It’s been a busy year for Smith Westerns. Luckily, with their respective ages barely reaching into the 20s, they group’s members had plenty of energy to meet all the opportunities that have presented themselves since the release of their critically acclaimed sophomore effort, “Dye It Blonde.” The Chicago-based, indie-rock band has made the most of […]
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Posted inArts & Culture
Time to make the ‘Donuts’
Carpenter Square Theatre has come within one block of full circle. Its new, storefront theater on W. Main Street is one block south of the old Carpenter Paper Company warehouse, CST’s first home in 1985. But let’s not wax nostalgic. CST opens its season with Tracy Letts’ “Superior Donuts.” This play was highly anticipated when […]
Posted inFood & Drink
Top dogs?
The Mutts business plan is nothing new, as the owners and operators have been playing with this idea for a little more than a year. Cally Johnson, Kathryn Mathis and Chris Lower are the owners of BTT, and the frankfurter idea came to fruition when Chicago chef and native Oklahoman Rick Bayless had breakfast at […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Husk / Prowl
Two of the first out of the gate, “Husk” and “Prowl,” show real promise for this endeavor. First, “Husk,” which you may have seen already on Syfy: It proves my long-held belief that finding references to Scripture in a cornfield is never a good thing. The movie has the first two of the four things […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Source Code
On a commuter train heading into Chicago, a young man jolts awake in the middle of a conversation with his girlfriend, Christina (Michelle Monaghan, “Due Date”), and clearly has no idea who she is, where he is or how he got there. He excuses himself to the restroom and doesn’t recognize the face in the […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Phallic Frenzy: Ken Russell and His Films – Joseph Lanza
Chicago Review Press Director Ken Russell is no stranger to taboos of any kind, and Joseph Lanza’s bio of the maverick moviemaker explains why, starting with the boy’s most unusual reaction to seeing Walt Disney’s “Pinocchio.” “Tommy,” “Altered States” and “Crimes of Passion” are among his best-known works, but his filmography is full of controversy […]