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.
July 2024
Slideshow: Best-Of Photos from Milwaukee’s 2024 Summerfest by Jeff ‘Doc’ Doles
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 31, 2024 - 7:20pmCHICAGO – The iconic Milwaukee Summerfest for 2024 wrapped up last month, and photographer and Music Editor Jeff “Doc” Doles was on hand to provide an on-stage view with the following “Best-of” Exclusive Photo Slideshow. From headliner Lil Uzi Vert to classic acts like Living Colour and the BoDeans, the event drew music fans from all over the world.
Podtalk: Meezahn Senbetta & Davis Cameron Chu on Film ‘Hand Job’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 30, 2024 - 2:28pmCHICAGO – Last week, filmmakers Meezahn Senbetta & Davis Cameron Chu had their friends/family premiere of their debut short “Hand Job” … and don’t let the title lead you astray. The film is an incredibly expressive and unique journey of one man’s savior hand. They reserved their first interview for HollywoodChicago.com and Pat Über-Critic McDonald. !—break—>
Slideshow: Red Carpet Portraits at Sundance X Chicago Weekend
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 29, 2024 - 8:05amCHICAGO – Last month was historic as two titans of film and filmmaking – Chicago and the Sundance Institute of Park City, Utah – launched a collaborative weekend that signaled a cooperation that has expansion plans. Filmmakers, actors, the Chicago Mayor and Sundance officials were on the Red Carpet.
Film News: Stephanie Sack Presents Finnish Sci-Fi Film ‘Time of Roses’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 27, 2024 - 10:51amCHICAGO – Indie Film Programmer & Horror-rista Stephanie Sack is back with a Chicago matinee presentation of “Time of Roses,” an under-seen 1969 screening of an urban science fiction film from Finland, remaining the only representative example of serious sci-fi in their cinema history. The 11am matinee will be screened with the short “The Last Golem” at the Music Box Theatre, click TIME OF ROSES for details and tickets.
Audio Series Review: 'Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 27, 2024 - 8:22amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio review for the doc series “Charlie Hustle & the Matter of Pete Rose,” about the rise and bitter fall of the major league legend, the MLB’s all-time hits leader, only to be banned from the sport because of gambling. Streaming on MAX and on HBO since July 24th.!—break—>
Slideshow: Chicago’s Windy City Smokeout Showcases Top Country Music Talent
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 26, 2024 - 5:09pmCHICAGO – The Windy City Smokeout, which told place from July 11th-14th, 2024, and held against the backdrop of Chicago’s sweltering heat and humidity, sizzled with the energy of top country performers who brought the stage to life. This annual festival, a mecca for BBQ aficionados, music enthusiasts and beer lovers alike, transforms the area outside Chicago’s United Center into a vibrant celebration of all things summer.
On-Air Film Review: Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger Documentary
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 26, 2024 - 10:40amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 25th, reviewing “Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger,” in theaters beginning July 26th, and will be playing throughout August in select markets.
Cinema-Men! On-Air Film Review of Powell & Pressburger Doc
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 26, 2024 - 10:36am![]() Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on July 25th, reviewing “Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger,” in theaters beginning July 26th, and will be playing throughout August in select markets.
Film Review: ‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Hints Marvel is Out of Ideas
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2024 - 9:04amCHICAGO –In “Wolverine & Deadpool” we witness the complete and utter exhaustion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This movie is like sitting next to a particularly annoying Twitter/X feed that never stops announcing its own cleverness, but whose quips aren’t nearly as funny as it thinks they are. I may be in the minority, but I’ve always found Deadpool to be a little exhausting.!—break—>
‘Deadpool & Wolverine’ Hints Marvel is Out of Ideas
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 25, 2024 - 9:02am![]() Rating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO –In “Wolverine & Deadpool” we witness the complete and utter exhaustion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This movie is like sitting next to a particularly annoying Twitter/X feed that never stops announcing its own cleverness, but whose quips aren’t nearly as funny as it thinks they are. I may be in the minority, but I’ve always found Deadpool to be a little exhausting.
Podtalk: Filmmaker Sarah Lasley for ‘Welcome to the Enclave’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 23, 2024 - 5:26pmCHICAGO – Scheduled within the recent 2024 Chicago Critics Film Festival was “Shorts Program #2.” During that event … curated by CCFF shorts programmer Collin Souter … the Windy City was introduced to Filmmaker Sarah Lasley, with her surreal, expressive and brilliant short “Welcome to the Enclave.”
