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Steve Prokopy

ARTICLES: 1781
Film, Film & TV, Interview

Interview: Chicagoan Jake Johnson on Making Ride the Eagle During the Pandemic, Without Making it Feel Like the Pandemic

Ride the Eagle

One of my favorite Chicagoans is actor, writer and overall truly nice guy Jake Johnson, who I first met in 2009 with the release of the indie hit Paper Heart, […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: Shallow, Predictable Respect Ultimately Disrespects the Great Aretha Franklin’s Legacy

Respect

How is it possible for a music-centered biopic to feature fantastic music, heartfelt performances, and a story about triumph over trauma and still end up teaching us nothing about its […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: Set in a Video Game World, Free Guy Features Vibrant Visuals But Mediocre Humor

Free Guy

The challenge I’ve always put to filmmakers who choose to adapt a video game into a movie is to make it accessible to someone who has never played a modern […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: An Original Musical from Lin-Manuel Miranda, Vivo Mostly Works as a Lesson in Music and Friendship

Vivo

In roughly the last year, the world has celebrated the past works of award-winning songwriter and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda with the filmed releases of Hamilton and In the Heights, but […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: With James Gunn at the Helm, The Suicide Squad Brings Characters with Depth and a Story with Plenty of Fun

The Suicide Squad

After working almost exclusively for several years on the first two Guardians of the Galaxy movies (as well as contributing in no small part to the last couple Avengers movies […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: Based on Disney’s Hokey Attraction, Jungle Cruise Struggles to Capture the Same Charm, Comedy as the Ride

Jungle Cruise

There’s a great deal of plot and a great number of characters packed into the latest Disney theme park attraction that has been turned into a feature film, Jungle Cruise. […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: Ride the Eagle Sends Jake Johnson on a Quest to Get to Know His Mother and Himself Better

Ride the Eagle

After seeing so many movies lately that were made pre-pandemic (as well as a handful quite obviously made during), it was genuinely refreshing to see a film about a character […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: Matt Damon Deftly Portrays a Father Seeking Answers, Forgiveness in Stillwater

Stillwater

Something that becomes clear early on in Stillwater, the latest from director Tom McCarthy (Spotlight, The Station Agent), is that lead character Bill Baker (deftly played by Matt Damon) is […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: The Boy Behind the Door Follows Two Young Best Friends through Frightening, Suspenseful Circumstances

The Boy Behind the Door

A film that debuted a year ago at Fantastic Fest is finally making its way to Shudder this week, but in that year, co-writers/directors David Charbonier and Justin Powell have […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Interview

Interview: Settlers‘ Sofia Boutella on Imagining Life on Mars, the Choreography of Fight Scenes and What Madonna Taught Her

Settlers

Algerian-born actress Sofia Boutella has had many occupations in her nearly 20-year career. After years of training in nearly every style of dance, her big break came when she was […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Interview

Interview: From Blood Red Sky, Dominic Purcell and Peri Baumeister Talk Vampires, Filming Action Scenes and Working with Young Actors

Blood Red Sky

In the new Netflix film from director/co-writer Peter Thorwarth, Blood Red Sky, two things become eminently clear early on: there are hijackers onboard a redeye flight from Germany to America; […]

Steve Prokopy /
Film, Film & TV, Review

Review: Mark Wahlberg Makes for Odd Casting in Joe Bell, Based on a True Story of a Father Seeking Connection

Joe Bell

Despite featuring some really strong acting work from pretty much everyone involved, the latest film from Monsters and Men director Reinaldo Marcus Green (who also has King Richard coming out […]

Steve Prokopy /