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.
Slavery
On-Air Film Review: Will-ing Redemption in ‘Emancipation'
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 2, 2022 - 1:45pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Jason Makos on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on December 1st, 2022, reviewing “Emancipation,” featuring Will Smith and set in the Civil War period within the eradication of slavery. In theaters on December 2nd, streaming December 9th on Apple TV+.
Film Review: Spreading Wings! On-Air Reviews of ‘The Nest’ & ‘Antebellum’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 18, 2020 - 12:28pmCHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on September 18th, 2020, reviewing the new films “The Nest” (in theaters) and “Antebellum” (VOD).
Interview: Director Daniela Thomas on ‘Vazante,’ Presented by Music Box Films of Chicago
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 5, 2018 - 3:48pmCHICAGO – A vital and obscure piece of Brazilian history is exposed in the new film “Vazante,’ directed by Daniela Thomas, and is the latest film to be distributed by Music Box Films of Chicago. “Vazante” is now playing at the Music Box Theatre through February 8th, 2018. For more information, click here.
Interview: Director Julie Dash of ‘Daughters of the Dust’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 29, 2016 - 3:55pmCHICAGO – Iconic and historical are the two apt terms for a film directed by an African American woman, the first to be distributed theatrically, Was it the 1920s? 1940s? It had to be the 1970s. No, it was 1992 when that barrier was broken, with the film “Daughters in the Dust,” directed by Julie Dash.
Film Review: ‘The Birth of a Nation’ Depends on its Own Piety
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 7, 2016 - 8:43amCHICAGO – “The Birth of a Nation” has been making news since it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival early this year. Taking place before the American Civil War, this incendiary look at a real slave rebellion in the deep South does pack a punch, but its approach isn’t completely successful.
Film Review: Social History is Revitalized in ‘Free State of Jones’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on June 24, 2016 - 1:00pmCHICAGO – The United States is still fighting the Civil War, which ended in 1865. The rebellious South has never completely given away its anger and sorrow for the changes the war has wrought on them. These larger themes are examined historically in the new film, “Free State of Jones.”
