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Film News: 2026 DOC 10 Film Fest Opening Night is April 24th

PatrickMcD — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 04:43:04 +0000

CHICAGO – The 11th edition of DOC 10, Chicago’s only all-documentary film festival, opens this Friday, April 24th at 7pm, with SABBATH QUEEN, one of several films from this year’s theme of SPEAK TRUTH! Over the years, 20 of the 50+ films that premiered at DOC 10 have been shortlisted or nominated for an Oscar. For a full weekend schedule, click here.

The 2026 DOC10 runs Thru May 3rd
Photo credit: DOC10.org

The Doc10 Film Festival premieres ten highly curated documentary films in Chicago, and since 2016 has developed a reputation as a premier festival on the awards circuit. Doc10’s parent organization is the Chicago Media Project (CMP), and believes in the power of great documentary storytelling. CMP created Doc10 to bring to Chicago cinematically powerful non-fiction films, that illustrate the power of documentary films to entertain, ignite, inspire, and activate audiences.

The 11th edition of the DOC10 Film Festival runs through May 3rd, 2025, at the Davis Theatre and the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago. For more information, click DOC10.0rg.

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

On-Air Film Review: Jaafar Jackson Starts Something as MICHAEL

PatrickMcD — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 03:53:00 +0000

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on Eddie Volkman & Friends on THE 9-6-7 WSSR-FM Joliet (IL) on April 24th, 2026, reviewing the new release MICHAEL, about the King of Pop Michael Jackson, from his roots in The Jackson Five to the height of fame. In theaters April 24th.

The story begins in Gary, Indiana, as burnt out steelworker Joseph Jackson (Colman Domingo) forms a musical act with his five sons, the youngest Michael (Juliano Krue Valdi during those days) as the lead singer. Joseph is a strict taskmaster, often resorting to beating his kids to keep them in line, much to the sadness of his wife Katherine (Nia Long). But the act takes off, with hits like I’LL BE THERE and ABC, and the family moves to California and success. But teenage Michael (Jaafar Jackson) is restless, and wants to break out on his own. His controlling father pushes back, but the story of Michael Jackson becomes the story of this oddball and supreme talent breaking away from from an angry monster of a parent. Michael’s second solo album THRILLER drops in 1982, and the rest is music history.

MICHAEL is in theaters (including IMAX) on April 24th. Featuring Jaafar Jackson, Colman Domingo, Juliano Krue Valdi, Nia Long and Miles Teller. Written by John Logan. Directed by Antoine Fuqua. Rated “PG-13”

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

MICHAEL
Photo credit: Lionsgate

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

DIFF2026 Podtalk: Co-Chairs Tanya Foster & Lynn McBee, Dallas Intl Film Fest, Apr. 23-30

PatrickMcD — Wed, 22 Apr 2026 02:30:33 +0000

CHICAGO – It takes a village to put on a major event, and the 2026 Dallas International Film Festival … the 20th Edition … has Co-Chairs Tanya Foster and Lynn McBee overseeing many of the special happenings. The duo talked to Patrick McDonald in anticipation of the Fest, running from April 23rd-30th. For tickets/info/schedules, click DIFF2026.

Co-Chairs Tanya Foster and Lynn McBee have both held previous leadership roles with the Dallas Film Society, the parent org of DIFF. Ms. Foster previously served as the Executive Director, and Ms. McBee was Chair of the Festival Board. As Co-Chairs, they will preside over the 20th anniversary events and a new host committee comprised of individuals who have been involved with the Festival during those 20 years.

20th Dallas International Film Festival
Photo credit: DIFFDallas.org

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Co-Chairs Tanya Foster and Lynn McBee talk all things DIFF20 …

The 20th edition of the annual Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) is an Academy Award® Qualifying Festival (short films), and will take place April 23–30th, 2026, with the host venue at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park. The festival will include more than 125 screenings, filmmaker Q&As, panels, nightly red carpets, and special events, in addition to the new DIFF Industry Conference, with panels on TV and filmmaking production.

Competition categories include Narrative Feature, Documentary, Short Film, Texas Competition, Animated Short, Latino Cinema, Music Video, Family, and Environmental films. Additional screenings and events will take place at the the historic Texas Theatre, Virgin Hotels Dallas and other venues around town.

Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com will be at DIFF2026, and will publish preview and on-the-ground articles and social media posts (Facebook: Pat McDonald, X: @ubercritic and Instagram: @uber_critic) from Thursday the 23rd through to the end of the Festival on April 30th.

The 2026 Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) opens on Thursday, April 3rd at their hub, the Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park and other locations, and runs through Thursday, April 30th. For all details regarding DIFF2026, click DIFFDallas.org.

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

DIFF2026 Podtalk: Dallas Intl Film Festival Opening Night is April 23rd with ‘Last Shot’

PatrickMcD — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 19:12:24 +0000

CHICAGO – The 2026 Dallas International Film Festival Opening Night on April 23rd is the new film LAST SHOT, with Jaime Pressly, Dylan Friedman, Johnny Simmons and Baron Davis, directed by Andy Palmer. For tickets/info, click DIFF2026.

Caden (Dylan Friedman) is a 12-year-old basketball talent, navigating the turbulent waters of grief and adolescence after the sudden death of his father (Michael Rapaport). He is forced to move to Nashville to live with his estranged mother Lexi (Jaime Pressly), who is a busy country music executive. There he joins a traveling b-ball team with a driven coach (Baron Davis), and slowly finds a new family with his team, his mother’s partner (Johnny Simmons) and perhaps a reconciliation with a mother he barely knows.

Jaime Pressly in DIFF20 Opening Night Film LAST SHOT
Photo credit: DIFFDallas.org

Jaime Pressly is an Emmy-winning actor for her early signature role as Joy on the TV series MY NAME IS EARL. Recently she also did eight seasons on the popular sitcom MOM (as Jill), and two seasons on the FOX series WELCOME TO FLATCH. Her film roles include JOE DIRT (2001), I LOVE YOU MAN (2009) and THE RE-EDUCATION OF MOLLY SINGER (2023), directed by Andy Palmer, who also is the director on LAST SHOT (his ninth feature film).

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Jaime Pressly and director Andy Palmer preview the Opening Night film LAST SHOT …

Also from LAST SHOT is actor Dylan Friedman, who portrays the key role of basketball obsessed Caden, his third feature film role. Johnny Simmons (Bobby) has been acting since he was a teen, with roles in EVAN ALMIGHTY, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD and THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER. Baron Davis is a former NBA All-Star, and an actor, producer and director.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Dylan Friedman, Johnny Simmons and Baron Davis talk about their roles in LAST SHOT …

GO TO PAGE TWO for all the details of the 20th Edition of the Dallas International Film Festival …

The 20th edition of the annual Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) is an Academy Award® Qualifying Festival, and will take place April 23–30th, 2026, with the host venue at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park. The festival will include more than 125 screenings, filmmaker Q&As, panels, nightly red carpets, and special events, in addition to the new DIFF Industry Conference, with panels on TV and filmmaking production.

The 20th DIFF
Photo credit: DIFFDallas.org

The 2026 Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) opens on Thursday, April 23rd at their hub, the Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Victory Park and other locations, and runs through Thursday, April 30th. For all details regarding DIFF2026, click DIFFDallas.org.

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

Theater News: ‘Pink Ribbon Plays’ 24-Hour Theater Project

PatrickMcD — Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:34:15 +0000

CHICAGO – A bold theater experiment has been taking place, as a 24 hour stage play project will unfold on April 18th, 2026, at Chicago’s northside Filipino Rizal Center. The Pink Ribbon Plays are a result of bringing together six playwrights with six teams comprised of directors and actors. They have 24 hours to come up with theater projects that will play throughout the Rizal Center on April 18th. For tickets and more, click PINK RIBBON.

At the Rizal Center in Chicago
Photo credit: NothingWithoutaCompany.org

Pink Ribbon Plays are presented by Nothing Without a Company theater co. and the CIRCA-Pintig Filipino/American theater group, with the original plays having themes of community storytelling around breast cancer, healing, and collective care, supported by the SCREEN Project and the Asian Health Coalition, which advocates for cancer screenings across Asian neighborhoods in Chicagoland.

Nothing Without a Company (NWaC) and CIRCA-Pintig presents Pink Ribbon Plays at Chicago’s Rizal Center, 1332 Irving Park Road at 7:30pm on April 18th, 2026. For more information on the NWaC, click here. For CIRCA-Pintig, click here. For the Asian Health Coalition, click here.

