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It’s that time again. My favorite time of the month. The second Wednesday, when I get to take over the big house at the Classic Cinemas Lake Theater in Oak Park , pick a movie I love, put it on the biggest screen possible, introduce it, and watch it the way it deserves to be seen. And now, on top of all that, these screenings have become book-signing nights too, which still kind of blows my mind. So yes, you can come see the movie, you can come talk movies with me, and you c

Kathryn Bigelow is one of my favorite filmmakers of all time. Period. I think her work is stunning. She’s an artist, a technician, a visual stylist, and a total badass who has worked in the kinetic, muscular, testosterone-heavy world of action and thriller cinema for most of her career, a genre long dominated by male directors, and she didn’t just step into it, she detonated it. This is not the kind of career you’d normally associate with a female filmmaker, which is of cour

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of immersing myself—almost entirely—in what has become one of my favorite cinematic events of the year: The Chicago Critics Film Festival . This was its 12th edition, and yeah... I was there for six of the seven glorious days. I saw 13 feature films (some incredible, some not so much) and enjoyed two blocks of terrific shorts, all while soaking in the magic that only the Music Box Theatre  on Southport can provide. Now, for those of y

New Year's Eve is traditionally a pretty insane night to go out and deal with big crowds, crazy drivers, and expensive drinks. Staying at home for a quiet night of food, good company, and a great movie is a much better idea. With that in mind, I have put together a list of fun movies to watch on that specific night because they either take place on that holiday or have at least one key or crucial scene that happens on NYE. Some of these films are better than others (A LOT bet

[For exclusive video versions of these special features, become a paid subscriber on Patreon! ] With the release of Robert Eggers ' masterful and terrifying new version of "Nosferatu,"  I thought I'd share 15 of my favorite vampire movies. I am a horror movie fanatic. After zombies, vampires are my second favorite type of creature in the world of horror. They are fascinating, seductive beings that only live by night (very sexy) and are connected directly to the libido and to