Clik here to view.
Chicago perfect for ‘The Exorcist,’ stars of new Fox series say
A few years ago, the term “Hollywood by the lake” came into use as Chicago and the suburbs became frequent filming locations. Now, it might be more accurate to say “Hollywood on the Near Southwest...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Oliver Stone brings ‘Snowden’ controversy to big screen
LOS ANGELES — When it came to making a film about Edward Snowden and his decision to leak classified National Security Agency files to the public, director Oliver Stone originally was hesitant. “When...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Finally! New ‘Blair Witch’ sequel is up to the original
OK, I have to ask a question here: Would you, dear reader, go off into some VERY forbidding woods to help a college friend attempt to find his sister — who has gone missing? If we’re being honest, I...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Evanston’s own Daniel Noah lures Jerry Lewis out of retirement
In many ways, the spark of ideas for writer and director Daniel Noah’s film “Max Rose” was ignited in Chicago, the filmmaker’s hometown. Not only was Noah born here — growing up in Wrigleyville, Rogers...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Renee Zellweger had no trouble returning to ‘Bridget Jones’
LONDON — The twist in “Bridget Jones’s Baby” (opening Friday) is that Bridget doesn’t know if the father of the baby she’s carrying is Mark Darcy (Colin Firth) or Jack (Patrick Dempsey, who replaces...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Dishing on the town: Michael Jordan, Rich Daley, Jeremy Piven
SEEN ON THE SCENE: Fans of the one-and-only Michael Jordan were thrilled to spot the NBA legend celebrating his mother’s birthday at his namesake Michael Jordan Steak House on Boul Mich. The party of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
How ‘Blair Witch’ filmmakers kept the sequel secret
Until the surprise was revealed at its premiere at Comic-Con in July, hardly anyone knew the horror movie initially billed as “The Woods” actually was “Blair Witch,” the second sequel to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Lupita Nyong’o returns to her African roots with ‘Queen of Katwe’
For Lupita Nyong’o, it didn’t take long to decide she had to be in “Queen of Katwe.” “I committed to the film less than 10 pages into reading the script,” the actress said while in Chicago the other...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Kate Winslet loved sewing up role in ‘The Dressmaker’
In “The Dressmaker” (opening Friday), set in 1951, Kate Winslet plays Myrtle “Tilly” Dunnage, who returns to her tiny, rural Australian hometown many years after she was forced to leave at 10 years of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Disney’s Garrett Clayton plays porn star in Reeling closer
While Garrett Clayton is perhaps best known for playing clean-cut hunk types in projects like the “Teen Beach” Disney Channel movie and “The Fosters” TV series, the Michigan native has consciously set...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Country star Trace Adkins plays desperate dad in ‘Deepwater’
NEW ORLEANS — In one of the climactic scenes in “Deepwater Horizon,” country music fans will spot singer Trace Adkins portraying the father of a missing oil-rig worker demanding details about the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mark Wahlberg: ‘Deepwater Horizon’ is about ‘personal stories’
NEW ORLEANS — At the time the Deepwater Horizon oil-rig disaster occurred in April 2010, much of the focus was on what remains one of the world’s worst environmental disasters — and it’s likely most...
View ArticleClik here to view.
U. of C. student Morgan Saylor goes to dark place in ‘White Girl’
In “White Girl,” opening Friday at the Gene Siskel Film Center, University of Chicago sophomore Morgan Saylor plays Leah, a fast-living New York college student for whom there seemingly are no limits...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Tim Burton’s imagination takes flight with ‘Miss Peregrine’
NEW YORK — In the film fable “Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children,” a group of young people who possess some very unusual traits live inside a time “loop” that repeats the same day over and...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nate Parker channeled his passion into ‘The Birth of a Nation’
It took about eight years to bring “The Birth of a Nation” to fruition, but for writer, director and star Nate Parker, the process actually dated back to his childhood. “It’s an interesting thing being...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Haley Bennett hopes for a second hit with ‘The Girl on the Train’
NEW YORK — Based on Paula Hawkins’ mega-bestseller, “The Girl on the Train” (opening Friday) features Haley Bennett as the character of Megan — a young, married suburban housewife who is the object of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rebecca Louise YouTube videos motivating thousands to get fit
From the moment you begin speaking with online fitness queen Rebecca Louise, it’s difficult NOT to be swept up by her incredible energy and enthusiasm — even over the phone. “I’m just great!” the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Famous faces spied: Miranda Lambert, Anthony Rizzo, Taye Diggs
SEEN ON THE SCENE: Yes, that was actor Taye Diggs spotted by by fans dining al fresco on the patio at Tavern on Rush. … When Chance the Rapper played the “Official Magnificent Coloring Day” after-party...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Regina Spektor’s ‘Soundstage’ special was extra-special to her
The Chicago taping in late July of her “Soundstage” performance (premiering at 8 p.m. Thursday on WTTW-Channel 11) was a truly special experience for singer-songwriter Regina Spektor. “It was the very...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Timothy Spall had no qualms playing true-life villain in ‘Denial’
The film “Denial” (now in theaters) focuses on a seemingly unbelievable libel case filed in London by Nazi apologist David Irving, who alleged that statements about him in writer Deborah Lipstadt’s...
View Article
