‘Dandelion’ Review: KiKi Layne is Electric in Wilted Story of a Musician’s Journey | Chicago Critics Film Festival
Most actors count themselves lucky to land a leading role. In the case of Dandelion, the new film from writer-director Nicole Riegel, the movie is... Read More
Cody Dericks
Cody Dericks has been obsessed with movies and awards ever since he first grabbed a giant coffee table book about the Oscars at the Scholastic Book Fair. He’s been consuming every type of film ever since. In addition, he’s an avid theatre lover and always has thoughts and opinions on all things to do with Broadway and the Tony Awards.
He currently resides in Chicago and is a proud member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. He also writes and podcasts for Next Best Picture and co-hosts his own podcast “Halloweeners: A Horror Movie Podcast.” You can follow him on Twitter, Letterboxd, and Bluesky @codymonster91
‘Oddity’ Review: Damian Mc Carthy’s Mannequin Horror is Anything But Wooden | Chicago Critics Film Festival
Films that rely on jump scares are a controversial topic amongst horror fans. Some prefer them over the kinds of mood-based, slow paced “elevated” horror... Read More
Interview: Vera Drew on the Long-Delayed Release and Surprising Healing Power of Her Feature Directorial Debut ‘The People’s Joker’
“I didn’t know what a director was, but I knew I wanted to be it.” Many film lovers first heard of The People’s Joker after... Read More
‘The People’s Joker’ Review: Vera Drew’s Transgressively Creative Caricature Finds New Angles on the Crazed Clown
After seeing three different live-action depictions of the Clown Prince of Crime in the past 16 years – including two which won acting Oscars –... Read More
‘Late Night with the Devil’ Review: David Dastmalchian is a Fiendish Leading Man in Gory Horror Mock Doc
David Dastmalchian is the very face of the modern character actor. With nearly 100 credits to his name,, it’s inevitable that you’ve seen him in... Read More
‘Mean Girls’ Review: Reneé Rapp Shines but this Plastic is not Fantastic
“What’s wrong with me?” sings Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood) about 30 minutes into Mean Girls, the new film adaptation of the stage musical, which is... Read More
We Wish You a Scary Christmas: 12 Christmas Horror Movies to Watch This Holiday Season
For horror fans, the most wonderful time of the year came and went about two months ago. But just because “comfort and joy” has replaced... Read More
Return to Panem: Ranking All ‘Hunger Games’ Films
Although it burned fast and bright between 2012 and 2015, The Hunger Games film series was hugely impactful. Not only did it usher in a... Read More
‘Jay Kelly,’ ‘Hamnet,’ ‘Pluribus,’ ‘Task’ and More on AFI’s Top 10 Films and Television of 2025 Lists 
‘Frankenstein’ to Receive Visionary Honor from Palm Springs International Film Awards 
Robert Yeoman to be Honored with American Society of Cinematographers’ Lifetime Achievement Award 
National Board of Review: ‘One Battle After Another’ Tops in Film, Director, Actor, Supporting Actor; Netflix Lands Four in Top 10