CIFF Exclusive: Three Must-See Docs
Quixotic odysseys have captivated audiences ever since the dawn of storytelling. We love to watch characters attempt the impossible, defying the odds in their pursuit of an unlikely triumph. At […]
Category Archives: New Releases
CIFF Exclusive: Tenderness and Cruelty on Barren Landscapes
Elusive dreams of fortune evaporate like the morning dew in several of this year’s CIFF selections. Poverty and violence are commonplace themes on the festival circuit, yet it takes a […]
Jack C. Newell on “Open Tables”
Few filmmakers have attempted to mine the Windy City’s wealth of improv talent with as much tenacity and exuberance as Jack C. Newell. His first feature-length directorial effort, 2012’s “Close […]
CIFF Exclusive: “12 Years a Slave”
American cinema has never shied away from depicting human atrocity through a historical prism, though the history is rarely that of its own country. Nearly 150 years after the abolition […]
CIFF Exclusive: In Praise of Long Takes
One of the most refreshing things about an international film festival is its utter disinterest in catering to America’s overly indulged demographics. Studios are so petrified to lose their audiences […]
Kill Bill: Top Ten Chapters
If Stuntman Mike had hallucinated while getting beaten to a pulp in the final moments of “Death Proof,” his gleefully nihilistic fantasy may not have looked all that different from […]
Chicago International Film Festival: 2013 Preview
The 49th Chicago International Film Festival, running from Thursday, October 10th through Thursday, October 24th, has the best line-up to hit the Windy City in ages. Indie Outlook will be […]
Damon Maulucci and Keir Politz on “Detonator”
Nothing shatters the dreams of youth quite like the inescapable march of adulthood. As soon as there are mouths to feed apart from one’s own, the days of uncertainty and […]
Indie Double Bill: “Short Term 12” and “Monsieur Lazhar”
Some movies are made to come in first at the box office or win overhyped accolades. Others are made because the filmmakers had to make them, not because of a […]
Gabe Klinger on “Double Play: James Benning and Richard Linklater”
Cinephiles in Chicago are in for a mightily enticing feast as the 25th Onion City Experimental Film and Video Festival comes to a close this weekend. A special sneak preview […]
