Review: Nostalgia Does Some Heavy Lifting In Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider
I’ve been playing a lot of retro games lately, so when a game that’s “retro-inspired” comes across my desk to review, I’m always weary. It’s rare for something to come […]
Review: Chicago Philharmonic Shows Off Bountiful Talent in Tan Dun’s Concertos
The Chicago Philharmonic mirrored the kaleidoscope of Chicago diversity of their performance of several works, including two concertos by composer Tan Dun and one by The Chicago Phil’s composer in […]
Review: Dry Cleaning Creates Chill, Laid-Back Vibes on Friday the 13th at Thalia Hall
Listening to Dry Cleaning feels like having the perfect background-noise playlist on; the music and lyrics mimic conversations that we all make up in our minds in the shower, driving […]
Review: Trap Door Stages Princess Ivona, a Political Satire and a Theatrical Carnival
Princess Ivona inspires Trap Door Theatre to show us what it does best: Take a clever script and turn it into a carnival with exaggerated style and physical performance, while […]
Review: Based on a Murder Trial that Gripped France, Saint Omer Elicits Empathy
In Saint Omer, filmmaker Alice Diop applies her documentary skills to her first narrative film, based on an actual event that gripped France in 2016. Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a young Senegalese […]
Review: Seven Filmmakers Create One Whole, Multi-Dimensional Character in The Seven Faces of Jane
From the opening titles of The Seven Faces of Jane: “In the summer of 2021, eight filmmakers were invited to create a section of a feature film without any knowledge […]
Review: Gerard Butler Takes Overly Complicated Plane Seriously Enough, Even if Audiences Won’t
There’s a fine line between ridiculous and stupid, and many of Gerard Butler’s movies dance along that line, often tripping over themselves and landing on the stupid side of things. […]
Preview: Get Ready for 12 Straight Days of Puppetry From Chicago and the World at the 5th Annual International Puppet Festival
The 5th Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival, the largest of its kind in North America, begins next Wednesday, January 18, and runs through Sunday, January 29, at venues large and […]
Matt Muse Knows His Worth on the Boathouse Produced “Leave Here”
Matt Muse, the Chicago/LA-based rapper and poet is keeping his game on point. He’s been releasing singles consistently over that past few years (“Rapport” & “Rockin’ / Bridges“) since the […]
Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 1/12 and Beyond
It’s a brand new year! Let’s kick off the second full weekend of 2023 with some fun events! While the start of the year is always a little slow, there […]
Review: Gentle and Moving, Broker Creates Something Beautiful from Broken Characters and Risky Subject Matter
The themes and subject matter covered in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest drama, a moving, gentle story of chosen family, desperate connection and generational trauma, are not easily navigated. And in lesser […]
Review: Nicolas Cage Stars in Thinly Written, Slightly Charming Western The Old Way
Admittedly, I’m a sucker for a Western, even if it’s a half-assed attempt at one using all the tropes that the genre has at its disposal. But at some point, […]