Although it has been a while since I’ve revisited the 1945 David Lean adaptation of Noël Coward’s play Blithe Spirit, I’ve always counted it as one of my favorite early […]
Based on the novel of the same name by Aravind Adiga, The White Tiger (directed by Ramin Bahrani, who adapted the script with Adiga) is a dark and cynical send-up […]
Few actors have had as many of their films come out during the last year or so as Liam Neeson. I’m guessing if there hadn’t been a pandemic, films like […]
The Music Institute of Chicago will be streaming free events this weekend to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On the following Sunday the MIC will be […]
I have a lot of good memories growing up of time spent with My Little Ponies and Barbies and Strawberry Shortcake dolls. It wasn’t necessarily about the dolls, all soft […]
Deepa Mehta’s filmmaking career spans decades, though she’s perhaps best known for her “Elements” Trilogy; Fire (1996), Earth (1998) and Water (2005) confront nearly every controversial or taboo subject in Indian culture, from homosexuality […]
Even if its overarching themes aren’t entirely unique, Breaking Surface, a chilling (and chilly) thriller about two sisters and their deep-water diving excursion gone very wrong, certainly gets points for […]
While 2020 has been rife with crappiness, Chicago-based Kartemquin Films is having a bit of a year (co-founder Gordon Quinn’s battle with COVID-19 early in the pandemic notwithstanding). In October, […]
In what may just hold the record for stage-to-screen adaptations, Ryan Murphy brings to Netflix a gaudy, busy, over-the-top film version of The Prom, the surprisingly well-received Broadway show that […]
Dark Black by Sam Weller Hat & Beard Press One of the opening paragraphs of Sam Weller’s short story “All the Summer Before Us” is this: “We were eighteen, me […]
There are certain things I aspire to like–cultural experiences I feel robbed of based on my tastes. Sushi. Baseball. Any sort of video game requiring me to actually think and […]
Hey folks, before we jump into the Record Store Day Black Friday details, I should warn you that there are an annoying amount of COVID-19 reminders throughout the post. We […]