Review: Build a Wall to Stop the Mongol Hordes and More in Stronghold: Warlords
I’m a newcomer to the Stronghold series. It turns 20 this year, so I’m a little surprised I’ve spent little to no time with the franchise. Still, I’ve always been […]
Review: Monster Energy Supercross 4 Is a Hearty Chunk of Supercross
Since I started reviewing video games, I’ve developed a newfound love for racing games. Before, I used to say “I’m not that big of a fan” but the real issue […]
Feature: Music Institute of Chicago Continues its Mission, Pandemic or Not
One of Chicago’s longest serving music organizations has continued to operate under the trying circumstances posed by a pandemic. While COVID-19 has affected the ways in which the Music Institute […]
Review: French Filmmaker Quentin Dupieux Returns to Absurdity, if Inconsistently, with Keep an Eye Out
If there’s one thing to count on in filmmaker Quentin Dupieux’s work, it’s a certain degree of absurdity. The French filmmaker broke out in 2010 with Rubber about (and this is […]
Review: In Istanbul, Stray Follows the Dogs Living on City Streets—and in Citizens’ Hearts
A few years ago, Ceyda Torun’s Kedi glimpsed the hard-scrabble lives of Istanbul’s feral cat population; the film followed the city’s feline citizens about their daily lives as they raised kittens, […]
Review: Boogie Is a Sports Movie with Unexpected Heart and a Promising Central Performance
This one did something for me I wasn’t expecting it to. On the surface, Boogie is a sports movie we’ve seen dozens of times: a kid from Queens, New York, […]
Review: After Production Delays, Chaos Walking Begins a Sci-Fi Trilogy that May Not Be Worth Finishing
One of the things I intensely dislike about the art of watching films in this century is how much it’s possible to know about a film before seeing an actual […]
Review: With a Lot to Live Up To, Coming 2 America Holds Back Too Much of What Made the Original Great
Quite often in the world of sequels, there’s a fine line between nostalgia-mining and genuinely trying to do something new with characters who, in the case of the Eddie Murphy […]
Start Your March with Bandcamp Friday and Pick Up Some Local Music!
Bandcamp Fridays have been helping bands during the pandemic by waiving their usual fees on the very first Friday of the month. This fantastic monthly event has allowed more money […]
Review: National Theatre’s Julie Provides a Fascinating Glimpse Into the Talents of Golden Globe Nominee Vanessa Kirby
Review by Brooks Whitlock British actress Vanessa Kirby is going to be nominated for an Oscar this year for her performance in Pieces of a Woman. With the acclaimed Best […]
The Complete (Chicago) Beer Course: Kölsch
When COVID-19 closed taprooms and cancelled festivals, I looked for ways to still engage with Chicago’s craft beer scene. I therefore decided to finally work my way through The Complete Beer […]
Review: Newly Unearthed Vietnam-Era Doc F.T.A. Follows Fonda, Sutherland on Protest Shows to Troops
In what is a surprisingly adept footnote to the history of protests during the Vietnam War, the recently unearthed and restored documentary F.T.A. offers a contextual look at a ragtag […]