Nina Metz

Nina Metz is a Chicago Tribune critic who covers TV and film. Before joining the Tribune she was a freelance writer and theater critic. She also worked as a news radio producer in Chicago and New Orleans.

From left: Sara Sevigny (Gabby) and Jennifer Estlin (Brenda) star as estranged childhood friends who reunited in the indie film "Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois." (Julia Hunter)

In an indie comedy about estranged friends, reuniting in rural Illinois takes center stage

January 27, 2026 at 10:51 a.m.

In the comedy “Everything Fun You Could Possibly Do in Aledo, Illinois,” estranged childhood friends reunite in middle age

Visitors at the Morton Arboretum’s Chocolate Weekend can sample and purchase chocolate treats and chocolate-inspired goods while learning about the world of chocolate through presentations by chocolatiers and cacao experts. (The Morton Arboretum)

Chocolate Weekend at Morton Arboretum has everything you wanted to know — and taste — about cacao

January 23, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

The 15th annual expo in Lisle features chocolate products as well as information on flavor, texture, culture and controversies.

Storyteller Antonio Pizarro performs at a Moth StorySLAM at The Den Theatre Monday Jan. 12, 2026 in Chicago. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)

Live storytelling: Standing at a microphone telling a story can be a very personal kind of theater

January 16, 2026 at 5:30 a.m.

A night at the theater tends to mean a play. But storytelling events, more low-key and informal, are theater as well.

A baby enjoys the Australian version of "RAIN: for babies and their carers." (ArtPlay)

Theater’s newest audience: Babies

January 1, 2026 at 1:44 p.m.

Chicago's Filament Theatre has created a sensory performance installation for babies.

Ralph Fiennes stars in "28 Years Later: The Bone Collector." (Columbia Pictures)

Movies for winter 2026: Post-apocalyptic thrillers, crime stories and gothic romance

December 30, 2025 at 2:08 p.m.

The new year kicks off with director Nia DeCosta's "28 Years Later: The Bone Temple" and Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in "The Rip."

Nicole Kidman plays Kay Scarpetta in "Scarpetta." (Connie Chornuk/Amazon)

TV for winter 2026: A new ‘Game of Thrones’ spinoff, ‘Bridgerton’ returns and Nicole Kidman leads a new series

December 30, 2025 at 5:30 a.m.

Our picks for the new TV season include some rehashed titles you already know ("Scrubs"!), as well as some promising new series and shows worth seeking out.

Fareed Haque, left, and Wanees Zarour, co-directors of the Chicago Immigrant Orchestra, play music while they select the songs for their upcoming concert as they sit in Zarour’s studio in West Town, Dec. 4, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

The Chicago Immigrant Orchestra is defiant in the wake of recent raids

December 16, 2025 at 9:55 a.m.

“We either act defiant and strong and make our voices heard, or we go into hiding. And we’re not going to go hide."

Geoffrey Baer hosts the special "Chicago Works" on WTTW. (Liz Farina Markel/WTTW)

Column: WTTW’s Geoffrey Baer takes a look at Chicagoans at work

December 9, 2025 at 12:36 p.m.

"Chicago Works" tackles a good variety of professions, from city employees on rat patrol to Metra train engineers

A promotion for the movie "Oppenheimer" in 70 mm format is displayed on the marquee at the Music Box Theatre on July 29, 2023, in Chicago.

While movie theaters struggle, Chicago’s historic Music Box is adding a third screen

December 2, 2025 at 1:46 p.m.

The Music Box Theatre is adding a third 100-seat theater and expanding to Minneapolis as the new owner of the Heights Theater.

Kristen Lopez is a film critic and author of “Popcorn Disabilities: The Highs and Lows of Disabled Representation in the Movies." (Bloomsbury Academic)

‘Popcorn Disabilities’ author Kristen Lopez looks at disability portrayals in movies

December 1, 2025 at 6:00 a.m.

If movies can shape perceptions, Hollywood has done its fare share of creating misperceptions around disability.

All Stories