Review: Hustlers Makes Sexy, Smart Work of Scamming and Survival
In more films than I care to count, the role of stripper or exotic dancer is often relegated to the background of a scene that otherwise centers on men being […]
Dispatch: Year’s Most Anticipated Films Round out Toronto Film Festival
After six full days at a film festival where each day includes screening at least four films (and sometimes more), all the stories, characters and directing styles can start to […]
Review: Vital Early Childhood Ed Doc No Small Matter Returns to Siskel Center
Early on in No Small Matter, directed by Danny Alpert, Greg Jacobs and Jon Siskel, audiences are introduced to Rachel Giannini, the lead teacher in Highland Park Community Nursery School and […]
Dispatch: Early Hits, Misses and Mehs at Toronto Film Festival
In just its first few days, the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival has presented dozens of films to thousands of eager audiences. Some (the movies, that is) have arrived to […]
Review: Fiddler: Miracle of Miracles Proves an Enlightening, Entertaining Chronicle of the Classic Musical
Late last year, the latest touring production of Fiddler on the Roof, a 2015 Broadway revival originally directed by Bartlett Sher that updated parts of the classic musical while maintaining its […]
Review: Morgan Spurlock Returns to Make You Rethink Fast Food in Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!
Some may say Michael Moore holds the title of the documentarian whose films most successfully blend politics and activism with humor and sheer entertainment value. But my vote for the […]
Review: An Impressive Cast Carries the Truth and Drama of Official Secrets
Often times when a dramatic film attempts to retell a true-life story, it takes certain liberties with facts or characters to make the work seem more cinematic in the end. […]
Preview: What To See at Toronto International Film Festival
Happening September 5-15, the Toronto International Film Festival provides a fairly decent forecast for the forthcoming awards season. Though both Venice and Telluride film festivals premiere films that will also […]
Review: The Story Continues As the Scares Fade in It Chapter Two
In many ways, it’s remarkable that you can make what is effectively a single story, told in two parts, with the same creative team throughout, and still come up with […]
Interview: Brittany Runs a Marathon Star and Filmmaker on Transformation, Storytelling and the Anti-Sidekick
One of the most talked about movies out of the Sundance Film Festival this year was the self-improvement, body-positive comedy Brittany Runs a Marathon, featuring the very funny Jillian Bell […]
Screens Monthly: Premieres, Festivals and Toronto Dispatches in September
The kids are back in school, summer is winding down and before long, we’ll all be hibernating again through another Chicago winter. In the meantime, more than a few great […]
Review: Playing with Time, Passably, in Don’t Let Go
Movies that play around with time, time travel or our ability to change the past are a sticky situation at best. There’s one school of thought (namely the Back to […]