Blitz, 2024. Written and Directed by Steve McQueen. Starring Elliott Heffernan, Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Benjamin Clémentine, Kathy Burke, Paul Weller, Stephen Graham, Leigh Gill, Mica Ricketts, CJ Beckford, Alex Jennings, Joshua McGuire, Hayley Squires, Erin Kellyman, Sally Messham, Josef Altin, Sandra Huggett, Thea Achillea, Grahame Fox, David Kirkbride, Tommy Daley, Thomas Aitch, Charlie Hodson-Prior, […]
Movie Review – Emilia Pérez (2024)
Emilia Pérez, 2024. Written and Directed by Jacques Audiard. Starring Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Edgar Ramírez, Mark Ivanir, Eduardo Aladro, Emiliano Hasan, Lucas Varoclier, Daniel Velasco-Acosta, James Gerard, and Sébastien Fruit. SYNOPSIS: In Mexico, a lawyer receives an unexpected offer to help a feared cartel boss retire from his business […]
Movie Review – Here (2024)
Here, 2024. Directed by Robert Zemeckis. Starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, Kelly Reilly, Michelle Dockery, Gwilym Lee, Ophelia Lovibond, David Fynn, Leslie Zemeckis, Jonathan Aris, Albie Salter, Lilly Aspell, Lauren McQueen, Billie Gadsdon, Harry Marcus, Ben Wiggins, Joel Oulette, Dannie McCallum, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Mohammed George, Dexter Sol Ansell, Zsa Zsa Zemeckis, Cache Vanderpuye, […]
60th Chicago International Film Festival Review – When the Light Breaks
When the Light Breaks, 2024. Written and Directed by Rúnar Rúnarsson. Starring Elín Hall, Mikael Kaaber, Katla Njálsdóttir, Ágúst Örn B. Wigum, Gunnar Hrafn Kristjánsdóttir, and Baldur Einarsson. SYNOPSIS: When the light breaks on a long summer’s day in Iceland. From one sunset to another, Una, a young art student, encounters love, friendship, sorrow and beauty. […]
Movie Review – The Boy and the Heron (2023)
The Boy and the Heron, 2023. Written and Directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Featuring the voice talents of Soma Santoki, Aimyon, Ko Shibasaki, Masaki Suda, Takuya Kimura, Yoshino Kimura, Keiko Takeshita, Jun Fubuki, Sawako Agawa, Karen Takizawa, Shinobu Otake, Jun Kunimura, Kaoru Kobayashi, and Shōhei Hino. SYNOPSIS: Through encounters with his friends and uncle, follows a […]
Movie Review – The Persian Version (2023)
The Persian Version, 2023. Written and Directed by Maryam Keshavarz. Starring Layla Mohammadi, Niousha Noor, Kamand Shafieisabet, Bella Warda, Bijan Daneshmand, Shervin Alenabi, Jerry Habibi, Samuel Tehrani, Tom Byrne, Chiara Stella, Arty Froushan, Parsa Kaffash, and Reza Diako. SYNOPSIS: When a large Iranian-American family gathers, a family secret is uncovered that catapults the estranged mother […]
59th Chicago International Film Festival Review – Goodbye Julia
Goodbye Julia, 2023. Written and Directed by Mohamed Kordofani. Starring Eiman Yousif, Siran Riak, Nazar Gomaa, Ger Duany, Issraa Elkogali Häggström, Stephanos James Peter, Louis Daniel Ding, Mouawia Khalid, Motasim Abdelrazig Ahmed, Mohamed Abdelazim, Martha Nilwak Kando, Shamsaldeen Minto Abouti, and Paulino Victor Bol. SYNOPSIS: Just before the secession of South Sudan, a married former […]
53rd Chicago International Film Festival Capsule Review – Princess Cyd (2017)
Directed by Chicago based filmmaker Stephen Cone (Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party), Princess Cyd is at once genuine and inauthentic. As previously seen in his evergrowing portfolio of indie character studies, Cone presents humans with a deep aura of grace. Truthfully, there is no better word to use; working from the mismatched familial duo concept, it should be […]
58th Chicago International Film Festival Review – A Compassionate Spy
A Compassionate Spy, 2022. Directed by Steve James. Featuring Theodore Hall and Joan Hall. SYNOPSIS: The incredible story of Manhattan Project scientist Ted Hall, who shared classified nuclear secrets with Russia. The latest effort from celebrated documentary filmmaker Steve James (Life Itself, Abacus), A Compassionate Spy, follows Ted Hall, responsible for physician work on The […]
Chicago Critics Film Festival Capsule Review – The Power of the Dog
The Power of the Dog, 2021. Written and Directed by Jane Campion. Starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, Kirsten Dunst, Thomasin McKenzie, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Frances Conroy, Keith Carradine, Peter Carroll, Adam Beach, and Sean Keenan. SYNOPSIS: Charismatic rancher Phil Burbank inspires fear and awe in those around him. When his brother brings home a new wife […]
