Film Review: Deepwater Horizon, A Textbook Example of a Modern Disaster Movie
The problem I’ve often had with films directed by Peter Berg, even the ones I’ve liked, have been that he feels the need to have all the knobs turned up […]
This Week in Art House Cinema: The Dressmaker, For the Love of Spock and more
The Dressmaker Those few times a year when a film escapes from Australia and makes its way stateside, you can usually count on it being a familiar story told through […]
Film Review: Disney’s Live-Action Queen of Katwe
Outside of the setting and the age of the competitors, Disney’s latest live-action work, Queen of Katwe, is structured using many of the same beats as the most of their […]
Film Review: Storks. Yes, It’s About Babies.
Allow me to draw your attention to the directing credits on the new animated film Storks. The first name belongs to live-action feature veteran Nicholas Stoller (who also wrote the […]
Film Review: The Magnificent Seven
Let’s just get this out of the way off the bat: there is no better version of this story than the original, original version—Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 masterpiece Seven Samurai. Six […]
Here Are Some of the Best Films to See at Reeling Film Festival
The second longest-running film festival of its kind, Reeling: The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival presents nearly 40 features and numerous shorts from around the world during its 2016 edition. […]
Snowden, Blair Witch, The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years, Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, Author: The JT LeRoy Story, London Road
SNOWDEN Even if the story presented in Snowden were 100 percent fiction, it would still be a fascinating tale to watch unfold. As directed and co-written by Oliver Stone, Snowden […]
Sully; Complete Unknown; Other People; Neither Heaven Nor Earth; My Love, Don’t Cross That River
SULLY When you cast Tom Hanks as the lead in your movie, it’s almost a shortcut to telling the audience who you’re meant to side with in a film in […]
Northwest Chicago Film Society Season Preview
Films are back in session as the Northwest Chicago Film Society has announced the schedule for its 15th season, with films being screened between September 7 and December 6. Most screenings […]
The Light Between Oceans, Morgan, The 9th Life of Louis Drax, The Hollars, Little Men, Mia Madre, Yoga Hosers, Miss Sharon Jones!
THE LIGHT BETWEEN OCEANS The long-delayed new film from Derek Cianfrance (The Place Beyond the Pines, Blue Valentine) is actually two films—the first is about falling in love, the second […]
Hands of Stone; Don’t Breathe; Southside with You; Morris From America; Lo and Behold, Reveries of the Connected World; A Tale of Love and Darkness
HANDS OF STONE From almost the minute it begins, you can tell something is off about the Roberto Duran biopic Hands of Stone. Rather than having faith in the Panamanian […]
New On Blu-ray: The Spiders by Fritz Lang
The Spiders (1919 – 1920), directed by Fritz Lang, was once believed to be a “lost film.” It is in many ways the precursor for the action / adventure genre […]