they used Chicago cast and crew to complete filming. The short also serves as a “proof of concept” for a completed feature script, with the goal to make it a larger project with a production company backing.

In Part One of a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, producer/co-writer/lead actor Ashton Swinford expresses “Wizdom” …

In Part Two, it’s director Layne Marie Williams …



In Part Three, Ashton and Layne Marie both provide perspective …

In a Video Clip, Ashton Swinford and Layne Marie Williams introduces us to “Wizdom” …

The World Premiere of “Wizdom” will take place on September 20th, 2024, beginning 6pm at CineCity, 2429 West 14th Street, Chicago. for ticket information, click here. Featuring Ashton Swinford, Elizabeth Laidlaw, Ruth Kaufman, Simone Brazzini and Elena Victoria Feliz. Written by Ashford Swinford and Zack Stevers. Directed by Layne Marie Williams. For more information on “Wizdom,” click ProjectWizdom.com.

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 “All Happy Families,” a drama/comedy about the common life element of family that all of us must deal with in our own way, co-written by Coburn Goss and Haroula Rose, and directed by Rose. In theaters on September 20th. See local listings,

Josh Radnor of “How I Met Your Mother” is Graham, a dejected writer/actor who manages the Landry family two flat in Chicago … his brother Will (Rob Huebel) owns it and has a successful TV show in Los Angeles. When the building needs a new tenant, Graham re-connects with interested party Dana (Chandra Russell) who he used to have a crush on in college. When Will shows up unexpectedly, and their parents (John Ashton and Becky Ann Baker) are also in for a visit, three situational bombshells are about to throw everyone into, as author Leo Tolstoy once said, an “unhappy in their own way” status.

”All Happy Families” is in select theaters on September 20th, see local listings. Featuring Josh Radnor, Will Huebel, John Ashton, Becky Ann Baker, David Pasquesi and Chandra Russell. Written by Haroula Rose and Coburn Goss. Directed by Haroula Rose. Not Rated.

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “All Happy Families”

All Happy Families
Photo credit: Freestyle Digital Media

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s audio review of “All Happy Families”

CHICAGO – Learning how to navigate in the rough waters of life is a strange combination of who we are, where we come from, what educational opportunities we partake in and of course, how we look. Adam Pearson is featured in a new film, “A Different Man” (opening September 20th), which filters these life issues through one man’s outer transformation and another’s intuitive acceptance of self.

”A Different Man” follows a New Yorker named Edward (Sebastian Stan), a man with neurofibromatosis, a nerve and tumor disorder which disfigures his face and keeps him isolated and withdrawn due to his appearance. He makes a connection to his new neighbor Ingrid (Renate Reinsve), but she can’t commit to his advances. Desperate, he signs up for an experimental cure, and to his surprise it transforms him.

Starting fresh, he eventually connects to Ingrid again, who has written a play about his former self. Edward lands the lead role due to his secret past, but is eventually upstaged by another actor named Oswald (Adam Pearson) who still is affected by Edward’s former neurofibromatosis condition. The contrast between the comfortable-in-his-own-skin Oswald and Edward, who is still struggling to find his place in a new world, disrupts the situation snd changes all lives.

Adam Pearson in Chicago, June of 2024
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Written and directed by Aaron Schimberg, the film is an extraordinary dive into the inner and outer being, including the emotional carriage we develop based on our own confidences, and let’s face it, how we look. Sebastian Stan is formidable in the range he displays in the Edward role, never fully engaging with the world that previously rejected him and lashing out because of it. The actor with the real condition, Adam Pearson, is the performance who conveys all the confidence Stan’s character lacks, and his Oswald is comically rewarded for it. There are lessons aplenty in the film, but it is also creative about human nature and because of that humanity, awkwardly funny.

Adam Pearson was born in London and was diagnosed with his neurofibromatosis condition as a child. After graduating from the University of Brighton, he worked in television production, working on shows associated with his unique looks. He auditioned for and won the role of “The Deformed Man” in Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” opposite Scarlett Johansson, and the role began his life as actor and continued disability and anti-bullying advocate, including some popular TED talks. He continues his life as performer, broadcaster and inspirational speaker.

