The 2022 Chicago Critics Film Festival is set to open on Friday and run through Thursday evening at the Music Box Theatre. For ticket information, please click here. In addition to the following feature films, there are two short film programs taking place on May 14 (12 PM) and May 16 (5 PM). Filmmakers Alyssa Thordarson (After [A Love Story]), Tom Krawcyzk (My Dudus), and Hope Tucker (What Travelers Are Saying About Jornada del Muerto) are…
"2022 Chicago Critics Film Festival Opens on Friday"Author: Danielle Solzman
Danielle Solzman
Private Property, a thriller starring a very minimal cast, is a bland remake of the controversial1960 film of the same name. A lost print of the 1960 Leslie Stevens was recently discovered a few years ago. While it was originally released to major controversy, the film was critically praised upon its 2016 re-release. I’m not about to do a compare and contrast between the two movies. All in all, Private Property is such a bland…
"Private Property: A Bland Remake of a Thriller"
Reboots are all the rave so it was only a matter of time before The Kids in the Hall TV series got revived in the digital era. While eight episodes will launch on May 13, only five episodes were made available for review. Suffice it to say, many of the sketches led to a lot of laughter. If you’re a comedy fan, the revival will be pure enjoyment. When you look at the reboots over…
"The Kids in the Hall Get Revived on Prime Video"
Operation Mincemeat has the pedigree to draw viewer interest in this stranger-than-fiction true story of World War II events in 1943. I should warn you first and foremost that if subtitles are not your thing, this film will not be for you. While much of it is in English, there are a number of scenes that have subtitles on screen. The gist of the film is that the Allies are trying to put a stop…
"Operation Mincemeat Is Stranger-Than-Fiction"
Star Trek: Picard sees the Starfleet veteran travel back in time to 2024 in order to prevent a divergence in the timeline and save the future. Season 2 of Picard pulls out all the stops with no shortages of actors reprising their roles. The first season brought back a few of the Enterprise crew as we saw what Picard was up to. This time around, he’s the chancellor of the Starfleet Academy as the season…
"Star Trek: Picard – Season 2"
Jayne Mansfield may be considered by many to be the poor man’s Marilyn Monroe but she has the talent in The Girl Can’t Help It. It might be hard to believe but without this film, The Beatles might not exist. I mean, sure, they might have come about at some point but not without this film hitting England. Without this film, John Lennon does not meet Paul McCartney in 1957. Rock and roll would never…
"The Girl Can’t Help It: A Criterion Collection Beauty"
Daniel Raim spoke with Solzy at the Movies about the new documentary playing in theaters, Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen. Zeitgeist Films released Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen in select theaters starting on April 29. Starting on May 6, the film expands to a number of theaters across the country. This film has been over a decade in the making. When did you first decide you wanted to make a documentary about Fiddler…
"Daniel Raim talks Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen"
All My Puny Sorrows filmmaker Michael McGowan and stars Alison Pill and Mare Winningham sat down in a roundtable interview. The roundtable interview took place over Zoom last September during the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival. If you haven’t read the big, the film deals with suicide and mental health issues. The stigma surrounding both comes up during the interview. Written and directed by Michael McGowan, the film is based on the best-selling novel by…
"All My Puny Sorrows: TIFF Roundtable Interview"
Sarah Dessen’s novel, Along for the Ride, arrives on Netflix in a film adaptation starring Emma Pasarow and Belmont Cameli. Writer-director Sofia Alvarez is the screenwriter of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before and the book was a New York Times bestseller. If you’re a fan of either, you’ll probably be watching regardless of my thoughts. But if you’ve never read Dessen’s books or watched the To All The Boys movies, chances are likely…
"Along for the Ride Adaptation Arrives on Netflix" Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen is a documentary that comes one year after Fiddler on the Roof marked its 50th anniversary. Jeff Goldblum narrates the movie but his contribution is minimal compared to how many cast and crew provide commentary. Filmmaker Daniel Raim conducts original interviews while other clips–such as Oswald Morris–come from archival sources. This is a documentary that is very different from Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles because this one is completely…
"Fiddler’s Journey to the Big Screen: A Must Watch"