For Chicago Magazine

Steve Johnson

Vocalist/guitarist Lili Trifilio leads Beach Bunny at Metro in Chicago on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2020. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Where are those promised federal relief funds, music venue and theater operators wonder?

February 23, 2021 at 10:26 a.m.

When the Shuttered Venue Operators relief package became law at the end of 2020, arts industry business owners saw it as a long-delayed means of survival: $15 billion in grants...

Dr. Mike Adkesson, Chicago Zoological Society Vice President of Clinical Medicine, meets with the Janney Family, Zeki and his parents Eathan {ok} and Christi before Layla the Rhino comes out for her Birthday celebration. Dr Mike and Zeki show each other their stethoscopes Saturday, October 17, 2020 in Brookfield, IL. (Steve Johnston / Pioneer Press)

Brookfield, Lincoln Park zoos prepare to reopen in March

May 22, 2026 at 7:59 p.m.

After two months of voluntary hibernation, Chicago's major zoos have announced their reopening plans for early next month. The short version: It'll be pretty much the same procedure it was...

At the Art Institute, Bisa Butler’s quilted portraits depict Black figures in a new light

May 22, 2026 at 7:59 p.m.

Getting "Bisa Butler: Portraits" before the public has been a struggle against COVID-19 from the start. Days before the exhibition of the artist's extraordinary and ebullient quilted portraits of African...

Chicago History Museum names native Chicagoan Donald Lassere its new CEO

May 22, 2026 at 7:59 p.m.

Donald Lassere, a Chicago native and the current head of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, will be the Chicago History Museum's next president and CEO. The North Side museum...

Art Institute reopens with its own Van Goghs plus Monet, Bisa Butler exhibitions

May 22, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

The Van Goghs at the Art Institute might not be, strictly speaking, "immersive." But the encyclopedic art museum on Michigan Avenue — which reopened Thursday, the same day the light...

Even with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan front and center, little in the trailer of "The Dig" seemed particularly promising, but I gave it a go and it's good. Some of it's true, too: Along the east coast of Britain in 1939, with war clouds looming, self-taught Suffolk archeologist Basil Brown was hired by ailing widow Edith Pretty to discover if anything of value lay beneath the earth mounds on her property. There was indeed, and the remains and artifacts of a sixth-century Anglo-Saxon burial ship stunned the world. Fiennes is Basil; Mulligan is Edith; around the halfway point of director Simon Stone's film, the focus (for better or worse) shifts to others in the orbit of the excavation effort, particularly characters played by Lily James and Johnny Flynn. Based on the 2007 novel by John Preston, "The Dig" freely mixes fact and invention, overloading the crises a bit but generally succeeding. A fair amount of screenwriter Moira Buffini's dialogue plays out as Terrence Malick-styled voiceover, while the camera focuses on the stark beauty of the surroundings, and men and women actually doing the work. The results are trim, well-made and quite moving. So much for my prejudgments. (Netflix) — Michael Phillips

What we’re watching: From Chicago story ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ to HBO Max’s ‘Search Party’

February 16, 2021 at 9:46 a.m.

Wondering what to watch? Check out our weekly film and TV recommendations. We want to know what you're streaming, too. Click here to share your picks with us. "Judas and...

The "Immersive Van Gogh" exhibit is previewed on Feb. 9, 2021.

Review: Trippy ‘Immersive Van Gogh’ exhibit surrounds viewers with the artist’s vibrant imagery

May 22, 2026 at 8:00 p.m.

When Vincent Van Gogh cut off his left ear with a razor as part of a general mental health decline in his final years, one of the things he was...

This photo provided by Bud Light shows a scene from Bud Light 2021 Super Bowl NFL football spot. (Bud Light via AP)

5 best, 5 worst Super Bowl commercials of 2021

February 8, 2021 at 8:32 a.m.

It's always hard to stand out in the Super Bowl advertising derby. Companies want to impress viewers and make a splash, but they also don't want to flat out blow...

All the 2021 Super Bowl commercials, ranked

February 7, 2021 at 9:57 p.m.

After a year in which advertisers struggled to cope with the new realities imposed by the pandemic, this year's Super Bowl spots mostly set all that tough news aside. Life,...

Even with Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan front and center, little in the trailer of "The Dig" seemed particularly promising,? I gave it a go and it's good. Some of it's true, too: Along the east coast of Britain in 1939, with war clouds looming, self-taught Suffolk archeologist Basil Brown was hired by ailing widow Edith Pretty to discover if anything of value lay beneath the earth mounds on her property. There was indeed, and the remains and artifacts of a sixth-century Anglo-Saxon burial ship stunned the world. Fiennes is Basil; Mulligan is Edith; around the halfway point of director Simon Stone's film, the focus (for better or worse) shifts to others in the orbit of the excavation effort, particularly characters played by Lily James and Johnny Flynn. Based on the 2007 novel by John Preston, "The Dig" freely mixes fact and invention, overloading the crises a bit but generally succeeding. A fair amount of screenwriter Moira Buffini's dialogue plays out as Terrence Malick-styled voiceover, while the camera focuses on the stark beauty of the surroundings, and men and women actually doing the work. The results are trim, well-made and quite moving. So much for my prejudgments. (Netflix) — Michael Phillips

What we’re watching: From ‘The Dig’ on Netflix to Aaron Rodgers hosting ‘Jeopardy!’, including reader recommendations

February 11, 2021 at 12:39 p.m.

Wondering what to watch this week? Check out our weekly film and TV recommendations. We want to know what you're streaming, too. Click here to share your picks with us....

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