’A Different Man’ with Adam Pearson and Sebastian Stan
Photo credit: A24

In Part One of a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Adam Pearson describes his approach and characterization …

In Part Two, his surprising transition to acting and his advocacy approach for disabilities …

Trailer, “A Different Man” …

A Different Man” is in theaters on September 20th. See local listings. Featuring Adam Pearson, Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, C. Mason Wells and Michael Shannon. Written and directed by Aaron Schimberg. Rated “R”

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 Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 12th, reviewing the new documentary “¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” In limited release on September 13th (see local listings).

Trey Parker and Matt Stone of “South Park” and “The Book of Mormon” for some reason (mostly nostalgia) purchase the Denver-based Mexican themed restaurant Casa Bonita. But it’s not just any Mexican Restaurant, it’s a bizarre mishmash of tunnels, animatronic mascots, puppet shows, people in costumes running around and yes, cliff divers in a real waterfall pool, which is all available around and during the dining experience. When the reality of being restaurant owners sets into the wacky pair, an original six million dollar renovation budget starts to multiply into many times that sum.

”¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!” is in select theaters on September 13th, see local listings, and on Paramount+ later this fall. Featuring Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Directed by Arthur Bradford. Not Rated

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of ”¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!”

¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!
Photo credit: Paramount+

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of ”¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!”

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 12th, reviewing the new release “Here After,” a parapsychological thriller featuring Connie Britton. In theaters on September 13th.

Britton portrays Claire, an American living in Rome with her daughter Robin (Freya Hannan-Mills) who communicates with sign language. She’s not deaf, but mute, not talking since a childhood trauma. On a rainy day, Robin gets into a bicycle accident, so severe she dies … for 15 minutes. When she emerges from a coma, she seems back to normal, even regaining her speech. But as the weeks after the accident go by, odd events eventually overtake Robin and Claire, so much so that Claire starts to question whether Robin is the same person she once was.

”Here After” is in theaters on September 13th. Featuring Connie Britton, Freya Hannam-Mills, Giovanni Cirfiera, Tommaso Basili, Babetida Sadjo. Written by Sarah Conradt. Directed by Robert Salerno. Rated “PG-13”

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

Here After
Photo credit: Paramount Pictures

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

CHICAGO – The United States is a nation of judgement without justice. That is what the new release documentary “Sweetheart Deal” is expressing in a story of sex workers and those who profess to help. It is co-directed by Gabriel Miller and Elise Levine, and Levine talked to HollywoodChicago.com in 2023. The doc is in theaters on September 13th.

Four sex workers in Seattle are caught in the spiral of addiction, and turn to a self-proclaimed healer who offers friendship, refuge and a path to salvation from the streets inside the headquarters of his roadside RV. But just as they begin to rebuild their lives, a shocking betrayal comes to light that will change them all. Shot in vérité style over several years, “Sweetheart Deal” offers an intimate portrait of hope, heartbreak and resilience on the fringes of modern America.


These are the type of films that make us question our society and why we will not face certain truths … make sex work legal and regulate. The way the system is now is that the persons who get punished the most are the desperate nowhere-else-to-turn women and men who have run out of all options. It’s the evil antithesis of “making love.” Regardless of all that this documentary shines truth and light to the darkest corners, to illuminate some sort of reckoning, the thinnest sliver in the road to hope.

’Sweetheart Deal,’ Directed by Elisa Levine and Gabriel Miller
Photo credit: Abramorama

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com from 2023, co-director Elisa Levine talks about the journey of “Sweetheart Deal” …

Trailer, “Sweetheart Deal” …

”Sweetheart Deal” is in theaters on September 13th. See local listings. Written by Karen Sim. Directed by Elise Levine and Gabriel Miller. Not Rated, but contains graphic adult content.

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

© 2024 Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com