Michael Phillips – Page 54

Austin Butler takes on Elvis Presley in the new film "Elvis."

‘Elvis’ review: Austin Butler’s a decent Presley but Baz Luhrmann’s movie gyrates more than its subject. As for Tom Hanks …

June 23, 2022 at 12:06 p.m.

Baz Luhrmann's "Elvis" is all show and no tell — an impatient blur, competing in a dance contest against its own subject. In the title role, Austin Butler fares pretty...

Cooper Raiff, left, and Dakota Johnson in "Cha Cha Real Smooth," now streaming on Apple TV+.

‘Cha Cha Real Smooth’ review: Should that be ‘real thick’? Cooper Raiff’s comedy is an adorability campaign trying to be a movie

June 22, 2022 at 7:53 a.m.

Now streaming on Apple TV+ and playing a limited theatrical release, Cooper Raiff's romantic comedy "Cha Cha Real Smooth" clearly has a lot of people's numbers. Far be it from...

Chris Hemsworth, left, and Miles Teller in a scene from "Spiderhead."

‘Spiderhead’ review: In a remote prison, Chris Hemsworth leads drug trials in a pill of a Netflix thriller

June 17, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

"Spiderhead," now streaming on Netflix for the undemanding, brings up the challenge of stretching a short story into conventional feature film length without the whole thing going sideways. It's not...

Young Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Chris Evans, in a scene from the animated film "Lightyear," a "Toy Story" prequel.

‘Lightyear’ review: Pixar’s quick-witted ‘Toy Story’ prequel shows how young Buzz found his destiny

June 16, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

The summer movie lesson is clear. Send retro flyboys up in the air and teach 'em a lesson about what truly matters in life on the ground. Besides winning. Winning...

So long, Dick: U.S. President Richard M. Nixon in 1974, announcing his decision to resign in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

Column: Why do the Jan. 6 hearings make me miss Nixon and Watergate?

June 15, 2022 at 2:01 p.m.

I miss Watergate. I miss the hearings, so soothingly devoted to protocol, so revealing in their honest and fully bipartisan effort to ferret out the chief weasels. The patience. The...

DeWanda Wise, left, and Laura Dern in a scene from "Jurassic World: Dominion."

‘Jurassic World: Dominion’ review: The weakest entry in the dinosaur franchise is a warning to humankind

June 9, 2022 at 1:25 p.m.

The "Jurassic Park"/"Jurassic World" franchise always favored a janky, what-should-we-try-this-time approach. Fans of dinosaurs (and who isn't?) and the 1993 Steven Spielberg original based on Michael Crichton's novel, have been...

This handout image courtesy of HBO shows mugshots from "The Janes" documentary with (L-R) Sheila Smith, Martha Scott, Diane Stevens, and Judith Arcana.

‘The Janes’ review: How an underground group of Chicago activists responded to the illegality of abortion

June 8, 2022 at 8:21 a.m.

Then and now, Chicago was "a town where people did stuff." It got things done, stirred up trouble, made no little plans. That, says one of the underground abortion providers...

A futuristic performance artist (Viggo Mortensen, below) and his partner (Léa Seydoux) prepare to check exactly which new bodily organs lurk beneath the skin in filmmaker David Cronenberg's "Crimes of the Future."

‘Crimes of the Future’ review: Viggo Mortensen’s got some brand new organs. Show time!

June 3, 2022 at 9:09 a.m.

A chillingly beautiful dare of a movie, David Cronenberg's "Crimes of the Future" imagines a near-future much like the present, only colder and more feral. Shot in Athens, largely at...

Judy Garland was born 100 years ago this week. Chicago has 9 reasons why that’s very good news.

June 1, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

To state that a talent, a soul and a force of nature such as Judy Garland comes along just once per century misses the mark, twice. There's no "such as"...

‘The Porter’ review: This juicy series about 1920s Black railway workers is the year’s best-kept streaming secret

May 28, 2022 at 5:00 a.m.

I'm a big fan of "The Porter," the juicy, compelling series set in 1920s Montreal and Chicago, now streaming on BET+ and other platforms. Premiering earlier this year north of...

All Stories