Review: For the Cats Movie Adaptation, Best Not to Ask Why At All
The problem with Cats, the stage or movie musical, isn’t that it’s difficult to understand, as many may claim. The issue is figuring out the point of it. What life […]
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.
Review: As It Ends an Era, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Gets Too Nostalgic for Its Own Good
I think I went into this most recent (and supposedly final) Star Wars with the right attitude: I didn’t pin my hopes and dreams on the filmmakers bringing us back […]
Review: A Familiar Cast—And a Few New Faces—Play the Same Game in Jumanji: The Next Level
I went into the last Jumanji film, Welcome to the Jungle, with such neutral expectations that I was pleasantly surprised to discover a funny, energetic adventure comedy featuring an array […]
Review: A Moving Portrait of a Quiet Life in Colewell
The sophomore effort from writer/director Tom Quinn (The New Year Parade) is exactly the kind of movie that could easily get lost in the shuffle of awards-season contenders and bigger-budget […]
Review: Clint Eastwood’s Style (and Politics) Put the Story of Richard Jewell Into Perspective
Like many of the films Clint Eastwood has directed in the last 10 years or so—since about Gran Torino on—his latest, Richard Jewell, is an expertly made movie with a […]
Review: Risky, Adventurous Filmmaking in I See You Focuses on a Town and Family Mired in Mystery
Considering it’s only the second feature from director Adam Randall (iBoy), I See You is as ambitious and complex as many of the films I’ve seen lately from more seasoned […]
Review: White Snake Retells An Ancient Chinese Legend In Slick Animation
Technically a prequel to the ancient Chinese “Legend of the White Snake” tale (which has ben interpreted in a number of major Chinese operas, films, and television series), White Snake […]
Review: Dark Waters Is an Eye-Opening Activist Drama with an Impressive Central Performance
Although the late fall is certainly known for being the place where hard-hitting dramas, ripe for awards consideration, often land, I don’t think I was quite prepared for just how […]
Review: Smart, Fun and Expertly Crafted, Knives Out Invites Repeat Viewing
With all of his films, writer/director Rian Johnson does something rather remarkable: he takes a genre he loves and studies it until he understands all of its working parts. He […]
Review: The Planet Enters a New, Uncertain Era in Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
As difficult as it is to imagine, the Earth’s condition—both in terms of climate and physical characteristics—is not more a result of human shaping and interference than forces of nature. […]
Review: Kindness, Humanity and Forgiveness Create A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
For fans of the eternal goodness and life lessons of Fred Rogers, the last couple of years have been a real treat. Last year we got the Morgan Neville-directed Won’t […]
Review: Cop Drama 21 Bridges Never Crosses Into Anything Interesting
The best thing I can say about the new crime actioner 21 Bridges is that it’s mercifully short, and that even in a subpar film like this, star Chadwick Boseman […]