Celebrate Gender Diversity in Cinema at the Chicago Feminist Film Festival
Last night at the Academy Awards, something odd happened. Brie Larson, who won an Oscar last year for Best Actress for her portrayal of a survivor of sexual assault in […]
The Columnist Revisits the Vietnam Era, When Journalists Were Not “The Enemy of the People”
It may be hard for today’s online news consumers to believe, but there was a day when newspaper columnists—certain newspaper columnists—were Masters of the Universe. The Political Universe anyway. The […]
Porchlight’s The Scottsboro Boys Shines Light on Judicial Injustice
Porchlight Music Theatre’s production of The Scottsboro Boys satirically presents a true story in the controversial style of the minstrel show. There is no doubting that the musical, which chronicles […]
Monster at Steppenwolf for Young Adults Probes Perception and Identity
The Steppenwolf for Young Adults series is known for its thematically dynamic productions centered around teenagers and the real issues facing Chicago, and our nation’s, young adults. From productions like […]
Hamilton Leithauser: Anything But Retired
The Walkmen never blew up in the same way as their garage-rock contemporaries did. Most of us remember the Saturn commercial with the Ion driving past the highway signs that […]
Participate in the Art of Hélio Oiticica at the Art Institute
In the canon of contemporary art, Hélio Oiticica (Brazilian, 1937–80) is considered an innovator who pushed the boundaries of what art can be. His retrospective at the Art Institute, Hélio […]
Chicago Flamenco Festival Celebrates 15th Year
The 15th Chicago Flamenco Festival opens Friday, February 24, bringing Chicagoans a month of music, dancing, and exploration of flamenco culture. The festival, put on by Instituto Cervantes, brings together […]
Best of Bri-Ko Gets Physical
The Best of Bri-Ko, playing every Thursday night at Stage 773, lives up to its name. Clowns Brian Posen, Tim Soszko and Brian Peterlin put their energies together to silently […]
Film Review: Punching Henry, Just Sits There on the Screen
Believe it or not, this micro-budget, semi-autobiographical comedy about the life of singer-comedian Henry Phillips is actually a sequel to his 2009 collaboration with director Gregori Viens, Punching the Clown, […]
Film Review: Dying Laughing, Thrilling Tales of Killing It Onstage and Horror Stories of Bombing
Providing a genuinely unique, sometimes terrifying, usually hilarious vantage point of the life of a stand-up comic, Dying Laughing features dozens of interviews from top American and British comics, walking […]
Film Review: You’re Killing Me Susana, A Troubled Love Story
This odd, dark romantic-comedy is really just an excuse to watch Gael García Bernal (Y Tu Mamá También, “Mozart in the Jungle”) act up a storm in a story that […]
Film Review – Kedi: Exceptional, Almost Otherworldly
The set up might seem like it’s from a family-friendly film from a major Hollywood studio that wants to counter-program against so many movies aimed at dog lovers. But Turkish-born […]