Chicago – When a locally filmed romantic Christmas movie was released last week on Hulu, the audience comfort and joy for this genre was proven once again by its Top Ten trending status on the streaming service. The merry elf director behind “Reporting for Christmas” is Chicago-based Jack C. Newell.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
It’s the Christmas season, and Mary (Tamara Feldman) is an idealistic reporter from Chicago, assigned a sponsor puff piece from her producer Hank (D.B. Sweeney). So she travels to a small Iowa town, to profile a toy manufacturer famous for their signature “Mistle-Toad” collectible. While preparing her story, she runs into Blake (Matt Trudeau), a toymaker exec who shares her idealism but is reluctant to appear on camera. It will take more that a Mistle-Toad to get these holiday sparks flying.
’Reporting for Christmas,’ Directed by Jack C. Newell
Photo credit: Hulu/Nicely Entertainment
The film is smart, funny and breezy,...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
It’s the Christmas season, and Mary (Tamara Feldman) is an idealistic reporter from Chicago, assigned a sponsor puff piece from her producer Hank (D.B. Sweeney). So she travels to a small Iowa town, to profile a toy manufacturer famous for their signature “Mistle-Toad” collectible. While preparing her story, she runs into Blake (Matt Trudeau), a toymaker exec who shares her idealism but is reluctant to appear on camera. It will take more that a Mistle-Toad to get these holiday sparks flying.
’Reporting for Christmas,’ Directed by Jack C. Newell
Photo credit: Hulu/Nicely Entertainment
The film is smart, funny and breezy,...
- 11/9/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – It’s five times the fun for the fifth time. Filmmaker Jack C. Newell and Rebecca Fons of the Gene Siskel Film Center will conduct their 5th “Destroy Your Art” event. The idea is a filmmaker creates a film, shows it once to the audience, and then destroys it forever. This will take place this year at the historic Music Box Theatre on Tuesday, September 26th, 2023. For more information, including tickets, click Dya.
“Destroy Your Art” will feature four filmmakers – Ariella Khan, Michael Glover Smith, Ines Sommer, and Blair St. George Wright – as they show their short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever (last year it was a controlled blowtorch flame) never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our perception of what time/space means. Audience participants, and the filmmakers themselves, will be the only witnesses to the final products,...
“Destroy Your Art” will feature four filmmakers – Ariella Khan, Michael Glover Smith, Ines Sommer, and Blair St. George Wright – as they show their short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever (last year it was a controlled blowtorch flame) never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our perception of what time/space means. Audience participants, and the filmmakers themselves, will be the only witnesses to the final products,...
- 9/26/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Putting together a documentary, especially as it involves a step-by-step process, can take a bit of time. Filmmaker Jack C. Newell has spent 10 years putting together “How (Not) to Build a School in Haiti.” The Premiere of the film is Friday, September 16th at Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center. Click Haiti for info and tickets.
After hearing an NPR podcast in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, semi-retired construction worker Tim Myers is so moved he decides to build a school in the rural Hatian community of Villard. He meets his counterpart Anselm Saimplice, who readily accepts Tim’s vision for a new school. Very quickly, things spiral out of control. Trying to teach Haitian laborers new skills, Tim imposes his style of construction and values, which he finds clashes with the way things are done in Haiti.
How (Not) to Build a School in Haiti
Photo credit: Zaxie
Jack C.
After hearing an NPR podcast in the wake of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, semi-retired construction worker Tim Myers is so moved he decides to build a school in the rural Hatian community of Villard. He meets his counterpart Anselm Saimplice, who readily accepts Tim’s vision for a new school. Very quickly, things spiral out of control. Trying to teach Haitian laborers new skills, Tim imposes his style of construction and values, which he finds clashes with the way things are done in Haiti.
How (Not) to Build a School in Haiti
Photo credit: Zaxie
Jack C.
- 9/14/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – It’s been three years, there is definitely a need to get together and destroy something. So in the spirit of this urge, power couple filmmaker Jack C. Newell and Rebecca Fons of the Gene Siskel Film Center, will conduct their 4th “Destroy Your Art” event, back from its last incarnation in 2019. The idea is a filmmaker creates a film, shows it once to the audience, and then destroys it forever. This will take place this year at the historic Music Box Theatre on August 25th, 2022. For more information, including tickets, click here.
“Destroy Your Art” will feature four filmmakers – Dinesh Das Sabu, Lena Emeligy, Christopher Rejano and Yanyl Xie – as they show their short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever (the technique is explained in the Podtalk) never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our...
“Destroy Your Art” will feature four filmmakers – Dinesh Das Sabu, Lena Emeligy, Christopher Rejano and Yanyl Xie – as they show their short films. After that One Showing, the films will be destroyed forever (the technique is explained in the Podtalk) never to be seen again. The concept challenges the notions of permanency, images, expression and our...
- 8/24/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – To stand out in the crowded “Christmas Romance” TV movie genre, it starts with a strong script (by Rebecca Weaver) and the right lead actor. “Christmas with Felicity,” now available on the AMC+ app, features Sarah Brooks (“Chicago Med”) as the title character, a burnt-out city dweller looking to find solace back in her small Wisconsin home town.
The film has familiar tropes in the genre. Felicity (Brooks) is a “city mouse’ gal from Chicago whose fiancé left her, and at the same time she has lost her bakery business. On to snowy Wisconsin she goes, to escape the situation and rest at her parent’s home. Unfortunately for her, it’s the holiday season, and she’s not in the mood. Enter James (Herb Porter), a holiday-loving optimist who also happens to be a Christmas tree and dairy farmer. Will the sparks fly?
Felicity (Sarah Brooks) Finds Her...
The film has familiar tropes in the genre. Felicity (Brooks) is a “city mouse’ gal from Chicago whose fiancé left her, and at the same time she has lost her bakery business. On to snowy Wisconsin she goes, to escape the situation and rest at her parent’s home. Unfortunately for her, it’s the holiday season, and she’s not in the mood. Enter James (Herb Porter), a holiday-loving optimist who also happens to be a Christmas tree and dairy farmer. Will the sparks fly?
Felicity (Sarah Brooks) Finds Her...
- 12/17/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The challenge of creating a “Christmas Romance” TV movie, in a field that is saturated with contenders, would perplex even Orson Welles. But Chicago-based director Jack C. Newell was up to the task, as he took a script from Rebecca Weaver and put his spin on the holiday rom-com “Christmas with Felicity,” now available on the AMC+ app.
The film has familiar tropes in the genre. Felicity (Sarah Brooks of “Chicago Med”) is a “city mouse’ gal from Chicago whose fiancé has left her and her bakery business has failed. On to snowy Wisconsin she goes, to escape the situation and rest at her parent’s home. Unfortunately for her, it’s the holiday season, and she’s not in the mood. Enter James (Herb Porter), a Christmas loving optimist who also happens also to be a Christmas tree/dairy farmer. Will the sparks fly?
’Christmas with Felicity,’ Directed by Jack C.
The film has familiar tropes in the genre. Felicity (Sarah Brooks of “Chicago Med”) is a “city mouse’ gal from Chicago whose fiancé has left her and her bakery business has failed. On to snowy Wisconsin she goes, to escape the situation and rest at her parent’s home. Unfortunately for her, it’s the holiday season, and she’s not in the mood. Enter James (Herb Porter), a Christmas loving optimist who also happens also to be a Christmas tree/dairy farmer. Will the sparks fly?
’Christmas with Felicity,’ Directed by Jack C.
- 12/8/2021
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.