Austin Pendleton and Ann Whitney on “Calumet”
The mind boggles when attempting to summarize the careers of Austin Pendleton and Ann Whitney. They are two of the finest actors ever to grace the stage in Chicago, and […]
Author Archives: Indie Outlook
Masterful 1990 German Film “The Nasty Girl” is Frighteningly Timely
“Such a nasty woman…”—Donald Trump, interrupting Hillary Clinton during their final presidential debate I must’ve been four or five when I viewed a trailer on a rented VHS tape that […]
Why Bo Burnham’s “Eighth Grade” Gets It Right
“Let me sail, let me sail, let the Orinoco flow. Let me reach, let me beach on the shores of Tripoli. Let me sail, let me sail, let me crash […]
Writing for RogerEbert.com: Vol. 4
A surreal and wonderful event occurred during my coverage of the 90th Academy Awards for RogerEbert.com. I was in the official press room surrounded by 200 other journalists, including Ebert […]
Indie Outlook: Sixth Anniversary
When people ask me for advice on how to be a writer, I always encourage them to find a way to write about what they love, regardless of what their […]
The Wizardry of Frank Oz: Why You Must See “In & Of Itself”
It has been exactly one month since I saw Frank Oz’s “In & Of Itself” at the Daryl Roth Theatre in New York City. Ever since that unforgettable evening, not […]
Schrader & Brüggemann: Masters of Slow Cinema
The most exciting film opening in Chicagoland theaters today has absolutely nothing to do with “Star Wars,” though it does harken back to another crucial work of the 1970s. Before […]
Elisha Christian on “Columbus” and “Everything Sucks!”
Out of all the performances I saw in 2017, my very favorite was delivered by Haley Lu Richardson in “Columbus,” the brilliant directorial debut of ace video essayist Kogonada. As […]
That Moment When You Realize You Are Agent Cooper
“I believe that these mysteries are not separate entities but are, in fact, complementary verses of the same song. Now I cannot hear it yet, but I can feel it, […]
Elizabeth Wood on “White Girl”
Nothing about the cinema of Elizabeth Wood could in any way be defined as timid. I’ll never forget the experience of seeing her solo feature debut, “White Girl,” at Chicago’s […]
