HMS Media | Reviews

River North Chicago Dance Company: Every Dancer Has A Story: Premiered January 11, 2009; "One of the best dance films to arrive on television since the fabled PBS broadcasts presented decades ago under the 'Dance in America' label... gorgeously composed... superb camera work... will surely give audiences a whole new appreciation for this hugely demanding art form... brilliantly edited... (River North's) virtuosic performers have been rarely showcased to better effect... It should have TV audiences racing to the box office to nab tickets. This is dance as it really is."; —Chicago Sun-Times; "Breezy and beguiling... Every Dancer grows, sneaks up and you and touches on critical insights boasts (HMS Media's) sharp skills as cinematographers... (they've) mastered the tricky elusive art of dance photography, balancing groups shots with the right amount of close-ups, capturing both choreographic design and intimacy... should sway true believer and skeptic alike."; —Chicago Tribune; "Strikingly lit... raw and real."; —Chicago Reader; "Beautifully produced by the indefatigable Chicago dance boosters HMS Media... substantial and sensitive... this is special stuff... the company looks gorgeous throughout... even the most jaded culturista can't help but be moved."; —Time Out Chicago

Second to None: A show in the life of The Second City, starring Tina Fey
Emmy nominee, Outstanding Entertainment Special
Expanded 10th Anniversary DVD to be released December 2009; "A documentary about The Second City ought to be, foremost, funny, and Second To None meets the test... it captures on video a very elusive thing: the birth and growth of comedy... with skillful editing and what seems a dogged pursuit of the subject, the cameras artfully trace scenes from their beginnings as improvised lines to their serving as the basis for sketches... it is fascinating throughout."; —Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Dance Project: 2-time Emmy winner, Outstanding Series of Cultural Significance and Outstanding Host; "Valuable, effective and, best of all, whimsical and fresh arts television... aims a dust mop at public television's venerable but sometimes cobwebbed approach to dance programming... beautifully designed to show off the variety, to focus on individual talents and, in scene after scene, excerpt after excerpt, to explore the flesh-and-blood beauty and passion of a visceral, accessible art."; —Chicago Tribune; "Expertly shot and invaluable in helping spread the gospel of dance."; —Chicago Sun-Times; "The most thorough and important documentation of Chicago dance ever done... it's very, very important."; —WBEZ-FM (NPR Chicago); "The Chicago Dance Project seems to have done wonders for the morale of the dance community and name recognition for dance artists among the public at large. Let's hope this is just the beginning."; —Time Out Chicago

Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: Getting There: 4-time Emmy winner for Outstanding Directing, Editing, Performance and Lighting; "Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: Getting There is highly enjoyable... thoughtfully shot... amply demonstrates the troupe's mix of effervescent material and sly, backhanded commentary... offers a glimpse of the complexities involved in (the company's) style and the thoughtful reasoning behind it... somehow, you just know, Fred Astaire and the Nicholas Brothers are smiling."; —Chicago Tribune; "Jump Rhythm Jazz Project: Getting There gives the viewer a unique look inside the rehearsal process, (artistic director Billy Siegenfeld's) thoughts on dance and his creative inspiration. Both strangers to the company and longtime fans will be surprised and delighted to see a side of the company to which most people are never privy."; —Windy City Times

Steppenwolf Theatre Company: 25 Years on the Edge: Emmy winner, Outstanding Special of Cultural Significance; "Steppenwolf Theatre Company: 25 Years on the Edge takes a simple approach to complex and insightful ends... It's not an easy thing for such a film to cut through the pomp and circumstance to get to the substance beneath, but HMS Media pulls it off. Steppenwolf benefits from that. So does the viewer."; —Daily Herald

Just Passing Through: 2-time Emmy nominee, Outstanding Entertainment Special and Outstanding Director; "You don't have to be a fan of singer/songwriters Shawn Colvin, Julia Fordham and October Project to enjoy the nifty documentary Just Passing Through... through a combination of deft editing, intelligent questioning and wise subject choice, the filmmakers present a rich and revealing portrait... it's a vibrant portrait of the artists' offstage life that almost anybody who's attended a concert has wondered about."; —Chicago Tribune

Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Always in Motion: Emmy nominee, Outstanding Entertainment Series; "Hubbard Street Dance Chicago: Always in Motion is exceptionally revealing... the pieces have been filmed with exemplary musicality...Under Matt Hoffman's skillful direction, the program's rehearsal and studio performance sequences have been sensitively filmed."; —Chicago Sun-Times

Why Am I Hiding: 2-time Emmy winner, Outstanding Documentary and Outstanding Director; "Powerful, thought-provoking and informative."; —Chicago Tribune; "A hard-hitting documentary."; —Chicago Sun-Times

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