Anthony Michael Hall

CHICAGO – “The Class,” a film with strong Chicagoland ties – both in the past and present – will have a one-night-only premiere at Chicago’s iconic Music Box Theatre on September 8th, 2022 (7pm). Select stars and production crew will attend, and all the deets are available by clicking THE CLASS.

CHICAGO – In a Covid-free world no doubt this list would be a TOP 20 or 25 … in non-pandemic times, I photographed approximately 150 celebrities per year. In 2020, there were only two, before the global pandemic basically put my career – like that of so many others – into a medically induced coma.

CHICAGO – There’s no way around it, horror is one of the most difficult film genres to work within. It constantly needs to be evolving in order to keep up with the ever-growing terror that is living in the 21st century. It becomes harder and harder to fear something, like say, a possessed doll you could probably just stop by kicking it away.

CHICAGO – One of the more high profile local film productions this summer was “The Class.” The film essentially reunites Anthony Michael Hall of “The Breakfast Club” with John Hughes-land, and brings him back to high school … this time as the assistant principal. “The Class” was written and directed by Nick Celozzi.

CHICAGO – The theme song for “The Breakfast Club” is “Don’t You Forget About Me,” and there is no way to forget iconic actor Anthony Michael Hall. After a blazing number of 1980s classics as a teenager, Hall is back in “John Hughes Land” AKA Chicagoland, currently filming here for “The Class.”

CHICAGO – They’ll be turning back the clock tomorrow night (July 26, 2021) in Downers Grove (Illinois) as iconic 1980s actor Anthony Michael Hall will make an appearance at the Tivoli Theatre introducing “The Breakfast Club” and doing a Q&A. The film starts at 8pm, and for all the details plus ticket purchase information, click here.

CHICAGO – Movies released in the first weeks of January are invariably either awards hopefuls trying to gain momentum or studio dreck being buried in the dead of winter, and quickly forgotten by Valentine’s Day. “Live By Night” aspires to be the former, but ends up being the latter.

CHICAGO – In the memorable film “Barton Fink,” the title character is asked to write a wrestling movie for Wallace Beery. If Fink had isolated himself long enough, he might have come up with “Foxcatcher,” demonstrating once again that a true story is much stranger than fiction.

CHICAGO – There are many categories of film director types – facilitators, tacticians, framers, to name a few – but there are few real artists. Bennett Miller has guided three films in his career, “Capote,” “Moneyball” and his latest “Foxcatcher.” All three have a purposeful artistry, and explore the soul within the humanity it portrays.

CHICAGO – Few comedies from the ’80s are as beloved and rewatchable as “National Lampoon’s Vacation,” a surprise hit that produced multiple sequels and legions of fans. It’s probably playing somewhere on cable right now and will be for another three decades. However, in those cable airings, you won’t get to see the feature-length documentary, “Inside Story,” about the making of the film featuring new interviews with nearly all of the major players from Chevy Chase to Harold Ramis to Jane Krakowski. If you’re a comedy fan, the Blu-ray is worth picking up just for that special feature alone.