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

On-Air Film Review: Icon Lorne Michaels is Profiled in LORNE

PatrickMcD — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 15:10:27 +0000

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on Eddie Volkman & Friends on THE 9-6-7 WSSR-FM Joliet (IL) on April 17th, 2026, reviewing the new doc LORNE, about the iconic producer Lorne Michaels, from his roots to of course SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. In theaters April 17th.

LORNE is the history of Michaels as producer of SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE, From his beginnings as a Canadian TV sketch artist to working as a writer on ROWAN & MARTIN’S LAUGH IN to producing specials for Lily Tomlin in the early 1970s. After all that, Michaels was tapped to create a new show for NBC on Saturday nights, to replace reruns of Johnny Carson’s THE TONIGHT SHOW. The rest is history as they say, as SNL became a cultural phenomenon in the 1970s, and although Michaels famously missed seasons 6-10, he’s been the face of the franchise to the present day.

LORNE is in theaters on April 17th. Featuring interviews with Michael Che, Colin Jost, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Seth Meyers, Mike Myers, Tina Fey, John Mulaney, Conan O’Brien and Sarah Sherman. Directed by Morgan Neville. Rated “R”

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

LORNE
Photo credit: Focus Features

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

Podtalk: Chicago Intl Film Fest Founder Michael Kutza, Honored at Polish Consulate of Chicago

PatrickMcD — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:24:48 +0000

CHICAGO – To the cultural contributors go the honors. Michael Kutza is a bold faced name in Chicago, as he founded the Chicago International Film Festival in 1964 and was the Artistic and Executive Director for over 50 years, until he retired in 2018. True to his family heritage, and for the contributions to the cinema culture, Michael Kutza was awarded the Meritorious for Polish Culture Honorary Badge by the Polish Consulate of Chicago on April 14th, 2026.

Kutza grew up on Chicago’s West Side, the son of physicians. His early interest as a short filmmaker led to the founding of one of the most important film festivals in cinema history. Before Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Tribeca, there was Michael Kutza and the Chicago International Film Festival.

Honoree Michael Kutza
Photo credit: Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago

During his years in film, Michael supported the early careers of many cinema titans, including Martin Scorsese, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Claude LeLouch, Wim Wenders, Margarethe von Trotta, Mike Leigh, Oliver Stone, John Carpenter, Joe Swanberg and Taylor Hackford. Over the years, some of the top tier “who’s who” of the film industry have attended the Chicago International Film Festival and related events – the “stars” of “Starstruck” – including Harold Lloyd, Bette Davis, Orson Welles, Francois Truffaut, Jack Lemmon, Vincente Minnelli, Sophia Loren, Jack Nicholson, Shirley MacLaine, Spike Lee, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood, Liv Ullmann, Jodie Foster, Al Pacino, Sidney Poitier, Helen Mirren, Jane Fonda, Chadwick Boseman, and many more.

Michael Kutza has received other recognitions from his peers in film and arts, including the
Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the Cannes Film Festival, the Silver Lion Award from the Venice International Film Festival, the Sydney Pollack Award from American Cinematheque, a Knight of the Legion of Honor from France, and the “Onorificenza di Cavalierato,” the highest arts award in Italy.  His memoir is entitled “Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More than 50 Years,” a brassy page turner that dishes all the insider stories on the stars, the festival, Chicago and of course his passion, the world of film.

In a Podtalk with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Michael Kutza talks about his Polish heritage, cinema, the Oscars and his next projects …

In a Video Clip, Michael Kutza talks his book ‘Starstruck’ with the interviewer …

For information about the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago, CLICK HERE. “Starstruck: How I Magically Transformed Chicago into Hollywood for More than 50 Years” by Michael Kutza is available wherever books are sold.

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

APUC20: Asian Pop-Up Cinema 20th Edition Ends with Award Honors

PatrickMcD — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 14:44:21 +0000

CHICAGO – The 20th Edition of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) wrapped up the 2026 fest on April 12th with their competition Awards Ceremony. The Grand Jury Feature Film Award was designated for BLUE BOY TRIAL (Japan), with the Audience Choice Award going to APRIL (Taiwan/Philippines).

