Michael Phillips

Composer John Williams conducts the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as they play a variety of his film scores April 26, 2018, in Chicago.

John Williams wrote the theme for Monday’s college football championship on ESPN. Was it rousing?

January 10, 2023 at 8:08 a.m.

John Williams is currently writing the score for his fifth Indiana Jones movie, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," coming this summer to eager, hit-starved theaters near you. Meantime,...

Vicky Krieps as Empress Elisabeth in a scene from "Corsage."

‘Corsage’ review: Vicky Krieps excels as an Austrian empress throwing away caution, pomp and circumstance

January 12, 2023 at 12:30 p.m.

We'll be dealing with dramatizations of the lives of royals forever, if only because the public/private schism of They Who Wear The Crowns and those who live in their vicinity...

Violet McGraw, left, as Cady, M3GAN, and Allison Williams as Gemma in "M3GAN," directed by Gerard Johnstone.

‘M3GAN’ review: The sweetest lil’ lethal robotic friend a girl could want

January 5, 2023 at 1:42 p.m.

A pleasantly nutty thriller about a crafty, high-end toy, "M3GAN" exploits a child's grief for the greater good of the killer-doll genre. That may be enough for 100 minutes of...

Brian Andreotti, left, acquisitions head of Music Box Films, and Chris Johnson, head of regional chain Classic Cinemas, on Dec. 23, 2022.

Forecast for ’23 moviegoing, at the Pickwick and beyond: Cloudy with a chance of optimism

January 5, 2023 at 1:50 p.m.

Welcome to "On Further Review," a new regular conversation in column form, where we'll host Chicago arts leaders, opinion leaders and others to explore issues of the moment. For this...

Winter movies 2023: Ant-Man, John Wick and Adonis Creed, back for more!

January 5, 2023 at 1:48 p.m.

Wait. We have to wait until July for Tom Cruise and "Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One" to save mainstream movie theaters, the way "Top Gun: Maverick" saved theaters in...

Robyn Crawford (Nafessa Williams) and Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie) share a moment in "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody."

Review: ‘Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ is a well-acted biopic about not just a voice, but The Voice

January 5, 2023 at 1:51 p.m.

Mostly, almost entirely, it is not British actor Naomi Ackie's singing voice you hear as Whitney Houston in the smooth, enjoyable new biopic "Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody."...

Photographed at the Court Theatre, the Chicagoan of the Year for Theater is longtime stage director Ron OJ Parson.

Chicagoan of the Year for Film: Rebecca Fons of the Gene Siskel Film Center. ‘I’m programming for anyone who’s discerning. And curious’

December 21, 2022 at 7:58 a.m.

Rebecca Fons: Not a lot of pretense there. "Lively. Friendly. To the point!" is how she prefers her film screening introductions. And that's her all over. "I'm a pretty approachable...

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