Movies and TV

Mason (John Travolta) wants out of the robbery racket after an attempted car theft goes awry.

Movies and TV

Routine heist movie 'Cash Out' relies on Travolta's sturdy star power

At 70, the screen stalwart charms as reformed thief with a goofball brother and an inscrutable ex.

By Richard Roeper

Obituaries

Scott Craig, documentary producer who chronicled Chicago, Midwest and beyond, dies at 89

Movies and TV

Which sibling will die? It's up to them in clever psychological thriller 'Humane'

Movies and TV

Why so serious? 'The People's Joker' warps Batman tropes into wildly inventive punk parody

Movies and TV

Ultraviolent 'Boy Kills World' hits you over the head with gimmicks

MAMMA-MIA-2.jpeg. Christine Sherrill (Donna Sheridan), and the Company of MAMMA MIA! 25th Anniversary Tour
Photo by Joan Marcus

Things To Do

Things to Do in Chicago April 25-May 1: The Mix

‘Mamma Mia!’ at the Nederlander Theatre, the spring One of a Kind Show at the Mart, and the Joffrey Ballet’s “Midsummer Night’s Dream” are among some of the entertainment highlights in the week ahead.

By Mary Houlihan - For the Sun-Times

Pursued by both Art (Mike Faist, left) and Patrick (Josh O'Connor), Tashi (Zendaya) lures both into a makeout session in "Challengers."

Movies and TV

'Challengers' as sexy as a tennis movie can be

In beautiful and brutal sports drama, Zendaya portrays a coach playing sophisticated games with her two charismatic suitors.

By Richard Roeper

Naomi (Vanessa Hudgens, left) invites newcomer Julia (Lily Rabe) out to the bar in "Downtown Owl."

Movies and TV

'Downtown Owl': '80s period piece doesn't know what it wants to be

Co-director Lily Rabe stars as small-town newcomer in disjointed adaptation of Chuck Klosterman novel.

By Richard Roeper

Columnists

Watch and learn: Chicago Palestine Film Festival aims to entertain, educate

Not all participating filmmakers are of Palestinian descent, but their art reclaims and champions narratives that have been defiled by those who have a Pavlovian tendency to think terrorists — not innocent civilians — when they visualize Palestinian men, women and children.

By Rummana Hussain

Sports Saturday

Solid FX doc 'Broken Horses' offers answers on why the animals keep dying young

Evidence points to doping by unscrupulous trainers and owners.

By Richard Roeper

"Stony Island" director Andrew Davis discusses the Chicago-made film on Thursday at Ebertfest in Champaign.

Movies and TV

Ebertfest in Champaign a time for discovery and rediscovery

25th anniversary event presents ‘Star 80,’ ‘Stony Island’ and other under-the-radar movies, often hearing from the artists who made them.

By Nell Minow | For the Sun-Times

The little girl (Alisha Weir) abducted by kidnappers turns out to have an ancient vampire trapped inside her in "Abigail."

Columnists

'Abigail': When the victims aren't exploding, the vampire story is meandering

Toothy young hostage fights back in tedious gore-fest.

By Richard Roeper

Henry Cavill plays a British officer who assembles an off-the-books naval attack squad in "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare."

Movies and TV

'Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare' credits real WWII rule-breakers with some unreal adventures

Good-looking rogues take on the Nazis in Guy Ritchie’s madcap attack mission

By Richard Roeper

Stephen Colbert announces his Chicago plans on Wednesday's episode of "The Late Show."

Movies and TV

Stephen Colbert to move 'Late Show' to Chicago for Democratic convention

The CBS fixture will be based at the Auditorium Theatre from August 19 to 22.

By Darel Jevens

Blake Cameron James (left) and Gian Knight Ramirez play the boys looking out at the skyline from their Cabrini-Green homes in "We Grown Now."

Movies and TV

'We Grown Now' a lovely but haunting Chicago snapshot of two boys' lives

Lyrical film juxtaposes the innocence of 10-year-old best friends in Cabrini-Green with the real-life murder of young Dantrell Davis.

By Richard Roeper

Jesse Eisenberg never says a word while playing one of the hairy beasts in "Sasquatch Sunset."

Movies and TV

'Sasquatch Sunset' a surreal showcase for bigfoot bodily functions

In fur and makeup, Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough spend most of the movie scratching, sneezing and worse.

By Richard Roeper

Person on left points down to family photos displayed on table while two people on right look down at them as well.

La Voz Chicago

New Chicago travel show promotes neighborhood-led tourism

The program by Choose Chicago reimagines neighborhoods as prime travel destinations beyond downtown.

By Andrea Flores

An outcast teen (Vritika Gupta) goes missing in "Under the Bridge."

Movies and TV

'Under the Bridge': Heartbreaking Hulu series shows how bullies took the life of an unhappy teen

Streaming drama illustrates the victim’s anguish but also tries to explain the origins of her attackers’ violent ways.

By Richard Roeper

Hannah Gutierrez Reed. Hannah Gutierrez Reed, left, and paralegal Carmella Sisneros await sentencing in state district court in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Monday April 15, 2024.

Movies and TV

‘Rust’ armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed sentenced to 18 months in prison for fatal shooting by Alec Baldwin on set

The judge said had it not been for Gutierrez-Reed’s recklessness, cinematographer Halyna Hutchins would be alive.

By Morgan Lee | Associated Press

Music

CBS to air Billy Joel's concert again, apologizes for cutting 'Piano Man' short

Fans who tuned in were upset after the broadcast was delayed by 30 minutes due to the 2024 Masters Tournament and ultimately cut off by local news.

By USA TODAY

Michael Che shares the "Weekend Update" desk with basketball player Caitlin Clark.

Chicago Sky and WNBA

Caitlin Clark gets last laugh vs. Michael Che on 'Saturday Night Live'

The Iowa star made a surprise appearance during the show’s “Weekend Update” segment.

By Associated Press

"The Godfather" 50th Anniversary Celebration. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 22: (L-R) Eleanor Coppola and Francis Ford Coppola attend "The Godfather" 50th Anniversary Celebration at Paramount Theatre on February 22, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)

Entertainment and Culture

Eleanor Coppola, Emmy-winning filmmaker and wife of Francis Ford Coppola, dies at 87

The couple had been married for 61 years at the time of her passing.

By Associated Press

Good_Times_n_S1_E1_00_00_51_19.jpeg, The voiceover cast of the new animated Netflix series "Good Times" features Jay Pharoah as Junior (from left), Marsai Martin as Grey, Yvette Nicole Brown as Beverly, Gerald Anthony 'Slink' Johnson as Dalvin and JB Smoove as Reggie in Good Times. . Cr. COURTESY OF NETFLIX © 2024

Entertainment and Culture

'Good Times' animated revamp a far — and unsettling — cry from the landmark original series

Maybe the show’s creators pushed the envelope way too far, or maybe they are simply ahead of their time.

By Arionne Nettles

John Amos (seated) starred on "Good Times" with Ralph Carter (from left), Bern Nadette Stamis, Janet DuBois, Esther Rolle and Jimmie Walker.

Movies and TV

For 50 years, 'Good Times' has given America an unvarnished look at a Chicago family's struggles

Enduring sitcom took on poverty, unemployment and racism, as faced by a strong Black family in Cabrini-Green.

By Michael Puente | WBEZ

Obituaries

Robert MacNeil, creator and first anchor of PBS 'NewsHour,' dies at 93

MacNeil first gained prominence for his coverage of the Senate Watergate hearings for PBS and began his half-hour “Robert MacNeil Report” on PBS in 1975 with his friend Jim Lehrer as Washington correspondent.

By Associated Press