Review: The Beanie Bubble Charts a Toy Phenomenon and Its Founders’ Epic Rise and Fall
You can add Beanie Babies to the growing list of cultural phenomena of a particular era that are getting a film origin story. Or, in the case of The Beanie […]
Review: Another Month, Another Nicolas Cage Movie That Sees the Actor Lean Into the Unhinged
Well, a month has gone by, so it’s time for a new Nicolas Cage movie. Sometimes they’re good, sometimes they’re bad, sometimes they’re crazy. But usually they’re bad. The latest, […]
Review: Disney’s Haunted Mansion Gives the Beloved Theme Park Ride a Welcome New Narrative
When I was a kid, one of the first pieces of vinyl I ever owned was an audio version of Disney’s The Haunted Mansion, containing all the music, voices and […]
Review: Ellie Kemper and Cast Don’t Get Much to Work With in Mediocre Rom-Com Happiness for Beginners
Much like with her debut film, The Volunteer, writer/director Vicky Wright chooses to place a woman in an apathetic fog at the center of her sophomore effort, Happiness for Beginners […]
Review: Fighting for the Marginalized, Ed Marciniak’s City and Church: A Voice of Conscience, by Charles Shanabruch
In late 1972, Ed Marciniak, a perennial social critic and justice activist, became president of the Institute of Urban Life, a small program affiliated with Loyola University Chicago. He had just […]
Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 7/27 and Beyond
We’re at the end of July and it’s been a great month full of events! So let’s close out the summer’s busiest month with a fantastic weekend. there are fairs, […]
Pitchfork Music Festival 2023: Day Three in Review
After a rain-delayed Saturday, the sun was back out shining bright on the final day of the Pitchfork Music Festival! No more hanging around Union Park with no music playing […]
Pitchfork Music Festival 2023: Day Two in Review
Ah yes, the unfortunate tradition of a random rain delays escalating into a full blown evacuation continued during this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival. While the storm didn’t truly make an […]
Review: Design Museum Explores the Climate Crisis in At the Precipice—It’s Beautiful and Tragic
The beauty of art and the tragedy of the climate crisis live side by side in a stunning new exhibit at the Design Museum of Chicago. Some 30 pieces ranging […]
Pitchfork Music Festival 2023: Day One in Review
It was a beautiful day to start off this year’s edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival, a welcome contrast to last year’s downpour! The sun was out shining brightly down […]
On the Road: The Ballad of Blur, Wembley, Darren, and Me.
A brief history By the late ‘80s I had begun to omnivorously consume all the music I could. And I was growing fascinated by bands that were mixing rock structure […]
Review: Grant Park Orchestra Shines with Violinist Esther Yoo and Conductor Ken-David Masur
The Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Ken-David Masur, gave a great performance in a program of late romantic and contemporary works at Jay Pritzker Pavilion on Wednesday […]