Film Review: Eye-Catching Animation, Witty Repartee Keep The LEGO Ninjago Movie Interesting
When I say this is my least favorite of the three Lego animated films, I don’t mean that as an insult; I just mean that the The LEGO Movie and […]
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.
Film Review: Kingsman Sequel is Bigger, Not Necessarily Better
Kingsman: The Secret Service, the 2014 British adaptation of the Mark Millar-Dave Gibbons comic book series, felt subversive because it didn’t feel like it was trying to be subversive. The […]
35th Reeling Film Festival Brings LGBTQ Films to Chicago
The Chicago LGBTQ+ International Film Festival known as Reeling—the second-oldest LGBTQ film festival in the world—kicks off its 35th annual events on Thursday, September 21, running through September 28 at […]
Film Review: Bold Documentary Rat Film Is Full of Creepy Vermin
Unlike the horror movie approach of Morgan Spurlock’s 2016 doc Rats, director Theo Anthony’s first feature, Rat Film, works more subtly in building anxiety levels. Here, it directly links the […]
Film Review: Flawed Rebel in the Rye Doesn’t Dig Deep Enough
Working from the biography J.D. Salinger: A Life by Kenneth Slawenski, writer-director Danny Strong (a successful screenwriter of such works as Lee Daniels’ The Butler and the two-part The Hunger […]
Film Review: First They Killed My Father is Angelina Jolie’s Best Film Yet
The quality of the films debuting on Netflix over the last couple of years has been on a steady incline. Even still, I wasn’t quite prepared for the devastating, true-life […]
Film Review: Cast Chemistry Saves Clunky Spy Thriller American Assassin
Neither great nor bad, but somewhere closer to okay, American Assassin’s strength lies in its appreciation of what an older generation has to offer a younger one, even if the […]
Film Review: mother! is Unsettling, Confusing and Entirely Riveting
You don’t so much watch the latest from writer-director Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, Black Swan) as you endure it, and I’m not saying that in an […]
Film Review: Struggle, Growth and Dance Own the Spotlight in Polina
I can only imagine what someone who cares passionately about all forms of dance will think of the new French film Polina, from co-directors Valérie Müller (Le monde de Fred) […]
Film Review: Viceroy’s House Recounts History with Grand Scale and Humanity
Clearly a passion project for filmmaker Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice), whose family became refugees as a result of the events depicted in this film, Viceroy’s […]
Film Review: Visually Stunning Columbus Captivates with Deep Conversations
Quite often during my first viewing of first-time writer-director Kogonada’s debut feature Columbus, I found myself transfixed, almost not believing that I was watching a film in which the visual […]
Film Review: Maybe Just Stay Home from Home Again
Does being the child of Hollywood royalty count as an excuse to be discontented with your privileged life? This is one of the many non-problems addressed in the new Reese […]