Join me on a journey through Chicago film!
Welcome to Chicagocinema.net!
It shall be a companion website for Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition; but more importantly a place for lovers of Chicago and Chicago Film.
Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition is scheduled for an Autumn release, but is now available for pre-order
In the weeks leading up to the release, I’ll be spotlighting certain aspects of the book and also discussing and reviewing Chicago related films that either were released after I handed in the manuscript or that I just did not have the time or space to get to in the book itself.
The topic at hand was way too large to cover in a single volume, so much of this site will be dedicated to filling in the blanks and discussing the films that fell through the cracks. I conducted several interviews with some very fascinating people and not all of the content of those interviews made it in the book, so I’ll also be throwing in outtakes from interviews, as well as “teasers” for segments that are in the book.
Hopefully, some of these interview subjects (and others in the Chicago film community) will occasionally show up and comment on the postings, and submit to some followup interviews on new projects. I’ll start pursuing some new folks for fresh interviews once I get my “sea legs.”
I also hope to persuade my coauthor, Arnie Bernstein, to periodically check in with more delicious tidbits about Chicago’s rich and varied film history, or whatever strikes his fancy. He’s pretty busy these days promoting his excellent, poignant and heartbreaking new historical tome, Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing (highly recommended), so unfortunately don’t expect that too often.
Other features will include reviews and info about older “classic” Chicago films, as well as some that people may not be aware of. I will also attempt to more fully explore the local independent film scene, especially ethnic and LGBT films. Once the site starts to get some traffic and regular commenters; I’ll begin to pose some “thread” questions about types of favorite scenes in Chicago films and other matters (you’ll see what I mean when It starts happening). There will also be other cool features that I have neglected to mention, plus ones that will occur to me as we go along and that readers will suggest.*
The scope of the site will undoubtedly grow and evolve as time passes, but for now I’m going to try and focus on Chicago related items as much as possible. I will go wherever my curiosity and interests lead me, however, so don’t be surprised if a few non-Chicago related items appear on occasion. I’ll also be straying into the realm of local live theater, music, spoken word and performance art.
So there we have it. This site is going to be eclectic, wide ranging, constantly evolving, and (if you haven’t already noticed) probably a bit long-winded. I’m new to blogging so that should lessen a bit as we proceed (or not, I won’t make any promises that way).
But it should be a very fun and interesting ride. I hope you’ll come along.
Regards,
Michael Corcoran
*Have an idea for something you’d like to see on this site? Just let me know and I’ll try to oblige. Either send me an email: michael@chicagocinema.net or post a suggestion in the comments. (See my comments policy.)