Review: The Naked Gun Revives Goofy Comedy—and Liam Neeson Nails the Punchlines
Without giving away my age, I’ll say that in 1988, I was far too young to see the original David Zucker comedy The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police […]
Review: Together Turns Co-Dependency Into Creepy, Cronenberg-Style Romance
Both an intense love story and a horror-tinged cautionary tale about relationships that are based on co-dependency, Together, the feature debut from Australian writer/director Michael Shanks, concerns a young couple, […]
Review: The Bad Guys 2 Brings Big Voice Talent to a So-So Story
In this sequel to the moderately popular 2022 original, The Bad Guys 2 follows the crew of animated animal villains (former villains, actually) down their new path of being Good […]
Preview: Chicago’s Home-Grown Horror Convention, Flashback Weekend Chicago, Features Tributes, Film Series and Chances to Meet Your Favorites
North America’s longest-running horror-themed gathering, Flashback Weekend Chicago Horror Convention, celebrates its 24th year August 1-3 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare Chicago in Rosemont. The schedule includes a celebrity guest line-up […]
Review: In Oh, Hi!, Gen Z-ers Fumble Through a Fledgling Relationship Rather Than Grow Up
Molly Gordon may be best known to Chicagoans as Claire Dunlap, Carmy Berzatto’s on-again, off-again love interest in FX’s smash hit series The Bear. She also co-wrote and co-directed 2023’s […]
Review: Pete Davidson Continues to Try On New Characters, Acting Styles in Effective Thriller The Home
When did Pete Davidson become the type of actor you could slot into just about any role? Actually, pretty much from the beginning of his movie career. Unlike another former […]
Review: Michael Winterbottom’s Shoshana Skillfully Chronicles Political Turmoil and Unexpected Romance
In this “inspired by real events” work from prolific British director Michael Winterbottom (The Trip films, A Mighty Heart) comes a tight-wire act of a film set in the pivotal […]
Review: The Fantastic Four: First Steps Balances a Retro Look and Feel with a Fresh Take on Stan Lee’s Classic Foursome
In so many superhero films’ attempts to feel grounded and emotional, they forget that their source material is comic books—colorful and inventive but rooted in the human condition. They can […]
Preview: Art House Theater Day 2025 and How Chicago’s Indie Cinemas Are Celebrating
Chicago’s art house theaters have long served as vital spaces for independent and international film. From the historic Music Box Theatre to community-focused venues like Facets and the Gene Siskel […]
Review: History Through an Eight-Year-Old’s Eyes in Embeth Davidtz’s Directorial Debut Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight
Making her feature film directorial debut, actor Embeth Davidtz (Old, The Morning Show) delves into her roots in Africa (her parents are South African, though she was born in the […]
Interview: Filmmaker Ari Aster on Eddington, Making an Omni-Political Period Piece Set in 2020
As I said in my review of Eddington, filmmaker Ari Aster is an artist who sculpts nightmares—not just the kind that frequently populate horror film (although his first feature, Hereditary, […]
Review: Finally Dawn Channels Mid-Century Movie Magic with a Compelling Cast Cavorting Around Rome
If “Be Careful What You Wish For” were a film genre, the Italian production Finally Dawn might be one of the better entries in it. Written and directed by Saverio […]