The Young Folks Tribute to John Hurt

Our hearts are saddened by the loss of another great actor. John Hurt had an enormously varied career, from his iconic (and horrifying) scene in Alien to his incredible turn as wandmaker Ollivander in the Harry Potter series. A sublime actor who…

Slamdance ’17 Movie Review: Kuro

Joji Koyama and Tujiko Noriko’s Kuro isn’t just a movie; it’s a mystery, a mood, an intangible atmosphere of alien dread and ethereal beauty. You don’t just watch it; you give yourself over to it so it can infect your…

TYF’s Best Films of 2016

Yesterday you got to see the outcome of our polled best films of 2016. Today, check out below our staffs individual lists for the best films of 2016. We’re all across the spectrum here, from Deadpool to Toni Erdmann and each individual list is…

The Young Folks’ Top 15 Movies of 2016

In the footsteps of the Top 50 Albums of the year post by Music Editor Ryan Gibbs, we’ve followed up with the Top 15 Movies of 2016 list. A diverse and eclectic year in film, it would seem that the…

Chicago Independent Film Critics announce 2016 CIFCC nominations

The Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (which TYF critics Jon Espino, Jim Alexander and I are members of) announced the nominations for the CIFCC Awards today. Leading the pack is Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight with eight nominations and nabbing seven nods…

Movie Review: Jackie

 Some may walk away from the Pablo Larrain’s glorious Jackie believing that Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Jackie Kennedy verges on the line of imitation, but maybe that’s the point. Jackie Kennedy was very much an actress of her own right, constructing…

Natalie Portman’s 5 Best Performances

Natalie Portman’s film career, starting at the age of 12 when she starred in Luc Besson’s Léon: The Professional, is replete with multifarious ups and downs—mostly ups. The actress has such an impressive array of great performances—2 of them nabbing…