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Chicago – The Midwest Independent Film Festival, which convenes every first Tuesday of the month, is fast becoming an institution in Chicago and an influential barometer for the local and Midwestern film scene. On Tuesday, December 4th, 2012, their annual “Best of the Midwest” Awards will be handed out. Hosting the event is the co-founder of the Midwest Indie, Mike McNamara. Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com serves on the Awards Committee.

The ‘Best of the Midwest’ Awards, December 4th, 2012

Photo Credit: www.MidwestFilm.com

The following films and performances are nominated for the “Best of the Midwest” Awards…

Best Music Video

“Moonbeams,” directed by Sam Macon

“Everything Will Be Fine,” directed by Nate DuFort

“War Again,” directed by Paul Griswold

“Are You Gonna Break My Heart,” directed by Will Meyers

“Villain,” directed by Logan Hall

Best Short Film

“The Promise,” directed by Bill Roach and Joel Edwards

“Advantage: Weinberg,” directed by David Singer

“Wednesday’s Child,...

Chicago – The 2011 Best of the Midwest Awards were presented on Tuesday, December 6th at the Rockit Bar and Grill in downtown Chicago, an annual ceremony that celebrates Chicago’s Midwest Independent Film Festival. HollywoodChicago.com’s Patrick McDonald and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, the co-host of “Ebert Presents: At the Movies,” were among the presenters.

Festival Director Mike McNamara was the Master of Ceremonies, giving out eight awards for the best of the 2011 season. The Midwest Independent Film Festival convenes Every first Tuesday of the month throughout the year, and showcases films directly associated with the Midwest area. This year was one of the strongest ever, as reflected in the level of winners and Midwest films that were showcased.

Best of the Midwest Winners: Best Actor Dennis Farina and Best Actress Meredith Droeger of ‘The Last Rites of Joe May’

Photo credit: Patrick McDonald for HollywoodChicago.com

Local Chicago legend Dennis Farina...

Chicago – One of the nice surprises of the Chicago International Film Festival was the opening night presence of a true Chicago-based film. “The Last Rites of Joe May” stars Dennis Farina as an aging small-time hood, taken in by single mother Jenny Rapp, portrayed by Jamie Anne Allman. The production was directed with sublime power by Joe Maggio.

Allman and Maggio were at the festival, circulating opening night and sitting down for interviews the next day. The film uses the city of Chicago as a character, but you won’t see Wrigley Field or the skyline. What you will see is the bitter winter on streets where people like Joe May live and survive.

HollywoodChicago.com got to talk with both Allman and Maggio, and got their keen insight into this excellent Chicago-based film.

Jamie Anne Allman, Jenny Rapp in “The Last Rites of Joe May”

Ms. Allman was born Jamie Anne Brown,...

Chicago – Dennis Farina is Chicago. Born and raised in the Windy City, his persona and manner is everything Chicago – bold, classy and the true urban Midwest. His latest film is “The Last Rites of Joe May,” which features another actor who got his start in Chicago theater, Gary Cole.

Last month, at the Chicago International Film Festival, both actors did a press day promoting their gritty Chicago-based film, which was directed by Joe Maggio. “The Last Rites of Joe May” stars Farina in the role of a lifetime, permeating the wintry streets of Chicago as an aging small time hustler that everyone assumes is dead after he comes back from an extended hospital stay. Gary Cole has a small but significant role as Lenny, a neighborhood boss.

HollywoodChicago.com sat down and interviewed the two Chicago acting icons regarding their film and careers.

Dennis Farina, Title Character in “The Last Rites of Joe May...

Chicago – Dennis Farina is Chicago. Born and raised in the Windy City, his persona and manner is everything Chicago is – bold, classy and the true urban Midwest. His latest film is “The Last Rites of Joe May,” which features another actor who got his start in Chicago theater, Gary Cole.

