There’s a thoughtful core to Deborah Zoe Laufer’s Be Here Now, the story of a bitter, cynical woman afflicted with headaches and seizures that leave her seeing the world as one full of […]
If you need an actor to carry your show on her shoulders, might I recommend the talents of one Janet Ulrich Brooks? Last year, she dominated Timeline Theatre’s Master Class as opera star Maria […]
A sure sign of a film’s impact is finding oneself thinking back to scenes, moments or certain lines of dialogue long after seeing it. Such is the case with Kirill Mikhanovsky’s directorial […]
After six full days at a film festival where each day includes screening at least four films (and sometimes more), all the stories, characters and directing styles can start to run together. […]
In just its first few days, the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival has presented dozens of films to thousands of eager audiences. Some (the movies, that is) have arrived to acclaim and […]
Late last year, the latest touring production of Fiddler on the Roof, a 2015 Broadway revival originally directed by Bartlett Sher that updated parts of the classic musical while maintaining its timeless resonance, […]
“Once, not too long ago, a group of musicians came to Israel from Egypt. You probably didn’t hear about it. It wasn’t very important.” So begins The Band’s Visit, a new musical that […]
Happening September 5-15, the Toronto International Film Festival provides a fairly decent forecast for the forthcoming awards season. Though both Venice and Telluride film festivals premiere films that will also screen in […]
The kids are back in school, summer is winding down and before long, we’ll all be hibernating again through another Chicago winter. In the meantime, more than a few great cinema events […]
I just got home from a run. There’s a sentence I never thought I’d write. But it’s true. After my jog today, I’ve completed week four of Couch to 5k, an eight-week […]
A film like After the Wedding offers so much promise. An English-language remake of the 2007 Academy Award nominee of the same name (that one written and directed by Susanne Bier), this version […]
The Amazon is burning and the polar ice caps are melting. Immigrants seeking a better life are being separated from their children and detained like animals. Wars are being raged in lands […]
