Dispatch: Chicago Jazz Festival #46 Lights Up the Last Days of Summer at Millennium Park
As the summer days begin to cool, there is still the heat from jazz bubbling in Millennium Park. The Chicago Jazz Festival is in its 46th year and is still […]
Review: Lurker Paints a Chilling, Tense Portrait of Modern Celebrity and Those Attracted To It
Marking his feature filmmaking debut, writer/director Alex Russell delivers a fine-tuned examination of ego, stardom and entitlement in Lurker, a thriller where the scariest moments are the ones that ring […]
Review: Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch Are the Best Part of Mean-Spirited, Cringy Adaptation, The Roses
Based on the 1981 novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler, The Roses is a new adaptation that moves the action from Washington D.C. to the west coast […]
Interview: Splitsville Filmmakers Discuss Their Unique Take on Marriage, Fight Scenes and Filming Without Pants
On the eve of chatting with Splitsville co-writers Kyle Marvin and Michael Angelo Covino (Covino also directed the film), it occurred to me that my last sit-down with them was […]
Review: Filmmaking Duo Offers One of the Funniest, Most Real Takes on Modern Relationships in Comedy Splitsville
When writers Michael Angelo Covino and Kyle Marvin wrote their first feature, The Climb, some 5-6 years ago, they ended up making one of the definitive works about modern friendship […]
Review: Austin Butler Impresses in Darren Aronofsky’s Gangster Comedy with a Body Count, Caught Stealing
With each new movie, Austin Butler continues to impress and surprise me a little bit more, and in the hands of Darren Aronofsky (The Whale, Black Swan, The Wrestler) and […]
West Loop Staple The Publican Enters Focused yet Adventurous New Era with Appointment of Chef Rob Levitt, New Seasonal Menus
When The Publican opened in the West Loop’s Fulton Market district in 2008, the neighborhood looked vastly different from what it is today. Then, the area was more populated by […]
Review: After a 16-year Absence, Oasis’ Return to the U.S. Is Biblical
On August 28, 2009, Noel Gallagher quit Oasis after an argument with the band’s lead singer (and his brother) Liam, ending the band’s initial run. On August 28, 2025, Noel […]
Review: Coalfire, the Perfect Little Southport Pizza Spot
One of my favorite streets in Chicago is Southport Avenue, specifically the part that runs through the north side Lakeview neighborhood. Shops, restaurants, and coffee spots dot both sides of […]
Review: Starring David Strathairn and Jane Levy, A Little Prayer Offers a Quiet Portrayal of Love
There are not many movies like A Little Prayer, written and directed by Angus MacLachlan. It’s quietly understated, with a simple plot pushed forward with emotional performances from stars David […]
Review: Olivier Assayas Caught in Suspended Time—Privilege in the Time of COVID
I have mixed feelings about Olivier Assayas’ most recent film Suspended Time (his latest, The Wizard of the Kremlin, a fictional portrait of the man who enabled Putin’s rise to […]
Review: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan and More Are Spry Seniors Solving Murders in Netflix’s The Thursday Murder Club
When is elderly people solving crimes not trendy? Now imagine some of the greatest British elders doing so in a film directed by Chris Columbus (the first two Harry Potter […]