Last month, at the Chicago International Film Festival, both actors did a press day promoting their gritty Chicago-based film, which was directed by Joe Maggio. “The Last Rites of Joe May” stars Farina in the role of a lifetime, permeating the wintry streets of Chicago as an aging small time hustler that everyone leaves for dead after he comes back from an extended hospital stay. Gary Cole has a small but significant role as Lenny, the son of one of Joe’s old contacts.

HollywoodChicago.com sat down and interviewed the two Chicago acting icons regarding their film and careers.

Chicago – The Chicago born-and-bred actor Dennis Farina has had many opportunities in his career to distinguish himself in a variety of roles, but never has he carried a film as well as his turn in the recent “The Last Rites of Joe May.” Farina imbues the title character with raw emotion, feral toughness and a touch of fear.

Rating: 3.5/5.0

What is distinctive about Joe May is that he is cut off from the world temporarily, and when he returns nobody misses him. To have lived with no connections of family, friends or colleagues is an intriguing notion to begin a story, and writer/director Joe Maggio puts the title protangonist through a road-to-Mount-Calvary situation that has the nobility of the King of Kings. This film is an exceptional character study, with the supporting cast providing a treasure trove of their own quirks, that Farina plays off on like a fine musical instrument.

Filed under: Movie News

You don't normally see character actors like Dennis Farina get the chance to lead a film, but that's what makes 'The Last Rites of Joe May' so special. The gritty indie (out now in New York as well as on demand) debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in the spring, and features famed 'that guy!' Farina ('Midnight Run,' 'Get Shorty') as the titular Joe, a small-time hood who has aged out of being a small-time hood. Following a lengthy hospital stay, Joe is released back onto the streets of Chicago without two nickels to rub together. Not that finances stop him from trying to affect his old life -- embodied by a brown leather jacket that he won't sell under any circumstances. He winds up boarding with a single mother (Jamie Anne Allman) and her daughter (Meredith Droeger), and, in them,...

Dennis Farina in .The Last Rites of Joe May ., distributed by Tribeca Film. Photo Credit: Jay Silver

Chicago Film To Open 47th Chicago International Film Festival

With The Last Rites Of Joe May

Chicago, Il.Cinema/Chicago today announced that the 47th Chicago International Film Festival will officially open with The Last Rites Of Joe May, showcasing a tour-de-force performance from longtime film and Chicago theater actor Dennis Farina (Get Shorty, Snatch, Midnight Run). Acclaimed indie director and Festival veteran Joe Maggio will walk the red carpet with Mr. Farina and actors Gary Cole (Office Space, Pineapple Express) and Jamie Anne Allman (.The Killing., The Notebook) to present the Chicago Premiere of the film at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park (205 E Randolph Street.Chicago) on Thursday, October 6th 2011 at 6pm, with the official presentation to begin at 7pm. Additional surprise guests will be announced.

.The Last Rites Of Joe May...

Chicago- Earlier today, Cinema/Chicago announced that the 47th Chicago International Film Festival will premiere with the film “The Last Rites of Joe May.” The film stars longtime film and Chicago theater actor Dennis Farina.

“The Last Rites of Joe May” is the story of a hustler (played by Farina) who is shocked to see life went on normally without him when his friends and acquaintances thought he had died while Joe was in the hospital fighting pneumonia. Joe must now cope with living with new tenants who had moved in when Joe’s landlord thought he had died and the struggle of redefining a legacy that he realizes is less than stellar.

“The Last Rites of Joe May” was written and directed by Joe Maggio and co-stars Jamie Anne Allman, Meredith Droeger, Ian Barford, Chelcie Ross, and Gary Cole.

Maggio was humbled by the nomination and praised the city...

By Sam Weisberg - April 28, 2011

No actor has mastered the art of muttering obscenities under his breath more expertly than Dennis Farina. In “Get Shorty,” “Snatch” and other films about low-life criminals, Farina, with his eagle-eyed glare, Charles Bronson-like mustache and clenched-teeth diction, has stolen every scene he’s in merely by spouting off an array of expletives. “The fucking airport,” he barks at a cab driver in “Get Shorty,” disgusted at being put upon to give simple directions. His every eyebrow twitch, stiff-necked shrug and sarcastic overemphasis on every word—as if he’s already explained what he’s saying three times—deliver the message: “I don’t give an inch for you—you give an inch for me.”

