CHICAGO – In the last several years, how many times have you wanted to shout the “Mad as Hell” movie quote? Well, Invictus Theatre Co. has produced a stage adaptation of “Network” – with that quote shout worthy – at the Windy City Playhouse in Chicago through September 29th. For tickets/details, click HOWARD BEALE.
HollywoodChicago.com On-Air Reviews of ‘The High Note,’ ’The Vast of Night’ & Bonus
Rating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on May 29th, 2020, discussing new releases “The High Note” (VOD) and “The Vast of Night” (Amazon Prime) and BONUS review.
The High Note In a case of life imitating art, Tracie Ellis Ross (the Mom on TV’s “Blackish” and Diana Ross’s daughter) portrays a popular singer diva who became famous in the 1990s, with a boatload of hits but no music in ten years, and Dakota Johnson is her transitioning assistant Maggie. This brightly paced story makes the most of its music industry setting. It’s currently available on streaming platforms through Video-On-Demand. 3.5/5 stars.
The High Note
Photo credit: Focus Features
Rating: 3.0/5.0 |
The Vast of Night is an indie film (streaming on Amazon Prime starting May 29th) that embraces the atmosphere and zeitgeist of late 1950s America, including Communism and the space race. This film loves dialogue, and there are three long stretches of it, but there also is enough mystery and strangeness to drive the story home. 3/5 stars
The Vast of Night
Photo credit: Amazon Prime
Rating: 5.0/5.0 |
BONUS: A Star is Born (1954) is a “quarantine classic” and the best of the four versions – 1937, 1954, 1976 and 2018 – of “A Star … “ It was the legendary Judy Garland who anchored this first musical version of the story, as a up-and-coming songstress who meets the man of her dreams (James Mason), who happens to be an alcoholic actor with his career on the way down. That clash of sensibilities is framed by iconic songs and a Judy Garland performance that garnered an Oscar nomination. A must see. Available for rental on Amazon, ITunes, Vudu and Google Play. 5/5 stars
A Star is Born (1954)
Photo credit: Warner Home Video
The reviews for all three films are as follows, on WBGR-FM …
By PATRICK McDONALD |