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Feature: HollywoodChicago.com on Vacation Until Sept 4, 2026

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 13:07:39 +0000

CHICAGO – The greatest Everything Entertainment Site will be taking at break. HollywoodChicago.com will not be posting new reviews or articles for ten days beginning August 25th, 2026. We will resume regular coverage on September 4th. In the meantime, below is a guide to what’s happening during the break.

COYOTE VS. ACME, Opening August 28th

Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com Audio Film Review of COYOTE VS. ACME…

OTHER MAJOR FILM RELEASES …

THE DOG STARS
Photo credit: 20th Century Studios

August 28th … (click links) THE DOG STARS and FINDING EMILY

ONSLAUGHT
Photo credit: A24

September 4th … (click links) BY ANY MEANS and ONSLAUGHT

DARK MATTER Season Two on APPLE TV

DARK MATTER
Photo credit: Apple TV

CLICK HERE for Podtalks with Featured Actor Amanda Brugel and DARK MATTER creator/show runner Blake Crouch.

Joe Swanberg and Cory Michael Smith Appear on August 28th-29th on Behalf of THE SUN NEVER SETS

Cory Michael Smith and Joe Swanberg for THE SUN NEVER SETS
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

CLICK HERE for a Two-Part Podtalk with writer/director Joe Swanberg as a preview to the Music Box Theatre release premiere.

Chicago Premiere of LOCKJAW, Programmed & Presented by Cinema Femme at Music Box Theatre on Sep 1

’Lockjaw’ at 31st Slamdance Film Festival
Photo credit: Slamdance.com

CLICK HERE for a an interview with writer&director Sabrina Greco of LOCKJAW.

CLICK HERE for tickets and information.

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN, WILLIAM CASTLE through August 27th at Music Box Theatre

THE GREAT SHOWMAN William Castle
Photo credit: MusicBoxTheatre.com

CLICK HERE for details and tickets.

NOIR CITY: Chicago 2026 Opens September 4th

NOIR CITY: Chicago 2026
Photo credit: MusicBoxTheatre.com

CLICK HERE for details and tickets.

ANDREI TARKOVSKY: Complete Retrospective at Gene Siskel Film Center

ANDREI TARKOVSKY: Complete Retrospective
Photo credit: SiskelFilmCenter.org

CLICK HERE for details and tickets.

For articles and reviews of HollywoodChicago.com Editor and Film Critic Patrick McDonald, CLICK HERE. For articles and reviews of HollywoodChicago.com Film Critic Spike Walters, CLICK HERE. For articles and reviews of HollywoodChicago.com Photographer Joe Arce, CLICK HERE. For articles and reviews of HollywoodChicago.com Photographer Jeff “Doc” Doles, CLICK HERE. See you back September 4th.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Podtalk: Writer/Director Joe Swanberg on “The Sun Never Sets’

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 01:56:11 +0000

CHICAGO – Writer, Producer and Director Joe Swanberg has led a lot of lives in his multi-faceted career. The prolific filmmaker has a new and exquisitely empathetic relationship film called THE SUN NEVER SETS, and will be making an appearance on behalf of its Chicago debut weekend, August 28th and 29th with featured actor Cory Michael Smith. Click Chicago’s Music Box Theatre.

THE SUN NEVER SETS focuses on Wendy (Dakota Fanning), in a relationship with Jack (Jake Johnson), a divorced older man with children in Anchorage, Alaska. During the “sun never sets” season, Jack surprises her with a dictum to take a six month break in order for Wendy to know that their coupling is the right thing for her. The plan backfires initially, when suddenly ex-boyfriend Chuck (Cory Michael Smith) re-emerges and Wendy is interested. It’s opening weekend in Chicago will be its premiere, and the film will open wide on September 4th. See local listings.

Director Joe Swanberg of THE SUN NEVER SETS
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

Joe Swanberg made his reputation by pioneering the micro-budget approach to filmmaking, and was able to break into the mainstream film industry with his offbeat improvised approach to his stories. His debut was 2005’s KISSING ON THE MOUTH, and notable films includes HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS (with Greta Gerwig, DRINKING BUDDIES (with Olivia Wilde), HAPPY CHRISTMAS (with Anna Kendrick) and DIGGING FOR FIRE (with SUN SETS lead Jake Johnson). THE SUN NEVER SETS is his 21st feature film as director.