ENCORE PRESENTATION of Audience Choice Award honoree APRIL at AMC NewCity Chicago, Sunday April 19th at 3pm. For tickets and info, click … APRIL

The April 12th CLOSING NIGHT began with the competition Awards Ceremony, followed by the screening of THE SPECIALS (afterward Q&A with Japanese director Elji Uchida) and the Season Finale reception. “Each of our outstanding winners has brought something unique and inspiring to this year’s Festival,” said Asian Pop-Up Cinema Founder and Executive Director Sophia Wong Boccio. “This recognition reflects the passion and effort they have invested in their craft.”

The Nominees for the Grand Jury Feature Film Award at APUC20
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

As in past years, The 20th APUC explored and celebrated cinema from countries across the Asian continent. This year’s program featured works from Cambodia, Canada/USA, Hong Kong, France, Japan, Mainland Chine, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam with the majority of presentations being held at the Festival’s hub theater, AMC NEWCITY in Chicago.

The full list of Award Honorees are below …

Grand Jury Feature Film Award
BLUE BOY TRIAL (Japan)
Dir. Kaisho Iizuka
With a clear and unsentimental eye, BLUE BOY TRIAL takes on the legacy of historical amnesia as seen through the story of a central character caught up in its wave. In doing so, the film accomplishes something rare: It illuminates the vastness of the past through the microcosm of a challenged individual.

Francis Kwong Memorial Award
FRAGMENT (South Korea), directed by Kim Sung-yoon
With compelling dramatic force, director Kim Sung-yoon presents us with the story of three children wounded by a shared family trauma. FRAGMENT is ultimately an empathetic and emphatic argument for the closing of the cycle of violence and the chance it offers for reconciliation.

Best Animated Feature Film Award
THE GIRL WHO STOLE TIME (China)
Dirs. Yu Ao & Zhou Tienan
Utilizing cutting edge animation techniques, THE GIRL WHO STOLE TIME captures a fantasy idea of Shanghai’s past. Its fanciful tale, combining love, violence, vengeance, memory, and gambling, results in an appealing narrative cocktail.

Best Short Film Award
HEALTH CENTER (Iran)
Dir. Yaser Barzegar
With remarkable clarity, HEALTH CENTER examines with pointillist precision the ways in which social mores and traditional rules create a chain of deception, lies and illusions.

Go to PAGE TWO for interviews with directors/actors of South Korean films THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH and HALO …

Co-Directors/Writers/Lead Actors Yeum Moon-kyong and Lee Jong-min of THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH (South Korea)

THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH involves Hana (Yeum Moon-kyong) and Cheol-man (Lee Jong-min), two film students what have different motivations for making their films. This indie comedy is a clever satire of gender politics in the modern film industry. Throw in a wild array of cinematic styles, from sci-fi to musicals, and the pair creates a love letter to the movies that only a couple of cinephiles can dream up. The following interview answers for Yeum and Lee are through a translator.

HollywoodChicago.com: So Yeum and Lee, what experience in the South Korean film industry inspired the LAST WOMAN ON EARTH?

Yeum Moon-kyong: I know it’s somewhat the same in the United States, but the gender conflict issue in South Korea is very severe … you see this amongst the South Korean film industry and those that are within the film industry. We wanted to explore why this type of system exists.

HollywoodChicago.com: Lee, how did you get involved?

Lee Jong-min: Well, first it was Yeum that came up with the idea and then presented the script to me, and we ended up working together on the movie. And also I was interested with the idea of gender conflict, with a man and a woman working together to address the issue. What really resonated with me is that though the characters deal head on with the issue, they were also able to work to move past it.

Lee Jong-min and Yeum Moon-kyong of THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

HollywoodChicago.com: Yeum, besides the main filmmaker role of Hana you had in the film, you portrayed other characters. Besides Hana, which one of the other characters did you understand the most and why?

Yeum: I think of all of them are some aspect of Hana, and to tell you the truth, all of them in some way are close to the actual me. I began my career as an actor and so all of what the other characters go through are close to the experiences of both myself and Hana.

I can’t say personally that I have experienced everything that the characters in the movie have experienced. But the musical scenes and sexualization associated with them, I relate to those situations directly.

