Category Archives: Movie Reviews

Review: Housesitters (2018)

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Chicago is home to a lot of film history. A number of big-budgeted films were shot in full or in part in the city. The School of the Art Institute of Chicago’s film program is where art house directors, like Apichatpong Weerasethakul, honed their craft. But the type of  Chicago film history that is most overlooked is the output of regional filmmakers making low-budget, independent films like H.G. Lewis or Joe Swanberg. Jason Coffmann’s feature debut, Housesitters (2018), belongs to this latter category and is a mix between a stoner comedy and monster movie. If you are adventurous, and willing to look outside of major production locations like L.A. and New York, then you may have a great time with this comedy. Continue reading →

Top Movies of 2017: Jeremiah’s Picks

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This is my top seven movies of 2017. I’ve decided to do a top seven because this is the number of movies that were a step above everything else I saw this year. This is an opinion piece of what I enjoyed the most out of the year, so take from it what you will. But I think each one of these films is worth looking at and you should too. So, here are my favorite movies of 2017.

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Top Movies of 2017: Mo Money’s Picks

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Below are Mo Money’s top films of 2017 only including films that premiered anywhere in the world in the calendar year.

2017 was a great year for movies. The fact that a number of good films by directors I love (Sofia Coppola, Henrique Couto, Edgar Wright, etc.) didn’t make the list shows that there was abundance of good films. At the same time, I didn’t fall head over heels in love with critically acclaimed films and audience favorites like Get Out, Star Wars: Episode VIII-The Last Jedi, Girls Trip, and others. I feel myself increasingly distant from mainstream tastes as I age. There remains numerous films released in 2017 that I would like to see, particularly On Body and Soul and Zama, but couldn’t due to diverse reasons so as always this list may change in the future.

1.) Faces Places

Agnès Varda’s latest film follows her and co-director JR, a young artist who makes murals out of photographs, as they travel to small towns throughout France. It is a great look into Varda’s career and friendships for those new to her oeuvre and those who have followed her work for years. The ending, after Jean-Luc Godard snubs their visit, is a great reminder on how wondrous and impactful cinema remains in 2017. Continue reading →

Top Movies of 2017: Big B’s Picks

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These are Big B’s top ten films of 2017.

10) I Am Evidence – directed by Geeta Gandbhir and Trish Adlesic

I Am Evidence is a clear, poignant exploration of an issue that needs more attention: the epidemic of untested rape kits in American cities. Most importantly, I Am Evidence focuses on specific steps that cities can take to resolve this problem. This documentary tries hard to make itself unnecessary by aggressively targeting sensible solutions to the problems highlighted during the documentary’s opening moments. I Am Evidence is concerned with progress, not proceeds—but I hope it gets both.

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Justice League is the Movie We Need Right Now

This article contains spoilers.

We are defeated. On a good day, we can ignore that fact. But it is still true. The good team lost.

That is the spirit of Justice League‘s opening scenes. Norwegian singer and songwriter Sigrid sings a more earnest, mournful version of Leonard Cohen’s “Everybody Knows” as audiences view a melancholic montage of troublesome images, beginning with Superman’s funeral and progressing through scenes of realistic social injustice. A white man harasses Muslim shopkeepers, and a homeless man sits quietly behind a small sign that reads “I tried.” Sigrid’s smooth voice bellows over haunting, repetitive piano riffs: “Everybody knows the fight was fixed / The poor stay poor, the rich get rich / That’s how it goes / Everybody knows.” This glossy, semi-grayscale, post-Superman world is bitter and scared. As a reporter notes, “The world remains in mourning . . .” Continue reading →

Top Movies of 2016: Jeremiah’s Picks

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Hello and welcome to Jeremiah Trotter’s top 10 movies of 2016. Now, let’s be clear: these are the top 10 movies that I enjoyed the most from 2016… that I saw. So, of course you will have different opinions and different ideas of what is “the best” of 2016, but maybe you discover something on this list that you’d like to check out. And I’m definitely not opposed to debating the merits of individual films. Anyway, let me know how you feel in the comments if you get the urge. Continue reading →

Your Guide to the Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Superhero Movies of 2017

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Below is your guide to the science fiction, fantasy, and superhero films of 2017—complete with trailers, release dates, pros and cons, and an Excitement Rating that quantifies Big B’s interest in each film.

The Lego Batman Movie – February 10th – Warner Animation Group & DC Entertainment

Pro: the possibility that Will Arnett will be the best Batman yet; the realization that this movie is essentially an animated amalgam of all the Batman memes that exist on the Internet Continue reading →

Top Movies of 2016: Mo Money’s Picks

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Below are Mo Money’s top films of 2016 excluding movies that originally premiered in 2015 outside of the United States.

1.) The Love Witch

This isn’t camp or kitsch; this is a feminist thesis in the guise of a murderous witch film. Anna Biller took years writing this film after Viva, and the end result was worth the wait. If you don’t know her work, fix it! Continue reading →