I know, I know. “Why have thou forsaken me?,” you ask. Fear not, dear readers! I’ve returned with a couple of major updates. * My long-running partner on CHIRP’s Fourth Wall series, Clarence Ewing, died unexpectedly in the summer of 2025. I wrote about my friend Clarence here.  * After a lengthy

Hello folks! Check out the most recent entry on The Fourth Wall, covering David Fincher’s lastest film, The Killer. Next up: Past Lives and Perfect Days.  Oscar season has come and gone, and the Best Picture winner (Oppenheimer) is pretty much Exhibit A for why your humble narrator doesn’t pay much attention to film

Part of my 2024 New Year’s resolution will be to provide more frequent updates now that my website has been retooled, my friends! In the meantime, check out some recent additions to The Fourth Wall. Clarence Ewing and I trade thoughts on the James Bond franchise (specifically Casino Royale) as well as the use

Back in May, I reviewed To Leslie and Palm Trees and Power Lines for CHIRP — the latter of which was my favorite film of the festival, and will likely be on my Top 10 list for the year. Have a gander!

… and now that the kinks in Ye Olde Website have been ironed out, you’ll see regular updates here! Here are two essays from the last Chicago Critics Film Festival: my reviews of The Lost Daughter and Red Rocket for CHIRP Radio.

Before I list my favorites of 2018, here’s a recap of other films covered by CHIRP’s Fourth Wall last year: One of my all-time favorite relationship films, Drinking Buddies delves into a quartet of intertwined Chicagoans, two of whom are co-workers at a local microbrewery. What are we all looking for in relationships? Director

It’s been a while, I know, but I’ve got lots more content out there in the way of cinema conversation! Revolutionary Road  — Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet tear down their marriage from within, one verbal dagger at a time, in this ’50s-era adaptation of a Richard Yates novel. The Thin

Greetings folks — more Fourth Wall conversations for your consumption! The Florida Project — My pick for the best film of 2017 (thus far), about folks scraping by in the seedy motels that reside in the shadow of Orlando’s Disney World. The Square — A rather excellent Australian neo-noir caper from 2008, written by Joel

Check out a trio of new conversations on cinema and television! After Love, an outstanding 2016 French/Belgian film about a marriage in the throes of a separation — but where both parties (and their school-age daughters) are still inhabiting the same home. As you might imagine, the atmosphere is rather

Check out some more e-conversations on cinema, both new and old! It’s The Fourth Wall, a regular exchange of thoughts between fellow CHIRP member Clarence Ewing and me on film. I also have listed our discussions separately on my Essays page. [Clarence and I didn’t see eye-to-eye on Lady Macbeth, but I loved it

Hey folks — we just finished our 13th edition of The Fourth Wall for CHIRP Radio. Come check out fellow scribe Clarence Ewing and me discuss all sorts of cinema topics! From the recent James Baldwin documentary I Am Not Your Negro to technolove in Her… and everything in between. You can access the entire

Hi folks — here’s the first in what will hopefully be a continuing series of thoughts on various new films. These won’t necessarily be reviews, but more an exploration of themes expressed in each story. To start: two of my favorite cinematic experiences of 2016: Alba and Moonlight.  ———- Few films and television

Here’s a trailer I cut last summer for the ReelAbilities film festival here in Chicago. The annual festival is “dedicated to sharing the human experience of disability through art and film.” As you can see, there were a slew of amazing independent films showcased… and on a related note, I was inspired

[Originally appearing in Dr. Alan Gitelson’s American Government textbook, 2014] “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” — Mark Twain So, you’re listening to the radio — correction, your “portable electronic device” — and catching up on the news, when you come across a story offering

[Originally appearing in Dr. Alan Gitelson’s American Government textbook, 2014] “Well, I was disappointed again this year in our inability to come to grasp the issues on the daily broadcasts, on the evening news.” — Walter Cronkite, 1976 “Get there firstest with the mostest.” — any journalist, 2014 Technology has

[Originally appearing in Dr. Alan Gitelson’s American Government textbook, 2014] So, try to envision the following big-budget Hollywood film: a couple of American journalists travel to Beijing… and along the way, are recruited by the CIA to assassinate Chinese president Xi Jingping, in retaliation for threats against American allies in

[Originally appearing in Dr. Alan Gitelson’s American Government textbook, 2014] At what point does a biographical film turn into political advertising? For a variety of reasons, fictional politicians often seem more appealing than the ones inhabiting Washington. They’re played by charismatic actors, shot from cinematic angles, and able to passionately

Greetings everyone! Hope your 2014 was a bit healthier than mine? After recovering from a frozen shoulder (relating to a 2013 ruptured appendix), I came down with an abscess in my liver (!) that had me back at the good ol’ hospital and then home for a lengthy convalescence. This

Hey folks — it’s been a while! The podcasts have been few but my doc project, Enemies of the State, is coming along — there are revised clips on its page here covering everything from our depiction of communists to our strange fascination (and even borderline-idolatry) of serial killers! And extended features on

Hello, folks! For those not in the know, I’ve been working on a documentary about the relationship between Hollywood villainy and societal fears (working title, Enemies of the State). It now has its own page on this website (see above), where you can catch various promos and whatnot — there’s a