CHICAGO – In anticipation of the scariest week of the year, HollywoodChicago.com launches its 2024 Movie Gifts series, which will suggest DVDs and collections for holiday giving.
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Via Zoom: Scream Queen Portia Chellelynn, on ‘Witch House” & Days of the Dead, Nov. 19-21, 2021
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 19, 2021 - 5:06pmCHICAGO – The “Scream Queen” is a venerable show business category, and there are few better practitioners of the art than Portia Chellelynn. She has been the go-to in the Midwest for low budget horror films, with eight feature film credits to her name, and three more in production. Her latest is “H.P. Lovecraft’s Witch House” – directed by Bobby Easley – currently on the festival circuit. She will also be appearing in this weekend’s Days of the Dead convention in Chicago. For more info, click DAYS OF THE DEAD.
Film Review: Who Ya Gonna Call in ‘Ghostbusters: Afterlife’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 19, 2021 - 10:21amCHICAGO – This latest attempt to revive the beloved 1980’s franchise is a curious rumination on nostalgia. It’s so heavily indebted to the original, references are treated as holy relics to be revered and worshiped. But it also makes the compelling case – to begin with – for the futility of trying to turn the film into a franchise.
Via Zoom: Diallo Riddle on Season Two of ‘South Side’ on HBO Max
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 17, 2021 - 4:52pmCHICAGO – One the brightest comedies set in Chicago is “South Side,” created by Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle. The pair moved the show from Comedy Central to HBO Max, and Season Two dropped for streaming on November 11th, 2021, with the same free-wheeling and hilarious misadventures of Simon and Kareme.
Via Zoom: Kirsten & Regina Leslie on Their Sister Duo at Le Piano in Chicago on Nov. 22, 2021
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 16, 2021 - 4:20pmCHICAGO – One of the classic show business turns is the Sister Act, and one of Chicago’s up-and-coming are the Leslie Sister Duo. Kirsten and Regina Leslie have been performing both separately and together for all their lives, and will take their latest iteration to Le Piano in Chicago on November 22nd, 2021. For reservation info, click SISTER ACT.
On-Air Film Review: Hey Julie! Review of ‘The Souvenir Part II’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 14, 2021 - 6:18pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 11th, 2021, reviewing the new film written and directed by Joanna Hogg, “The Souvenir Part II” in theaters on November 12th.
On-Air Film Review: Pluck of the Irish! Review of ‘Belfast’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 13, 2021 - 8:19pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on November 11th, 2021, reviewing the new film by Kenneth Branagh about his childhood, “Belfast” in theaters on November 12th.
Podtalk: Director Douglas Tirola Climbs ‘Bernstein’s Wall’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 13, 2021 - 11:13amCHICAGO – Composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein was one of the most influential music icons of the 20th Century, that is never in dispute. The latest doc on his life, “Bernstein’s Wall,” is a philosophical overview bio told by creator/director Douglas Tirola. The film, with a Q&A with the director, will screen at the Chicago Critics Film Festival on November 13th, click LENNY for details.
Via Zoom: Barry Gifford Appears for ‘Roy’s World’ at Chicago Critic's Film Fest, Nov. 13, 2021
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 12, 2021 - 8:44pmCHICAGO – The Chicago of the 1950s and early 1960s was a different city then what it is now, and to capture that in a documentary is quite remarkable. “Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago” is a look at the city in that era, and it will screen at the 2021 Chicago Critics Film Festival. Click ROY’S WORLD for details.
Fest Preview: 2021 Chicago Film Critics Festival is Nov. 12-14
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 12, 2021 - 12:09pmCHICAGO – After a postponement in 2020, the Chicago Film Critics Festival (CCFF) – the only U.S. film fest curated by film critics – will present a truncated weekend of films from the major festivals in 2021 and the upcoming Awards Season favorites. The fest kicks off Friday, November 12th at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre.
Podtalk: Rebecca Hall on Her Directorial Debut for ‘Passing’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 10, 2021 - 9:52am- 2021
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CHICAGO – Rebecca Hall is not content being one of the best actors of her generation. She also has directed her first feature film, “Passing,” streaming on Netflix beginning November 10th, 2021. Set in the 1920s, the story is of two female friends who reconnect after many years, revealing secrets affecting both of them.
Entertainment News: Dean Stockwell of Film ’Blue Velvet' & TV’s ‘Quantum Leap’ Dies at 85
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 9, 2021 - 8:21pmCHICAGO – In my one encounter with Dean Stockwell back in 2013, he was properly off-kilter and amazing, as you expect from Frank in “Blue Velvet.” But Stockwell was so much more, starting as a child actor in Hollywood’s Golden Age, morphing to the hippie era and getting a major comeback with David Lynch and TV’s Quantum Leap.” He died in New York City on November 7th, 2021, at age 85.
Via Zoom: Bobcat Goldthwait Talks New Film ‘Joy Ride,’ Part Two
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 9, 2021 - 10:28amCHICAGO – The career of comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is a wild roller coaster of hilarity and passion, so it stands to reason that his latest film is called “Joy Ride.” The film, one of the funniest stand up docs you’ll ever see, also features Bobcat’s comedy partner Dana Gould on a stand up tour right before the pandemic. It’s available through VOD and iTunes, click JOY RIDE for details.
Via Zoom: Directors Jim Cummings & PJ McCabe of ‘The Beta Test’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 7, 2021 - 6:34amCHICAGO – Creating a complex story and delivering it in a spectacular way was the accomplishment of two self-described “best friends.” Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe are the co-writers, directors and friends of the new film “The Beta Test” – releasing November 5th, 2021 – a thriller that takes on the darker side of human motivations.
