Anne de Mare and Kirsten Kelly on “The Homestretch”
Kasey, Anthony and Roque are three extraordinary Chicago teens with personalities and aspirations that are a natural fit for the big screen. They also just happen to be among the […]
Category Archives: New Releases
Malick, Lincoln and “The Better Angels”
I saw A.J. Edwards’ “The Better Angels” on a double bill with “The Thin Red Line,” Terrence Malick’s 1998 war epic that deserves to be experienced in its full majesty […]
Grace McPhillips on “The Other One”
Ask Grace McPhillips about how she’s been able to make a living as an actor, and she will give you a multitude of marvelous stories—more than any one interview could […]
Prashant Bhargava and Craig Marsden on “Radhe Radhe: Rites of Holi”
Two men, each armed with a DSLR camera and two assistants, dove headfirst into the crowded streets, frenzied rituals and unbridled passion of Holi, the ancient Hindu religious festival held […]
CIFF 2014: Six Films to Remember
As a lifelong movie lover, it made my heart swell to see the AMC River East 21 jam-packed over the last two weeks with crowds vying for rush tickets to […]
Dietrich Brüggemann on “Stations of the Cross”
How do you solve a problem like Maria’s? She’s a good-hearted girl who only wants to please her domineering mother, her church and, above all, her Lord. Yet Maria has […]
CIFF 2014 Centerpieces: “The Last 5 Years” and “St. Vincent”
Amidst the weighty topics and stark realism permeating this year’s selections at the Chicago International Film Festival are two fairly lightweight crowd-pleasers boasting big names, bouncy soundtracks and red carpet […]
CIFF 2014: Six Films You Should See
Films have always been used as a vessel for escapist fantasy. The frivolous dilemmas of glamorous couples served as a comfort for Depression era-audiences just as superhero vehicles offer a […]
Stephen Cone and Stephen Cefalu, Jr. on “This Afternoon”
Two people meet in a sex addiction support group. One is a young housewife. The other is a repressed young man who mistakenly thought he was attending an info session […]
Wild About Mia Wasikowska in “Tracks”
I shall precede this review by admitting that I have not yet seen this year’s other fact-based Woman Treks Through Desert movie, though I have already been annoyed by its awards […]
Indie Outlook 