Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio — featuring three new films — beginning Tuesday October 27, 2 pm ET, available by clicking here. You can also catch it later on demand on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Podchaser, Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict and Jiosaavn ...

I’m pleased to announce that I have been selected to be part of the press corps for the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival. This is the second consecutive year in which I have been approved to cover the event. As in past years, I have an ambitious screening schedule ahead of me, so, if you’re in or will be visiting Chicago October 14-25, look for me at the festival’s primary screening venue, the AMC New City 14 Theaters. Look for my reviews during the event on the Quick Cuts page of my web site, with a full recap after the event. Hope to see you there! ...

Tune in for the latest Cinema Scribe segment on Bring Me 2 Life Radio, beginning Tuesday October 13, 2 pm ET, available by clicking here. You can also catch it later on demand on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Castbox, Podchaser, Audible, Deezer, Podcast Addict and Jiosaavn ...

Reviews of “Late Fame,” “American Doctor” and “The Marching Band,” along with a film festival wrap-up and preview, are all in the latest Movies with Meaning post on the web site of The Good Radio Network, available by clicking here ...

“The Marching Band” (“En Fanfare”) (2024 production/2026 release) (France). Cast: Benjamin Lavernhe, Pierre Lottin, Sarah Suco, Mathilde Courcol-Rozès, Johnny Montreuil, Clémence Massart, Ludmila Mikaël, Antonin Lartaud. Director: Emmanuel Courcol. Screenplay: Emmanuel Courcol, Irène Muscari, Oriane Bonduel, Marianne Tomersy and Khalad Amara. Web site. Trailer. Fostering brotherly love isn’t always easy, especially when siblings are different from one another or, even more fundamentally, when they are unaware of one another’s very existence. But sometimes circumstances arise that break down these barriers and open up a new set of dynamics, providing an opportunity to put these conditions to the test to see what they might yield. Such is the case with two siblings long unknown to one another who are unexpectedly drawn together in a crisis in the heartwarming French comedy-drama, “The Marching Band” (“En Fanfare”). When famed orchestral conductor Thibaut Desormeaux (Benjamin Lavernhe) collapses during rehearsal, everyone is naturally concerned. After all, that’s not the sort of thing that’s supposed to happen to a seemingly healthy man in his thirties. But he soon learns that he has leukemia and requires a bone marrow transplant, a procedure in which the necessary donation material must come from someone who is a compatible match, ...

The 44th annual edition of Chicago’s Reeling International LGBTQ+ Film Festival is now in the books, having featured an array of narrative, documentary and short films. The festival’s lineup was a big improvement over 2025, bringing in a slate of better programing compared to last year. In all, I managed to catch 13 films during the festival’s 11-day run, nine of which I rated good to excellent. So, with that said, here’s my take on what I watched and what I thought. Enjoy! “Montreal, My Beautiful” (“Montréal, ma belle”) (Canada) (5/5); Letterboxd (4.5/5), Imdb.com (9/10), TMDB.com (9/10), Imdb.com critics review; Web site, Trailer Being trapped in a bad marriage or relationship is one of the worst scenarios that anyone can endure, no matter what one’s sexual orientation might be. Just ask Feng Xia (a.k.a. Ping) (Joan Chen), a middle-aged immigrant from China who resettled with her overbearing, inconsiderate husband, Wang Jun (John Xu), in Montreal 14 years earlier. As a prototypical subservient housewife, she tends to the household, cares for their two children and helps run her husband’s convenience store. She also struggles to cope with Wang Jun’s career dissatisfaction, having once served as a road construction engineer back in ...