Following last year’s first official U.S. release of 1991’s Only Yesterday, the famed Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli is rounding out its unreleased (stateside, at least) titles with the 1993 […]
The setup is fairly straightforward even if the purpose is elusive. The latest film from directing team Lisa Robinson and Annie J. Howell (2011’s Small, Beautifully Moving Parts) concerns Claire […]
When I interviewed La La Land writer-director Damien Chazelle a couple months ago for Ain’t it Cool News, we discussed one of the film’s themes being the power of rejection […]
A few years ago, writer-director Mike Mills (Thumbsucker) made a touching and uproarious film that was both a tribute to his father and all fathers called Beginners, which resulted in […]
Whatever you think this movie is about probably isn’t exactly right. If, based on the trailer, you think it’s about a monster who takes up residence inside a high school […]
As soon as we enter Donika Kelly’s Bestiary through its first poem, “Out West”, we undergo a transformation. Under Kelly’s invitation to “rely… on the thrumming wilderness of self,” we expand […]
LIVE BY NIGHT I’ll admit, I was confused even by the title of this film, since most of the action takes place in sunny Florida. But as I got deeper […]
Najeeb’s childhood dream was to become a goatherd. His dream comes true, but in the form a nightmare. Benyamin’s Goat Days follows the twisted turns of Najeeb’s life. First published in […]
Chicagoans carried a heavy heart this week after President Obama delivered his Farewell Address in the very town where he began his political career. Last weekend, Meryl Streep quoted Carrie Fisher during her […]
It’s that time of the week, when work is almost over and you want to let loose and unwind. Luckily this weekend is full of fun events to help you […]
Men on Boats, a regional premiere now on stage at American Theater Company, is the story of the 1869 exploration of the Green and Colorado rivers for the U.S. government. […]
Special thanks to the Facebook group Chicago Activist Writers who supplied many of the events and descriptions in this round-up. If you’re looking to attend readings and events surrounding and […]
