Pomegranates Pack a Punch This Holiday Season
Fall – the season of thanks, transition, and my favorite – pomegranates. Almost nothing gets me more into the spirit of the season than a huge display of pomegranates. If […]
Hellcab: A Chicago Holiday Story But Not Your Mother’s Christmas Carol
The set is an old taxi. That’s all. An old Checker taxi, number 4538, with an Illinois license plate. The top is removed and its back wheels are on blocks. […]
Review: White Reaper Highlights Chicago’s Young Music Scene at Metro
Whether they knew it or not, all that made it out to Metro on this past Tuesday were in for a treat. Presented by 101WKQX, the historic North-side space presented […]
Game Review: LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2 Is Another Kid-Friendly Brick Battler
LEGO games have been a staple of kid-friendly co-op for close to a decade now and it’s no surprise when a major franchise gets the LEGO video game treatment. Warner […]
Poliça and OHMME’s Chill Vibes Dominated House of Vans
[soliloquy id=”20898″] Part record fair and part concert, Day 5 of Red Bull’s 30 Days in Chicago felt like a completely different type of show. The whole event felt more […]
Film Review: BPM (Beats Per Minute) Channels the Urgency of AIDS Activism
The Grand Prix Winner of this year’s Cannes Film Festival is the aggressive and inspiring docudrama BPM (Beats Per Minute), from director and co-writer Robin Campillo (Eastern Boys, They Came […]
Film Review: Bitch is a Sharp, Modern Feminist Satire
I’ll admit, stepping into a film titled Bitch—even one directed by a woman—was an experience I entered into with more than a little trepidation at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. […]
Film Review: Dee Rees Confronts Class, Race, Poverty in Astonishing Mudbound
It’s a real shame that people won’t get a real chance to see festival-favorite Mudbound on the big screen in most places in America. It’s a deeply impactful work about […]
Chicago Bites: Traveler’s Delights
It’s too cold. All you want to do is eat everything and sleep. And maybe go see Lady Bird. But Thanksgiving beckons, and you have to put actual pants on […]
Film Review: Let Yourself be Moved by Wonder
Sometimes you’re simply powerless to resist being emotionally manipulated by truly good film about compassion, populated by kind characters who want nothing more than to put a little kindness out […]
Film Review: Three Billboards Ouside Ebbing, Missouri is the Tragicomedy of the Year
Every once in a while, we need a film that takes unfiltered, but finely focused rage and aims it directly at the heart of whatever it is that is scaring […]
Cirque du Soleil’s Crystal Shines in Chicago—Blending Circus and Ice Show
Cirque du Soleil’s ice show Crystal is in Chicago for a scant three days (Nov.16-19 at Sears Arena in Hoffman Estates) before they roll up the ice and head off to […]