Review: Hotel Artemis, with its Stellar Cast, is Ridiculous. And Fantastic.
Make no mistake (and I don’t think there’s any chance you will), Hotel Artemis is a B-movie wrapped in an A-list cast of actors who are clearly enjoying the hell […]
Review: Bold and Thrilling, Ocean’s 8 Crackles with Energy
There’s a scene early on in Ocean’s 8 when Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock) is laying out her grand jewelry heist scheme and she rejects the idea of including any men as […]
June at Midwest Independent Film Festival: The Charming, Musical Saints Rest
The first Tuesday of every month is a special night for Chicago film fans. Where a typical film festival presents all its selections in a truncated timeline—a long weekend or […]
What to Watch on the Small Screen: June 2018
June marks the beginning of summer—a perfect excuse, in other words, to put off work and catch up on some good movies. Here are our recommendations for what to stream […]
Interview: Gates McFadden, Host of This Weekend’s Juggernaut Film Festival at The Music Box Theatre
This weekend, Chicago is celebrating science fiction and fantasy film with the Juggernaut Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre. Now in its sixth year, this festival is being put […]
Review: Down And Dirty Horror Film Feral Delivers
Considering it starts out a little shaky, Feral, the latest from director/co-writer Mark H. Young (The Killing Jar), actually turns into something rather interesting, albeit predictable and not especially scary. […]
Review: Seek Out the Poignant, Touching Who We Are Now
From writer-director Matthew Newton (From Nowhere) comes a story of people who struggle to keep at bay the things that have gotten them into trouble in the past. Who We […]
Review: The Gospel According to André Preaches Fashion, Politics and Self-Expression
I believe I was first made aware of fashion journalism and all-around expert André Leon Talley when I saw the Vogue magazine documentary The September Issue. It was clear then […]
Review: Insights into Creativity, Process and Loyalty in Filmworker
Documentarian Tony Zierra has been fascinated with those who have been so close to fame, they could almost taste it. His first doc, 2001’s acclaimed Carving Out Our Name, profiled […]
Review: Shailene Woodley Keeps Adrift From Going Too Far Off Course
Based on the true-life story of Tami Oldham (played here by Shailene Woodley), Adrift re-creates what happened to her and her boyfriend Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin) after the high-end sailboat […]
Review: Violent Sci-Fi Thriller Upgrade Is One Hell of a Ride
In something of a throwback to the more violent science-fiction outings of filmmakers like Paul Verhoeven and David Cronenberg, writer/director Leigh Whannell (the writer/co-creator of the Saw and Insidious franchises, […]
Interview: Leigh Whannell, Director of Sci-Fi Action Film Upgrade
The Australian-born Leigh Whannell is one of the most successful writers of horror/genre films currently working. He wrote the first three Saw films, all four Insidious movies (he even directed the third […]