My Courses

Of the 22 films in this year’s Cannes competition, the first two to screen have a lot in common. Both are portraits of strong-willed women willing to be exploited to find a way out of poverty. Both films doggedly stick to their heroines’ point of view, and both heroines prove more credulous than is strictly…

“The question is, do you have what it takes to make it epic,” says an undaunted Chris Hemsworth. It’s a call to action that comes toward the end of “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga,” George Miller’s apocalyptic epic western prequel to “Mad Max: Fury Road” that could, of course, be directed at Miller himself. Because…

Roger Corman, who died last week at 98, was so important and influential that a thorough account of his impact would require a book (there have already been many – and documentaries, too). But the most impressive achievement of all is his mentorship of young actors, writers, and filmmakers, many of whom would go on to…

What makes the Chicago Critics Film Festival so special (besides the fact that it’s the only festival curated by critics) is that it truly is a love letter to Chicagoan cinephiles.  This year’s festival featured its strongest line-up to date, where over two dozen films had their Chicago premieres at the historic Music Box Theatre.…

An epiphany can strike like an astronomical event, the way love is like the birth of a star. My latest ah-ha moment arrived with the total eclipse of the sun. I’d been pondering romance. Not any old love, but the magnetism of “historical romance” novels when adapted into movies/shows that celebrate inclusivity. It’s a starry-eyed…