HollywoodChicago.com: Lee, you represent the male side of the South Korean film industry, and your character hates independent film. How close it that to your attitudes?

Lee: If you got to know me, you would see that I am actually very close to the character. [laughs] However, obviously this is an independent film, and I found a lot of meaning in doing this style of film. If I’m asked to differentiate, to me there is equal value to this film and also the commercial side of movies, as I peer into that direction as well.

HollywoodChicago.com: Yeum, how much pressure are on women in general in South Korea, and what issues is the character of Hana seeking to expose?

Yeum: The #MeToo movement in South Korea also began around 2018, and so I can kind of compare between before 2018 and after. I started my career as an actor before 2018, and the boundary rules were much looser. Also, you can see in the movie how Hana is kind of going through different types of pressure, but despite the pressure, she is continuing to pursue her movie-making passion.

In this art scene in South Korea changes were made in the boundaries, and the industry in general expressed the desire for more woman in filmmaking and to expand within that trend.

HollywoodChicago.com: Was there a backlash?

Yeum: There was a backlash, and the result had men and women in the industry understanding each other even less. But at the end of the day we have to make movies together, and when we don’t understand that, nobody wins. And despite inroads, the commercial moviemaking scene is still strongly male dominated.

THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

HollywoodChicago.com: One of the questions asked in the film was what movie would be your choice to watch at the end of the world? So, what would be your choices?

Yeum: THE LAST WOMAN ON EARTH. [Laughs]

Lee: So since that was taken I would do a double feature of films that I’ve appeared in. [laughs] One is titled 69 YEARS OLD, and the other is THE LAST SOHI. And yes, SOHI is an independent film.

HollywoodChicago.com: What had been the reaction to the film in South Korea so far?

Yeum: Women in their twenties have reacted positively and have been very grateful for the story. But even the man-o-sphere was curious about the movie and showed interest, because it is more than a film about feminism.

When you see that both a woman and a man appear in the movie and are working together, then that in itself draws more attention. Speaking for myself, I would like to meet more of these types of male fans.

Director Roh Young-wan and Lead Actor Choi Gang-Hyun of HALO (South Korea)

HALO regards Min-joon (Choi Gang-Hyun), who divides his time between delivering packages and picking up after his dysfunctional family’s mess. His goal is to be a filmmaker, so when an astrologer advises him to “follow his halo,” Min-joon pushes himself with extra shifts until he reaches a breaking point. The following interview was conducted through a translator.

HollywoodChicago.com: Did you have the life of Min-joon at one time? And did that inspire you to co-write and direct this film?

Roh Young-wan: My life wasn’t entirely like his. I was affected during the outbreak of the coronavirus. I lost my job at that time, so I believe that I was most impacted and was inspired from the events from that era. Also I knew families who had difficulty in their household, which was a major theme in the film.

Director Roh Young-wan and Lead Actor Choi Gang-Hyun of HALO
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

HollywoodChicago.com: To Choi Gang-hyun, as a actor which emotion or scene was most challenging as you tried to understand Min-joon’s life?

Choi Gang-hyun: There is the scene at the police station where Min-joon went to see his difficult older brother and determine whether he was okay. That situation was very difficult for the character emotionally as well as mentally, but regardless, he swallowed all those feelings and still showed up. Also the last scene, in which was a decision that shifted everything, and was made in an instant.

HollywoodChicago.com: For Roh, you gave Min-joon the characteristic of being a picture taker, as he trains himself to be a filmmaker. Which one of those pictures do you think represents Min-joon’s life as he is going through the events of the film?

Roh: That characteristic was straight from me. I take pictures of everyday life to provide inspiration for films I’m either working on or when I’m searching for an idea. There are two pictures from the film that symbolizes the journey of Min-joon. One was the several pictures of a door that he shot, each photo with a different approach emotionally. The other was of the single glove that is alone on the ground … that felt like the loneliness of the situation Min-joon was in.

HollywoodChicago.com: Choi, if you were to have dinner with Min-joon, what advice would you give him to make his life better?

Choi: I don’t know if I have what it takes to provide him with advice. [laughs] Basically, I would give him a hug.

HollywoodChicago.com: For Roh, what kind of adjustments do you do when you’re on set, if the actors are now doing what you need them to do for the story?