Cory Michael Smith, who will appear with Swanberg on Friday and Saturday at the Music Box Theatre, has been rising steadily since his role as The Riddler on the FOX series GOTHAM, collaborating often with filmmaker Todd Haynes. He got stellar notices for portraying Chevy Chase in 2024’s SATURDAY NIGHT.

THE SUN NEVER SETS
Photo credit: IFC Films

In a Two-Part Comprehensive Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Joe Swanberg on THE SUN NEVER SETS in Part One …

In Part Two, Joe takes on a variety of topics …

THE SUN NEVER SETS opens in Chicago on August 28th, before a wider release on September 4th. See local listings. Featuring Dakota Fanning, Jake Johnson, Cory Michael Smith, Debby Ryan and Lamorne Morris. Written and directed by Joe Swanberg. Rated “R.” For more information on the Music Box Theatre, click MusicBoxTheatre.com.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Podtalk: Actor Amanda Brugel & Creator Blake Crouch of ‘Dark Matter’

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 15:41:28 +0000

CHICAGO – The Apple TV audience favorite streaming series DARK MATTER is coming back for a second season. The mind bending multi-universe thriller is from the novel by Blake Crouch, who astoundingly is also the creator and show runner for the series. Actor Amanda Brugel has a key role as the universe hopping Blair, and Joel Edgerton is back as Jason in multiplicity.

The basic premise is that a man named Jason (Joel Edgerton) is living a quiet life in Chicago with his wife Daniela (Jennifer Connelly) and son Charlie (Oakes Fegley). One day Jason is kidnapped by a mysterious man, who looks exactly like him. He is Jason2, and he has invented THE BOX, a device that allows him to jump from his existence and universe to Jason’s world. He kidnaps the original Jason to switch lives with him, living with Daniela and Charlie as if he were the real husband/father.

Meanwhile the original Jason is stuck in Jason2’s world, but finds an ally in Amanda (Alice Braga) who helps him to get back to his wife and kid, and get revenge on Jason2. To get back to his home Jason and Amanda must go through a series of multiple universes, while being pursued by other Jasons in those universes, and two scientists in the Jason2 world named Blair and Ryan (Amanda Brugel and Jimmi Simpson). Can this Odyssey come to an end?

Amanda Brugel and Blake Crouch of DARK MATTER
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Amanda Brugel is a Canadian-born actor, producer and writer with a stellar career. After making her TV movie debut in A DIVA’S CHRISTMAS CAROL, she is best known for her work in THE HANDMAID’S TALE, KIM’S CONVENIENCE and ORPHAN BLACK. Blake Crouch, who took his source novel DARK MATTER and became the creator and show runner of the series, is a prolific writer known also for DESERT PLACES, WAYWARD PINES and most recently FAMOUS.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Amanda Brugel reflects on her character Blair in DARK MATTER …

Original source novelist, creator and show runner Blake Couch on DARK MATTER …

DARK MATTER Season Two streams on Apple TV beginning August 28th. Featuring Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Oakes Fegley, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi and Amanda Brugel. Created by Blake Crouch. Rated “TV-MA”

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Podtalk: Brennan Urbi, for Kokandy Productions of Musical ‘Hair’

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 02:43:25 +0000

CHICAGO – One the most vital and exciting stage productions this summer is the Kokandy Productions of the iconic musical HAIR at Chopin Theatre, now through September 13th. The director and choreographer, bringing a modern electricity to the hippie musical, is Brennan Urbi. He talked about his vision for the stage play with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com. For tickets and information, click HAIR.

The year is 1968, and a youthful hippie tribe are participating in a gathering in an urban setting, focusing on Berger (Zac Richey) and Claude (Gavin Rhys), the tribe leaders trying to avoid being drafted into the Vietnam War. The decisions of the young men, and the support of their merry band of politically astute fellow travelers, focuses on the choice between living their bohemian life or capitulating to the forces of the U.S. war machine. Can the sunshine be let in?

Directed by Brennan Urbi, through September 13, 2026
Photo credit: KokandyProductions.com

Brennan Urbi is a Chicago-trained theatre artist whose work encompasses directing, choreography, acting, writing, and devised theatre. He is currently based in New York and is pursuing an MFA in Directing at Columbia University. He earned a BFA in Acting from the Chicago College of Performing Arts (CCPA) at Roosevelt University.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Director and Choreographer Brennan Urbi of Kokandy Productions HAIR …

For the 5/5 review of the Kokandy Production of HAIR, by Patrick McDonald, CLICK HERE.

