Review: Last Christmas Wraps a Predictable Romcom Up in Festive Ribbons and Bows
I don’t expect much out of my holiday movies. A bit of cheer, a bit of romance, maybe a nice little cry (happy tears!) just before the credits roll. In […]
Review: Playing With Fire Never Sparks Much of Anything at All
Less than a week before seeing this oppressively PG-rated kids’ movie, I was fortunate enough to catch actor John Leguizamo performing his latest one-man show in Chicago, in which he […]
Review: Decades Later, Doctor Sleep—a Sequel to The Shining—Delivers a Tense Psychic Thriller
A huge portion of this film cannot and should not be discussed in any review, but I’m guessing it will be, and in large quantities. I’m also guessing that different […]
Review: Martin Scorsese Mines Familiar Mafia Ground for a New Gem in The Irishman
Part reunion, part continuation, and part something new and unexpected from arguably the greatest American filmmaker working today, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman is a sprawling, decades-spanning, true-life tale of organized […]
Review: Rudolf Buchbinder Continued the Beethoven Celebration at Symphony Center
In the 2019-2020 season, Symphony Center Presents is marking Ludwig van Beethoven’s 250th birthday with, among things, performances of all 32 of that composer’s piano sonatas. That cycle continued on […]
Review: Ritual: Crown of Horns is All Style, no Substance
I love top-down shooters, and I cut my teeth on quite a few over the years. There just aren’t that many top-down shooters anymore. Unlike isometric games, top-down games […]
Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 11/7 – 11/10
We’re in the penultimate month of the year! November brings tons of great concerts, markets, beer releases and food, so don’t let them pass you by! Indulge (responsibly) in all […]
Interview: Ed Skrein and Luke Kleintank on the Weight—and Honor—of Portraying War Heroes in Midway
Just in time for Veteran’s Day next week is Midway, the latest action-heavy historical work from director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, White House Down), which begins […]
Review: Silent Theatre Company’s Incomplete Conversations is an Immersive Funeral Drama
You might expect Silent Theatre Company’s Incomplete Conversations, now receiving its world premiere production at the Tapestry Fellowship Church, to be void of dialogue– after all, the Chicago outfit, known […]
Review: The Suffrage Plays Celebrate Centennial of Women’s Voting Rights
Tennessee became the 38th state to ratify the 19th amendment on August 18, 1920, the last of the required 36 states. A women’s right to vote was officially adopted on […]
Review: Despite a Strong Performance, Harriet Isn’t The Biopic Tubman Deserves
Cynthia Erivo is best known for her Tony-winning stage performances; I still queue up this performance (watch until the end) when I’m in need of a bit of inspiration—I can’t […]
Review: Latest Action-Packed Terminator Installment Could Be the Start of Something Interesting
In what was designed to be a direct sequel to James Cameron’s marvelous one-two punch of The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Terminator: Dark Fate brings Cameron back into […]