Roh: Since we used a lot of long takes in the film, the rehearsal process is where I usually make the adjustments. But if I’m on set, I will stop a scene that is not going in the right way and have a lot of discussions, until I’m satisfied that that the adjustment will be made.

HollywoodChicago.com: Choi, what have you learned about yourself portraying Min-joon?

Choi: If you see that film, you understand that Min-joon has a drive inside himself to find solutions as a survival instinct. He’s hard working and very human. I like to think when those types of situations come to my door, that I have the work ethic to get in front of them, and be a better human being.

HollywoodChicago.com: Roh, what’s the first thing you think about when you think about your love for filmmaking and story telling?

Roh: It comes down to the story I like to tell, need to tell and want to tell. What is it about? Is it related to my family or friends? A particular situation? In my world at large, what is that story I need to portray?

HALO
Photo credit: AsianPopUpCinema.org

HollywoodChicago.com: Choi, same question for what you do. What’s the first thing you think about when you think about your love for acting and performing?

Choi: Feeling and emotion are the first things I think about. When a character has a particular emotion, what situation did they have to go through to arrive there? For example, when two people are in love, there can be pain that comes out of it or joy. But what is the experience that leads to either one of those outcomes?

HollywoodChicago.com: Roh, what takeaway do your want a potential audience to have in regard to HALO?

Roh: Here’s the reaction I’m hoping for … that either the audience does a deep dive into the journey of Min-joon, or because of his circumstance they would want to save him.

Season 20 of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema wrapped up on April 12th, 2026. For all information on the cultural juggernaut that was APUC20, click here.

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

Audio Film Review: Riz Ahmed as the Title Character in ‘Hamlet’

PatrickMcD — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 16:11:21 +0000

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the new screen adaptation of HAMLET, the famous tragedy from William Shakespeare, with a South Asian twist. Featuring Riz Ahmed as the title character, in select theaters since April 10th. See local listings.

Set in modern day London, story begins with the death of Hamlet’s father, who is “king” of a real estate empire. Soon after this mogul’s demise, it is revealed that Hamlet’s uncle Claudius (Art Malik) will marry Hamlet’s mother Gertrude (Seeba Chaddha) to sustain the kingdom. When Hamlet encounters his father’s ghost, he finds out that Uncle Claudius was involved in the king’s killing. As it becomes clear he must seek revenge, Hamlet suspects all, including his father’s advisor Polonius (Timothy Spall), as well as former allies Laertes (Joe Alwyn) and Ophelia (Morfydd Clark). Through this investigation, Hamlet ponders his sanity and to-be-or-not-to-be existence.

HAMLET is in theaters since April 10th, see local listings. Featuring Riz Ahmed, Art Malik, Seeba Chaddha, Joe Alwyn and Morfydd Clark. Screenplay adapted by Michael Lesslie. Directed by Aneil Maria. Rated “R”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s Audio Film Review of HAMLET

Hamlet
Photo credit: Focus Features

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s Audio Film Review of HAMLET

Audio Film Review: Enter Through the Out Door in ‘Exit 8’

PatrickMcD — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 01:38:05 +0000

CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com audio film review for the new release EXIT 8, a Japanese film co-written and directed by Genki Kawamura and based on a video game by Kotake Create. In select theaters since April 10th. See local listings.

Kazunari Ninomiya is The Lost Man, a young adult who has just found out that his ex-girlfriend is pregnant with his child, and she is trying to decide the outcome of the pregnancy. When The Lost Man decides to travel by train to his ex, he finds himself in a station that will not let him go, as he wanders a series of hallways that keep repeating, and challenges him to find the freedom of EXIT 8. Within the halls he encounters The Walking Man (Yamato Kochi), The Boy (Naru Asa-numa) and The High School Girl (Ketone Hanase), all with their own stories. Can The Lost Man become found?

EXIT 8 is in theaters since April 10th. Featuring Kazunari Ninomiya, Yamato Kochi, Naru Asanuma, Ketone Hanase and Nana Komatsu. Written by Genki Kawamura and Kentaro Hirase. Directed by Genki Kawamura. Rated “PG-13”

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s Audio Film Review of EXIT 8

Exit 8
Photo credit: Neon

CLICK HERE for Patrick McDonald’s Audio Film Review of EXIT 8