CHICAGO – If you’ve never seen the farcical ensemble theater chestnut “Noises Off,” you will see no better version than on the Steppenwolf Theatre stage, now at their northside Chicago venue through November 3rd. For tickets and details for this riotous theater experience, click NOISES OFF.
Aubrey Plaza
Film Review: Good Effort by Frances Ford Coppola for ‘Megalopolis’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 26, 2024 - 8:51amCHICAGO – You can say this for Francis Ford Coppola, He gets an “A” for effort. “Megalopolis” is a project which boasts loads of ambition, but winds up in a narrative cul-de-sac that Coppola never finds a way to create his way out of … he has so many ideas floating around he never manages to establish much momentum because he’s trying to do too much, too often, all at once
Audio Film Review: I’m Not Old I’m 39, Aubrey Plaza in ‘My Old Ass’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 21, 2024 - 11:24amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for “My Old Ass,” a new film release featuring Aubrey Plaza as a “time traveling” 39 year old, and written/directed by Megan Park. In Chicago theaters on September 20th, everywhere on September 27th.
On-Air Film Review: Soulful Larceny in ‘Emily the Criminal’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 13, 2022 - 10:48amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on August 11th, reviewing “Emily the Criminal,” featuring Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation). The film is in theaters beginning August 12th.
Film Review: Less Black Magic, More Black Mirror Succeeds in 'Child's Play'
Submitted by JonHC on June 23, 2019 - 6:15amCHICAGO – There are some fears in this world that seem irrational to us. Like a fear of clowns or the fear of using an elevator. Horror films are at the core of some of these fears, with the truly great ones creating new things to fear. The “Child’s Play” franchise may have had its roots in psychopathic soul transfers, but the update focuses on the ghost in the machine.
Film Review: Aubrey Plaza Steers the Unsettling ‘Ingrid Goes West’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 23, 2017 - 6:09pmCHICAGO – Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”) is an actor who always seems to do something memorable in her performances. In “Ingrid Goes West,” she carries an entire movie on her quirky and sometimes disturbing character… that of a bipolar stalker who can’t find balance.
Film Review: Despite One Premise, Laughs Are Plenty in ‘The Little Hours’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 14, 2017 - 11:07amCHICAGO – It occurred to me in assessing “The Little Hours” that the basic premise is somewhat like “The Beguiled” – a man is taken in, rooster-like, into a henhouse where there are women with “needs.” Except this time, instead of a girl’s boarding school, it is a 14th Century nunnery. Get thee to it, if thou wants to laugheth.
Film News: Chicago Critics Film Festival Opens With ‘The Little Hours’ on May 12, 2017
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 11, 2017 - 3:34pmCHICAGO – The only film festival in the U.S. programmed by a film critics group is right here in the Windy City, with the 5th Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF) taking place at the historic Music Box Theatre from May 12th through May 18th, 2017.
Film Review: ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’ is Hilarious Joy
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 8, 2016 - 10:27amCHICAGO – In these difficult times, we flat out need a belly laugh. The timing of “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates” couldn’t be better, because this group of comic actors and this movie provides a respite of hilarious joy. By simply exploiting the truth of the based-on-a-real-story premise, “Mike and Dave” is the type of farce that anybody can relate to, and laugh at gratefully.
Interview: Adam Devine, Director Jake Szymanski Realize ‘Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 5, 2016 - 2:04pmCHICAGO – The funniest movie of the summer describes its whole situation through the title – “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.” This hilarious farce features a killer cast, led by Adam Devine and Zac Efron, and brilliant comic direction by Jake Szymanski.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 30 Pairs of Passes to ‘Dirty Grandpa’ With Robert De Niro, Zac Efron
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 17, 2016 - 5:16pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 30 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new comedy “Dirty Grandpa” starring Robert De Niro and Zac Efron!