Kokandy Productions presents HAIR at the Chopin Theatre, 1543 West Division, Chicago. Featuring Zac Richey, Gavin Rhys, Catherine Rodriguez, Joshua Emmanuel, Chosen Mitchell, Amy Yesom Kim, Nicki Rossi, Stone TeSelle and Ensemble. Book & Lyrics by Gerome Ragni and James Rado. Music by Galt MacDermot. Choreography and Directed by Brennan Urbi. For more information on Kokandy Productions, click KokandyProductions.com.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

On-Air Film Review: Andrew Garfield Climbs ‘The Magic Faraway Tree’

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 00:02:48 +0000

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Scott Thompson for WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on August 20th, 2026, reviewing the new family film THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE, featuring Andrew Garfield. In select theaters on August 21st.

Garfield is Tim, an exasperated British Dad whose kids Beth (Delilah Bennett-Cardy), Joe (Phoenix Laroche) and Fran (Billie Gadsdon) are the typical modern kids with too much screen time … Fran hardly talks at all. He convinces his wife Polly (Claire Foy) to take a chance on a country barn that he buys, and soon the city kids are living rustic in the country woods. When Fran by chance helps out a magic fairy name Silky (Nicola Coughlan), the adventure begins for the three siblings as they encounter Moonface (Nonso Anozie), the Saucepan Man (Dustin Demri-Burns), Mr. Whatziname (Olivier Chris) and other odd beings in the Magic Faraway Tree.

THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE is in select theaters on August 21st, see local listings. Featuring Andrew Garfield, Claire Foy, Delilah Bennett-Cardy, Phoenix Larouche, Billie Gadsdon and Mark Heap. Screenplay Adapted by Simon Farnaby. Directed by Ben Gregor. Rated “PG”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE

THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE
Photo credit: Vertical Entertainment

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE

Slideshow: Fan Expo Chicago 2026 Brought Out the Celebrity Stars

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 19:20:25 +0000

Mr T Pitying the Fools

CHICAGO – FAN EXPO Chicago 2026, the region’s longest-running comic and pop culture convention, just wrapped last weekend. Joe Arce was there for HollywoodChicago.com and had a dozen participating celeb stars pose for his camera. Fan Expo continues its convention journey next weekend in Toronto (link below).

Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the Fan Expo Chicago 2026 slideshow, or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos © 2026 Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com.

FANEXPO1: Mr T Pitying the Fools
FANEXPO2: Actor Dolph Lundgren
FANEXPO3: Actress Jaime Pressly
FANEXPO4: Actress Thora Birch
FANEXPO5: Actor Dean Norris of BREAKING BAD
FANEXPO6: Actress Catherine Bell
FANEXPO7: Actor Tom Welling of SMALLVILLE
FANEXPO8: Actor William Baldwin
FANEXPO9: Actress Gates McFadden of STAR TREK: TNG
FANEXPO10: Actor Robbie Rist, Voice Artist TMNT 1990 and Cousin Oliver
FANEXPO11: Actress Ashley Greene of TWILIGHT Film Series
FANEXPO12: Comic Actor Pauly Shore

Click on JAIME PRESSLY for a Podtalk & Exclusive Portrait on HollywoodChicago.com

Click on MR T for an Exclusive Portrait & Bio on HollywoodChicago.com

Click on ROBBIE RIST for a Podtalk & Exclusive Portrait on HollywoodChicago.com

The next FAN EXPO 2026 will take place in Toronto, Canada, on August 27th. For complete information, click FanExpoHQ.com/FanExpoCanada.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Podtalk, Portrait: Actor Robbie Rist, on VoiceOver & Cousin Oliver

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:01:43 +0000

CHICAGO – If you remember the 1970s and “Cousin Oliver,” you remember Robbie Rist. If you went ga-ga over The Teenage Mutant Turtles movies in the early 1990s, then you know Robbie Rist as the voice of Michelangelo. The former child actor turned sought after VoiceOver artist recently appeared at Fan Expo Chicago 2026.

