Kitchen Test: A Cook’s Review of The Lula Cafe Cookbook
On opening Jason Hammel’s The Lula Cafe Cookbook, it is beautiful. The images are sparse except the detail of the food. All simple dishes, solely attention to detail plating. It […]
Review: Steppenwolf’s Noises Off Hits on All Cylinders
Can you hear it? That finely tuned purr? It’s not the sound of a Rolls-Royce or Jaguar in the garage—but instead that other pinnacle of British engineering, Michael Frayn’s classic […]
Review: DePaul Art Museum Exhibit Celebrates the Work of Edgar Miller, Renaissance Man
Edgar Miller has been called the forgotten man of Chicago art. But with the new exhibit Edgar Miller Anti-Modern, 1917–1967 at the DePaul Museum of Art in Lincoln Park, he […]
Review: Burr Oak Warn of a Terrifying New Reality on Dazzling New EP, Annabelle
Although it feels much longer than a year, I’ve only been listening to Burr Oak since January of 2023 when I saw them alongside other local greats like Minor Moon […]
Fantastic Fest Review: Sean Baker’s Anora Is Chaotic, Thrilling, Passionate and More, Often All at the Same Time
Brace yourself for Anora, the latest display of emotional chaos from writer/director/editor/truth-teller Sean Baker (Tangerine, The Florida Project, Red Rocket). Part of Fantastic Fest, Anora is the story of Ani, […]
Dispatch: Family Drama Leads to Unexpected Consequences in Two More Fantastic Fest Official Selections
Film critic Steve Prokopy continues his coverage of the best in new and genre films from Fantastic Fest. Bring Them Down As the new Irish film Bring Them Down begins, […]
Review: Steve Slagg Plants the Seeds of Grief to Grow the Fruits of Acceptance on I Don’t Want To Get Adjusted to This World
It’s one of my life’s great treasures to stumble upon a new artist you connect with, made even better when they’re from our great city of Chicago! I only recently […]
Review: Catholic School Scandals Are a Familiar Story in Steep Theatre’s Happy Days Are Here (Again)
Steep Theatre’s world premiere play, Happy Days Are Here (Again) replays a familiar story (sexual abuse in the Catholic Church) and introduces a new one (a Palestinian adapting to American teen life) […]
Review: Demi Moore in the Role of a Lifetime in Body Horror Beauty Industry Satire The Substance
Snagging a Best Screenplay award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and giving Demi Moore arguably the best role of her career, The Substance hits like a hammer with its […]
Review: Animated Origin Story Transformers One Brings Heart and Character Depth to Robot Franchise
I’m just the age where Transformers of any kind (the Hasbro toys, animated series, the many movies) didn’t really have much of an impact on me. As a result, familiar […]
Interview: A Different Man Star Adam Pearson Discusses Playing a Character Close to Himself, Disability on Screen and More
A Different Man, the latest film from writer/director Aaron Schimberg, seems to have been created based on the filmmaker’s working relationship with one of the movie’s stars, Adam Pearson, who […]
Review: Music of the Baroque Delivers Once-in-a-Lifetime Excellence, Including a Concert Cruise on the River
Over a two-evening span, Dame Jane Glover and Music of the Baroque Orchestra and Chorus provided a once-in-a-lifetime musical experience. On Tuesday, with the help of soprano Joélle Harvey, tenor […]