George Lucas

CHICAGO – Theatrical satires of the Star Wars Universe are like the number of TV series the universe has wrought … too many to figure out if anything is worthwhile. But “Trade Federation” (subtitled “Or Let’s Explore Globalization Through the Star Wars Prequels”), presented by Otherworld Theatre in Wrigleyville Chicago, gets it right on.

CHICAGO – Everything that could be thrown into the Stars Wars legend – and the official story – is present in “Star Wars: The Last Jedi.” With three concurrent stories converging into an amped-up climax, all manner of Star Wars-mania and fan satisfaction can be realized in Episode 8.

CHICAGO – I guess from now on, it will never be the holidays without a Star Wars movie, and why not? Every year, we’ll have a celebration with the ardent fans and characters that are one in that universe, “a long time ago, in a galaxy far far away.” For 2016, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.”

CHICAGO (No Spoilers!) – I felt privileged on Tuesday morning. Not just to be a Chicago film critic, but to be a movie lover. Film critics and movie lovers alike wade through scores of yawners hoping for one or two masterpieces that remind us why we fell in love with the experience of watching a film in the company of people we like.

CHICAGO – The irony is, of course, that actress Mackenzie Phillips was in a notable 1970s sitcom called “One Day at a Time,” and that phrase often describes the struggles of living with addiction. Phillips talked to HollywoodChicago.com about living that life at the “Hollywood Show” Chicago.

CHICAGO – There was a time when the idea of actual sequels to George Lucas’ original “Star Wars” trilogy seemed like the most fantastic (and unlikely) of all the fanboy fantasy fodder in the multiverse. How could chapters VII through IX work? How do you follow the “teddy bear picnic” ending of “Return of the Jedi”?

CHICAGO – A few years ago, I was asked why Blu-ray hadn’t taken off at the time and replaced DVD as so many fans of the format thought it should. The answer was simple — “Because Raiders of the Lost Ark isn’t on Blu-ray.

CHICAGO – We are at the tipping point of a technology that has been used for a hundred years to capture the moving image. Shooting on film is going away as more and more filmmakers use digital technology to tell their stories. How does this change the art form? Is it a creative new landscape or the death of something important?

CHICAGO – For the first time ever, Indy’s in IMAX! In this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 pairs of run-of-engagement, anytime movie passes up for grabs for the special, one-week theatrical return of “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark”!

CHICAGO – Jar Jar Binks is back, and George Lucas has him in 3D. Yes, the re-release of 1999’s “Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace,” takes advantage of the new 3D technology.