To Kill a Mockingbird (movie)

Everyone's first "Annie" should be at a venerable venue like the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, which opened for business in 1931, right when "Little Orphan Annie" mania was at its peak. The historic theater on the Fox River was built just one year after...

A couple of weeks ago at a Tribune-hosted cocktail party in the Loop, I found myself in a conversation with novelist Richard Ford. I was wearing the baseball hat I'm wearing in the photo that runs with this column, and from the corner of my eye I...

It's my final column of the year and, for that matter, the new millennium — not to mention of all time. Unless it isn't. I'm so confused. Anyhow, let's look at the highs and lows of 2012 — not that you have much choice if you're going to...

In light of Philip Roth's recent announcement of his "retirement" from writing, a scene from the 1977 movie "Julia" comes to mind. It's a delicious cinematic moment, involving as it does the deft puncturing of pomposity — always satisfying to...

Harper Lee, the 87-year-old author of "To Kill a Mockingbird," has filed suit against her literary agent over the rights to her classic novel. The suit alleges that the agent took advantage of Lee's age and infirmity when she assigned the copyright to him...

Apr 25 (TheWrap.com) - "Mud," writer-director Jeff Nichols' follow-up to "Take Shelter," might best be titled "Quicksand,"since it doesn't get bogged down until its final moments. What begins as a sweet and subtle coming-of-age story, told with quiet...

Now offering its fifth production since opening in the 2011-2012 season, Compass Rose Theater seems comfortably rooted in its strip-mall Eastport Shopping Center location. The cozy storefront lends an offbeat charm to the company's current offering,...

Maybe there really are supernatural forces at work in this world. How else to explain "Beautiful Creatures"? The movie is an intriguing, intelligent enigma — three words not typically associated with teen romances. A couple of unknown...

Who has published more novels: Harper Lee or Snooki, of MTV's at-long-last-finished "Jersey Shore"? Writing under her full name, Nicole Polizzi, Snooki has published as many novels ("A Shore Thing" and "Gorilla Beach") as she's reportedly read ("Dear...

Indie staple Paul Dano ("Ruby Sparks," "There Will Be Blood") has been tapped to play a young Brian Wilson in a new film titled "Love and Mercy." The actor will collaborate on the production -- which is scheduled to begin in early summer -- with an...

In this new year, we're enjoying memories from last year's highlights on Anne Arundel's theater scene — and looking forward to encore performances in 2013. In 2012, residents were treated to stellar performances in drama, comedy and dance, along...

Universal Pictures has been celebrating its century-long milestone all year, and as that period nears its end, the studio releases a mammoth collection of many of the top films that mark its history thus far. The titles range from "All Quiet on the...