February 2021

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 25th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Minari,” in theaters and available through Video-On-Demand on February 26th.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show on WSSR-FM (Star 96.7 Joliet, Illinois) on February 26th, 2021, reviewing the new release “Tom & Jerry,” premiering on HBO MAX and in theaters on February 26th, 2021.

CHICAGO – In another strong sign that the pandemic is lessening its grip, the historic Music Box Theatre of Chicago will reopen to the general public on Friday, February 26th, 2021. The premiere film will be “Night of the Kings,” written and directed by Philippe Lacote. The Music Box will be following strict COVID-19 guidelines recommended by the CDC … get full details by clicking here.

CHICAGO – Filmmakers from Chicago get their moment in the spotlight via the new YouTube series “The Work.” Hosts Curtis Matzke and Bradley Power, also local filmmakers, have created episodes featuring in-depth perspectives from their industry guests. Access the series by clicking The Work.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 18th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Mauritanian,” in theaters now and available through Video-On-Demand on March 2nd.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 16th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Nomadland,” in theaters and streaming on HULU beginning February 19th, 2021.

CHICAGO – As a sports obsessed adolescent growing up in Chicago during the 1980s, nothing dominated the headlines more than the Chicago Bears. Leading the carnival of mayhem and madness was quarterback Jim McMahon. McMahon helped lead the Chicago Bears to a 15-1 record in 1985, and a dominant 46-10 win over New England in Super Bowl XX.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 11th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Land,” in theaters beginning February 12th, 2021.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 11th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Judas and the Black Messiah,” in theaters and streaming on HBO Max beginning February 12th, 2021.

CHICAGO – The Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) of Chicago wishes everyone a HAPPY CHINESE LUNAR NEW YEAR … the Year of the Ox. To celebrate the day, how about a FREE Chinese Film Series, and an interview via Zoom with the President of APUC, Colin Hara. Mr. Hara has been part of the Governing Board of the cinema series since 2018, and is in his third year as president.

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on February 4th, 2021, reviewing the new film “Malcolm & Marie,” streaming on Netflix beginning February 5th, 2021.

CHICAGO – There are over 500 episodes of “Law and Order” but I’m not about to embarrass myself publicly by revealing just how many of those I’ve seen; let’s leave it at “a lot.” In the age of binge television, I know I’m not the only one that has taken a deep dive into the show and other long-running shows like it, but I know we can all agree why we continue watching them: they keep things fresh. Like any television series that has aspirations of longevity, they can’t stay the same over time, especially when it comes to detective procedurals. The Little Things pays homage to everything we love from an old-fashioned detective procedural but aside from being socially tone-deaf, it also has the misfortune of doing it a couple decades too late.

CHICAGO – It was one week of 73 feature films and 50 shorts, and it was shared with a virtual and online audience. The 2021 Sundance Film Festival will be remembered as within the pandemic sphere, but it also was notable for the depth and breadth of their film offerings, and how it reached a larger cinema universe.

CHICAGO – A man called Screech is gone. Dustin Diamond, who portrayed the Screech character for many years on the series “Saved by the Bell” and its various iterations, passed away on February 1st, 2021, in a Florida hospital after a bout with cancer. He was 44.