CHICAGO – The late playwright August Wilson left a gift to the world in the form of his “American Century Cycle,” a series of plays each individually set in a decade of the 20th Century, focusing on the black experience. Chicago’s Goodman Theatre presents Wilson’s “Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,” now through May 19th, 2024 (click here).
HollywoodChicago.com Arts & Entertainment News
Podtalk: Comedian Fritz Coleman in ‘Unassisted Living’ on Tubi
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 31, 2023 - 8:25pmCHICAGO – The sound of laughter echos on streaming service TUBI, as veteran stand up comic Fritz Coleman presents “Unassisted Living,” his wacky journey with the vagrancies of getting older. The special is currently streaming, and TUBI is a free service to download as an app or to visit at UNASSISTED LIVING.
Podtalk: Director Adrian Buitenhuis on ‘I Am Burt Reynolds’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 29, 2023 - 5:39pmCHICAGO – Arguably, the last great movie star was Burt Reynolds. His everyman attraction, his accessibility and of course his box office made Reynolds a compelling force during his peak in the 1970s. The CW Network will show the doc “I Am Burt Reynolds” on December 30th, 2023, directed by Adrian Buitenhuis.
FLASHBACK Interview In Memoriam: Lee Sun-kyun Dies at Age 48
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 27, 2023 - 4:04pmCHICAGO – The world was rocked on December 27th, 2023, when the report came through that South Korean (SK) actor Lee Sun-kyun – who had a prominent role in the 2019 Oscar Best Picture “Parasite’ – had died from an apparent suicide in Seoul (SK), months after his appearance during Closing Night at Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC), where he represented his outrageous new comedy, “Killing Romance
Audio Film Review: ‘The Color Purple’ Adapts to a Film Musical
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 27, 2023 - 2:18pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “The Color Purple,” the film musical adaptation of the beloved novel by Alice Walker, produced by Steven Spielberg … the director of the 1985 film version … and Oprah Winfrey. In theaters since December 25th.
Audio Film Review: Crew Olympiad for ‘The Boys in the Boat’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 26, 2023 - 3:31pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “The Boys in the Boat,” the latest historical drama directed by George Clooney, about the rowing crew team that competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics. In theaters since December 25th.
Audio Film Review: Watery ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 22, 2023 - 9:25pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,” part of the DC Comics Universe directed by James Wan and featuring … in this second outing as the watery character … Jason Momoa. In theaters beginning on December 22nd.
On-Air Film Review: ‘American Fiction’ Generates Nom de Plumage
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 22, 2023 - 8:45pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 21st, 2023, reviewing “American Fiction,” the directorial debut of Cord Jefferson, who also adapted the screenplay. In theaters December 21st, 2023.
Film Review: Zac Efron the Weak Link in Wrestling Drama ‘The Iron Claw’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 22, 2023 - 4:56pmCHICAGO – An epic piece of miscasting puts “The Iron Claw” in a sleeper hold it’s never quite able to escape from … the pint sized gaping empty hole at its center has a name, and it is Zac Efron. Efron mistakenly believes that his admittedly drastic physical transformation will do his acting for him.
DVD Gift Ideas: Paramount Home Entertainment ... Anniversary & Special Editions, Including 4K
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 22, 2023 - 3:39pm- Anniversary
- Chicago
- Deep Impact
- Dragonslayer
- DVD Review
- Eddie Volkman
- Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
- Flashdance
- Hannah B
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Paramount Home Entertainment
- Pat Über TV
- Patrick McDonald
- Pulp Fiction
- Roman Holiday
- School of Rock
- Scott Thompson
- Special Edition
- Titanic
- Transformers
- WBGR-FM
- WSSR
- Theater, TV, DVD & Blu-Ray
CHICAGO – DVD editions from Paramount Home Entertainment’s most popular films are on tap for holiday and general gift giving, and several are in the latest 4K ULTRA HD format … providing high definition pixel imagery that is PERFECT for backyard or any projected film nights.
DVD Gift Ideas: Three Titles for the Film Elite AKA Geeks in Your Life
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 22, 2023 - 2:53pm- Blonde: The Marilyn Stories
- Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands
- DVD Review
- Early Short Films of the French New Wave
- Eddie Volkman
- Film Chest Media Group
- Film Movement
- Hannah B
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Icarus Films
- Marilyn Monroe
- Pat Über TV
- Patrick McDonald
- Scott Thompson
- WBGR-FM
- WSSR
- Theater, TV, DVD & Blu-Ray
CHICAGO – Film elites are a particularly hard category of movie buffs to satisfy come gift giving time. When they drop terms like auteur and film movements and directors you’ve never heard of, what’s the best DVDs to give them? Here are three notables that have been released in the last couple of years.
Film Feature: The 10 Best Films of 2023, By Patrick McDonald
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 20, 2023 - 2:42pm- 10
- 10 Best Movies 2023
- 2023
- Asteroid City
- Barbie
- Dream Scenario
- Eddie Volkman
- Film News
- Fremont
- Hannah B
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Landscape with Invisible Hand
- List
- May December
- Origin
- Patrick McDonald
- Poor Things
- Scott Thompson
- Ten
- Ten Best Films 2023
- The Boy and the Heron
- The Iron Claw
- Top Ten 2023
- WBGR-FM
- WSSR-FM
CHICAGO – Here we are again, the end of another year, and it’s time to momentarily look back. Thus opens the 10 BEST FILMS OF 2023, the list that represents one soul interacting with the art of cinema. That soul belongs to Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, WBGR-FM and WSSR-FM.
On-Air Film Review: Eggy Fun in ‘Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 15, 2023 - 12:28pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Ben Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 14th, 2023, reviewing “Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget,” the animated sequel to 2000’s “Chicken Run.” Steaming on Netflix beginning December 15th, 2023.
Film Review: Charming Timothée Chalomet Brings the Willy to ‘Wonka’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 15, 2023 - 9:06amCHICAGO – “Wonka” is a sweet, perhaps too sweet, musical origin story of the world famous cantankerous candy man. Timothée Chalomet has got a song in his heart and sweets up his sleeve in a movie that threatens to give old fashioned “family films” a good name once again.
