Perhaps best looked at as a prehistoric twist on the “boy-and-his-dog” adventure story, Alpha is set 20,000 years ago (in the last Ice Age, according to the press notes) in an unknown […]
Review: Action and Friendship at the Heart of Alpha
Review: Mile 22 Moves Fast, Sets Up a Sequel…And Not Much Else
Marking the fourth—and perhaps most bizarre—collaboration between actor Mark Wahlberg and director (and occasional actor) Peter Berg, Mile 22 seems like a standard-issue action piece, with Wahlberg’s CIA operative James Silva and […]
Music Box Theatre’s Noir City Returns for 10th Impressive Homage to the Genre
The landmark 10th anniversary of the Music Box Theatre’s Noir City Chicago kicks off on Friday, Aug. 17. A film festival made up of noir and neo-noir classics throughout film history, its […]
Review: Important, if Imperfect, Crazy Rich Asians Is Fun yet Flat
It is possible for a film to be important and culturally significant without it being especially great. For me (and I’m guessing many critics) to call any film great, a large number […]
Interview: BlacKkKlansman Star John David Washington Talks Movies as Football, Roles That Stay With Him and Learning from the Greats
In case you were wondering, actor John David Washington is about to become a very big deal. It will likely have very little to do (at least directly) with any help from […]
Review: Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Has Plenty of Sex—And Heart
I’ll fully admit, I’m not someone who dabbles even a little bit in Hollywood gossip. If I hear two celebrities are dating, I think “Good for them,” and move on. If I […]
Review: Glimpse a Creative Life in Decline in Nico, 1988
The model-turned-musician Nico (with a memorable period at the heart of Andy Warhol’s extended family) has always been a source of fascination for me. Her work with the Velvet Underground is hard […]
Review: Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman Is Audacious, Impressive and Timely
The best movie of the week, possibly the month, and certainly one of the best of the year is the latest from master cinematic provocateur Spike Lee, who gives us the true […]
Review: Jason Statham Faces The Meg in a Shark Movie With Bite
Sure, why not? It’s been about a year since our last people vs. shark movie on the big screen, so let’s throw Jason Statham in the mix just to make things exponentially […]
Preview: Watch Sandburg’s “Skyscraper,” Streaming on PBS’ “Poetry in America”
The 12-part PBS series, “Poetry in America,” features one significant work of poetry in each segment. “Skyscraper” by Chicago poet Carl Sandburg was the star of episode 5 and is now streaming […]
Review: Christopher Robin May Not Be Essential Viewing, But There’s a Heart To It
Unlike last year’s Goodbye Christopher Robin, which was an account of the circumstances that led to A.A. Milne creating the Winnie-the-Pooh character, this week’s Christopher Robin is a fictional story about the […]
Review: Generation Wealth Is Part Autobiography, Part Cautionary Tale
Over her 25-plus years as a filmmaker and photographer, Lauren Greenfield has returned to the themes of wealth culture, economic disparity, the life of children of wealthy families, eating disorders, definitions of […]
