Review: With 63 Up, a Documentary Film Series Looks Back on Life
In 1964, filmmaker Michael Apted was in his early 20s and working as a researcher on a project called Seven Up!, a sort of experiment in documentary filmmaking that interviewed […]
Lisa Trifone is Managing Editor and a Film Critic at Third Coast Review. A Rotten Tomatoes approved critic, she is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. Find more of Lisa's work at SomebodysMiracle.com
Review: Filmmaker Greta Gerwig Creates A New Classic in Fresh, Delightful Adaptation of Little Women
You may be thinking, for any number of reasons, that a new film adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women is not a great idea, and therefore you aren’t planning […]
Review: Chained For Life Beautifully Balances Depth and Dark Comedy
One of the genuine pleasures of seeing nearly 200 films in a year (I’ll probably fall a half dozen short of that in 2019) is discovering truly independent gems like Chained […]
Review: By Over-Simplifying the Narrative, Bombshell Misses Its Mark
In the throes of the 2016 presidential campaign, as a nation geared up to elect a sexual predator, women in entertainment began speaking up and out against the bad actors […]
Review: American Dharma Doesn’t Offer Any New Insight into Steve Bannon’s Dangerous Political Influence
It’s true for all of us, to one degree or another, that we exist in a sort of information bubble when it comes to news, politics, current events and more. […]
Review: A Master Filmmaker Gives One Last Masterclass in Varda by Agnès
A few years ago, I designed for myself a sort of one-woman film festival: the films of Agnès Varda. Then in her mid-80s, the prolific French New Wave filmmaker was […]
Review: In The Aeronauts, Thrills and Scientific Discovery Taken to New Heights
Those with a fear of heights may want to brace themselves for The Aeronauts, the story of a scientist and a balloonist who ascend in a hot air balloon over 1860s […]
Review: Much the Same, Goodman’s A Christmas Carol Remains a Treat, If Ready for Change
Now in its 42nd year (a bit of a miracle, no?), Goodman Theatre’s A Christmas Carol remains a steadfastly satisfying holiday tradition, even as this latest edition sees little change year […]
Review: It’s a Wonderful Life As a Radio Play Remains a Holiday Must-See
Like putting up a tree and lights or baking sweet holiday treats, the holiday season in Chicago wouldn’t be the holiday season without American Blues Theater’s It’s a Wonderful Life: Live […]
Review: A Deeply Personal Exploration of Childhood Traumas in Shia LaBeouf’s Honey Boy
The premise is, admittedly, a bit strange: actor Shia LaBeouf wrote a screenplay based on his own experiences as a child actor (and later, in rehab) exploring his dysfunctional relationship […]
Review: In Waves, Family Drama, Heartbreak and Ultimately, Hope
A whirling, spinning roller coaster of emotion and drama, Waves, the third feature film from writer/director Trey Edward Shults (Krisha, It Comes at Night), is so fraught with heartbreak it may […]
Review: Marriage Story Weathers the Storm of Life-Changing Circumstances
There are major life events all of us are familiar with, whether or not we’ve experienced them for ourselves. A wedding or the birth of a child. The death of […]