Review: Porches’ New Sound Makes the Most of Any Stage
On a night where most of the city’s foot traffic is near United Center for the Men’s NCAA Basketball tournament, downtown Chicago is still as busy as ever with Porches […]
Review: The Peculiar Grace of Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones at Lyric Opera
My first opera was at age 10 when our parish priest took us to see La Boheme at the Lyric Opera House. I always thought that opera was sung in […]
Review: Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum Can’t Save a Half-Baked, Poorly Scripted The Lost City
In a setup and general vibe that reminded me of films like Romancing the Stone, The Lost City tells the story of frustrated romance novelist Loretta Sage (Sandra Bullock), who […]
Review: 7 Days Charmingly Brings Two People Together During the Pandemic’s Early Days of Keeping Us Apart
An early candidate for the most adorable film of the year, the festival favorite 7 Days recently won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature for director Roshan Sethi, […]
Review: Harrowing Rescue Story Infinite Storm Offers Brutal but Authentic Character Study
On the heels of what was effectively a one-woman show in the school shooting drama The Desperate Hour, star Naomi Watts returns with another film clearly shot during the pandemic […]
Review: Soprano Soloist Lets Her Coloratura Burst at Music of the Baroque
Watching the audience’s effusive response to soprano Amanda Forsythe’s blazing coloratura at the end of Music of the Baroque’s Classical Heroines concert Monday at Chicago’s Harris Theater, it is easy […]
Review: Animal Collective Hypnotized The Vic with Psychedelic Jams
Following the release of their latest record, Time Skiffs, experimental band Animal Collective made their stop at the Vic a night of ambient psychedelic sounds. Animal Collective have been around […]
Review: WTTW Launches Fifth and Final Season of Jay’s Chicago Tonight
Emmy Award-winning Chicago producer Jay Shefsky is moving from semi-retirement to full retirement, and his broadcast home, WTTW, will present the fifth and final season of “Jay’s Chicago,” starting on […]
Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 3/24 and Beyond
It’s the last weekend in March and there’s so much to do! The pandemic numbers are staying relatively low and it’s feeling a little more normal to go out since […]
Essay: Back of the Book, or How I Explain My Profession
It’s the same reaction most every time I tell someone I am an indexer. Blank stare. “You know, the thing at the end of a book,” I offer helpfully.Then, a […]
Interview: Chicago Native Graham Moore on the Precision of The Outfit, the Art of the Reveal and Setting the Film in 1950s Chicago
When last we met Chicago native Graham Moore, he was picking up an Oscar for his first produced screenplay, 2014’s The Imitation Game. If memory serves, at the time, he […]
Feature: Houses of Tomorrow Exhibit Explores Solar Design From the 1930s to Today
When the Homes of Tomorrow exhibit opened at Chicago’s 1933 Century of Progress, George Fred Keck’s design for a solar-powered glass house was a radical move into the future. Today, […]