I’ll have you know that this is the latest this website has ever posted a “10 Best” list in its six-plus year history. I want to say that 2016 exhausted me, but it didn’t. “Every Movie Has a Lesson” published a personal-best 114 film reviews in 2016. Even after a record year, there is part of me that sits here and knows there was room for more. The to-do list of recommended films and overdue titles is never empty.
Read More"Underworld" is an action-horror movie series based on the eternal struggle between vampires and werewolves. The same old formula has been used and abused over and over again on the big screen, and even "Twilight" – a franchise belonging to the romance/fantasy genre – has tapped into the centuries-long skirmish between the two undead clans.
Read MoreWhat you're watching on TV on Sunday night is a party thrown by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association hosted by Jimmy Fallon in an effort to be loved and share some love. It’s a popularity contest more than a true Oscar precursor. The winners do get a pretty positive rub and the marketers gain a few more "Winner of..." graphics to put in the newspapers next to their films and we get Brendan Fraser GIFs.
Read MorePlenty of regular everyday people make New Year's Resolutions, but I think bigger entities, namely movie makers and movie moguls, need to make them too. Annually, including this sixth edition, this is my absolute favorite editorial to write every year. I have fun taking the movie industry to task for things they need to change. I'm sarcastic, but I'm not the guy to take it to the false internet courage level of some Twitter troll. This will be as forward as I get all year.
Read MoreSeveral Chicago film critics got together earlier this week for a "year-end" roundtable hosted by Ian Simmons for his "Kicking the Seat" site and podcast. We had just gotten out of an advance screening for "Passengers" and were brimming with positive and negative opinions that couldn't be contained, creating a second reason for Ian to turn on the mics and recorders. Enjoy Ian, Emmanuel Noisette of Eman's Movie Reviews, Harold Egbo, David Fowlie of Keeping it Reel, and myself as we challenge the gravity and go on a trip for "Passengers."
Read MoreWith the glitzy Los Angeles setting of “La La Land,” many will point to the Old Hollywood musicals of Gene Kelly, especially “Singin’ in the Rain,” as a necessary practice rounds, but “La La Land” is an unequivocally modern-set film. A different range is possible. Furthermore, advising you to re-watch “Whiplash” for Chazelle’s kicks or revisit “Rebel Without a Cause” to touch base with the Griffith Observatory are too easy for practice. Dig deeper and try a few of these on for size as a “La La Land” primer.
Read MoreANNUAL UPDATE: I'm here for an editorial on the anniversary of 9/11 to showcase a few movies, both serious and not-so-serious, that speak to that day whether as a tribute, remembrance, or example of how life has changed since that fateful day. Enjoy!
Read MoreFive top-light film critics of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle went down to the seedy parts of West Texas and lived to tell about it after an advance screening of the crime thriller "Hell or High Water." Enjoy the hot takes and breakdowns of Leo Brady, Pamela Powell, myslef, Emmanuel Noisette, and Jim Alexander!
Read MoreFour comic fans and film critics of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle wrestle with the villainy and quality of the hotly anticipated "Suicide Squad" after a recent advance screening for the press. Enjoy the heroic work of myself, Emmanuel Noisette, Jon Espino, and Jim Alexander!
Read MoreThree critics of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle wake themselves up from the collective boredom and talk about "Jason Bourne" after an advance screening. Enjoy the popcorn throwing of Pamela Powell, myself, and Emmanuel Noisette.
Read MoreThe critics of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle have heard the call of the jungle! Watch and enjoy the first takes of myself and my fellow CIFCC members including Jon Espino of "The Young Folks," Pamela Powell of The Kankakee Daily Journal and "Reel Honest Reviews," and, but not least, Emmanuel Noisette of "Eman's Movie Reviews" offering their hot-and-bothered impressions on "The Legend of Tarzan." Enjoy!
Read MoreLast week, myself, another member of the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle, and a special guest first-timer dished out their thoughts and reactions to "Free State of Jones" starring Matthew McConaughey and directed by Gary Ross. We weighed the historical drama for its strong points and weaknesses.
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