Few modern filmmakers understand the essence of Frank Oz’s artistry as innately as Rian Johnson. The most euphoric sequence in Johnson’s sublime 2017 blockbuster, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” occurs […]
“Come on, Roy, let’s get out of here,” said his mother. The taxi was still waiting with the motor running and they got in. The driver put it into gear […]
There’s a scene early on in Serbian writer/director Ognjen Glavonić’s profoundly tense narrative feature debut, “The Load,” that is worthy of Hitchcock. A police car gradually appears in the side […]
While waiting for the Lyft that would take me to my cousin’s home in Brentwood, following my trip to pick up the tux I would wear in the press room […]
For dutiful film critics preparing to mark their ballots, the final months of the year are nothing less than a cinematic avalanche. Studios do everything in their power to entice […]
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 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 […]
“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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
