Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 1/13 and Beyond
It’s a new year and we’re still in the thick of it. The Omicron stage in our pandemic journey is roaring loudly and we need to stay safe! Stores, restaurants, […]
2021: Best Games of the Year
2021 may not have been a great year overall, but it was a great year for video games. There were definitely ups and downs, with some severe disappointments, and great […]
Review: Rover Mechanic Simulator Is Good for Mars Engineering Enthusiasts and No One Else
Simulator games are infamous for having titles that make you think “That’s a game?” For every high-budget Microsoft Flight Simulator, there are dozens of Electrician Simulator, Chinese Driving Test Simulator, […]
Review: Nelson Algren Documentary Pays Delayed Tribute to the “Dostoyevsky of Division Street”
Michael Caplan’s documentary about Nelson Algren is a love letter to the gritty Chicago of the past as well as an homage to Algren, perhaps America’s most under-appreciated author. Caplan […]
Review: It Is What It Is: Guide to Chicago’s Twenty-First-Century Architecture
Guide to Chicago’s Twenty-First-Century Architecture Chicago Architecture Center and John Hill University of Illinois Press As packed with tacky tourist traps as any city, Chicago has one irreproachable draw: its […]
Review: A Hero Superbly Explores Ambiguity, Uncertainty and the Inherent Flaws of Human Nature
Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi relishes in the ambiguous; or rather, it may be that he excels at exploring the most genuine aspects of our human nature, the fact that very […]
Review: What Female-Driven Spy Thriller The 355 Lacks in Plot, It (Mostly) Makes Up for in Action
The legend of Agent 355 is that she was likely America’s first female spy, in operation during the American Revolution, but that she died without anybody knowing her real name. […]
Review: See For Me, with Intriguing Performances, Puts an Interesting Twist on the Home Invasion Thriller
Thanks to a few choice story elements, the second feature from director Randall Okita (The Lockpicker) rises above its B-movie foundation in telling the story of blind former skier Sophie […]
Review: Pedro Almodóvar Explores History, Family Bonds and More in Parallel Mothers
Although writer/director Pedro Almodóvar has had many creative partnerships over the year (mostly notably with the likes of Carmen Maura and Antonio Banderas), his now eight pairings with Penelope Cruz […]
Third Coast Review Celebrates Six Years, Makes Leadership Changes
Third Coast Review, Chicago’s six-year-old online arts magazine, announces leadership changes effective immediately. Co-founder Nancy S. Bishop, who has served as editor and publisher since 2016, is stepping down from […]
Celebrate 50 Years of the Siskel Film Center with 50/50, a Chronological Film Series
The Gene Siskel Film Center celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022, and the downtown cinema is celebrating with a year-long film series they’re (fittingly) calling 50/50. Every Monday of the […]
2021: Best Narrative Films of the Year
It’s the last day of the year, so naturally it’s time to unleash my Best of the Year list. As always, I was able to squeeze in about 10-12 additional […]