CHICAGO – When two brothers confront the sins of each other and it expands into a psychology of an entire race, it’s at a stage play found in Chicago’s Invictus Theatre Company production of “Topdog/Underdog,” now at their new home at the Windy City Playhouse through March 31st, 2024. Click TD/UD for tickets/info.
Lee Daniels
Flashback Podtalk, Photo: Jussie Smollett on The Red Carpet in 2017
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 21, 2019 - 10:21pmCHICAGO – Before everything else happened, Jussie Smollett was an actor from the TV series “Empire” and portrayed Langston Hughes in the film “Marshall” … featuring Chadwick Boseman of “Black Panther” as young Thurgood Marshall. Smollett walked the Red Carpet for the film in 2017, at the 53rd Chicago International Film Festival.
Feature: HollywoodChicago.com 10 Best Interviews of 2013
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 15, 2014 - 6:43pmCHICAGO – Every year, the movie stars, actor/actresses and filmmakers come knocking, and HollywoodChicago.com is there to answer. Film Critics Brian Tallerico and Patrick McDonald have combined their best-of interviews for 2013, and it’s an intriguing and eclectic mix.
Film Review: Family Emotions Uplift ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 16, 2013 - 8:15amCHICAGO – In one of the more intriguing ways to frame the 1960s civil rights movement, “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” places the context of that African American struggle through the filter of family dynamics, focusing on the father as a butler in the White House, through six presidents.
Interview: Director Lee Daniels Entitles ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 15, 2013 - 10:18amCHICAGO – Director Lee Daniels is on a mission of education. With now two generations removed from the height of the 1960s civil rights movement, Daniels hopes to revive and highlight that history in “Lee Daniels’ The Butler” – the sensitive and emotional story of one family’s journey through the winds of change.
Interview: Forest Whitaker Serves Up ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 13, 2013 - 4:27pmCHICAGO – In person, Oscar winner Forest Whitaker is a man at peace. His talent has created a demeanor of a guru – soft spoken with transcendent thoughts. His latest film is “Lee Daniels’ The Butler,” in which he portrays the title character. As a black man caught between two eras in American history, Forest Whitaker does relate.
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire’ is a Must-See
Submitted by mattmovieman on March 10, 2010 - 3:18pmCHICAGO – It’s a shame that a forgettable action flick forced Lee Daniels’s Oscar-winning drama to change its title from “Push” to “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire.” It’s a terribly ungainly title, brimming with wordy self-importance. What if other films did the same thing? I shudder at the thought of, “An Education: Based on the Memoir by Lynn Barber” or “A Serious Man: Based on an Idea Concocted by Roderick Jaynes.”
HollywoodChicago.com’s Top 7 Interviews of 2009
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 26, 2010 - 9:55pmCHICAGO – The celebrities do come to Chicago, sometimes to sit through the grinding interrogation of HollywoodChicago.com’s Patrick McDonald. The Lucky Seven of 2009 comprise the best of last year, interview-wise.
Gabourey Sidibe Shines in Inspirational True Story of ‘Precious’
Submitted by BrianTT on November 6, 2009 - 3:21pmCHICAGO – The final scene of Lee Daniels’ “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” ends with a dedication that the film is for “precious girls everywhere”.
Interview: Director Lee Daniels, Star Gabourey Sidibe on ‘Precious’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 5, 2009 - 9:15amCHICAGO – One of the most talked about films this year is the Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey backed “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire.” Essential to the film is Gabourey Sidibe, who plays the title character of Precious.
Red Carpet: Hot Film ‘Precious’ Premieres at 2009 Chicago International Film Festival
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 15, 2009 - 8:39amCHICAGO – Backed by industry giants Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, the new film “Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire,” had a red carpet premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival on October 14th.