This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on March 22, 2007. Editor’s note: In 1993, Pioneer Press reporter Robert Loerzel was one of the first reporters on the scene of the Brown’s Chicken murders in Palatine and has followed the case closely ever since, ncluding the upcoming trial of suspected killer Juan… Continue reading On the Brown’s Chicken murders
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When the Who came to town
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on March 1, 2007. Once upon a time, a brash young rock band from England descended on Chicago’s northwest suburbs, smashing guitars and making a loud and rebellious racket. Forty years later, fans vividly remember when The Who came to town. The surviving members of… Continue reading When the Who came to town
Frida Hyvönen Q&A
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Punk Planet’s March-April 2007 issue. Frida Hyvönen didn’t hear many records when she was growing up in Robertsfors, a town of 3,000 people in the north of Sweden. Hyvönen, who was born in 1977, did hear her parents performing their own renditions of songs by Bob Dylan… Continue reading Frida Hyvönen Q&A
Play review: ‘The Adding Machine’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press on February 8, 2007. Evanston’s Next Theatre took on a daunting task when it decided to turn Elmer Rice’s 1923 expressionist play “The Adding Machine” into a musical. After Sunday’s opening performance, it’s hard to imagine “The Adding Machine” without the music. Elmer’s play was… Continue reading Play review: ‘The Adding Machine’
My Brightest Diamond Q&A
This article by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Punk Planet’s January-February 2007 issue. See Underground Bee for a longer version of this Q&A. A year ago, Shara Worden’s biggest claim to fame was singing and playing in Sufjan Stevens’ band—duties that included dressing up as a cheerleader for the Illinoise tour. Worden, a classically trained… Continue reading My Brightest Diamond Q&A
DVD review: ‘Film Noir Collection Vol. 4’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press. THE FILM NOIR CLASSIC COLLECTION VOL. 4 ***½ The 12 black-and-white crime movies in this set from Warner are fairly obscure, other than Nicholas Ray’s stirring 1948 classic, “They Live By Night,” starring Farley Granger and Cathy O’Donnell as doomed lovers on the run. Also… Continue reading DVD review: ‘Film Noir Collection Vol. 4’
DVD review: ‘Last Days’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press. LAST DAYS **½ The drug-addled rock star wandering through this film is named Blake, but he’s obviously supposed to be. Kurt Cobain. (It even says so on the DVD cover, but not in the script — probably for legal reasons.) Director Gus Van Sant has… Continue reading DVD review: ‘Last Days’
Film review: ‘Death of Mr. Lazarescu’
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press. THE DEATH OF MR. LAZARESCU **** A fictional feature that seems as real as a documentary, this Romanian film follows a poor, ailing man’s night-long odyssey through a maze of ambulances and hospitals leading to the inevitable ending foretold by the title. Along the way,… Continue reading Film review: ‘Death of Mr. Lazarescu’
DVD review: Myrna Loy & William Powell films
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press. MYRNA LOY AND WILLIAM POWELL COLLECTION **1/2 The old “Thin Man” mystery-comedies starring Myrna Loy and William Powell as debonair sleuths are the epitome of breezy old-style Hollywood entertainment. Each one feels like a visit with old friends, so it’s natural to want more. As it… Continue reading DVD review: Myrna Loy & William Powell films
DVD review: Bela Tarr films
This review by Robert Loerzel originally appeared in Pioneer Press. WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES **** Six years after it was made, this masterpiece of surrealism by iconoclastic Hungarian director Bela Tarr is finally available on DVD in the U.S., thanks to Chicago’s Facets Video. In this gorgeously filmed black-and-white epic, peculiar and menacing events happen for reasons… Continue reading DVD review: Bela Tarr films