There are few things more enjoyable than watching a great movie (or a not-so-great one) through the eyes of another person, especially if that person has the exuberance and wit […]
When you’re a teenager in the public school system, there are few things harder to be than yourself. Adolescence is such a volatile period of insecurity that kids often create […]
2017 has been an extraordinary year for cinema, and as per tradition, I am providing my list of the nominees I would like to see included in various awards season […]
Immediately after I saw Rian Johnson’s “Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi” at a press screening last week, I knew that I had to see it again before fully […]
In a year that has consistently felt like an apocalyptic black comedy, albeit one that is no laughing matter, the greatest films have served as an anchor of sanity. I’m […]
Over the past 11 years I’ve spent on the movie beat in Chicago, there have never been as many contenders for my annual “best of” list as there are in […]
What constitutes an out-of-body experience for moviegoers? For me, it’s when a film transports me so entirely into the life of the person onscreen that I feel as if I […]
If laughter is one of the greatest gifts we can give and receive, then Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cinematic disaster, “The Room,” is the bargain basement gift that keeps on giving. […]
A year before the Harvey Weinstein scandal upended Hollywood by placing a glaring spotlight on its culture of sexual harassment, the career of a similarly revered-yet-notorious figure in the Chicago […]
I’ve never tired of my parents’ stories detailing their Catholic education. Their vivid memories of the nuns who taught them run the gamut from endearing and hilarious to flat-out terrifying. […]