Robbie Rist was born in Southern California, and came into the business he loves by sheer will … his parents reluctantly took him to a cattle call audition to placate his desire to be in the movies and on TV (the story is told in the Podtalk below). His happenstance created a juggernaut of high profile TV roles in the 1970s, when his moppet-like looks garnered a numbers of roles, as he puts it, “I was the kid in every sitcom.” After making his TV debut on the iconic LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE in 1972 at the age of six, he made over 100 commercials before he landed his most iconic kid-on-TV role, that of Cousin Oliver on “The Brady Bunch” in its last season. The sitcom trope of bringing a younger kid onto an established show was known forever afterward as the “Cousin Oliver Syndrome” (Rist ponders the notion in the Podtalk).

Robbie Rist at Fan Expo Chicago 2026
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

But besides Cousin Oliver, the 1970s gave the instantly recognizable Rist – with his bowl cut and glasses – a brief partnership with singer John Denver. The troubadour was on fire during the mid-seventies, and Rist’s mini-me looks were comparable to Denver, so they made several appearances together. He also had a strange connection to The Mary Tyler Moore-verse, portraying Ted Baxter’s adopted son David, and having another role on the Moore spinoff LOU GRANT (and Rist mentions another in the Podtalk).

After doing a short lived body-switching sitcom in the mid-1970s (BIG JOHN, LITTLE JOHN), and a three-episode arc on THE BIONIC WOMAN, Rist settled into character roles throughout the 1980s and ‘90s, until discovering a niche in VoiceOver work starting with the iconic THE TEENAGE NINJA TURTLES in 1990. He has been nominated for three BTVA Voice Actor Awards, for THE LAST: NARUTO THE MOVE, DOC MCSTUFFINS and NARUTO SIPPÜDEN: THE MOVIE 3 (I erroneously said he’d won all three, thus his confusion in the Podtalk).

John Denver and Robbie Rist in 1976, and as Cousin Oliver in ‘The Brady Bunch’ (inset)
Photo credit: File Photos

Rist is a musician of note, playing guitar, bass and drums with several bands in the Los Angeles scene, and is a notable song writer. He won a Best Original Song honor (with Steven Wishnoff) at the International Independent Film Awards for LIFE INTERRUPTED. And finally, he had a role in the first SHARKNADO movie, and wrote songs for the series. He describes himself as an “Entertainment Guy.”

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Robbie Rist on VoiceOver, the “Moore Verse” and Cousin Oliver Syndrome …

For more on the remarkable career of Robbie Rist, click Wikipedia.com. The next FAN EXPO 2026 will take place in Toronto, Canada, on August 27th. For complete information, click FanExpoHQ.com/FanExpoCanada.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

On-Air Film Review: Jason Statham Kicking It at Sea in ‘Mutiny’

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 18:28:03 +0000

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on Eddie Volkman & Friends on THE 9-6-7 WSSR-FM Joliet (IL) on August 21st, 2026, reviewing the new release MUTINY, featuring British action hero Jason Statham, this time kicking A on a cargo ship. In theaters on August 21st.

Statham is Cole Reed, an ex-cop turned bodyguard for a billionaire shipping magnate in Bangkok named Tibu (Ramon Tikaram) who is reluctantly selling his holdings. After Tibu leaves the handover event, he and Cole are ambushed by some thugs and the Bangkok police, so after the billionaire is killed, they’re able to frame the murder on Cole. This forces Cole to escape to one of Tibu’s cargo ships, where he encounters Captain Marko (Roland Møller) and Third Mate Angie (Anabelle Wallis), and the ranking officer turns out to be his enemy while Angie is his ally. Faster than you can say Die Hard on a ship, Cole is the only one aboard who can stop an evil at sea.

MUTINY is in theaters on August 21st. Featuring Jason Statham, Anabelle Wallis, Jason Wong, Roland Møller, Adrian Lester and Ramon Tikaram. By Lindsay Michel and J.P. Davis. Directed by Jean-Francois Richet. Rated “R”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of MUTINY

MUTINY
Photo credit: Lionsgate

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s on-air review of MUTINY

Podtalk: Film Curator Stephanie Sack on ‘Giallo Gelato’ Aug 21-23, 2026, Plus Other Screenings

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Fri, 21 Aug 2026 02:06:26 +0000

CHICAGO – Chicago’s Horror Maven, Ms. Stephanie Sack, has a bagful of cinema treats upcoming throughout the last daze of summer 2026, with the centerpiece being her annual “Giallo Gelato,” taking place at Chicago’s Logan Theatre August 21st-23rd. Get tickets and info by clicking GIALLO GELATO.

