CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Gene Siskel Film Center
Film Review: The Artist’s Obsession in ‘Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 24, 2018 - 5:58pmCHICAGO – The art masters, and the masterpieces they have created, become a background culture in our lives… even if we don’t necessarily know the artist. Paul Gauguin is one of those painters-as-cultural-influencer, and a vital point in his artistic life is told in the film “Gauguin: Voyage to Tahiti.”
Podtalk: Co-Director Tommy Haines of ‘Saving Brinton,’ Opening in Chicago on July 20, 2018
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 19, 2018 - 9:10pmCHICAGO – In the early years of film and filmmaking, from approximately 1890 through 1930, an astounding 75% of films produced are considered “lost,” with no surviving reels, never to be seen again. Recently, an Iowa man named Michael Zahs finally convinced the University of Iowa to research and archive the Frank Brinton Collection, a cache of early films that barnstormer Brinton would show all over Iowa in the 1890s, on through the early decades of the 20th Century. What was found in that Collection is the subject of “Saving Brinton,” co-directed by Tommy Haines and Andrew Sherburne.
Red-Carpet Interview: Gene Siskel Film Center Honors Ethan Hawke
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 19, 2018 - 12:13pm- Actor
- Before Sunrise
- Blaze
- Boyhood
- Chicago
- Dead Poet’s Society
- Director
- Ethan Hawke
- First Reformed
- Full Metal Jacket
- Gene Siskel Film Center
- Ghost Wars
- HollywoodChicago.com Content
- Interview
- Law & Order: Criminal Intent
- Men in Black
- Patrick McDonald
- Podcast
- Podtalk
- Red Carpet
- Renaissance Award
- Richard Linklater
- School of the Art Institute
- Training Day
- Vincent D’Onofrio
CHICAGO – Ethan Hawke has made 2018 his year, and on June 7th the Gene Siskel Film Center of Chicago recognized his recent artistic achievements and his career by honoring him with their annual Renaissance Award. The event included a Red Carpet walk, and an on-stage talk with his friend, actor Vincent D’Onofrio.
Film News: Last Week for Chicago European Union Film Fest, Finale is ‘The Young Karl Marx’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 29, 2018 - 7:09pmCHICAGO – There is one week to go in one of the country’s most comprehensive Eurocentric cinema event, the 21st Chicago European Union (EU) Film Festival at the Gene Siskel Film Center. It wraps up with Closing Night on Thursday, April 5th, 2018, screening “The Young Karl Marx,” directed by Raoul Peck (“I Am Not Your Negro”). The film, which acts as a superhero origin story for a geopolitical philosophy, is the closer for the four week fest, which began on March 9th.
Film Review: Zen and the Art of Cinema in ‘24 Frames’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 11, 2018 - 11:16amCHICAGO – The legendary Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (“Certified Copy”) passed away in 2016, but he left one more meditation on cinema and illusion, in the artistic “24 Frames.” Yes, it refers to the number of still photos that make up a second of film, but in this case it is also Kiarostami’s observations of stillness in motion.
Film News: 28th Festival of Films from Iran at Gene Siskel Film Center through Mar. 1, 2018
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 6, 2018 - 10:12amCHICAGO – In the last seven years, the work of Iranian director Asghar Farhadi has emerged internationally. His Oscar-winning film “A Separation” (2011) and “The Salesman” (2016) has launched his set-in-Iran films to a wider audience. The Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago has been highlighting the country’s cinema for years, and they present the 28th Festival of Films from Iran through March 1st, 2018.
Podtalk: Michael Galinsky’s ‘All the Rage’ at Gene Siskel Film Center on Jan. 26 & 27, 2018
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 24, 2018 - 10:32pmCHICAGO – Dealing with pain has become almost an obsession with Americans. Between over the counter sales of pain relievers, doctor visits and the prescription abuse of painkillers, a crisis has come about. Why are we hurting? Director Michael Galinsky, with co-directors Suki Hawley and David Beilinson, explore an alternative means of pain treatment in “All the Rage” The film returns to Chicago at the Gene Siskel Film Center on January 26th & 27th, 2018, and Galinsky will appear with Dr. John Strack, a local physician who practices the mind/body healing of the film’s subject.
Film News: Newly Renovated Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago Reopens on Jan 5, 2018
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 3, 2018 - 11:43amCHICAGO – The lights of State Street will be a bit brighter on Friday, Jan. 5, 2018 as the Gene Siskel Film Center reopens after five weeks of renovations. New seating, carpeting and wiring was put into place, capping the first major upgrade since the legendary theater opened 17 years ago.
Interview, Audio: ‘An Atramentous Mind’ at Chicago’s Black Harvest Film Fest on Aug. 27, 2017
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 26, 2017 - 10:29pmCHICAGO – What happens when one of the more prominent filmmakers in Chicago of the last five years meets a up-and-coming female director? They get together to make a statement in a short film. “An Atramentous Mind” will have its Midwest Premiere at the Black Harvest Film Festival on August 27th, 2017, as part of their “Chicago Shorts” series. The 23rd edition of this vital Chicago festival runs through August 31st at the downtown Gene Siskel Film Center.
Film News: ‘La Choses De La Vie’ in French Film Series at Gene Siskel Center on July 24, 2017
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 24, 2017 - 2:36pmCHICAGO – The Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is in the midst of a series called “Journeys Through French Cinema.” The theme is based on filmmaker/film historian Bernard Tavernier’s documentary “My Journey Through French Cinema,” and highlights his experiences with the rich cinematic influences of French film. The series, which runs through August 2nd, 2017, is putting the spotlight on “La Choses De La Vie” (The Things of Life) on July 24th.