I regret reading in last Sunday’s Tribune (“Tribune’s film critic Michael Phillips says so long for now”) that readers will no longer have access to Michael Phillips’ informed movie reviews.
No matter what part of the paper I skipped over, I always read Phillips. His April review of Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” was nothing short of brilliant. How well he understood the many facets of that challenging film.
I can only hope some other Chicago publication will take advantage of his availability, and I can again read his reviews, full of knowledge and sensitivity to film.
— Patricia Groh, Wilmette
Goodbye to Phillips
So long, Michael Phillips.
I hate what is happening to journalism. I have enjoyed Phillips’ column for years and will miss the education and insights he provided. I love films and very much regret his leaving what is left of the Tribune. So few experts, so many neophytes.
Rest assured that he will be missed and sought out in other venues of communication. In his last column, he quotes from Irving Berlin’s “No Strings,” but he isn’t an “unwritten melody” — he will continue like an “unchained melody” from “Ghost.”
He is free to do more great stuff. One door may close, but another … you know the rest of that.
For now, I hope he checks out all the doors and the windows.
Good luck to Phillips and thanks!
— Fran Orchard, Naperville
Loss of critical voices
Last Sunday’s A&E section included two very dispiriting articles for those who love the arts. The elimination of the position of film critic (“Tribune’s film critic Michael Phillips says so long for now”) and the decision of The Associated Press to end weekly book reviews (“Why The Associated Press is ending weekly book reviews”) send the clear message that thoughtful critique of the arts will now be shelved.
As Phillips notes, critical voices can “make your own perceptions a little sharper, your interest in something you’ve seen—and something you may see tomorrow night—a little keener.” The elimination of critical voices to analyze film and art is particularly troubling in a time when, as Clarence Page notes the same day (“Don’t know much about history? That’s OK with Trump”), the administration in Washington is manipulating museums to allow only one interpretation of history and art: its way. Art critics challenge us to see deeper meaning in what surrounds us at a time when the party in control is trying to coerce everyone to think as they do.
Amy Irwin McCormick, wife of Col. Robert R. McCormick, founder of the Tribune, was both an artist and an art patron. I suspect she and her husband would be dismayed to see their newspaper succumb to this cultural impoverishment.
— Clara Orban, Chicago
Film critic’s legacy
It was very difficult to read of the film critic position’s termination due to “newsroom reorganization.” For many years, I enjoyed reading Michael Phillips’ film reviews. They showed genuine wit, cleverness and love of film and of the people who make them. A particular favorite was the review of “Godzilla vs. Kong” with the review titled “When Hairy Met Scaly.”
Phillips made the Friday newspaper special; I looked forward to that day’s paper because of his reviews. It will be very different not having those each week. He made a genuine contribution to the paper, and for those of us who love the Tribune and films, and he will leave a genuine legacy from that and will have an equally strong impact in his future endeavors.
— Mandy May, Skokie
Tribune personality
I am stunned that the Tribune has eliminated the position of film critic. It is a big mistake. I was considering upgrading my subscription from three days to seven, but now I definitely won’t do that. The reviews are what I am most interested in when I read the paper. I hear the headlines on TV or read them when I open my computer.
Everyone loves at least some films. The news is depressing, and now the Tribune is ignoring what is, for those who are not sports fans, their leading form of entertainment.
Columnists give the newspaper the personality computers lack. You feel as if you know the people who write them, such as Michael Phillips.
— Joyce Porter, president, Oak Park Film Festival
Chicago’s challenges
In the editorial “Opposing Mayor Brandon Johnson’s tax-increase ideas is not a criminal act” (Aug. 14), the Tribune Editorial Board promotes a dangerous mindset: that Chicago is trapped by its legacy of corruption and that trusting local government rarely leads to good outcomes.
Nobody denies the blatant abuses in scandals such as Operations Greylord, Silver Shovel and Safe Road, or that we must guard against future malfeasance, including ensuring unions’ interests don’t outweigh Chicagoans’ at the bargaining table.