Happily, Farina’s signature macho style is put to good use for much of “The Last Rites of Joe May.” But the film, directed and written by Joe Maggio,...

The PureMovies.co.uk review of Tom Vaughan's Extraordinary Measures (starring Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, Keri Russell, Meredith Droeger and Diego Velazquez). Something of a personally-driven project for co-producer Harrison Ford after he read the Pulitzer Prize-winning book upon which this true-ish movie is based, Extraordinary Measures is about the quest to find a cure for the fatal neurological disorder Pompe Disease. Pharmaceuticals executive John Crowley (played here by Brendan Fraser) is flying high in his career, but his and his wife’s lives are turned upside down by the fact that his two younger children are afflicted by this rare genetic disorder, which normally results in death before the age of ten...

New Blu-ray and DVD movies out this week on May 18, 2010 …

Valentine’s Day

Extraordinary Measures

The Messenger

Invictus

Amazon.com Widgets

Read quick reviews and get links to the full Tsr reviews below.

Valentine’s Day

Directed by: Garry Marshall

Cast: Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Garner, Topher Grace, Anne Hathaway, Jamie Foxx, Queen Latifah, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, Shirley MacClaine, Hector Elizondo, Emma Roberts, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Carter Jenkins, Bryce Robinson, George Lopez

Running Time: 2 hrs 2 mins

Rating: PG-13

Overall

It’s been one day since I have seen Valentine’s Day, and I can already feel it slipping away. It will be forgotten. It’s impossible not to think of Love Actually when watching this film. After all, I think it was inspired by that film. If that’s the case, they should have paid more attention. Love Actually has a little kid who can act,...

Extraordinary Measures is a 4-h movie. It is about Hope, Health, Happiness and Helping. It is one of those feel good movies that make you appreciate what a few good people can accomplish when their hearts are in the right place. The fact it is based on a true story adds to the enjoyment of the film as you don't have to waste time scoffing at the unreality of it all. The story focuses on John and Aileen Crowley (Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell) who are the parents of three children. The oldest is perfectly healthy but the younger two are afflicted with Pome's Disease, a neuromuscular ailment that is usually fatal within the first eight years of life. Megan (Meredith Droeger) is the middle child and Patrick (Diego Velazquez) is the youngest. Megan is eight years old at the...

Chicago – A very subdued and scientific Harrison Ford recently spoke with HollywoodChicago.com and two other Chicago film critics on the subject of his new true-story film “Extraordinary Measures”. Ford stars in the film and served as its executive producer since inception.

At one point in our interview, the 67-year-old Chicago native calmly uttered a minor expletive and then reminded us that we have the choice about whether or not to print it. While the interview style of some actors can fall into the more eccentric bucket, the Ford experience on this day was decidedly professional, conservative and relatively serious.

Hollywood legend Harrison Ford poses for his hometown HollywoodChicago.com red-carpet portrait at

the premiere of “Extraordinary Measures” on Jan. 12, 2009 at the AMC River East movie theater in Chicago.

Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

In other words, Ford clearly wasn’t wearing his extreme adventurer...

By Susan Granger - If this reminds you of a TV-disease-of-the-week tearjerker, that's because it's the first theatrical release from CBS Films, a division of the broadcast network that seems to be testing whether audiences will pay for cable-caliber melodramas at the box-office.

John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) is a pharmaceutical executive at Bristol-Myers Squibb. He and his wife Aileen (Keri Russell), have three children. Their oldest son (Sam M. Hall) is fine, but their two younger children, eight year-old Megan (Meredith Droeger), and six year-old Patrick (Diego Velazquez), suffer from a rare, genetic form of muscular dystrophy called Pompe's disease. They live on respirators and in wheelchairs. Medicine offers no treatment and no cure."Extraordinary Measures" (CBS Films)

Terrified that they may die at any moment, John's persistent Internet research leads him to an eccentric University of Nebraska professor, Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford), who believes he has isolated an...

