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CHICAGO – To stand out in the crowded “Christmas Romance” TV movie genre, it starts with a strong script (by Rebecca Weaver) and the right lead actor. “Christmas with Felicity,” now available on the AMC+ app, features Sarah Brooks (“Chicago Med”) as the title character, a burnt-out city dweller looking to find solace back in her small Wisconsin home town.

CHICAGO – The challenge of creating a “Christmas Romance” TV movie, in a field that is saturated with contenders, would perplex even Orson Welles. But Chicago-based director Jack C. Newell was up to the task, as he took a script from Rebecca Weaver and put his spin on the holiday rom-com “Christmas with Felicity,” now available on the AMC+ app.

CHICAGO – When we last talked to author/actor/producer and Chicago native Cindy Caponera in 2017, she was working on the excellent Showtime Network series “I’m Dying Up Here,’ about stand up comics in the 1970s. She’s currently in Chicago and will appear in the ongoing “Messing with a Friend” at the Annoyance Theatre. Click MESSING for ticket info.

CHICAGO – The career of comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is a wild roller coaster of hilarity and passion, so it stands to reason that his latest film is called “Joy Ride.” The film, one of the funniest stand up docs you’ll ever see, also features Bobcat’s comedy partner Dana Gould on a stand up tour right before the pandemic. It’s available through VOD and iTunes, click JOY RIDE for details.

CHICAGO – The “Scream Queen” is a venerable show business category, and there are few better practitioners of the art than Portia Chellelynn. She has been the go-to in the Midwest for low budget horror films, with eight feature film credits to her name, and three more in production. Her latest is “H.P. Lovecraft’s Witch House” – directed by Bobby Easley – currently on the festival circuit. She will also be appearing in this weekend’s Days of the Dead convention in Chicago. For more info, click DAYS OF THE DEAD.

CHICAGO – One the brightest comedies set in Chicago is “South Side,” created by Bashir Salahuddin and Diallo Riddle. The pair moved the show from Comedy Central to HBO Max, and Season Two dropped for streaming on November 11th, 2021, with the same free-wheeling and hilarious misadventures of Simon and Kareme.

CHICAGO – One of the classic show business turns is the Sister Act, and one of Chicago’s up-and-coming are the Leslie Sister Duo. Kirsten and Regina Leslie have been performing both separately and together for all their lives, and will take their latest iteration to Le Piano in Chicago on November 22nd, 2021. For reservation info, click SISTER ACT.

CHICAGO – The Chicago of the 1950s and early 1960s was a different city then what it is now, and to capture that in a documentary is quite remarkable. “Roy’s World: Barry Gifford’s Chicago” is a look at the city in that era, and it will screen at the 2021 Chicago Critics Film Festival. Click ROY’S WORLD for details.

CHICAGO – The career of comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is a wild roller coaster of hilarity and passion, so it stands to reason that his latest film is called “Joy Ride.” The film, one of the funniest stand up docs you’ll ever see, also features Bobcat’s comedy partner Dana Gould on a stand up tour right before the pandemic. It’s available through VOD and iTunes, click JOY RIDE for details.

CHICAGO – Creating a complex story and delivering it in a spectacular way was the accomplishment of two self-described “best friends.” Jim Cummings and PJ McCabe are the co-writers, directors and friends of the new film “The Beta Test” – releasing November 5th, 2021 – a thriller that takes on the darker side of human motivations.