However, I believe Chicagoans are willing to place more trust in their local government than the editorial board assumes. For instance, according to City Bureau, the 2020 Illinois fair tax amendment was supported by 71% of Chicago residents, who believe the rich should pay their fair share.
Additionally, the Bring Chicago Home referendum just barely failed (47.7% voted yes) in the March 2024 primary election with only about 20% turnout; it was hurt by confusing ballot language, legal disputes and the lack of a specific spending plan.
In less than two years during the next mayoral election, voters can judge Mayor Brandon Johnson’s financial stewardship, far sooner than a new tax structure could be implemented and any mayor could program new revenue.
In the meantime, according to U.S. census data, 16.8% of Chicagoans were living in poverty in 2023. The Chicago Coalition to End Homelessness found 76,375 Chicagoans experienced homelessness in 2022. And, according to the Greater Chicago Food Depository, 1 in 5 Chicago households are experiencing food insecurity.
With these needs, it is hard not to agree with city Chief Financial Officer Jill Jaworski that Chicago’s multimillionaire and billionaire class is getting away scot-free with what it pays in taxes.
Nor should we fear a mass exodus of wealth. Stanford researchers Cristobal Young and Charles Varner found that after New Jersey raised its top tax rate by 2.6 percentage points in 2004, the state’s wealthiest residents did not leave the state in large numbers.
Chicago’s challenges won’t solve themselves. Meeting them requires both vigilant reformers in City Hall and fair contributions from those who have benefited most from the city’s success.
— Jeff Swirenski, Chicago
Expansive ambition
Regarding “I walked the length of Chicago and discovered we can knit our city together, step by step” (Aug. 24): Op-ed writer Michael McColly, who says he has walked the length, and hopefully the breadth, of Chicago, declares that “we can knit our city together, step by step.” No doubt it’s possible. Provided that the resources for doing so everywhere materialize. Which is a noble and expansive ambition. Quite a challenge.
Enablers, please respond accordingly.
— Ted Z. Manuel, Chicago
City ‘founding father’
Once Europeans arrived, with their preference for permanent buildings and the desire to dig a canal through the Chicago Portage, Chicago was inevitable.
Jean Baptiste Point DuSable founded a trading settlement, not a city. The Native Americans who’d found and used the portage here for a very long time previously had no need or desire to have a village near the mouth of the river. DuSable lived here for about 20 years; he left before the boom.
The only reason some people call DuSable the “founding father” of Chicago is that he had African ancestry.
— Jean SmilingCoyote, Chicago
Misleading description
In an Aug. 24 article about Adam Toledo’s family challenging former Chicago police Eric Officer Stillman’s increase in disability payments, Sam Charles writes that “Toledo could be seen tossing a gun and raising his hands in the moments before Stillman fired the fatal round.”
I believe it was a fraction of a second, not moments.
— Dan O’Shea, Midlothian
Teachers’ concerns
With the arrival of Labor Day, it’s worth remembering what organized labor has given this country. In the late 19th century, workers organized against dangerous conditions, long hours and low pay. Despite fierce opposition, unions secured protections we now take for granted:
- The 8-hour workday and weekends.
- Safer workplaces.
- Paid vacation, sick leave and holidays.
In fact, the Labor Day holiday exists because of unions.
The editorial “The threat of a teachers strike in Naperville schools” (Aug. 25) claims that “government unions negotiate against the people they serve” and that “regular people typically lose out” when strikes occur. But teacher unions are made up of those very “regular people.” We live here, pay taxes here and send our children to these schools. Teachers are not outsiders; we are your neighbors.
The Tribune Editorial Board suggests that “most teachers” don’t want a strike. That’s true. No teacher wants to strike. No one enters education for a big paycheck. Strikes are rare — a little over 60 in Illinois over the last 15 years. They are not about greed but about protecting students and school communities.
