CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Environment
On-Air Film Review: Ryusuke Hamagachi’s ‘Evil Does Not Exist’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 12, 2024 - 11:52amCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the “Evil Does Not Exist,” the latest film from Japanese writer/director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose “Drive My Car” won Best International Film at the 2022 Oscars. In select theaters since May 10, 2024. See local listings.
Podtalk: Carla Bruni for ‘Community Glue,’ April 16, 2023
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 15, 2023 - 8:39amCHICAGO – Carla Bruni is a Chicago preservationist, and had a unique idea for a Fellowship within her discipline. Her idea became “Community Glue,” a gathering of repair artists and seamstresses to … you guessed it … repair/mend broken and damaged items, instead of throwing them away.!—break—>
Interview: British Singer Sadie Horler on Live Stream Performing
Submitted by PatrickMcD on May 27, 2020 - 5:42pmCHICAGO – These are strange and isolating times for everyone. As someone who thrives on covering concerts, during the pandemic I sometimes feel like a part of me is missing. Luckily, one recent quarantine phenomenon that has helped me and other live music addicts fill the void is the surge of live online performances.
Film Review: ‘The Call of the Wild’ Offers Only Tame Adventure
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 24, 2020 - 1:31pmCHICAGO – “The Call Of The Wild” is an old fashioned story with some expensive and unnecessary technological upgrades. Foregoing man’s best friend in reality, the film replaces the featured dog with an entirely digital creation … which I can’t say was an improvement.!—break—>
Interview: Chicago’s Asian Pop-up Cinema Features ‘High Flash’ on Mar. 28, 2019
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 28, 2019 - 10:19amCHICAGO – It’s week three in Season Eight of Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC), featuring films from Taiwan. On Thursday, March 28th, 2019, APUC will screen “High Flash,” a whodunnit thriller mixing romance, corporate intrigue, the environment and politics.
Film Review: ‘Leaning Into the Wind - Andy Goldsworthy’ Profiles the Artist and His Muse
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 28, 2018 - 3:33pmCHICAGO – The British artist Andy Goldsworthy is a true “outsider” artist, because many of his works are rooted in the grown-and-death cycles of the great outdoors. He is described as a sculptor, photographer and environmentalist, but many of his art creations use materials available in any wooded area, based on a connection to nature combined with a creative soul. This is profiled in the second film about him from the same director, “Leaning Into the Wind - Andy Goldsworthy.”
Film Review: Great Visuals Save the Shallow ‘Deepwater Horizon’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 3, 2016 - 10:28amCHICAGO – There are a few things in our lives that, if we’re lucky, we will never have to experience. Things like childbirth, limb loss, or a near death experience. The closest most of can get is by watching a well-made film. If “Deepwater Horizon” succeeds at anything, it’s creating the engrossing experience of being there on that fateful day.
Interview: Director Ed Brown Deals with ‘Unacceptable Levels’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 2, 2013 - 8:27amCHICAGO – As modern life becomes more toxic and technology uses more chemicals within everyday foodstuffs and products, the consequence for disease and sickness as a result is an increasing threat. Ed Brown, a filmmaker and concerned family man, explores this phenomenon in a new documentary, “Unacceptable Levels.”