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Ben Affleck researched autism to star in ‘The Accountant’
LOS ANGELES — Actors frequently give the reason for playing a character in a film as something like this: “It’s because it’s so different than anything I’ve ever done before!” In the case of Ben...
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Noted comedian David Koechner turns dramatic in ‘Priceless’
LOS ANGELES — Fans of veteran actor David Koechner know the onetime Chicago improv mainstay for the “Anchorman” franchise and his many comedic TV roles, the next of which is CBS’ sitcom version of the...
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Famous folks found around town: Daryl Hannah, Cindy Crawford
SEEN ON THE SCENE: Chicago native Daryl Hannah was seen dining with her family at Mama’s Boy on North Dearborn — happily enjoying classic meatballs and square noodles. … While back in town recently,...
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Zach Galifianakis, Jon Hamm built film chemistry on friendship
LOS ANGELES — Joking around in a sit-down interview in a Los Angeles hotel suite, Zach Galifianakis quipped that “of course” he thinks he’s responsible for his “Keeping Up With the Joneses” co-star...
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Tyler Perry surprised himself with idea for a Halloween ‘Madea’
LOS ANGELES — The ongoing popularity of the infamous Madea character surprises even the man who plays her. Asked if he thought when first donning the wig and old-lady wardrobe 18 years ago that he’d...
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Edward Zwick, Tom Cruise reunite for latest ‘Jack Reacher’
For director Edward Zwick there is an appeal to the character of Jack Reacher that reminded the Chicago native and Oscar-winning filmmaker of “some of those iconic myths of movie storytelling. He’s...
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Ewan McGregor makes directing debut with ‘American Pastoral’
LOS ANGELES — Based on Philip Roth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “American Pastoral” (opening Friday) is focused on the life of Seymour “Swede” Levov, a champion high school athlete who marries a...
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‘Hamilton’ themes connect with today’s political scene
The irony of real-life circumstances was clearly not lost on the Chicago opening night audience Wednesday at the PrivateBank Theatre for the mega-hit, Tony Award-winning “Hamilton.” At the same time...
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New ‘Al Capone’ book focuses on mobster’s personal life
For biographer Deirdre Bair, author of “Al Capone: His Life, Legacy and Legend,” the idea for a book usually begins with “a question of something I want to pursue.” “That happened with the Capone book...
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‘Moonlight’ stars totally connected to the film’s powerful story
“Moonlight” tells the story of an African-American boy named Chiron at three separate stages of his life: as a bullied kid in an inner-city Miami neighborhood, as a still-bullied closeted gay teenager...
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Chicago’s Vince Vaughn ‘beyond excited’ about Cubs in Series
To say that Vince Vaughn barely can contain his glee over the Cubs heading to the World Series would be an understatement. As the lifelong fan of the former “Lovable Losers” did interviews Sunday for...
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Stars spotted around town: Bryan Cranston, Gabourey Sidibe
SEEN ON THE SCENE: “Breaking Bad” fans likely were gushing when they spied Bryan Cranston in the closing night crowd for “The Bardy Bunch: The War of the Families Partridge and Brady” musical at the...
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‘Veep’ star Matt Walsh to be Thanksgiving Parade grand marshal
With Chicago’s annual McDonald’s Thanksgiving Parade coming only a couple of weeks after the presidential election, it seems appropriate the grand marshal will be Matt Walsh, who stars on the...
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Tom Hanks, Ron Howard again team up to make Dan Brown’s ‘Inferno’
FLORENCE, Italy — There was one very important thing “Inferno” director Ron Howard wanted to accomplish as he adapted his third Dan Brown novel for the big screen. That was to give audiences a film...
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Tom Hanks will thrill devotees, newcomers alike in ‘Inferno’
It doesn’t hurt that “Inferno,” the latest film based on a Dan Brown novel, is set in Florence and beautifully augmented with grand, artfully cinematic scenes of Istanbul, because the visuals add a...
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Star sightings include: Tim Meadows, Tony Goldwyn, Billy Corgan
SEEN ON THE SCENE: Not surprisingly, Harry Caray’s on Kinzie was jam-packed with Cubs fans for the first World Series game, including Smashing Pumpkins icon Billy Corgan and actor Joel Murray, who was...
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Justin Timberlake, Anna Kendrick bring ‘Trolls’ to big screen
In the new animated “Trolls” film, a central theme is how the adorable little creatures are constantly in danger — since their mortal enemies, the much larger Bergens, believe they can only experience...
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Delightful ‘Trolls’ achieves maximum smiles per hour
While “Trolls” won’t go down as an animated classic on the order of “Frozen,” “Toy Story,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” “WALL-E,” or “Inside Out,” it must be said this new offering from DreamWorks Animation is...
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Mel Gibson again turns to war theme with ‘Hacksaw Ridge’
LOS ANGELES — In “Hacksaw Ridge,” Andrew Garfield portrays Desmond Doss, the first conscientious objector to earn the Congressional Medal of Honor. Doss, who enlisted in the army after the United...
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Zendaya heading to Chicago to boost new fashion line
Having only recently celebrated her 20th birthday, actress, singer and dancer Zendaya has proven to be a major player on all major social media platforms. The entertainer is now planning to expand that...
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