Podtalk

CHICAGO – Writer/Director Michael Glover Smith has established himself as a preeminent filmmaker of unique emotional passages. His latest short film, “Handle With Care,” featuring Mickey O’Sullivan and Alyssa Thordarson, will have its World Premiere on Opening Night (Feb. 29, 2024) at the George Lindsey Film Festival in Alabama. For more info, click HANDLE.

CHICAGO – The controversial phrase “Good Guy with a Gun” is now a title for the latest feature film from John Mossman, who wrote and directed the story of a mother and son trying to rebuild their lives after losing their husband/father to gun violence. The twist is they’re rebuilding in a small town with an entrenched gun culture.

CHICAGO – The popularity of symphonic orchestras providing live soundtracks to classic films is about to get the series treatment in the Windy City. The Chicago Philharmonic and the Auditorium Theatre presents the Auditorium Philms Concert Series, taking place at the Auditorium Theatre. The first film in the series will be “Blade Runner” on Saturday, February 17th, 2024.

CHICAGO – Maria Bamford has been a top comic force since her breakthrough in the first decade of the millennium. She will be appearing on the Super Bowl Sunday edition of CBS-TV’s @FTER MIDNIGHT, the new show hosted by Taylor Tomlinson after “Late Night with Stephen Colbert.” Appearing alongside her will be A-listers Wayne Brady and Kevin Smith.

CHICAGO – One of the sauciest new jobs that has arisen from the digital era is that of “Influencer.” Gathering followers, showing off new products and using your personality is the job description in this age of clicks. Writer/director Alex Haughey explores this phenomenon in his new film “Under the Influencer,” which is currently available for download and streaming.

CHICAGO – In 1997. Filmmaker Kevin Smith released his third film (after “Clerks” and “Mallrats”) entitled “Chasing Amy.” The story, featuring Joey Lauren Adams, is about a lesbian whose fluidly also includes a romantic relationship with a man. Watching this film was a young female born person who was questioning their own identity, and used the film as a touch point for these feelings. Years later, that person is director Sav Rodgers, and he made a documentary about his experiences with the film in coming to self and its complicated history in “Chasing Chasing Amy.”

CHICAGO – The cinema scene is vital and growing in Chicago and it has to do with local innovators and contributors like film editor Ana Christian. Along with her husband Ryan Stemple, they have built a post production biz called Journeywork Entertainment, and Ana has recently finished directing her first short film, “Baby.”

CHICAGO – Public education is in the fight of its life. As curriculums are determined more through the state, parents and politics, the local authority of a child’s educator is being consistently diminished. This subject is the centerpiece of “The Teacher’s Lounge,” co-written and directed by German/Turkish filmmaker Ilker Çatak.

CHICAGO – The seemingly middle-of-the-road character actor Bob Balaban has more to his legacy than just a ton of appearances from the 1960s to present in classic films and TV. His Chicago family were pioneers in film exhibition and the movie executive suite during the studio system in the early days of the history of film. It is in his DNA.

CHICAGO – Although Ed Begley Jr. has had hundreds of roles in TV and film, he is most likely best known as an activist for environmental and sustainability concerns. He highlighted his latest book, “To the Temple of Tranquility…and Step on It!” at the Fall 2023 Chicago Humanities Festival, and HollywoodChicago.com got the Exclusive Photos and Interview.