Review: Ti West Delivers Scares, Sex and Suspense with a Strong Ensemble Cast in X
I have a tendency to counter anyone’s argument that they didn’t like a film because it didn’t meet their expectation of what the film would be or didn’t turn out […]
Interview: Turning Red Supervising Animator (and One-Time Chicagoan) on Creating the Film’s Look, Channeling His Inner Awkward Teen, and Catching Movies at Music Box Theatre
Pixar’s Turning Red is another groundbreaking stunner that combines elements of both Eastern and Western animation style to tell the story of Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), a confident […]
Review: In Pixar’s Turning Red, a Teenager Learns to Harness—and Appreciate—the Beast Within
When you’re a 13-year-old girl, there’s nothing quite as dramatic—or traumatic—as being a 13-year-old girl. Hormones are raging, bodies are changing, there’s so much you don’t know about who you […]
Review: Ryan Reynolds, Mark Ruffalo and Newcomer Walker Scobell Give an Overly Simplified The Adam Project Enough Charm to Uplift
The director (Shawn Levy, Real Steel and The Night at the Museum movies) and the star (Ryan Reynolds) of last year’s smash Free Guy have re-teamed to bring us less a […]
Review: Ultrasound Is a Genuinely Tense, if Slightly Foggy, Thriller from a Promising Filmmaker
Less a traditional science-fiction tale and more a hyper-realized exercise in exploring the outer reaches of gaslighting, Ultrasound, indie producer-turned-director Rob Schroeder’s feature debut, is a genuinely tense and freaky work […]
Review: Zac Efron Burns Up the Screen In Relentless, Apocalyptic Gold
When your two main characters are named in the credits as Man One and Man Two, you may get a sneaking suspicion that the story you’ve just seen is something […]
Review: Narrated by Werner Herzog, Last Exit: Space Considers Saving Humanity with Long-Range Space Travel
Anyone who claims to be a lover of documentaries would be a fool to miss any film narrated by the great Werner Herzog. Normally, such works are also directed by […]
Dispatch: Two Films to Consider Catching This Week as Siskel’s EU Film Festival Continues
This year’s Chicago European Union Film Festival continues at downtown’s Siskel Film Center through March 14, and if you’re looking for a film to see on a weeknight, our critics […]
Review: Get a Taste for Modern Dating in Fun, Clever and Slick Thriller Fresh
It’s entirely possible you don’t know who Sebastian Stan is (yet). If you’re not enmeshed in the world of all things Marvel; if you missed the recent “Pam & Tommy” […]
Preview: Siskel Film Center’s Chicago European Union Film Festival Returns in Person; France Opens Two Weeks of Foreign Films
Now in its 25th year, the Gene Siskel Film Center’s Chicago European Union Film Festival returns to in-person screenings March 4-17, this year with France claiming the opening night slot […]
Review: Intimate and Endlessly Moving, After Yang Navigates the Intersection of Humanity and Technology
Editor’s Note: this review was originally published during the 2022 Sundance Film Festival After his quiet 2017 masterpiece Columbus, filmmaker Kogonada moves tangentially into the world of heartfelt science fiction with After […]
Review: Directed by Amy Poehler, Lucy and Desi Explores the Personal and Working Relationship of the Famous Couple
From director Amy Poehler comes the meticulously researched Lucy and Desi, which explores not only the work of the well-known married comedy team of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, but […]