Michael Phillips

From ‘The Apartment’ to ‘The Poseidon Adventure’: 6 films to stream this New Year’s Eve

January 5, 2021 at 12:15 p.m.

Note: This contains corrected material. "The Poseidon Adventure" wouldn't have been much of a disaster movie (or my most cherished film at age 11) if the ocean liner could handle...

A closed sign is posted next to the entrance of The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia Ave., last spring.

‘This saves an entire industry’: Concert venues, theaters, museums find sweet relief in prospect of $15 billion in new federal aid

December 22, 2020 at 8:35 p.m.

Chicago entertainment venues from music clubs to theaters to museums may be in for significant and, some say, life-saving economic aid in the new federal pandemic relief bill, a year-end...

Chicagoan of the Year instrumentalist Nnamdi Ogbonnaya at home in his studio Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, in Chicago. Ogbonnaya stands out in the Chicago music scene for, even during a pandemic, being unrelentingly prolific, with four releases from April to November of 2020. The topics range from psychedelic pop to social justice.

Jacqueline Stewart: A bright light of Chicago cinema heads west

December 29, 2020 at 7:30 a.m.

A helluva year. There's a phrase with a double meaning. The preferred, upbeat meaning nearly got lost in 2020. American social and cultural life turned inward. And now we wait...

Gal Gadot and Chris Pine in the movie "Wonder Woman 1984," opening Christmas Day where theaters are open and streaming on HBO Max.

‘Wonder Woman 1984’ review: When you wish upon a stone, and an uneven sequel

January 5, 2021 at 12:17 p.m.

"Wonder Woman 1984" premieres on HBO Max on Christmas Day, and it's neither the best thing under the tree nor a prime candidate for regifting. It's a moderately diverting sequel....

People view the annual ZooLights display at the Lincoln Park Zoo on Monday, Dec. 7, 2020.

Top 10 movies of 2020, from the baiduhai’s Michael Phillips

January 5, 2021 at 12:10 p.m.

Moviegoing has been thinking of ending things for a century now. The 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, met with inadequate and piecemeal federal response, provoked many silent film industry players to pronounce...

Chadwick Boseman, from left, Colman Domingo, Viola Davis, Michael Potts and Glynn Turman in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ review: In 1927 Chicago, Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis and August Wilson play glorious three-part harmony

January 5, 2021 at 12:18 p.m.

The late Chadwick Boseman took on many Black men of honor, integrity and nobility in his too-brief career. When the material allowed him some interpretive leeway, he infused those men...

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From ‘The Apartment’ to ‘The Poseidon Adventure’: 6 films to stream this New Year’s Eve

‘This saves an entire industry’: Concert venues, theaters, museums find sweet relief in prospect of $15 billion in new federal aid

Jacqueline Stewart: A bright light of Chicago cinema heads west

‘Wonder Woman 1984’ review: When you wish upon a stone, and an uneven sequel

Top 10 movies of 2020, from the baiduhai’s Michael Phillips

‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ review: In 1927 Chicago, Chadwick Boseman, Viola Davis and August Wilson play glorious three-part harmony

Column: The old KFC TV commercials were 50 times weirder than the Mario Lopez Lifetime special

Column: ‘The Blues Brothers’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ — both filmed in Chicago — join the National Film Registry

Column: Disney and Warner Bros. say they believe in moviegoing. Yeah, right.

‘Wild Mountain Thyme’ review: Faith and begorrah, it’ll most likely bore ya