Lisa Trifone
Dispatch: Films to Make Time For (at Home, at the Drive-In) in Chicago International Film Festival’s First Weekend
As the 56th Chicago International Film Festival kicks off, the majority of this year’s film selections are available to stream online for the duration of the event (October 14-25). In […]
Preview: How to Experience the 56th Chicago Film Festival From Home (and the Drive-In)
Forced by mishandled pandemics to get creative about presenting an annual film festival, the team at Cinema/Chicago have pieced together eleven days of screenings, Q&As, panels and even networking happy […]
Review: The Forty-Year-Old Version Makes Sharp, Funny, Authentic Work of an Artist’s Life
One of the great things about Netflix snapping up some of the best films of the year is how easily the platform can make an incredible film available to millions. […]
Review: Beautifully Humanizing Time Chronicles One Woman’s Lifelong Pursuit of Justice
There’s no shortage of true crime documentaries on streaming services lately, films and mini-series that chronicle the ins and outs of murders and heists and frauds that audiences eat up […]
Review: In Major Arcana, Momentary Beauty Is Lost in Clunky, Poorly Acted Independent Drama
As blockbuster after blockbuster gets bumped to 2021—or in some cases, all the way to 2022—film fans have the opportunity to discover movies that in other years might’ve been overshadowed […]
Review: Delightfully Life-Affirming Dick Johnson Is Dead Offers Lessons on Facing Loss
With more than 50 credits to her name (according to IMDb), cinematographer Kirsten Johnson has made a career of observing the world around her and capturing it for us to […]
Review: A Worthy Chronicle of Female Spies in WWII, A Call to Spy Tries to Do Too Much
A few years ago, a couple of great World War II films were released; even more than 70 years after the war ended, it remains a deep source of narratives […]
Review: A Sharp Sci-Fi Premise Meets Brutal, Gruesome Thrills in Possessor
The premise of Brandon Cronenberg’s Possessor is the sort of sci-fi make believe that’s so outlandish, a bit of comfort can be found in this otherwise unsettling, intense film. The sort […]
Review: Oliver Sacks: His Own Life Is the Extraordinary Story of an Extraordinary Man
Neurologist, author and generally wonderful human being Oliver Sacks died in 2015 after a months-long battle with cancer. On receiving the news that his prognosis was terminal, he wrote a moving […]
Review: A Contained, Detailed Performance Drives The Swerve‘s Journey to Deterioration
As slow-burns where a woman finds herself increasingly unhinged go, The Swerve is a solid debut from writer/director Dean Kapsalis, starring a diminutive Azura Skye in the central role. She […]
Review: A Woman’s Harrowing Journey Is Often Hard to Watch in Alone
The practice of including a “trigger warning” in advance of sharing certain content can be seen as either a considerate editorial choice or an overly “woke” decision that coddles to […]
Review: A Chef’s Voyage Is the Behind-the-Scenes Journey of an American Chef in France
Generally speaking, I’m always open to a food documentary. The story of a masterful sushi chef who’s influenced a generation from his six-seat restaurant under a train station? I’m in. […]