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You know what’s funny? Every time some new “adult animated” show pops up on a streaming service and people act like it’s this brand-new, edgy invention, like animation just discovered profanity and sex and politics yesterday, I want to gently take them by the shoulders, turn them around, and point them directly at Ralph Bakshi . Because if an irreverent, TV-MA, adult animated comedy like Strip Law  can debut on Netflix in 2026 with a big-name voice cast and a mainstream plat

The 4th of July is right around the corner, and you know what that means: fireworks. Lots and lots of fireworks. Maybe you're headed to a big show—something elaborate and professional over Navy Pier here in Chicago, or bursting across the sky above Grant Park while a John Philip Sousa march blares in the background. Or maybe it's a baseball game, and the fireworks fly after the final out. That’s all great—classic, beautiful, family-friendly explosions in the sky. Then ther

One of the absolute joys of watching certain genres—whether action, adventure, sci-fi, fantasy, or spy thrillers—is seeing our heroes get absolutely wrecked and yet somehow miraculously keep going. When a main character gets shot, stabbed, blown up, thrown off a building, crushed, run over, electrocuted, or beaten to within an inch of their life… and yet, they still  get back up and keep fighting. Well, except when the movie is terrible, as in the recent release of Novocaine

We had a very rainy week in Chicago, so I'm wearing my Film Critic pants and my Film Critic galoshes to review five new movies in this week's capsule (short) movie reviews for Friday, March 7th, 2025. 1) MICKEY 17 Simply put, Mickey 17  is one of the year's best movies. I know it's only March, but I doubt I'll see many movies this year as good as this one. It will almost certainly be on my top 10 list at the end of the year—it's that good. Director Bong Joon-ho  is in peak fo

I have eggnog all over my Film Critic pants. I need to wipe them off for another week of film releases! Four new movies are featured in this week's capsule (short) movie reviews for Friday, December 13, 2024. 1) THE END Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker Joshua Oppenheimer 's first feature narrative is a strikingly original post-apocalyptic musical that isn't really post-apocalyptic and is definitely not a musical. It exists in its own insane universe that certainly doesn'

Yes, as strange as it sounds, there is in fact, a musical based on J.R.R. Tolkien' s trilogy of books, the same books that inspired Peter Jackson's magnificent trilogy of movies. When I first heard about this thing, I was immediately skeptical and expected the worst. I mean, how on earth can you condense Tolkien's sprawling work down to three hours? And still have time for musical numbers? And, who the hell wants to see Frodo and Gandalf sing and dance? I know I didn't. Well,