CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the streaming series “Emily in Paris” the adventures of Emily Cooper and her fanciful/fashionable Paris friends and lovers, now in its fourth season. Episodes 1-5 currently on Netflix.
March 2008
Veteran Michael Caine Makes ‘Flawless’ Sparkle, Reveals Great Crime Behind Great Fortune
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 31, 2008 - 11:28pmCHICAGO – As this year of heist films set in London continues (“The Bank Job” was last month), “Flawless” does adhere to the rules of successful application of this genre.
Set in 1960, there is the fabulous treasure: the icy gems within the vault of the London Diamond Corporation. There are the greedy corporation men to stick it to once the loot is plundered.
Veteran Michael Caine Makes ‘Flawless’ Sparkle, Reveals Great Crime Behind Great Fortune
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 31, 2008 - 11:20pmCHICAGO – As this year of heist films set in London continues (“The Bank Job” was last month), “Flawless” does adhere to the rules of successful application of this genre.
Chicago Filmmaker Darryl Roberts to Screen ‘America the Beautiful’ at Midwest Independent Film Festival
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 30, 2008 - 5:43pmCHICAGO – Welcome to a new HollywoodChicago.com column called CineOnSceneChicago. “Cine” is a French word derived from “cinematograph,” is pronounced like its connector word “scene” and roughly means “moving picture”. Our goal is to present a moving picture of the Chicago film scene and have fun with it, too. The debut focuses on Chicago filmmaker Darryl Roberts.
Chicago’s ‘Brontë’ Masterfully Resurrects Three of Planet’s Most Examined Scribes of All Time
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 28, 2008 - 4:13amCHICAGO – Three of the planet’s most examined scribes of all time – a trio of Victorian spinsters, in fact, who are credited with some of the most passionate literature ever written – are resurrected in the meticulous Chicago production of “Brontë” from illustrious playwright Polly Teale.
Interview: Debut Film ‘Empathy’ From Israeli Filmmaker Adi Refaeli to Screen in Chicago
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 28, 2008 - 1:13amCHICAGO – Adi Refaeli, who’s currently touring the U.S. with her short film debut “Empathy,” has taken a circuitous route to the finished project. Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, she spent three years in Toyko to start a family. All the while, she never let go of her interest to pursue filmmaking.
Top Five Irish Films: ‘Into the West,’ ‘Once,’ ‘The Commitments,’ ‘Bloody Sunday,’ ‘The Wind That Shakes the Barley’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 28, 2008 - 12:06amHOLLYWOOD – Someone once said there are two kinds of people: “Those who are Irish and those who wish they were Irish.” While mom claimed I was the first, being an American for a few generations tossed me into the “mutt” category. If there truly is Irish in me, it’s in my big toe or my ring finger, which hardly makes me the Irish lass I had hoped.
Top Chicago Theater Picks For March 27, 2008: ‘Driving Miss Daisy,’ ‘Dead Man’s Cell Phone,’ ‘Bronte’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 26, 2008 - 11:56pmCHICAGO – Free or half-price Chicago theater and comedy tickets. No catch. Just click the link, take just a moment to make a free Goldstar account (or log into your existing Goldstar account) and you’re on your way.
Sundance Winner ‘Teeth’ Bites Right to Point of Men’s Greatest Sexual Fear
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 26, 2008 - 2:41amCHICAGO – In one of the great light bulb ideas that could only happen in association with making movies, along comes “Teeth” to bite us in the – well, to bite us hard. Writer and director Mitchell Lichtenstein has fashioned a one-of-a-kind horror epic (based, of course, on a Japanese film) that at the same time tangles with significant social and cultural issues.
Sundance Winner ‘Teeth’ Bites Right to Point of Men’s Greatest Sexual Fear
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 26, 2008 - 2:35amCHICAGO – In one of the great light bulb ideas that could only happen in association with making movies, along comes “Teeth” to bite us in the – well, to bite us hard. Writer and director Mitchell Lichtenstein has fashioned a one-of-a-kind horror epic (based, of course, on a Japanese film) that at the same time tangles with significant social and cultural issues.
