Pat Padua –

‘5B’ review: Documentary traces history of first AIDS ward and its caregivers

June 14, 2019 at 9:45 a.m.

"We were afraid of them — everybody was." Those are the words of David Denmark, a former nurse at San Francisco General Hospital, speaking about AIDS patients in the largely...

Nick Cave has been singing about mortality for decades, and he's really good at it. Whether the narratives are biblical or pulpy, the victims innocents or death row convicts, the circumstances comprehensible or cruelly random, Cave's songs are on intimate terms with the infinite ways a life can be extinguished. And yet, "Skeleton Tree", his latest album with his estimable band, the Bad Seeds, is a relatively concise song cycle shadowed by death that feels different than all the rest. <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/kot/sc-music-nick-cave-skeleton-tree-ent-0916-20160916-column.html" target="_blank">Read the full review.</a>

‘My Friend Dahmer’ review: Movie portrays serial killer as bullied, neglected teen

December 15, 2018 at 12:52 a.m.

In some ways, "My Friend Dahmer" is a typical coming-of-age movie about an awkward teen. What distinguishes this particular case of adolescent angst is that it's the true story of...

‘California Typewriter’ review: Craftsmen, fans lovingly keep device alive

June 2, 2018 at 4:48 a.m.

Documentarian Doug Nichol's debut feature, "California Typewriter," celebrates the surprising staying power of a technology that has become almost — but not quite — obsolete. Although many of its subjects...

‘Manifesto’ review: Cate Blanchett delivers a master class

June 3, 2018 at 7:21 a.m.

A great actor, it has been said, can create drama just by reading the phone book. In "Manifesto," the feature directorial debut of German artist and filmmaker Julian Rosefeldt, Oscar-winner...

‘Smurfs: The Lost Village’ review: Garish pastels, puny plot may leave you blue

June 5, 2018 at 7:43 a.m.

"Smurfs: The Lost Village," the third theatrical feature centering on tiny blue humanoid forest creatures beloved by small children, has enough bright colors and slapstick humor to enchant its target...

‘The Kind Words’ review: Siblings struggle with their family’s truth

June 11, 2018 at 9:18 p.m.

The Israeli comedy-drama "The Kind Words" opens with the whirr of a projector, showing what appear to be home movies of a romantic encounter. Suddenly, the film breaks and burns...

‘Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made’ review: Childhood dream of making movie comes full circle

June 11, 2018 at 9:34 p.m.

Hollywood thrillers promise a few hours of escapist adventure. But that pales in comparison to the long and arduous adventure of growing up. In "Raiders! The Story of the Greatest...

‘Rolling Papers’ review: Half-baked documentary

June 9, 2018 at 12:00 a.m.

The legalization of recreational marijuana in Colorado and the District of Columbia has led to a so-called "green rush" of prospectors looking to cash in. Can the commercial potential from...

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