Review: The Last Blade—Beyond the Destiny Is the Right Kind of Blast From the Past
The Neo Geo Pocket Color was a system I missed out on when I was younger. I didn’t really play games on handhelds back then—but I missed out on […]
Review: Black Desert: Prestige Edition Has So Much Potential With So Many Issues
Hardware limitations are nothing new to video games. Most games will have minor to significant concessions from the developers’ vision just to get their game to run correctly. Black Desert […]
Chicagoans Celebrate Biden/Harris Victory, Trump Defeat
Celebrations erupted all over the Chicagoland area on Saturday as the news came in that former Vice President Joe Biden is now the president elect of the United States. After […]
Review:Bugsnax Is a Heartfelt, Fun, and Tasty Treat
Bugsnax was an obvious standout during the PlayStation 5 reveal event. I don’t think I’ve ever been so simultaneously horrified and intrigued about a video game. I don’t know if […]
Review: Terrifying, Disturbing The Dark and the Wicked Is a Sharp, Impressive Distillation of the Genre
It’s a curious decision to release the scariest movie of the year a week after Halloween, but here we are. Writer/director Bryan Bertino’s The Dark and the Wicked is the […]
Review: Predictable Kindred Works Better as Family Drama than Genuine Thriller
Feel free to add director Joe Marcantonio’s debut feature Kindred to the list of recent genre works that are actually family dramas couched in the effective framework of horror and/or […]
Interview: Organizing the Organization: How Chicago Inspired SomaSim to Create City of Gangsters
1920s Chicago is an era that invokes a lot of immediate images and has inspired even more movies, books and games. It’s got so much imagery attached to it, too–the […]
Triple Fast Action Reissues One of the Best ’90s Albums You May Have Never Heard
On the occasion of its 20th anniversary a few years ago, I did a long piece on Triple Fast Action’s sophomore album Cattlemen Don’t, making the argument it is a […]
Dialogs: 2020 CHF Event—Chicago Neighborhood Check-in: Arts and Neighborhood Development
Reported by C.E. Archer-Helke In a Chicago Neighborhood Check-In as lively and vibrant as any in-person panel, Bernard Lloyd of Urban Juncture and Build Bronzeville; Billy Ocasio, “reformed” politician and […]
It’s the Penultimate Bandcamp Friday of the Year, Let’s Support Some Local Acts
We’re nearing the end of the year and Bandcamp Friday is coming to a close. This new tradition of Bandcamp waiving their fees on the very first Friday of the […]
Review: Proxima Explores the Ordinary Life and Emotional Ties of an Ambitious Astronaut
I’ve spoken before about those rare instances when you begin watching a movie and realize almost immediately that you know nothing about what you’re about to watch. You certainly haven’t […]
Review: Sophia Loren Still Delivers in Netflix’s Touching Drama The Life Ahead
Netflix is aiming for all the Oscars next year (assuming the Academy Awards even happen). Most of their heavy-hitting titles are getting one- or two-week runs in theaters before landing […]