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Michael Shannon reconnects with director in ‘Midnight Special’
NEW YORK — For actor Michael Shannon, making another movie with writer-director Jeff Nichols was something of a long-planned reunion. “Jeff told me about the idea for this movie when we were shooting...
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‘God’s Not Dead 2’: Too much Bible thumping bruises the story
In a season when we seem to be getting more than the usual number of faith-based films being released — including “Miracles From Heaven,” “Risen” and “The Young Messiah” — we now have the sequel to...
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Melissa McCarthy pays homage to Chicago hometown in ‘The Boss’
LOS ANGELES — Melissa McCarthy has long since decamped to the West Coast, but the Plainfield native says, “I will always consider Chicago my hometown — because it is, and is such an integral part of...
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Holt McCallany lands ‘role of a lifetime’ in David Fincher series
For Holt McCallany the old phrase “what goes around, comes around” has special meaning these days. The veteran actor, who has appeared on TV shows like “Blue Bloods,” “Heroes,” “CSI: Miami”and a couple...
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Don Cheadle plays a jazz icon in directing debut: ‘Miles Ahead’
After Don Cheadle settled down at Andy’s Jazz Club on East Hubbard Street to talk about his new film, “Miles Ahead,” the actor and filmmaker smiled as he remembered the enormous challenges of...
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Improv helped Jon Favreau mix ‘crazy stew’ of ‘The Jungle Book’
In the process of casting the young actor who would play the only live-action character in his remake of the 1967 animated Disney movie “The Jungle Book,” director Jon Favreau knew he had to find “just...
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Kevin Costner insisted they didn’t ‘pretty me up’ for ‘Criminal’
LOS ANGELES — At 61 years of age, Kevin Costner is arguably still one of the best-looking actors in Hollywood, but the Oscar winner was most insistent his handsome appearance be significantly played...
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Fashion legend Bob Mackie to be honored by Chicago History Museum
Chicago’s fashionista set is sure to be front and center Tuesday night as the Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum honors famed designer Bob Mackie with the group’s Designer of Excellence...
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Joey Morgan gets big break in Spanish-language film ‘Compadres’
Young actor Joey Morgan, who grew up in the Schaumburg, Elgin and Streamwood areas, laughed when asked about his Spanish language skills — both before and after he shot “Compadres” (opening Friday). “I...
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Star sightings: John Popper, Brandon Marshall, LeBron James
SEEN ON THE SCENE: Chicago-based improv queen Charna Halpern reports fans of John Popper of Blues Traveler got a huge kick out of seeing him sitting in with “Opening Night: The Improvised Musical!” at...
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Chris Hemsworth loves working with strong women
LOS ANGELES — Chris Hemsworth and Jessica Chastain share something — beyond high-profile Hollywood careers — that they say came to the surface as they filmed “The Huntsman: Winter’s War” (opening...
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‘The Huntsman: Winter’s War’: All live hollowly ever after
It’s no surprise that we’d get a sequel to the $155 million blockbuster “Snow White and the Huntsman.” With “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” thought, we kind of get both a sequel and a prequel, in this...
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Kevin Spacey channels a president in ‘Elvis & Nixon’
NEW YORK — “Elvis & Nixon” (opening Friday), with Kevin Spacey as the 37th president and Michael Shannon as “the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” is based on that infamous 1970 photo of President Richard...
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‘Keanu’ stars chat up kitty film — surrounded by cats
It was unclear exactly how many cats were running around free at the TreeHouse shelter on North Ashland Avenue the other day, but as far as Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele were concerned it was...
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Famous faces sighted: Justin Bieber, Brody Jenner, Felicia Day
SEEN ON THE SCENE: While in town with his “Purpose World Tour,” Justin Bieber cut a wide swath at some of our popular watering holes and eateries. The pop superstar dined at RPM Steak, where he enjoyed...
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‘Mother’s Day’ teams Jennifer Aniston, Sudeikis for fifth time
LOS ANGELES — Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis had made four films together — “The Bounty Hunter, “We’re the Millers” and the two “Horrible Bosses” films — by the time they teamed up again for...
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Lorene Scafaria wrote ‘The Meddler’— inspired by her own mom
In “The Meddler,” Susan Sarandon plays the role of recent widow Marnie Minervini, who leaves her home in New Jersey and relocates to Los Angeles to be close to her only daughter, Lori, played by Rose...
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In ‘Ratchet & Clank,’ voice actor gets to (kind of) be himself
LOS ANGELES — James Arnold Taylor, the actor who voices Ratchet in both the popular “Ratchet & Clank” video games and now the first big-screen feature film based on them (opening Friday),...
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‘Ratchet & Clank’ falls short of originality points
While watching “Ratchet & Clank,” a CG-animated film based on the long-running series of PlayStation video games, I kept getting a sense we’ve all been here before — both in animated and...
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Oprah fans can buy a piece of TV queen’s show history
Oprah Winfrey is auctioning off the chairs her audience sat on in her long-running Harpo Studio TV set — the ones actually used by the lucky final audience members at the final “Oprah Winfrey Show” in...
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