Podtalk: Michael P. Nash on Updated Issues from HIs 2010 Film ‘Climate Refugees’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 20, 2024 - 7:27amCHICAGO – Michael P. Nash is a filmmaker on a mission. As searing heat bakes the country this summer, with extreme weather like severe tornadoes and the recent Galveston floods in its wake, the realities in Nash’s prescient 2010 documentary “Climate Refugees” is coming to our own shores.
Audio Film Review: All Greek to Harry Connick Jr. in ‘Find Me Falling’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 19, 2024 - 1:35pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Find Me Falling,” featuring Harry Connick Jr. as a depressed rock star and the Greek island country he escapes to go back to his past to help his present. Streaming on Netflix beginning on July 19th.
All Greek to Harry: Audio Film Review of ‘Find Me Falling’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 19, 2024 - 1:32pm![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Find Me Falling,” featuring Harry Connick Jr. as a depressed rock star and the Greek island country he escapes to go back to his past to help his present. Streaming on Netflix beginning on July 19th.
Film Review: 'Twisters' is the Popcorn Movie it Sets Out to Be
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 18, 2024 - 7:32amCHICAGO – “Twisters” is the kind of movie seemingly engineered to be seen on a big screen, accompanied by ear splitting sound that rattles your seat. And in that kind of environment, it’s exactly the kind of big dumb popcorn movie it sets out to be, even if it doesn’t add up to much once it’s all over.
'Twisters' is the Type of Popcorn Movie it Sets Out to Be
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 18, 2024 - 7:28am![]() Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – “Twisters” is the kind of movie seemingly engineered to be seen on a big screen, accompanied by ear splitting sound that rattles your seat. And in that kind of environment, it’s exactly the kind of big dumb popcorn movie it sets out to be, even if it doesn’t add up to much once it’s all over.
Podtalk: Director Greg Kwedar & Producer Monique Walton of ‘Sing Sing’ w/ Colman Domingo
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 17, 2024 - 7:37pmCHICAGO – The power of performance is on unique display in “Sing Sing,” expanding in theaters this August. It’s directed/co-adapted by Greg Kwedar and features the consummate Colman Domingo. The film is set in the infamous prison, as the incarcerated become a troupe of actors, and how it changes their lives.
Podtalk: Paul Raci, Divine Eye Maclin & Dino Johnson of ‘Sing Sing’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 17, 2024 - 6:47pmCHICAGO – The power of performance is on unique display in “Sing Sing,” expanding in theaters this August. It’s directed/co-adapted by Greg Kwedar and features the consummate Colman Domingo. The film is set in the infamous prison, as the incarcerated become a troupe of actors, and how it changes their lives.
Podtalk: Gregg Jaffe for ‘Big Teeth Small Shorts’ Summer ’24 Live Film Fest
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 16, 2024 - 4:50pmCHICAGO – In filmmaking, the short film is usually the medium where most potential directors do their first works or present a shorter version of what they hope will become a longer film or simply that they prefer that length of story-telling. One of the short films fests that has been around Chicago for several years is the “Big Teeth Small Shorts” presentation, and the founder of Big Teeth Productions … Gregg Jaffe …will be facilitating their Summer ’24 Live Screening on Thursday, July 18th, at FACETS Cinema in Chicago’s DePaul Neighborhood. For details and tickets, click BIG TEETH.
Podtalk: Johnny Brower Remembers John Lennon in ‘REVIVAL69’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 16, 2024 - 9:53amCHICAGO – One month after John Lennon made his iconic walk across Abbey Road for that classic album cover, he got a call from Canadian promoter Johnny Brower. Would Lennon play at a Toronto rock show? The answer to that question is told in the recently released rock doc “REVIVAL69: The Concert That Rocked the World.”
Audio Film Review: Blast-Off From the Past in ‘Fly Me to the Moon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 11, 2024 - 4:51amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Fly Me the Moon,” an alternative history satire about the Apollo 11 first-msn-on-the-moon mission, featuring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum and Woody Harrelson. In theaters on July 12th.
Blast-Off From the Past: Audio Film Review of ‘Fly Me to the Moon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 11, 2024 - 4:46am![]() Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Fly Me the Moon,” an alternative history satire about the Apollo 11 first-msn-on-the-moon mission, featuring Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum and Woody Harrelson. In theaters on July 12th.
