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Summer, we hardly knew ye. Now autumn is upon us, as today is officially the first day of fall. In the movie biz, that means we’re gearing up for awards season and have lots of Oscar contenders hitting theaters in the weeks ahead. At home, the start of fall means
At San Diego Comic-Con this summer I was lucky enough to get to see The Predator panel featuring writer/director Shane Black and cast members Sterling K. Brown, Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key, Trevante Rhodes, Augusto Aguilera, Thomas Jane and Jake Busey. Truth be told, I didn’t have much interest in the
When I was at Comic-Con in San Diego a few months ago, I loved how so many local businesses got into it and offered special meals (“Captain America Shield Waffles”) and drinks (“Wakanda potion”) during the 4-day event. One that stood out to me was a bar that transformed itself
Who says you can’t go home again? Tell that to Michael Myers, Haddonfield, Illinois’ most infamous son, who, 40 years after terrorizing babysitter Laurie Strode and slashing, slicing and strangling her friends, is back in town in Halloween, a direct sequel to John Carpenter’s 1978 classic that ignores the 10
Sometimes a movie comes along that just screams “Girls’ night!” Fifty Shades of Grey, Magic Mike, Bridesmaids, Book Club … and now Ocean’s 8.
As you probably know, Ocean’s 8 is the all-female spinoff of the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, with Sandra Bullock playing Danny Ocean’s (George Clooney) sister Debbie. Like
I feel like when I was younger and heard the term “documentary,” I immediately equated it with “boring.” Like some monotonous speaker lecturing on and on about an uninteresting or strange topic that wasn’t relevant to my life. Now I know that either my perceptions were drastically wrong back then,
To quote one of my all-time favorite Saturday Night Live sketches, “I’m not that strong a swimmer.” (It’s from 1984, kiddos, Google “Synchronized Swimming SNL sketch” and prepare to laugh your head off.)
I’ve always been content to stay on the shore and let others have fun in Lake Michigan
There’s a quote from British philosopher Geoffrey Hinton that I tend to agree with: “Computers will understand sarcasm before Americans do.” (He’s actually working on artificial intelligence projects for Google right now, so he probably has a better perspective on this than the rest of us!)
Just so we’re all
At one point or another, we’ve all been told to “respect your elders.” It’s an age-old adage that applies to real life and the movies. Meaning, every once in a while it’s a good idea to sit back, relax and bask in the talent of some of Hollywood’s more mature
September. It’s a month of readjusting to old routines once the kids are back in school, preparing for fall temperatures, and taking some time out to enjoy the few sacred weeks we have left before starting to be bombarded with Halloween (and holiday!) decorations at every turn.
(OK so maybe
I am, without a doubt, a “dog person.”
Today is International Dog Day, and I am HERE for it.
I’ve owned two dogs in my life: Shaddy, a black Lab my husband and I adopted from a Chicago shelter right after we were married (and who once made an appearance
The summer’s biggest blockbuster is now at the Box, and it’s not the kind of movie you want to watch alone. Whether you already saw it at the theater or not, you’ve probably heard that the final act is best viewed with others that you can cling to, shout at
Usually I’m one to devour every buzzy bestselling novel — especially when I know Hollywood has adaptation plans in the works. But unfortunately I never got around to reading Kevin Kwan’s Crazy Rich Asians … and was the only one of my friends who hadn’t. In fact, they’d all read
Some of my favorite movie nights haven’t happened in front of the TV. They’ve been outside, on the grass, with a makeshift screen in front of us and the moon overhead. There we are, friends and family huddling together. We’re waiting for that plot twist, that chase scene, that dramatic
Every year, National Relaxation Day falls on August 15. Real talk: I personally feel like it would make more sense for such an “unofficial holiday” to be right before the real year-end holidays — when people are inevitably stressed out — or at least for it to always be on
It seems kind of crazy to me to think that Melissa McCarthy’s breakout movie performance was only 7 years ago. While Gilmore Girls fans have been known about her immense talent for nearly two decades now — and Mike & Molly viewers were first treated to her special brand of
When you’re watching a movie, you usually tend to trust that what you’re seeing on the screen is what the movie’s characters actually experienced or are experiencing. But that’s not always the case when an “unreliable narrator” is in the mix — a main character whose perspective might not be
In the near future, gamers compete inside a massive video game universe to find an “Easter egg” hidden by the network’s recently deceased creator which promises real life riches. Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan) becomes the first player to successfully navigate the first level of the test, sparking a high-stakes international
Theeeeey’re back! Dismissed Vermont Highway Patrol officers Thorny, Mac, Foster, Rabbit and Farva get a chance at redemption with an unusual assignment. The wacky crew is sent to a Canadian town that has been reclaimed by the United States after a recently discovered border error, where they must win over the
Chappaquiddick, achieves the seemingly impossible. It’s a movie about the powerful Kennedy political family that was acclaimed by both liberal and conservative critics.
Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan, who met at the University of Texas at Austin, co-wrote the screenplay, their first feature film script. It first attained industry buzz
Here we are, already into the dog days of summer, yearning for a cool breeze or some powerful AC. When things get too hot, it’s best to take a break and cool down with a great movie — and man oh man do we have an outstanding slate for you
Confidence. It’s a great quality to have, but oddly enough, it’s in short supply on the big screen. Most movie characters are seriously flawed in one way or the other, and they’ll spend most of their time trying to overcompensate. Which can make for a great comedy . . .
Some days you just wanna see something get utterly decimated. You know those days.
When one such day is upon you, you’re guaranteed satisfaction if you check out any of these beasts doing their thang:
King Kong and the Skullcrawlers, Kong: Skull Island– King Kong is not amused
Who remembers the world before emojis? Or maybe the question should be, who even wants to remember the world before emojis? Emojis make everything better and funnier. It’s like the old saying “a picture’s worth a thousand words” — just one emoji can communicate so, so much.
In researching today’s
As The Fresh Prince (aka Will Smith) said (sang!) best in 1991, “Summer, summer, summertime! Time to sit back and unwind.”
But eventually all of that chilling out can get old. When summertime boredom starts to hit, I have just the cure: an edge-of-your-seat thriller to get the ol’ heart
A twenty-something woman who likes to smoke marijuana and lament about her failing hair waxing business, finds herself stuck in a rut of one night stands. Then, she meets and falls for a man whose single glaring flaw is that he’s already married.
Sounds like a complicated situation to
If your kids are anything like mine, they were already begging for playdates with their BFFs the minute after school let out for the summer. Thankfully there’s an easy and inexpensive way to transform a typical playdate into a magical experience that your kids will love.
The festivities will revolve around
As a forever fan of both the ageless Paul Rudd and LOST/Hobbit trilogy alum Evangeline Lilly, I had no doubt that I was going to enjoy watching them battle bad guys together as co-leads in Ant-Man and the Wasp. And enjoy it I did. Tone-wise, Marvel Studios’ latest is a
Memories are made in the summertime! At least that’s how it’s always been in my family. Everyone has more free time, is a little more relaxed, and is in a better mood when it’s beautiful outside.
That’s why I’m going to try to convince you to do everything you can
Movie moms and dads usually fall into one of three major camps: either they’re wonderful and supportive parents who play a positive role in their kids’ lives, or they’re oppressively awful … or they’re nowhere to be found and we get to see the trouble their children get up to