Stephanie Merry – Page 4

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>

‘Dark Horse’ review: Earnest documentary about an unlikely race horse

June 10, 2018 at 2:53 p.m.

Does the world really need another inspirational horse-racing movie? From "National Velvet" to "Secretariat," the against-the-odds tale of equestrian pluck is a staple of cinema. But who said that love...

‘Dough’ review: We’ve seen this recipe before

June 10, 2018 at 8:04 p.m.

Simplistic, stale and sitcom-ish, "Dough" follows a cranky Jewish baker who rises above prejudice to bond with a Muslim immigrant he has hired. Jonathan Pryce plays Nat, a lonely widower...

Melissa McCarthy’s worst movies have something in common: her husband

June 11, 2018 at 2:56 a.m.

Melissa McCarthy is a hilarious comedian, and she also seems like a nice, grounded lady, which makes her latest amusement-free movie all the more disappointing. We want to root for...

‘Game of Thrones’ countdown: So what’s the deal with Jon Snow?

June 11, 2018 at 2:01 a.m.

The character: Jon Snow (Kit Harington), the alleged bastard son of Ned Stark, became a fan favorite during the last season, so it was only a matter of time before...

Countdown to ‘Game of Thrones’: So what’s the deal with Sansa Stark?

June 11, 2018 at 5:04 a.m.

The character: Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) used to be little more than a spoiled rich brat, who was so naive she actually relished her engagement to tiny blond devil Joffrey...

‘Touched With Fire’ review: Katie Holmes, Luke Kirby depict painful realities of bipolar disorder

June 9, 2018 at 2:10 a.m.

Two bipolar poets fall in love in "Touched With Fire," a drama that authentically conveys the highest highs and unbearable lows of mental illness. Writer-director Paul Dalio was inspired by...

These Sundance movies could prevent #OscarsSoWhite next year

June 9, 2018 at 2:31 a.m.

As the Academy tinkers with its membership to try to address the uproar over #OscarsSoWhite, the Sundance Film Festival offers a glimmer of hope for future awards. Festival founder Robert...

How listening to ‘Serial’ made us doubt ‘Making a Murderer’

June 11, 2018 at 6:18 a.m.

True crime shows are suddenly dominating every conversation. Is he guilty? Is he innocent? Everyone has a theory. First "Serial" hijacked pop culture in a way that no podcast ever...

What made reigning box-office champ ‘Avatar’ so popular — and so forgettable?

June 9, 2018 at 4:42 a.m.

You may have read that "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" is poised to obliterate the domestic record of reigning box-office champ "Avatar." James Cameron's 3-D spectacle - released six years...

Jennifer Hudson at the world premiere of Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq" at the Chicago Theatre on Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015, in Chicago.

These 14 characters stole the show in 2015 movies

June 16, 2018 at 6:37 a.m.

What do an angry grizzly, a male entertainer and a pink elephant-cat have in common? They all stole the show in the movies they were in. Leading actors get so...

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