Film Review: Patti Cake$ is an Exhilarating Hip-hop Fairy Tale
Apparently being a crowd-pleasing film is a problem for some, and it is for me too when a work panders and manipulates with no shame. But Patti Cake$, feature film […]
Steve Prokopy is chief film critic for the Chicago-based arts outlet Third Coast Review. For nearly 20 years, he was the Chicago editor for Ain’t It Cool News, where he contributed film reviews and filmmaker/actor interviews under the name “Capone.” Currently, he’s a frequent contributor at /Film (SlashFilm.com) and Backstory Magazine. He is also the public relations director for Chicago's independently owned Music Box Theatre, and holds the position of Vice President for the Chicago Film Critics Association. In addition, he is a programmer for the Chicago Critics Film Festival, which has been one of the city's most anticipated festivals since 2013.
Film Review: Good Time Rattled Us in All the Best Ways
With their most recent two features, Daddy Longlegs and Heaven Knows What, the brotherly directing team of Ben and Joshua Safdie have engaged in something they’ve referred to as hybrid […]
Film Review: Shot Caller Argues That Your Past is Inescapable
Shot Caller is the latest in a long and frustratingly high number of decent films that get buried in suburban theaters because there either aren’t enough screens in the area […]
Film Review: Steven Soderbergh Returns With the Flat-Out Funny Logan Lucky
In times like these, it’s difficult to know what’s real and what isn’t, what’s sane and what isn’t, or where exactly good in the world still exists. But one thing […]
Film Review: The Trip to Spain Feels Familiar Yet Refreshing
This review won’t take long because I’m guessing you already know if you want to see this. If you’ve seen the extraordinarily funny and clever collaborations between comic actors Steve […]
Film Review: Wind River Has an Unflinching Eye For Detail
Screenwriter Taylor Sheridan has made quite a name for himself in recent years with works that feel authentic and a bit deeper than your typical crime dramas. There’s a dedication […]
Film Review: The Glass Castle Tries Too Hard
I’ve often wondered why I can read a book featuring terrible parenting and allow the author to make me think that they’re actually loving people making bad decisions, but when […]
Film Review: Kidnap Isn’t a “Good” Bad Action Thriller, It’s Simply Bad
The one good thing I’ll say about the child-abduction thriller Kidnap is that the makers at least knew the film was so preposterous that it was wise to only let […]
Film Review: Step Showcases Real Life Wonder Women
While one documentary currently in theaters (An Inconvenient Sequel) may make you feel terrible about the direction in which the world is headed (although it certainly has its moments of […]
Film Review: Brigsby Bear is Disarmingly Well Written
A surprise hit at Sundance earlier this year, Brigsby Bear comes courtesy of the creators of a recent crop of digital shorts that have been running on “Saturday Night Live,” […]
Film Review: Al Gore Continues to Fight in An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
Deliberately so, I’m guessing, this year’s Sundance Film Festival kicked off with a screening of a new documentary about the continuing impact of global warming and the efforts that have […]
Film Review: An Elephant and a Thai Man Go on a Whimsical Road Trip in Pop Aye
Just to be clear, the title character of this film actually spells and pronounces its name “Popeye,” like the famous, spinach-eating cartoon sailor, but because there’s already a movie called […]