So much of what makes the new horror comedy Ready or Not so effective is that it doesn’t feel like it takes place in the real world, even when blood is quite […]
Review: Murderous Comedy Ready or Not Makes Bloody Work of Family Games
Steve Prokopy
Review: One Child Nation Reveals the Personal Toll of China’s Devastating Population Policy
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, One Child Nation doesn’t just tackle the seemingly endless and nefarious ways in which the government of […]
Review: Self-Involved Where’d You Go, Bernadette Squanders a Stacked Cast
There are moments in this adaptation of Maria Semple’s much-loved, quite successful novel Where’d You Go, Bernadette that I absolutely loathed, and part of the reason I felt this way is that […]
Review: Blinded by the Light Revels in Youth, Dreams and Springsteen
Causing a sizable splash at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, the latest work from filmmaker Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham, Bride and Prejudice, Viceroy’s House) is not a film about Bruce […]
Review: Middle School Mayhem—and Hormones—in an Entertaining Good Boys
Charm will always win out over crass, so imagine combining these two noble traits into one genuinely heartfelt, R-rated comedy about three sixth graders who set out on an epic quest to […]
Interview: Multi-hyphenate Eugenio Derbez on Voice Acting, Filming in Australia and a Grown Up Dora the Explorer
Two years ago, when I interviewed Eugenio Derbez, the Mexican-born superstar, a comedic actor-director-producer, I predicted that he would be well known far beyond the Spanish-speaking following that made his 2014 work […]
Review: In an Attempt to Inspire, Brian Banks Is Over-Polished
Far too often, significant true-life stories can get ruined by attempting to dramatize them or make them more “cinematic.” The story of NFL player Brian Banks is certainly an important one to […]
Review: Just Enough Nostalgia—and Plenty of Pluck—in Dora and the Lost City of Gold
Ten or more years ago, I used to babysit friends’ kids when they couldn’t find a teenager to help them out, and as a result, I saw my fair share of “Dora […]
Review: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Doesn’t Pander, Does Pack in the Scares
Before you get completely bent out of shape about the fact that this latest horror offering from producer Guillermo del Toro (who is also given a “screen story” credit) is rated PG-13, […]
Interview: Actor David Dastmalchian on Working in Chicago, a Crazy Schedule and the Talents of Kevin Pollak
David Dastmalchian has one of the most unique, interesting and memorable faces presently featured in film and television. He’s hugely popular with fans and entertainment writers alike because, in many ways, he’s […]
Review: Black Harvest Film Festival Features the History of Blue Note Records in It Must Schwing!
Some of the strongest films at any year’s Black Harvest Film Festival, the annual month-long film series at the Gene Siskel Film Center now in its 25th year, are the documentaries. And […]
Review: Humor, Strong Performances Help a Timely Tel Aviv on Fire
While watching the latest from director/co-writer Sameh Zoabi (Under the Same Sun), it’s sometimes difficult to tell if he has such a firm grasp on the current situation between Israel and Palestine […]
