Review: Barely a Saw Movie at All, Spiral Disappoints Across the Board
My brain is still attempting to understand how Spiral is a Saw movie at all. Okay yes, it takes place in the same universe as the original Jigsaw killings. 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.
Review: The Killing of Two Lovers Goes Deep Inside Its Character’s Trauma, Heartache and Struggle
This is a good week for films with captivating opening sequences. In the latest work from Robert Machoian, The Killing of Two Lovers, we open with an image of David […]
Review: In Profile, an Undercover Journalist Embeds in a World of Extremism and Human Trafficking
From frequently kinetic action director Timur Bekmambetov (Night Watch, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; Wanted) comes a film that is much more about igniting your synapsis from anxiety and dread than […]
Review: Angelina Jolie May Be the Weakest Part of an Otherwise Often Thrilling Those Who Wish Me Dead
A B-movie disguised as something more grandiose, Those Who Wish Me Dead is a work with great dramatic potential but far too many instances of false emotions and the wrong […]
Review: A Massive Cast, Countless Zombies and Even Father-Daughter Drama in Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead
A brief introduction that involves a super-zombie escaping from a military convoy leaving Area 51 establishes that this latest cinematic zombie outbreak is somehow contained to the city of Las […]
Review: Caught in a Cryogenic Chamber, a Scientist Fights for Her Life in Oxygen
A true French master of horror, Alexandre Aja (High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes remake, and most recently Crawl) has never shied away from extreme levels of gore and fear. […]
Review: Moments of Depth and Female Friendship at the Center of Entertaining Debut Feature Film What Lies West
There is nothing more problematic than a college diploma. At least, that’s one of the messages I gathered from writer/director Jessica Ellis’s feature film debut, What Lies West, the tale […]
Review: A Gorgeous Cast Isn’t Enough to Keep Underwhelming Crime Drama Above Suspicion Interesting
For a film based on true events concerning the first-ever conviction of an FBI agent for murder, very little about Above Suspicion seems believable. Which is not to say it […]
Review: A Family Drama with Flashes of Magic, The Water Man Marks David Oyelowo’s Directorial Debut
With its slightly enlarged heart in the right place, the directing debut from actor David Oyelowo, The Water Man, is an engaging, creative family drama with flashes of fantasy to […]
Review: Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man Delivers Brutal, Explosive Action with Mainstay Jason Statham in the Driver’s Seat
It’s not that I don’t understand some people’s knee-jerk negative reactions to the films of Guy Ritchie, but I remain a fan of his crime dramas—from Lock, Stock and Two […]
Review: Sean Penn Is Willing to Get Uncomfortable, Use His Celebrity for Good in Citizen Penn
There are probably things that actor/director Sean Penn regrets doing in his life. His affiliations with the likes of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez and Mexican drug lord Joaquín Archivaldo […]
Review: The Outside Story Makes a Bad Day Likable with Charming Cast, Relatable Relationships and Everyday Moments
Not every heartbreak comedy has to be wacky and over the top. Sometimes, it’s okay to play it low key and focus on character. Taking on a rare lead role, […]