Film Review: Kidnap Isn’t a “Good” Bad Action Thriller, It’s Simply Bad
The one good thing I’ll say about the child-abduction thriller Kidnap is that the makers at least knew the film was so preposterous that it was wise to only let […]
Film Review: Step Showcases Real Life Wonder Women
While one documentary currently in theaters (An Inconvenient Sequel) may make you feel terrible about the direction in which the world is headed (although it certainly has its moments of […]
Film Review: Brigsby Bear is Disarmingly Well Written
A surprise hit at Sundance earlier this year, Brigsby Bear comes courtesy of the creators of a recent crop of digital shorts that have been running on “Saturday Night Live,” […]
Film Review: Brillo Box (3¢ Off) Follows a Warhol Classic in the Modern Art Market
Lisanne Skyler weaves memoir with pop art in the quirky, whimsical and affectionate documentary short, Brillo Box (3¢ Off). Skyler’s middle-class parents, Martin and Rita, collected pop art in New […]
Film Review: Al Gore Continues to Fight in An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power
Deliberately so, I’m guessing, this year’s Sundance Film Festival kicked off with a screening of a new documentary about the continuing impact of global warming and the efforts that have […]
Film Review: An Elephant and a Thai Man Go on a Whimsical Road Trip in Pop Aye
Just to be clear, the title character of this film actually spells and pronounces its name “Popeye,” like the famous, spinach-eating cartoon sailor, but because there’s already a movie called […]
Film Review: Watching The Dark Tower Feels Like Looking at a Mutilated Friend
The best way to phrase my reaction to the long-awaited/delayed adaptation of Stephen King’s multi-novel “The Dark Tower” series is to put it into words fans of the books will […]
Cap’n Jazz and Hop Along Rocked House of Vans
[soliloquy id=”16123″] All photos by Julian Ramirez There are tell-tale signs to knowing you’re about to see a good show. One of them is seeing the lead singer of a […]
Destroy Your Art Wants to Put Consequence Back in Cinema
Rebecca Fons, the former Education Director of Cinema/Chicago, has a pressing question. “What changes when you’re watching a film you know you’ll never be able to see again?” To find […]
Your Chicago Curated Weekend: 8/3 – 8/6
Ah, Lollapalooza weekend. The biggest music festival in Chicago is taking over Grant Park this weekend and unless you got tickets way back in March, you may be stuck at […]
Game Review: Pyre is a Whole New Ballgame
Minor story and gameplay spoilers follow: Supergiant Games is best known for 2011’s Bastion and 2014’s Transistor. Both featured breathtaking art, an amazing soundtrack, and an engaging but poignant story. […]
Blondie and Garbage Prove They Can Still Rock
After 40 years, Debbie’s still got it. Punk rock veterans Blondie delivered an incredible performance at Ravinia Festival to a massive, diverse crowd. Both Debbie Harry and Chris Stein have […]