Review: ProTraining Showcase at the Actors Gymnasium Steps It Up
A look at this year’s graduating circus class from Actor’s Gym–a talented pool of actors gained new circus skills!
Review: Sam Shepard, an Unreliable Narrator of His Own Life, Gets a New Biography by Robert Greenfield
It’s appropriate that True West: Sam Shepard’s Life, Work and Times by Robert Greenfield ends with the 2019 Broadway staging of True West, Shepard’s iconic play about the American West, manhood and brotherhood. […]
Review: A Poetic Mood Piece About Two Teens, Falcon Lake Has a Ghost Story Vibe
Marking the directorial debut for French-Canadian actor Charlotte Le Bon (The Walk, Mood Indigo), Falcon Lake is based on the graphic novel Une Soeur by Bastien Vivès, which concerns two teenagers, Bastien and Chloé (Joseph […]
Review: Watch Shooting Stars for Its Basketball Sequences, Not the Mundane Off-Court Story
Based on the book by LeBron James and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger (Friday Night Lights), the docudrama Shooting Stars tells what is essentially the origin story of James’ rise […]
Review: Based on Stephen King’s Classic Story, The Boogeyman is Equal Parts Horror Film, Family Drama
Part adaptation of and sequel to the Stephen King-penned short story of the same name, The Boogeyman takes the confessional approach of the written plot (a distraught patient talking to […]
Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 6/1 and Beyond
It’s the first week of June and it’s looking great! The weather looks like it will be cooperating and there are tons of incredible movies, another heaping offering of festivals, […]
Recap: Barry (S4, Ep8) — Characters’ Realizations Come Too Late in Flawed, Powerful Finale
Editor’s Note: this article contains major episode spoilers. “He who seeks revenge digs two graves, Barry.” -Gene Cousineau I wish I could tell you that the ending of Barry is […]
Recap: Love & Death (S1 Ep7) — A Droll Finale Makes a Belated, Weak Case for Candy’s Actions
“There has been an American tragedy played out in this courtroom,” lawyer Don Crowder (Tom Pelphrey) says in his closing argument to the jury of Candy Montgomery’s (Elizabeth Olsen) trial. […]
Review: Harriette and Joan Slay Subterranean
Its been a while since I’ve had the pleasure of attending a show at Subterranean, and Texas-born singer-songwriter Harriette alongside indie-pop band Joan put on a spectacular evening of live […]
Review: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Is a Fast-Paced Sequel with Stunning Animation and a Star-Studded Voice Cast
To many, the 2018 animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is the finest of all Spider-Man movies (and there are many to choose from), with its frenetic energy, mixed-media animation style, […]
Interview: Father and Son Sebastian and Salvo Maniscalco on Making About My Father, Meeting “Bob” De Niro and the Chicago Work Ethic
Sometime during 2006, I was asked to moderate a couple Q&A screenings of the documentary Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days and 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland, a […]
Interview: Filmmaker Ric Roman Waugh on Making Kandahar with Gerard Butler, War Movies as Character Studies and a Greenland Sequel
Director Ric Roman Waugh had nearly 50 projects under his belt as a stuntman and stunt coordinator before turning to directing (much like his brother, director Scott Waugh). After a […]