| This year, we've shared nearly 900 articles on Third Coast Review, from reviews of the latest films, theater and concerts to critical essays, advice columns and our reliable weekly feature to help you plan your time, Your Chicago Curated Weekend. As the year winds down, we revisit our most popular posts in each category and rediscover just how much arts and culture coverage Third Coast Review brings you every week. ART & MUSEUMS In October, Karin McKie visited Andersonville's Swedish American Museum for an exhibit of Marimekko fabrics and decorative materials over time. The Finnish textile and clothing company features bold prints and iconic designs in an exhibit that offers "interesting historical tidbits comprise the tight, accessible and informative exhibit." Though the exhibit closed December 1, you can revisit Karin's visit any time. BEYOND This July, Lisa Trifone joined the throngs of Chicagoans dressed in head-to-toe white for the city's annual summer picnic, Dîner en Blanc. A cultural sight to behold, this experience is exactly the kind of firsthand reporting Third Coast Review holds space for in our Beyond section, where everything outside the city—and often the typical definitions of art and culture—is covered. FILM & TV Sometimes, the most popular reviews aren't the kindest ones! Chief Film Critic Steve Prokopy didn't exactly have positive things to say about Megan Fox's AI thriller Subservience, but that doesn't make his review any less enjoyable. Readers like you made this not only the most popular film section post, but our most popular post of the year over all! FOOD Under the guidance of our new Food section editor, Caroline Huftalen, that portion of Third Coast Review now features a number of exciting dispatches from new restaurants and conversations with all sorts about food and sustenance. This year's most popular Food post is Nancy Bishop's August dispatch from the Kendall College Dining Room—the city's best kept fine-dining secret (but not for long!). GAMES & TECH In March, Games & Tech editor Antal Bokor reviewed Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, a set of games that offer play as opposing factions in two of Star Wars’ eras, the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. As Antal says, it's a game that's "damn fun." LIT Under the direction of Lit editor Dan Kelly, Third Coast Review's coverage of new books, local book stores and literary events has blossomed in recent years. Nancy Bishop's November recap of the Booker Prize Book Club, a group of voracious readers who gathered on Zoom to chat about this year's Booker Prize awards ceremony, was the section's most-read story this year. MUSIC Over in the Music Section, Tankboy (Jim Kopeny) previewed a Local H fan's dream double feature in October, as front-man Scott Lucas premiered LIFERS, his first film, at the Music Box Theatre followed by a show at Metro featuring their full album Whatever Happened To P.J. Soles? It's the piece that got the most views from Third Coast Review music readers this year. STAGES Like our most popular film review, the Stages article readers most enjoyed this year was another dud—sometimes the most fun to read! Theater critic Doug Mose wrote about The Lord of the Rings—The Musical as staged by the Chicago Shakespeare Theater—and worthy of only one star in his book. We want to know: what was the best thing you read on Third Coast Review this year? Comment below and let us know! As we've been telling you this month, our December fundraiser is focused on raising funds we can share with our talented, dedicated writers at year end. We hope you will support the writers who provide this hyper-local, independent arts and culture journalism in Chicago; use the link below to make a donation that will help us do that. MAKE A CONTRIBUTION NOW |
