It was only four or five years ago that I rediscovered my childhood love of the music of Linda Ronstadt, fueled by the purchase of a couple CD volumes of her greatest […]
Review: The Life and Music of Linda Ronstadt in Sound of My Voice
Review: Hustlers Makes Sexy, Smart Work of Scamming and Survival
In more films than I care to count, the role of stripper or exotic dancer is often relegated to the background of a scene that otherwise centers on men being men. These […]
Dispatch: Year’s Most Anticipated Films Round out Toronto Film Festival
After six full days at a film festival where each day includes screening at least four films (and sometimes more), all the stories, characters and directing styles can start to run together. […]
Review: Vital Early Childhood Ed Doc No Small Matter Returns to Siskel Center
Early on in No Small Matter, directed by Danny Alpert, Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel, audiences are introduced to Rachel Giannini, the lead teacher in Highland Park Community Nursery School and Day Care […]
Dispatch: Early Hits, Misses and Mehs at Toronto Film Festival
In just its first few days, the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival has presented dozens of films to thousands of eager audiences. Some (the movies, that is) have arrived to acclaim and […]
Review: Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles Proves an Enlightening, Entertaining Chronicle of the Classic Musical
Late last year, the latest touring production of Fiddler on the Roof, a 2015 Broadway revival originally directed by Bartlett Sher that updated parts of the classic musical while maintaining its timeless resonance, […]
Review: Morgan Spurlock Returns to Make You Rethink Fast Food in Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!
Some may say Michael Moore holds the title of the documentarian whose films most successfully blend politics and activism with humor and sheer entertainment value. But my vote for the filmmaker that […]
Review: An Impressive Cast Carries the Truth and Drama of Official Secrets
Often times when a dramatic film attempts to retell a true-life story, it takes certain liberties with facts or characters to make the work seem more cinematic in the end. And that’s […]
Preview: What To See at Toronto International Film Festival
Happening September 5-15, the Toronto International Film Festival provides a fairly decent forecast for the forthcoming awards season. Though both Venice and Telluride film festivals premiere films that will also screen in […]
Review: The Story Continues As the Scares Fade in It Chapter Two
In many ways, it’s remarkable that you can make what is effectively a single story, told in two parts, with the same creative team throughout, and still come up with two films […]
Interview: Brittany Runs a Marathon Star and Filmmaker on Transformation, Storytelling and the Anti-Sidekick
One of the most talked about movies out of the Sundance Film Festival this year was the self-improvement, body-positive comedy Brittany Runs a Marathon, featuring the very funny Jillian Bell in her […]
Screens Monthly: Premieres, Festivals and Toronto Dispatches in September
The kids are back in school, summer is winding down and before long, we’ll all be hibernating again through another Chicago winter. In the meantime, more than a few great cinema events […]
