CHICAGO – The funny meter of Netflix went off the scale last week, as the animated series “Chicago Party Aunt” made its debut on September 17th. What began as a Twitter account by comic actor Chris Witaske (who also provides his voice talent) has morphed into the cartoon adventures of Aunt Diane Dumbowski, her nephew Daniel, and an array of familiar Chicago-isms and characters.
Jim Broadbent
Film Review: ‘The Sense of an Ending’ Ponders a Vague Mystery
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 17, 2017 - 10:59amCHICAGO – “The Sense of an Ending” is a highfalutin title, automatically putting most folks into book club mode. It is adapted from a novel, and the narrative has the same page turning-type rhythm. An old man, portrayed by Jim Broadbent, is encountering his past, while his current situation remains untenable.
Film Review: ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby’ Offers Labored Attempt at Humor
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 16, 2016 - 11:10amCHICAGO – “Bridget Jones’s Baby” is the kind of geriatric sequel that makes you retroactively question whether the original film that inspired it was all that good to begin with – it’s less a film than a labored collection of contrived situations involving pregnancy and pratfalls. It’s not painfully unwatchable, but it’s unlikely to inspire anything remotely resembling amusement in its audiences.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of IMAX Passes to ‘The Legend of Tarzan’ With Alexander Skarsgård
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on June 19, 2016 - 10:56amCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening IMAX passes up for grabs to “The Legend of Tarzan” starring Alexander Skarsgård!
Slideshow: Hugh Jackman Wows Chicago at ‘Eddie the Eagle’ Red Carpet
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 29, 2016 - 1:20pmCHICAGO – The film “Eddie the Eagle” soared at the box office this weekend, and one of the huge stars in it is Hugh Jackman, the Australian-born movie and theater icon. He was in Chicago on February 16th, 2016, to walk the Red Carpet for the film, and HollywoodChicago.com was there to both do video interviews and photograph the event.
Film Review: ‘Eddie the Eagle’ is Predictable But Pleasant Tale
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 27, 2016 - 8:37amCHICAGO – “Eddie The Eagle” is thoroughly predictable underdog story, but this picture won me over with a plucky persistence fitting for its peculiar protagonist. It’s an admittedly minor but mostly true tale of an oddball outsider overcoming overwhelming odds.
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 20 Family 4-Packs to ‘Paddington’ Based on Beloved Novels
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on January 6, 2015 - 5:57pmCHICAGO – Family 4-packs! In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 family 4-packs (80 seats in total) up for grabs to the family comedy “Paddington” from “Harry Potter” producer David Heyman based on the beloved novels by Michael Bond!
Film Review: ‘Closed Circuit’ is a Tense Reminder of Our Times
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 28, 2013 - 7:59amCHICAGO – The threat of terrorist acts defies security. That is a fundamental truth. With 7 billion people on the planet – and an infinite number of motivations within them – all the security cameras, techniques and agencies cannot stop a determined group or individual, as depicted in “Closed Circuit.”
HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 50 Pairs of Passes to ‘Closed Circuit’ with Eric Bana, Rebecca Hall
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on August 22, 2013 - 9:37pmCHICAGO – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film with our unique social giveaway technology, we have 50 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new mystery “Closed Circuit” starring Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall!
Blu-ray Review: Ambitious ‘Cloud Atlas’ Falls Just Short of Heights to Which it Reaches
Submitted by BrianTT on May 16, 2013 - 9:36pmCHICAGO – There’s a large part of me that wants to wholeheartedly recommend and embrace “Cloud Atlas” for two reasons. One, it’s based on arguably the best book of the millennium so far, David Mitchell’s stunning masterpiece. And if more people see the movie, more are likely to read a book that everyone should experience.
Film Review: ‘Cloud Atlas’ Reaches For the Sky But Loses Its Way
Submitted by BrianTT on October 25, 2012 - 3:46pmCHICAGO – Not all great works of literature make great works of film. David Mitchell’s “Cloud Atlas” is a masterpiece but Tom Tykwer, Andy & Lana Wachowksi’s “Cloud Atlas” is definitely not. It is an ambitious work with many of Mitchell’s fascinating ideas about the ripple effect of emotion through time left intact but it is a work that frustrates as often as it thrills.
