Blog

Decided to bust out my old-school, classic Film Critics pants to review four new movies in this week's capsule (short) movie reviews for Friday, January 24, 2025. 1) PRESENCE Steven Soderbergh  is an Academy Award-winning director who has been making films for over 35 years, and most of them are actually quite good. Watching his labyrinthian career unfold has been a fun, fascinating, and undeniably entertaining ride. Over the years, he has been known to switch back and forth

It's the first pair of Film Critic pants for 2025, and yeah, they're a bit tight, thanks to all those holiday treats. But it's time to put them on for another week of film releases. Three new movies are featured in this week's capsule (short) movie reviews for Friday, January 3rd, 2025. 1) NICKEL BOYS Based on Colson Whitehead 's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, this film chronicles the strong friendship between two young African American men who navigate the harrowing trials of

Last Wednesday, December 11th, the Chicago Film Critics Association  kicked off the film awards season with its annual Awards Dinner at Budweiser Brickhouse Tavern  on Gallagher Way , right next to Wrigley Field (yeah, where the Yum Yum Donuts  used to be). I have been a member of the CFCA, on and off, since the organization began in 1989. I've presented awards, made phone calls, tallied votes, set up chairs, and even driven celebrity presenters and winners to and from the a

I like my Film Critic pants, but they're on briefly this week because there are only three films to review, and none are worth seeing. So buckle up! It's time for some capsule (short) movie reviews for the week of Friday, November 22, 2024 1) GLADIATOR II Taken at the Press Screening, just few minutes before Ridley Scott's latest waste of celluloid stunk up the room. If you know me at all, then you know that I think Ridley Scott  is, without question, the most overrated filmm

The 60th annual Chicago International Film Festival  is now underway, with screenings, special events, tributes, and other festivities happening all over the city until Closing Night on October 27th. Here are my first five exclusive reviews of CIFF movies; these films will be commercially released in the coming weeks and available for streaming. 1) THE PIANO LESSON Director Malcolm Washington, actor John David Washington and other luminaries arrive at The Music Box Theatre fo