Three films will screen at the “Giallo Gelato,” with ice cream treats also available. All three films were released in 1976, and are celebrating their 50th Anniversary. WHO CAN KILL A CHILD, directed by Narciso Ibáñez Serrador (August 21st), ALICE SWEET ALICE by Alfred Sole (August 22nd) and THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS by Pupi Avati (August 23rd). Click link above for more information and tickets.

GIALLO GELATO, Curated by Ms. Stephanie Sack
Photo credit: TheLoganTheatre.com

Stephanie Sack is Chicago’s Horror Maven, nicknamed “La Gialloholique,” and is a film programmer and partner in “Barge Lady Cruises,” a travel experience. She is a longtime Francophile and devoted enthusiast of European cinema, with a special passion for films from the 1960-1980 period. Her love of cinema centers on exploring the artistry, context, and emotion behind works that have often been overlooked or misunderstood. In her film curation work in Chicago, she focuses on classic and repertory cinema, with an additional expertise in the Italian “Giallo” genre of horror/thriller … trust me, she knows how to pick ‘em.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, film curator Stephanie Sack provides background to her cinema series …

In a Video Pitch, it’s Giallo Gelato …

Trailers for the films of GIALLO GELATO …

Trailer … WHO CAN KILL A CHILD?

Trailer … ALICE SWEET ALICE

Trailer … THE HOUSE WITH LAUGHING WINDOWS

And then, there will be two Ms. Sack-curated films at the International Museum of Surgical Science, on death, Liberace and 72nd birthdays (click titles for tickets/info). THE LOVED ONE (1965) is a mid-1960s cult satire on the funeral industry featuring … Liberace. CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (1954) and the Surgical Science Museum are both celebrating their 72nd birthdays.

Trailer. THE LOVED ONE (“Death”) …

Trailer … CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON (Happy 72nd)…

Giallo Gelato takes place August 21st-23rd at the Logan Theater, 2646 North Milwaukee, Chicago. THE LOVED ONE is at the International Museum of Surgical Science, 1524 North Lake Shore Drive, on September 3rd (6pm Door) THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON is also at Surgical Science, on September 10th (6:30pm Door). For the Instagram of Ms. Sack , click on @VoluptuousRobot.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Exclusive Portrait: As is Said, 'I Pity the Fool' Who Doesn’t Love Mr. T

adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman) — Thu, 20 Aug 2026 02:08:47 +0000

CHICAGO – Fan Expo Chicago had a vast room of possibilities at the Donald A Stephens Center in Rosemont (IL), but none as almighty as Mr. T, as he met fans and signed autographs during the event. The born-in-Chicago legend is best known for his roles in ROCKY III and THE A-TEAM, but his real fame simply is being Mr. T.

Mr. T was born Laurence Tureaud (later changing it to Tero) and adopted the Mr. T moniker shortly after graduating from Chicago’s Dunbar Vocational High School in 1970. After a stint in the Army, he famously worked as a bouncer on Rush Street in the city … he developed his multi-gold medallion trademark by wearing the necklaces that were in the club’s lost and found. From there he became a bodyguard to the stars, including Steve McQueen, Michael Jackson and Muhammad Ali.

Mr. T at Fan Expo Chicago 2026
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

He attained his first notoriety by winning an “America’s Toughest Bouncer” competition, which included boxing, on NBC-TV. It was on a second iteration of the show (GAMES PEOPLE PLAY) that had T utter the famous line “I pity the fool.” It was from this broadcast that Sylvester Stallone cast Mr. T as Clubber Lang, Rocky Balboa’s memorable opponent in 1982’s ROCKY III (“I don’t hate Balboa … I pity the fool.”). This led to other films (PENITENTIARY 2) and TV parts, but his second identifying role was portraying B.A. Baracus as part of TV’s THE A-TEAM (1983).

From there he built his rep simply by being Mr. T, with a Saturday morning cartoon, more films (DC CAB and TV’s TOUGHEST MAN IN THE WORLD), commercials, professional wrestling, motivational videos and rap albums. His post-1990s work was mostly smaller shows or appearances, but he lent his voice to CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (2009) and was a contestant on DANCING WITH THE STARS in 2017. He stopped wearing his trademark gold in deference to the victims of Hurricane Katrina, and is a born-again Christian.

The next FAN EXPO 2026 will take place in Toronto, Canada, on August 27th. For complete information, click FanExpoHQ.com/FanExpoCanada.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Editor and Film Critic/Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com