Review: Just Enough Nostalgia—and Plenty of Pluck—in Dora and the Lost City of Gold
Ten or more years ago, I used to babysit friends’ kids when they couldn’t find a teenager to help them out, and as a result, I saw my fair share […]
Steve Prokopy is chief film critic for the Chicago-based arts outlet Third Coast Review. For nearly 20 years, he was the Chicago editor for Ain’t It Cool News, where he contributed film reviews and filmmaker/actor interviews under the name “Capone.” Currently, he’s a frequent contributor at /Film (SlashFilm.com) and Backstory Magazine. He is also the public relations director for Chicago's independently owned Music Box Theatre, and holds the position of Vice President for the Chicago Film Critics Association. In addition, he is a programmer for the Chicago Critics Film Festival, which has been one of the city's most anticipated festivals since 2013.
Review: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Doesn’t Pander, Does Pack in the Scares
Before you get completely bent out of shape about the fact that this latest horror offering from producer Guillermo del Toro (who is also given a “screen story” credit) is […]
Interview: Actor David Dastmalchian on Working in Chicago, a Crazy Schedule and the Talents of Kevin Pollak
David Dastmalchian has one of the most unique, interesting and memorable faces presently featured in film and television. He’s hugely popular with fans and entertainment writers alike because, in many […]
Review: Black Harvest Film Festival Features the History of Blue Note Records in It Must Schwing!
Some of the strongest films at any year’s Black Harvest Film Festival, the annual month-long film series at the Gene Siskel Film Center now in its 25th year, are the […]
Review: Humor, Strong Performances Help a Timely Tel Aviv on Fire
While watching the latest from director/co-writer Sameh Zoabi (Under the Same Sun), it’s sometimes difficult to tell if he has such a firm grasp on the current situation between Israel […]
Review: Hobbs & Shaw Have Some Growing Up To Do in Fast & Furious Spin-Off
It’s no secret that the Fast & Furious films (there have been eight up to this point) get bigger and dumber as the numbers get higher. Now apparently, there are […]
Review: Carmine Street Guitars Celebrates Craftsmanship, Passion for the Handmade
This a single-location documentary that rarely strays from the interior of an unassuming little store/workshop, tucked away in the middle of a quiet block in New York’s Greenwich Village. In […]
Review: The Times and Trials of David Crosby in Remember My Name
There are moments in this revealing documentary about singer/songwriter David Crosby that seem so intimate and personal, you feel the need to look away from the screen, if only to […]
Review: Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood Revisits, Celebrates a Bygone Cinematic Era
Like many works by Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood is an exercise in creation and re-creation, often simultaneously, but never more so than in this love letter/death knell […]
Review: Armstrong Chronicles How an Ordinary Man Made it to the Moon
Sometimes with documentaries, you just let an incredible story unfold and don’t worry too much about the bells and whistles that surround it. Or in the case of Armstrong, a […]
Review: Photorealistic The Lion King Remake Loses That Trademark Disney Magic
If you look at the new Disney photo-realistic (but still very much animated) remake of The Lion King from a purely technical standpoint, what it accomplishes is above and beyond […]
Review: Chicago’s Candy History and a Family Legacy in Shelf Life
I never get tired of learning about the strange and wonderful pockets of Chicago history. I also don’t hate candy. So imagine my delight at watching a documentary that combines […]