Adolf Hitler

CHICAGO – The 20th Century crisis that was World War II resulted in a bloodbath for virtually all of European and Allied countries … except in “neutral” Switzerland. Veteran writer and director Laurent Négre, a Swiss native, pokes the holes of truth into that overinflated neutrality in the imported feature film “A Forgotten Man.”

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on January 20th, 2022, reviewing a fictional film set in a real historic event, “Munich – The Edge of War,” streaming on Netflix beginning on January 21st.


CHICAGO – CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 20th, 2021, reviewing the new World War II documentary “Final Account” in theaters beginning May 21st.

CHICAGO – Thomasin McKenzie is a 19-year-old actress with a purposeful, intellectual and historical approach to her craft, and those characteristics are on display in her latest film, “Jojo Rabbit.” McKenzie portrays Elsa, a teenage girl who is hiding from the Nazis during World War II, and is aided by the title character.

CHICAGO – Thomasin McKenzie – a rising young actor – has just had her second high profile role, as Elsa in the upcoming “Jojo Rabbit.” The 55th Chicago International Film Festival had a special screening of the film on October 21st, 2019, and New Zealand native McKenzie walked the Red Carpet. The Film Festival continues through October 27th.

CHICAGO – In the history of America, there are moments when champions rose above their societal status and circumstance. And so it came to pass that African American Jesse Owens – during one of most difficult times in America for blacks – won medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, representing America and striking a blow against Adolf Hitler, four years before WWII. Owen’s story is told in the new film, “Race,” and he is portrayed by actor Stephan James.

CHICAGO – The Oscar nominated, Golden Globe winning Best Foreign Language Film is a another trip into the well of horror that was the Holocaust. After over 100 movie treatments, director László Nemes finds a more personal story to tell, and it all unfolds in “Son of Saul.”

CHICAGO – The Holocaust, and its horrors, will forever inspire cinematic interpretation, even as the World War II era fades in memory. One of the latest films about the subject is “Son of Saul,” which just won the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language film. It was directed by László Nemes, and features Géza Röhrig as Saul.

CHICAGO – In the opening moments of Stuart Schulberg’s invaluable 1948 documentary, “Nuremberg: Its Lesson for Today,” shell-shocked men, women and children emerge from the wreckage of what appears to be a post-apocalyptic landscape. A street lamp juts out from the carnage, twisted out of all recognition, much like the human bodies later viewed in the footage.