film critic

Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune

Michael Phillips, a film critic for the Chicago Tribune, previously was the theater critic for the Pioneer Press. He also wrote for the Los Angeles Times.

A mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts, in “Thanksgiving.” (Pief Weyman/Sony Pictures/TNS)

Review: ‘Thanksgiving’ is Eli Roth’s grotesque holiday slasher film with a surprisingly good premise

November 17, 2023 at 1:09 p.m.

It’s predictably gory but, at its best, unpredictably nimble. In a career pockmarked by lows, Roth’s latest stands out as a zesty example of holiday stress in extremis.

Tom Blyth, left, and Rachel Zegler in “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.” (Murray Close/Lionsgate/TNS)

Review: ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ is a prequel for pre-sold fans only

November 15, 2023 at 1:04 p.m.

Like its title, the film takes its sweet time getting where it’s going, writes critic Michael Philips.

Javier Bardem, left, and Jennifer Lawrence star in director Darren Aronofsky’s “Mother!,” one of 22 films to receive a CinemaScore exit poll grade of F. (Protozoa Pictures/Zuma Press/TNS)

What it takes for a movie to get a rare ‘F’ CinemaScore — and why it’s a badge of honor

November 3, 2023 at 12:49 p.m.

CinemaScore, the movie theater exit-polling operation, has measured audiences’ opening-night reactions to new films since 1978, gradually gaining in influence and popularity.

Lily Gladstone, left, and Leonardo DiCaprio in “Killers of the Flower Moon.” (Melinda Sue Gordon/Apple TV+/TNS)

Fall movie preview 2023: Our 10 titles from a Hollywood season subject to change

August 31, 2023 at 10:36 a.m.

In the annals of fall movie previews, never has the phrase “dates subject to change” felt quite so obvious, or so fraught.

“Burn it Down” author Maureen Ryan outside her west suburban home on May 30, 2023. (Shanna Madison/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

‘Burn It Down’ author Maureen Ryan has a suggestion for the Hollywood power structure. It’s right there in the title.

June 9, 2023 at 1:03 p.m.

Burn It Down: Power, Complicity and a Call for Change in Hollywood” canvases dozens of sources and interview subjects, drawing together stories of bullying, humiliating, rage-aholic producers.

From left, Virginie Efira, Callie Ferreira-Goncalves and Roschdy Zem in “Other People’s Children.” (Music Box Films/TNS)

‘Other People’s Children’ review: The delicate art of blending a family, French style

May 3, 2023 at 12:35 p.m.

“Other People’s Children” treats its adults like adults, and the story’s central child like a human being, not a plot device. Those factors alone make it an exception to the...

From left, Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Ever Anderson as Wendy, Joshua Pickering as John Darling and Jacobi Jupe as Michael Darling in Disney’s live-action “Peter Pan & Wendy,” exclusively on Disney+. (Disney Enterprises, Inc./TNS)

‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ review: A real-live adventure this time from Disney’s recycling bin

April 29, 2023 at 6:33 a.m.

You could say “Peter Pan & Wendy,” the latest voyage to the Disney+ recycling bin, is an unexpectedly strong movie. But it’s not unexpected, so really, you shouldn’t call it...

David Jonsson, left, and Vivian Oparah in “Rye Lane.” (BBC Films/Zuma Press/TNS)

Review: ‘Rye Lane’ on Hulu is a rom-com with spark, and actual romance

March 31, 2023 at 2:38 p.m.

"Rye Lane" is a bright, vivid and swift (77 minutes) movie that celebrates Black romantic adventure.

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