Michael Caplan’s new “sensorily saturated” documentary Algren works for long-time fans and new viewers alike.
Category: Film
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Halloween Kills
Halloween Kills fails to resurrect the franchise. But that was as predictable as the fact that Michael Myers is indestructible, no?
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Stuck Together
Stuck Together makes for an at times amusing look at our shared bonds during this pandemic, but doesn’t quite succeed.
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“I’ve always considered myself an outsider“
On Thursday morning, Bobcat Goldthwait is driving to the Music Box Theatre for a test screening of his latest documentary. It’s a short drive for the comedian/writer/director who just recently moved to DuPage County and gave himself the nickname the “Daniel Craig of DuPage.” “I had to get out of [DuPage],” Goldthwait jokes. “The autograph […]
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The Last Duel
The Last Duel recounts the story of the last legally sanctioned trial by combat in France.
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El Planeta
Like the films of French master Philippe Garrel, conceptual artist and filmmaker Amalia Ulman’s feature debut is both of its time and yet somehow not.
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Cannibals, vampires, and visions, oh my!
After 18 months of virtual programming, Facets reopened its doors in September to Chicagoans buzzing to see independent films on the big screen. But the return to in-person screenings is not the only thing different at Facets—the storied cinema house is trying something different this season with a series of “Alternative Horror” picks. Programmed by […]
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Julia Ducournau takes the wheel with Titane
It’s been five years since Julie Ducournau’s debut feature Raw made audience members at the Toronto International Film Festival allegedly pass out and throw up. Her highly-anticipated—and Palme d’Or winning—sophomore effort, Titane, continued the trend with reported walkouts from disgusted audience members at the Cannes Film Festival, and a reported faint at its TIFF premiere. […]
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Black as Night breathes new life into vampire cinema
The best vampire stories are about far more than vampires. Obviously. From Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel to 1972’s ground-breaking Blacula to 2014’s A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, pop culture’s best takes on immortals who dine on human blood are laden with feeding frenzies that are both bloody entertaining monster stories and critiques of the […]
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I’m Your Man
Film has always been a fascinating medium to examine the intersection of love and technology. From more recent examples like Her and Ex Machina, to the various iterations of The Stepford Wives, and even as far back as Metropolis—there’s an intrinsic curiosity about humans and machines, and if they can ever coexist. Maria Schrader’s I’m […]
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Lady of the Manor
Lady of the Manor sees a great cast struggle under the weight of a sloppy script. Billed as a “supernaturally funny buddy comedy,” the movie follows slacker Hannah (Melanie Lynskey) as she stumbles into a tour guide job portraying Lady Wadsworth (Judy Greer), a Southern belle from the late 1800s. Greer appears in more than […]
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Dementia 13
Dementia 13 remains undeniably thrilling almost 60 years after its original release. The independently made black and white horror-thriller film was written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by Roger Corman before being released in 1963. This new director’s cut includes Coppola’s introduction and audio commentary and an amusing prologue called the Dementia […]
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Celebrate Silent Movie Day with The First Degree
Over the past year and a half, as the pandemic has dragged on and the sociopolitical landscape became ever more fraught, we’ve learned a lot about what life might be like going forward. This applies as much to moviegoing as anything else; it’s likely that masks, social distancing, and vaccination or testing requirements will become […]