Extraordinary Measures (2010) is a film based on the true story of Aileen and John Crowley, parents of two children suffering from Pompe, an incurable genetic disorder. The couple risked their financial future and gambled on the fate of their family, to help save their children. The trailer alone can bring a grown man to weep, so you can only imagine what happens after an hour and forty-five minutes of pure inspiration. Action superstar Harrison Ford had been looking for a film to get involved with, and by happenstance, he came across the book "The Cure" by Geeta Anand, based on the story of The Crowley Family and scientist Dr. Stonehill. Ford broke away from his action type cast pattern, and agreed to star in the Disney-esque film about the true story of one family's fight against death. Keri Russell plays the mother, Aileen Crowley, and does a fantastic job of...

Whenever you have a movie that's based on a true story and is about the brave battle against some horrible disease, a large portion of the audience will be inspired and moved, no matter how brutally awful the movie is. And stepping up to critique the art of a bad movie inevitably sounds a little like critiquing the real-life heroes. This is never the case. I wouldn't take back the deeds of the real-life John Crowley for anything. But I imagine that his real-life battles amounted to not much more than a series of phone calls, meetings and conversations, none of which make for a very interesting movie. So for the new Extraordinary Measures, screenwriter Robert Nelson Jacobs and director Tom Vaughan (What Happens in Vegas) throw in a whole bunch of fictionalized arguments, chases and grand gestures to make it play more like a movie.

The problem with these...

Courtesy of CBS Films.

Extraordinary Measures had the potential to be a full-blown tear-jerker.  Luckily, the movie decided to focus on the other aspects of the story based on Geeta Anand's novel The Cure.  A story inspired by true events, such as this one, is always going to tug at the heart-strings.  In this particular delivery, the script takes a subtle approach in the pain-and-suffering department.  What hooks the audience in, is the complex relationship between the two main characters.

Our story begins with John Crowley (Brendan Fraser), an Ivy league business school alumni, desperately searching for a cure for Pompe disease.  Two of his three children have this rare genetic disorder, and have very little time left.  His wife (Keri Russell) tirelessly seek out ways to find a cure.  John comes across research by Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford).  He makes countless attempts to get a hold of Stonehill,...

Extraordinary Measures

Directed by: Tom Vaughan

Cast: Brendan Fraser, Harrison Ford, Keri Russell, Meredith Droeger

Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins

Rating: PG

Release Date: January 22, 2010

Plot: Inspired by true events … John (Fraser) and Aileen Crowley (Russell) enlist the help of a gruff researcher, Dr. Stonehill (Ford), to help cure their two children’s rare genetic disorder known as Pompe.

Who’S It For? You want to shed a few tears? This movie is for you. It also gives you a chance to see how disease is attacked in America.

Expectations: First time I saw the preview, I actually thought this was a made-for-tv movie. Whatever film quality CBS uses on its TV shows, it’s the exact same here. The soft lighting, the light colors, it’s all identical. And don’t tell me you can’t immediately tell the different between ABC, NBC and CBS simply based on the colors … Ok,...

Yesterday I posted the new posters from Harrison Ford and Brendan Fraser’s new movie, Extraordinary Measures. Today, Yahoo (HD here) have released the new theatrical trailer for the movie. It’s directed by Tom Vaughan and also stars Keri Russell, Courtney B. Vance, Jared Harris and Meredith Droeger. It’s set for release 26th February 2010.

Synopsis: From his working class roots, John Crowley has finally begun to taste success in corporate America. Supported by his beautiful wife Aileen and their three children, John is on the fast track. But just as his career is taking off, Crowley walks away from it all when his two youngest children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with a fatal disease. With Aileen by his side, harnessing all of his skill and determination, Crowley teams up with a brilliant, but unappreciated and unconventional scientist, Dr. Robert Stonehill. Together they form a bio-tech company focused on developing a life-saving drug.