“I love the Chicago-based movie ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ (1997), starring Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz. “It’s a romantic comedy about a woman who is in love with her best friend, and tries to sabotage his wedding to another woman so she can marry him instead. “I love this movie because it’s a romantic comedy […]

 “One of my favorite Chicago-based movies is ‘The Blues Brothers’. It’s a 1980 comedy about two brothers who are trying to raise money to save an orphanage by getting their band together to play a big show. “We had this movie on betamax in the 80s, so I grew up watching it over and over. […]

“Based on the Broadway musical “Chicago, “the story centers on “two murderesses who find themselves in jail together awaiting trial in 1920s Chicago. “I love and recommend this film because it ‘razzle-dazzles’ the audience with fantastic tunes and show-stopping performances (especially by Catherine Zeta-Jones). “See Chicago depicted in all of its scandalous glory during the […]

“A favorite film of mine is “The Prestige” (2006), directed by Christopher Nolan, and starring Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, David Bowie, and Scarlett Johansson. “This story of the rivalry between two stage magicians in the Victorian Era is full of secrets, mysteries, and plot twists. “The plot unfolds in a clever manner, and the sci-fi […]

 “I don’t often watch movies, so one summer I challenged myself to watch 100 films. I only made it to 89, but one film that really stood out was ‘Tokyo!’. “This film has three segments by three different directors. Each segment tells a distinct, uncanny story that makes you think about love, politics, and even […]

“Since it’s Halloween next week, I’m recommending ‘Candyman’ (1992), a Chicago-related horror film. “Candyman is set in the near north side of Chicago. It tells the story of an anthropologist researching an urban legend of the victim of a hate crime whose spirit continues to kill for revenge in the present day. Candyman intertwines themes […]

 “My favorite film is ‘Ikiru’ (1952), directed by Akira Kurosawa. “A typical low level government office worker finds out that he will die soon and embarks upon trying to leave something behind so that people will remember him. “I love it because Kurosawa addresses what it means to be human and live a life both […]

“One of my most favorite movies of all time is ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’ (2004), starring Kate Winslet and Jim Carey. “Joel (Carey) decides to erase his ex-girlfriend, Clementine (Winslet), from his memories after he learns that she has erased him from her own memories. The film follows Joel throughout the erasure process […]