Review: Gin Blossoms Are “On It” at Rivers Casino
After nearly four decades of touring, it’s no surprise that the Gin Blossoms are pretty damn good at what they do. Lead singer Robin Wilson estimates that they’ve performed in […]
Review: Grant Park Music Festival Celebrates Juneteenth with Leah Dexter and Christopher Guzman
Grant Park Music Festival opened their concert at Millennium Park on Friday in an unexpected way. It being Juneteenth, Mezzo-soprano Leah Dexter and pianist Christopher Guzman celebrated with a charming […]
Review: Olivia Wilde Returns to the Director’s Chair for The Invite, a Cringe-y yet Still Captivating Chamber Piece
The opening credits of The Invite, Olivia Wilde’s latest directing effort, acknowledge that the film is based on Cesc Gay’s 2020 dark comedy Sentimental (or “The People Upstairs”). That original […]
Review: Pixar Does It Again with Toy Story 5, Bringing the Franchise into the Digital Age
If the folks at Pixar can keep making Toy Story movies that are as great as all five have been so far, then I’m willing to believe there is hope […]
Review: Homophobia Takes the Shape of an Invisible and Deadly Entity in Chilling Leviticus
The Book of Leviticus in the Bible provides fodder for horror and noir writers and filmmakers alike. Of the 14 laws it sets down, 11 end up with the death […]
Review: Giancarlo Guerrero, Oliver Herbert, and the Grant Park Festival Orchestra Overcome the Stormy Weather
The Grant Park Music Festival’s legendary luck held out as Wednesday’s stormy weather let up just in time for an excellent concert at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park. […]
Interview: Gin Blossoms’ Robin Wilson Talks Playing the Hits and Taking a Hit With Phil Hartman
With classic hits like “Hey Jealousy” and “Follow You Down” to their name, the Gin Blossoms remain one of the most enduring acts of the 1990s. Tonight, they’ll perform those […]
Review: A Feature Film Based on a Book Based on a Music Video Based on a Song, Girls Like Girls Makes Teenage Love Complicated
Full transparency: before seeing this film, I knew nothing of the hit 2015 song, the accompanying music video, or the 2023 book Girls Like Girls, all of which were the […]
Review: Strong Central Performances Lead the Bleak but Authentic The Death of Robin Hood
Anyone going into The Death of Robin Hood expecting a traditional telling of the Robin Hood legend is in for the rudest of awakenings. If anything, the latest from writer/director […]
Interview: Filmmaker Kenji Tanigaki Brings His History of Martial Arts and Action Movies to the Craft of The Furious
Kenji Tanigaki is a Japanese-born stuntman, stunt coordinator, fight coordinator, and director whose latest work, The Furious, might be the greatest action movie in the last 20 years. After training […]
Review: Rostam Wraps Up the Weekend Wonderfully at Thalia Hall
Following the release of his newest album, American Stories; singer-songwriter and producerRostam Batmanglij makes a momentous return to the stage after a five-year hiatus from releasing a fresh body of […]
Review: Lookingglass Theatre’s Untitled Vampire Play Amuses and Charms
We all know that classic moment in a romantic comedy when a partner meets the parents for the first time. There are often nerves all around. What if the parents […]