Academy Award-Nominated ‘Beaufort’ Ponders Question of Why We Fight
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 25, 2008 - 11:41pmCHICAGO – History eludes us. It’s what happens when we’re busy making other plans. In his new film “Beaufort,” director Joseph Cedar turns his lens toward the history and misery of a Mideastern soldier’s outpost eight years ago that was both defended and attacked while highlighting the human element that has to endure when protecting the territory of warfare.
Academy Award-Nominated ‘Beaufort’ Ponders Question of Why We Fight
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 25, 2008 - 11:35pmCHICAGO – History eludes us. It’s what happens when we’re busy making other plans. In his new film “Beaufort,” director Joseph Cedar turns his lens toward the history and misery of a Mideastern soldier’s outpost eight years ago that was both defended and attacked while highlighting the human element that has to endure when protecting the territory of warfare.
Hookup: 10 Advance-Screening Passes to New Uwe Boll Comedy ‘Postal’ on April 3, 2008 in Chicago
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 25, 2008 - 3:35amCHICAGO – Following our sold-out ticket giveaway to the upcoming Ellen Page comedy “Smart People,” HollywoodChicago.com now announces another ticket giveaway to the advance screening of the new Uwe Boll comedy “Postal”. The film, which opens on May 23, 2008, will show to downtown Chicagoans at a screening on April 3, 2008 at 7:30 p.m.
‘Ceres’ a High-Octane Probe Into Chicago’s Slippery Investment Banker Slope
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 25, 2008 - 2:35amCHICAGO – Tucked surreptitiously at the way-way-way-off-Loop location of the Prop Thtr – Chicago’s oldest-surviving non-equity theater in the area – the signature that is “Ceres” is its high-octane energy. The cast act in harmony much in the same way as the “X-Men” character Juggernaut: once their momentum is synthesized, it can’t be stopped.
Brazillian Indie ‘The Year My Parents Went on Vacation’ a Tender Window to the World
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 23, 2008 - 11:44pmCHICAGO – Film is often at its best when it offers a “window to the world” about other cultures dealing with issues that life in the U.S. never imagines. “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation” is a meticulous, fascinating and tender story of Brazil in 1970 when revolution was in the air and the World Cup was the hope of bringing a country back together.
Brazillian Indie ‘The Year My Parents Went on Vacation’ a Tender Window to the World
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 23, 2008 - 11:38pmCHICAGO – Film is often at its best when it offers a “window to the world” or surprising and personal stories about other countries and cultures dealing with issues that life in the U.S. never imagines. “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation” is a meticulous, fascinating and tender story of Brazil in 1970 when revolution was in the air and the World Cup was the hope of bringing a country back together.
‘Snow Angels’ an Essential Examination of Yin, Yang in Our Vulnerable Lives
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 22, 2008 - 6:56pmCHICAGO – Staying sane is truly an edge-of-the-knife proposition. We are all the sum of our past environments, our present circumstances and our future worries. The sludge that is generated by such a mixture becomes the psyche that’s ready to interact with other psyches we deem important or are forced to be around through family or commerce.
‘Snow Angels’ an Essential Examination of Yin, Yang in Our Vulnerable Lives
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 22, 2008 - 6:50pmCHICAGO – Staying sane is truly an edge-of-the-knife proposition. We are all the sum of our past environments, our present circumstances and our future worries. The sludge that is generated by such a mixture becomes the psyche that’s ready to interact with other psyches we deem important or are forced to be around through family or commerce.
Wizard of Oz is America in Immigration Film ‘Under the Same Moon’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 20, 2008 - 3:25pmCHICAGO – The immigrant “crisis” in the United States is discussed mostly in political generalities as if those seeking a better life are subhuman. “Under the Same Moon” focuses on the real faces of these people through a 10-year-old Mexican boy who risks everything in a journey to reunite with his mother in Los Angeles.
The Wizard of Oz is America in Immigration Film ‘Under the Same Moon’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 20, 2008 - 1:47pmCHICAGO – The immigrant “crisis” in the United States is discussed mostly in political generalities as if those seeking a better life are subhuman. “Under the Same Moon” focuses on the real faces of these people through a 10-year-old Mexican boy who risks everything in a journey to reunite with his mother in Los Angeles.
