Giveaway: Advanced Screening of Armed, from Mario Van Peebles
One of the strongest and most consistently working black filmmakers for nearly 30 years has been Mario Van Peebles. His feature-film debut was 1991’s vital crime drama New Jack City, […]
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: Far From the Tree Explores the Struggles and Triumphs of Being Different
At first, it may be difficult to figure out what the common threads are in the various family stories being laid out in the new documentary Far From the Tree, […]
Review: Action and Friendship at the Heart of Alpha
Perhaps best looked at as a prehistoric twist on the “boy-and-his-dog” adventure story, Alpha is set 20,000 years ago (in the last Ice Age, according to the press notes) in […]
Review: Mile 22 Moves Fast, Sets Up a Sequel…And Not Much Else
Marking the fourth—and perhaps most bizarre—collaboration between actor Mark Wahlberg and director (and occasional actor) Peter Berg, Mile 22 seems like a standard-issue action piece, with Wahlberg’s CIA operative James […]
Music Box Theatre’s Noir City Returns for 10th Impressive Homage to the Genre
The landmark 10th anniversary of the Music Box Theatre’s Noir City Chicago kicks off on Friday, Aug. 17. A film festival made up of noir and neo-noir classics throughout film […]
Review: Important, if Imperfect, Crazy Rich Asians Is Fun yet Flat
It is possible for a film to be important and culturally significant without it being especially great. For me (and I’m guessing many critics) to call any film great, a […]
Interview: BlacKkKlansman Star John David Washington Talks Movies as Football, Roles That Stay With Him and Learning from the Greats
In case you were wondering, actor John David Washington is about to become a very big deal. It will likely have very little to do (at least directly) with any […]
Review: Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood Has Plenty of Sex—And Heart
I’ll fully admit, I’m not someone who dabbles even a little bit in Hollywood gossip. If I hear two celebrities are dating, I think “Good for them,” and move on. […]
Review: Glimpse a Creative Life in Decline in Nico, 1988
The model-turned-musician Nico (with a memorable period at the heart of Andy Warhol’s extended family) has always been a source of fascination for me. Her work with the Velvet Underground […]
Review: Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman Is Audacious, Impressive and Timely
The best movie of the week, possibly the month, and certainly one of the best of the year is the latest from master cinematic provocateur Spike Lee, who gives us […]
Review: Jason Statham Faces The Meg in a Shark Movie With Bite
Sure, why not? It’s been about a year since our last people vs. shark movie on the big screen, so let’s throw Jason Statham in the mix just to make […]
Review: Christopher Robin May Not Be Essential Viewing, But There’s a Heart To It
Unlike last year’s Goodbye Christopher Robin, which was an account of the circumstances that led to A.A. Milne creating the Winnie-the-Pooh character, this week’s Christopher Robin is a fictional story […]