Christmas

CHICAGO – Another Chicago creator has a World Premiere. Alyssa Thordarson, who makes her director debut with Michael Glover Smith, will present the short “Paper Planes” at the AfterImage Film Fest (Fox Valley, Illinois) on April 15, 2023.

CHICAGO – The lines go around the block next to Chicago’s northside Music Box Theatre this time of year, as their annual holiday double feature is presented – “White Christmas” (1954) and “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946). And leading the pre-show sing-along … along with Santa … is the resident organist Dennis Scott.

CHICAGO – If you’re itching for some safe holiday cheer outside the confines of home for an evening, a drive-in Christmas film double feature is just the ticket.

CHICAGO – Now that the socially distanced Thanksgiving is past us, it’s time to turn to Christmas and the films that are associated with that holiday. Documentary director Dana Nachman has a series of emotional and true stories in her latest film “Dear Santa,” an overview of a gift-giving charity that starts with a child’s letter.

CHICAGO – Theater art is collaborative, and it’s often the design of a stage that sets the tone for the play that unfolds. The Curious Theatre Branch presents an original holiday play called “Xmas in Lost Pines,” opening Friday, December 6th, 2019 at the Prop Thtr (theatre) on Chicago’s Northwest side, with four performances through December 13th (all 8pm).

CHICAGO – It’s that time of year, and many gatherings use the spare time on Thanksgiving weekend to start the holiday movie tradition of the season. Although not many people know it, Chicago was the location used for the first Lifetime Christmas movie in the 1990s. “Solstice” was written and directed by Jerry Vasilatos, and premiered on Lifetime in 1994.

CHICAGO – In a bit of a Christmas miracle, a film that was shot in Chicago in the early 1990s will see the light of screen again in the same theater – the historic Music Box Theatre – where a key scene was filmed. Writer/Director Jerry Vasilatos presents the 25th Anniversary restoration of his holiday film “Solstice” on December 18th, 2018, with a post screening Q&A moderated by Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com. For details and ticket info, click here.

CHICAGO – Arriving a few years too late after the great movie mashup craze, “Anna and The Apocalypse” is a zombie Christmas musical. The signature (and only) joke is that teens are dancing and singing amid the blood, guts, and gore spurting in gushers around them. But it’s less a feature film and more akin to a late run episode of “Glee,” when its creators had clearly run out of any ideas.

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Sean Hayes of ‘Will and Grace,’ co-author of ‘Plum!’.

CHICAGO – Tis the season for a holiday children’s book, and actor Sean Hayes (“Will & Grace”) and husband Scott Icenogle have co-written “Plum!,” the story of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the quest to get her wings. The couple appeared at Anderson’s Bookshop in Naperville (Illinois) to sign books and greet admirers.

CHICAGO – The tradition of the holiday party gets a workout in “The Night Before,” as three friends take a Christmas Eve walk through the environs of New York City, and make their merry journey an unforgettable night of libation enhancement, magic moments and yes, the Holiday Spirit.