Podtalk: Richard Knight Jr. for His Music Appearance at Evanston's SPACE
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 10, 2024 - 9:02pmCHICAGO – Singer/songwriter Richard Knight Jr. believes that “Love is Possible,” so that is the title of his latest album. He will be performing selections from that album and more as he appears at SPACE in Evanston, Illinois, on Monday July 15th, along with Gerald Dowd. For tickets and details, click SPACE.
Podtalk: Brittani Ward for ‘Single Car Crashes’ at Gene Siskel Film Center July 12-14 & 16, 2024
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 10, 2024 - 5:52pm- Angie Gaffney
- Billy Dec
- Billy Zane
- Brittani Ward
- Charín Alvarez
- Chris Lee
- Cinequest Film Festival
- Cruz Gonzalez-Cadel
- five two one films
- Gene Siskel Film Center
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Interview
- Lindsey Morgan
- New Vision Award
- Patrick McDonald
- Paulina Olszynski
- Podcast
- Podtalk
- Single Car Crashes
- Trevor Morgan
CHICAGO – Writer/director Brittani Ward is bringing her made-in-Chicagoland feature, “Single Car Crashes” back home to the Gene Siskel Film Center for a special screening run on July 12th-14th & 16th, 2024, after the festival circuit with Cinequest (New Vision Award) and the Midwest Film Fest. For tickets and details, click SCC SISKEL.
Podtalk: Exec Director Karen Cardarelli of FACETS on 2024 So Far
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 9, 2024 - 7:15pmCHICAGO – It’s been an exciting year so far for the gem of film exhibition, FACETS Cinema in Chicago’s DePaul Neighborhood. And spearheading that excitement is Executive Director Karen Cardarelli, who began in that position in the pandemic year of 2020 and has shepherded FACET’s growth and new programming, in addition to becoming a leader in Chicago’s film scene.!—break—>
Podtalk, Review: Actor KiKi Layne on Blossoming in ‘Dandelion’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 9, 2024 - 6:02pmCHICAGO – Growth from a young and rising actor is defined by KiKi Layne. After getting her big break as Tish in “If Beale Street Could Talk” from 2018, she has build her resume in both independent (“Native Son”) and tentpole (“Coming 2 America”) films, and showcases her music talent as the title character in “Dandelion,” which opens Friday, July 12th.
Film News: Launch of ChicagoScreens.org Highlights Film Fests & Series
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2024 - 5:04pmCHICAGO – Right before the historic Sundance X Chicago summit a new website was launched, two years in the making, ChicagoScreens.org. The site is the first ever one-stop destination spotlighting Chicago area film festivals (with an emphasis on independents) and film series. The site is the brainchild of the recently formed Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals (CAFF).
Entertainment News: Comcast Introduces NOW TV Latino Package
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2024 - 12:40pmCHICAGO – As of July 1st, 2024, Comcast has a new service package for their Xfinity internet customers. For only 10 dollars a month, they are offering NOW TV Latino, the best value in Spanish-language live TV, which includes Peacock Premium. For complete details and information on the package, click NOW TV Latino.
Theater Review: Steppenwolf’s Familial ‘Little Bear Ridge Road’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 7, 2024 - 9:33pmCHICAGO – The Steppenwolf Theatre of Chicago continues to provide different viewpoints on the American stage, and their latest “Little Bear Ridge Road” is no exception. Featuring ensemble member Laurie Metcalf, it’s the resonate story of a family at the crossroads. For tickets/details, click LITTLE BEAR.
Audio Film Reviews: ‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F’ & ‘Despicable Me 4’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 6, 2024 - 6:13pm- Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
- Bronson Pinchot
- Despicable Me 4
- Eddie Murphy
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Joey King
- Judge Reinhold
- Kevin Bacon
- Kristen Wiig
- Movie Review
- Netflix
- Patrick McDonald
- Paul Reiser
- Sofia Vergara
- Stephen Colbert
- Steve Carell
- Steve Coogan
- Taylour Paige
- Universal Pictures
- Will Ferrell
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film reviews for “‘Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” with Eddie Murphy & “Despicable Me 4 with the voice of Steve Carell, both in the fourth film in their respective series. “Cop” is streaming on Netflix since July 3rd, and “Me” is in theaters since the same date.