Review: Perhaps Highly Watchable, Hunter Killer Is Also Crowded, Messy
I’ll fully admit that I’m not a subscriber to the “so bad it’s good” school of terrible movies, but Hunter Killer might just slide into that category whether I want […]
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: The Oath Is an Ideological Brawl, Part Dark Comedy, Part Thriller
I feel confident that when actor-turned-writer/director Ike Barinholtz began writing his directorial debut, The Oath, it felt like political satire wrapped in something like a science-fiction premise about a nation […]
Review: Where Are the Scares? You Had One Job, Halloween.
I think we can all agree that at its core, a horror movie should be scary on some level. It can be many other things as well, but it needs […]
Review: Major Risk—And Major Reward—in Tense, Impressive Free Solo
For those fortunate enough to see 2015’s mountain-climbing documentary Meru, you witnessed a prime example of high-stakes risk sports that seemed as unprecedented as it was majestic and serene. That […]
Review: The Hate U Give Is a Rousing, Bold Coming of Age Story
The latest film from director George Tillman Jr. (Soul Food, Notorious) joins the year’s growing ranks of impressive and vital black filmmaking, which includes such works as Blindspotting, Sorry to […]
Review: Goosebumps 2 Is About as Good as Year-Old Halloween Candy
For the second time in recent weeks, Jack Black is trying on a kids-sized horror movie, and both times, he’s had mixed results. The House with the Clock in the […]
Review: Sacrifice, Dedication and Perfection at the Heart of an Authentic First Man
You should know up front, First Man is not the story of a patriot or a hero or any other unnecessary labels people and history books have placed on astronaut […]
Review: 22 July Is a Striking, Emotional Examination of an All-Too-Often Occurrence
Not to pull any punches, but 22 July, from director Paul Greengrass (United 93, Captain Phillips, Bloody Sunday), will likely be the most difficult film for anyone to sit through […]
Interview: Chicago Film Festival Artistic Director Talks Diversity in Film, New Ticketing Systems and What’s To Come for Cinema/Chicago
North America’s longest-running competitive film festival, the 54th Chicago International Film Festival is now underway at the AMC River East 21 (where every festival screening will, once again, be this […]
2018 Music Box of Horrors Serves Up a Marathon of Scares, Special Guests
For the fourth year in a row, the 24-hour horror movie marathon known as the Music Box of Horrors is programmed and hosted by Will Morris, Assistant Programmer at American […]
Review: Brisk Kusama: Infinity Gives An Unsung Artist Her Due
It would seem almost impossible to tell the story of world’s most successful living artist and the top-selling female artist in history in roughly 80 minutes, but the new documentary […]
Review: Science Fair Highlights Brightest Young Minds and One Fierce Competition
In a time when the importance and benefits of science are questioned and denied at an alarming pace, the superb documentary Science Fair reminds us that each new generation of […]