Top Five Irish Actors: The Old School, New School and Hollywood Dropouts
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 19, 2008 - 5:25pmHOLLYWOOD – Silver Screen Indie Queen here with some post-St. Patty’s Day film buzz. What better way to start a column than with the Irish?
Israeli Directorial Debut ‘The Band’s Visit’ Built on Series of Bittersweet, Exquisite Moments
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 18, 2008 - 11:11pmCHICAGO – When we speak of conflicts between people or ideologies, there’s a tendency for broad categorization. Who are the liberals or the conservatives? What type of people make up the Israelis or Palestinians? Who are the people of color and who are white?
Israeli Directorial Debut ‘The Band’s Visit’ Built on Series of Bittersweet, Exquisite Moments
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 18, 2008 - 11:05pmCHICAGO – When we speak of conflicts between people or ideologies, there’s a tendency for broad categorization. Who are the liberals or the conservatives? What type of people make up the Israelis or Palestinians? Who are the people of color and who are white?
Poster Art Hits Web For ‘My Blueberry Nights’ With Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 18, 2008 - 10:05pmCHICAGO – The publicist for “My Blueberry Nights” with Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Rachel Weisz, Norah Jones and David Strathairn just sent us the poster art for the new film, which will open in limited U.S. theaters on April 4, 2008.
Hookup: 25 Admit-Two Screening Passes to Ellen Page’s ‘Smart People’ on April 10, 2008 in Chicago
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 18, 2008 - 5:58pmCHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com on Tuesday announces that – in cooperation with the film “Smart People” with Ellen Page from “Juno,” Dennis Quaid, Thomas Haden Church and Sarah Jessica Parker – we are in this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film giving away 25 admit-two screening passes to the new movie.
‘Wild Ocean 3-D’ in IMAX Offers Breathtaking Cinematography, Profound Message
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 17, 2008 - 11:15pmCHICAGO – “Wild Ocean 3-D” – an unforgettable nature documentary playing now in IMAX at Chicago’s Navy Pier – dives to the depths of the ocean and through the vastness of the sea with breathtaking 3-D cinematography and a profound message for all mankind.
‘Wild Ocean 3-D’ in IMAX Offers Breathtaking Cinematography, Profound Message
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 17, 2008 - 11:04pmCHICAGO – “Wild Ocean 3-D” – an unforgettable nature documentary playing now in IMAX at Chicago’s Navy Pier – dives to the depths of the ocean and through the vastness of the sea with breathtaking 3-D cinematography and a profound message for all mankind.
Crime Drama ‘Helix’ to Begin Non-Stop Chicago Filming in Late March 2008 With Lead Alexa Vega
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 17, 2008 - 1:01pmCHICAGO – HollywoodChicago.com on Monday learned about yet another Chicago film that can be added to the local list with a wide array of first-time talent: “Helix”.
Skater Boy Culture Takes Center Stage in Cult Director Van Sant’s ‘Paranoid Park’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 15, 2008 - 7:50pmCHICAGO – For “Paranoid Park,” cult director Gus Van Sant returns to high school, which is the setting of his previous chilling look into the Columbine incident in 2003’s “Elephant”. Though not as successful as “Elephant,” “Paranoid Park” evokes a dream-like meditation on the trials and extreme tribulations of a skateboarding teenage boy trying to find his way.
Skater Boy Culture Takes Center Stage in Cult Director Van Sant’s ‘Paranoid Park’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 15, 2008 - 7:41pmCHICAGO – For “Paranoid Park,” cult director Gus Van Sant returns to high school, which is the setting of his previous chilling look into the Columbine incident in 2003’s “Elephant”. Though not as successful as “Elephant,” “Paranoid Park” evokes a dream-like meditation on the trials and extreme tribulations of a skateboarding teenage boy trying to find his way.
With Surreal Madness, Strange Boys Play ‘Funny Games’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on March 15, 2008 - 6:57pmCHICAGO – Imagine a film with no redeeming or uplifting emotional qualities with evil that tortures the soul, squirm-inducing narrative elements and a relentless anxiety that practically has us – like the characters in the film – screaming for mercy. Imagine also that this film is excellent.