A sure sign of a film’s impact is finding oneself thinking back to scenes, moments or certain lines of dialogue long after seeing it. Such is the case with Kirill […]

From first-time feature director Janice Engel, Raise Hell: The Life & Times of Molly Ivins is that rare documentary that might have more of an impact on someone unfamiliar with […]

Oh, this one is shit. I don’t care how many Pulitzer Prizes the book (from author Donna Tartt) may have won or how critically acclaimed it is. This movie adaptation […]

It was only four or five years ago that I rediscovered my childhood love of the music of Linda Ronstadt, fueled by the purchase of a couple CD volumes of […]

In more films than I care to count, the role of stripper or exotic dancer is often relegated to the background of a scene that otherwise centers on men being […]

Minus By Lisa Naffziger Iron Circus Comics We’re living in a golden age of comics. Even better, we’re living in a golden age of comics for all ages. In my […]

I admit I always flinch a little when I read articles describing Riot Fest as a punk and metal festival. Sure, the booking ethos behind the band choices is driven […]

After six full days at a film festival where each day includes screening at least four films (and sometimes more), all the stories, characters and directing styles can start to […]

It’s hot and humid and rainy, so it must be the last days of summer in Chicago. But don’t let the temperamental temperatures scare you into not going out! There […]

We collaborate with Playtime with Bill Turck and Kerri Kendall and appear on their Sunday afternoon arts radio show once or twice a month. They’re on WCGO, 1590AM and 95.9FM, each […]

It is not necessary to have seen the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail to enjoy the Mercury Theater’s buoyant new production of the musical Spamalot, though it might help you […]

Ask any Chicagoan; we’re obsessed with this city. As someone who’s lived here my whole life (okay, okay, I did grow up in the suburbs), I can attest to the […]