Recent content from Chris Hewitt
'The Lost Tomb' may be the true crime book you've been waiting for
NONFICTION: Murder, cannibalism and lost civilizations are subjects in Douglas Preston's collection.
Review: If you're looking for something old and new in animation, here's your 'Wish'
The Disney movie is a contemporary fairy tale with great songs.
Review: Trip to 'Saltburn' is chaotic, confusing
Barry Keoghan's enigmatic performance is electrifying.
Review: Bradley Cooper's 'Maestro' is a bold movie about a man for whom music came first
Composer/conductor Leonard Bernstein is the subject of the unconventional biopic.
40 great books to get you — or someone on your gift list — through the winter
Do the folks on your holiday list want something to read? Of course, they do! We recommend 40 books that will thrill you, warm your heart, make you laugh and maybe change the way you see the world.
Record a heart-to-heart chat this Thanksgiving and be a part of history
StoryCorps's Great Thanksgiving Listen wants to add your story to its national oral history.
Review: Rachel Zegler stuns in 'Hunger Games' prequel — too bad she's not the star
The "West Side Story" star sings, romances and kills in "Songbirds & Snakes."
Barbra Streisand's 900-page memoir offers family drama, career analysis and score-settling
NONFICTION: The 3-pound book is a must-read for fans.
Jim Brandenburg documentary explores 'secrets' from a forest that makes beautiful music
The film, which blends art and nature, runs at the Bell Museum through Feb. 16, 2024.
An exciting new novelist falters at the end of dazzling 'Naturals'
FICTION: Gabriel Bump's second novel proves again that he is a writer to watch.
An undercover agent chomps down on alligator poaching in true crime 'Gator Country'
NONFICTION: He spent a year spying on farmers who swiped gators and gator eggs.
Da'Vine Joy Randolph is an Oscar frontrunner for 'The Holdovers'
She joins Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa in the bittersweet, 1970-set film.
Around Hennepin County in 41 libraries: What one couple found on a 'tour de library'
What they discovered — from fine art and spectacular views to Arabic DVDs — surprised them.
C'mon, 'Get Happy' at free movie/reading with writers of Judy Garland book
In addition to the discussion, the musical "Summer Stock" will be screened.
Review: Don't expect to learn much about the title character in 'Priscilla'
Newcomer Cailee Spaeny is intriguing as Priscilla Presley but the script doesn't give her much to work with.
Review: Memoirist should look closer at herself in 'Call You When I Land'
NONFICTION: Nikki Vargas' travel writing is invigorating, but her memoir has some lapses.
Three books reckon with lynching, including Mamie Till's and the new 'In the Pines'
NONFICTION: Books about lynching grapple with family legacies and world-changing choices.
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Five Twin Cities writers talk about children's literature, banning books and barriers for BIPOC writers
Thursday's event is free, but registration is required.
Review: 'The Killer' is a killer of a thriller
Michael Fassbender stars as a hitman who screws up a job, then must pick up the pieces.
Review: No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency detects again in 'Far and Lovely Country'
FICTION: Agency gets additional help in the latest mystery.
Who is Minnesota's favorite writer? These are our readers' top picks
The results are unofficial, but this we know: Minnesotans love Louise Erdrich.
6 things to look for at this year's Twin Cities Film Festival
Filmmakers to watch highlight the annual event at Showplace Icon in St. Louis Park.
Review: 'Killers of the Flower Moon' is a solemn epic and a twisted romance
Martin Scorsese's movie rejiggers the telling of the true story in a way that makes good sense.
She's hot, she's sexy, she's dead. What Jane Austen is up to now
From Curtis Sittenfeld to Stephanie Barron, contemporary writers keep coming up with new spins on an old fave.
Minneapolis firefighter talks inequality, toxic masculinity and what firefighters really do
Capt. Jeremy Norton's new book "Trauma Sponges" is an attempt to encourage conversations about health care and injustice.
Review: Taylor Swift's 'Eras Tour' movie (our critics' version)
Our music critic and film critic discuss how great — and disappointing — her mega-concert film is.
Looking forward to the 'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' movie? Here's what to expect.
The biggest tour ever is likely to become the biggest concert film ever.
Sly Stone does not come across as 'Everyday People' in his frustrating autobiography
NONFICTION: "Thank You" is best when it discusses classic songs such as "Family Affair" and "Dance to the Music."
I refused to review the new John Grisham. (It's that bad.) Read 'Stolen Coast' instead.
FICTION: The sequel to "The Firm, "The Exchange," isn't even a legal thriller.
Twin Cities Book Festival includes Kate DiCamillo, Keith Ellison, many more
The daylong celebration of books is at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Review: Don't expect to be frightened by 'The Exorcist: Believer'
Ellen Burstyn returns for the sequel, but the scares do not.
Small-time thugs and big-time crooks hole up at a Minnesota lake in 'America Fantastica'
FICTION: Tim O'Brien's latest is a crime romp that recalls Carl Hiaasen.
Beloved Minneapolis writer Kate DiCamillo launches yet another winning series
The fairy tale is about five puppets who exert a powerful pull on the people who possess them.
Review: Outstanding 'The Creator' comes out of nowhere to kick off the fall movie season
John David Washington stars as a grieving soldier who befriends a robot.
When a killer stalks 'Bright Young Women,' why do their stories get lost?
FICTION: Jessica Knoll's novel, inspired by Ted Bundy's crimes, puts the women at its center.
Review: Scary new book is a sequel to Shirley Jackson's 1959 'The Haunting of Hill House'
FICTION: Elizabeth Hand's "A Haunting on the Hill" keeps the scares coming in a creepy, deserted mansion.
If Sinclair Lewis isn't the best Minnesota author, who is?
Inspired by a new list, we're curious about your favorites. Louise Erdrich? Kate DiCamillo? Marcie Rendon?
Twin Cities Film Fest features Alexander Payne's 'Holdovers' and made-in-Minnesota 'Downtown Owl'
The 14th annual festival takes place in St. Louis Park.
Benjamin Percy and Nathan Hill talk books, Minnesota
They're debuting novels "The Sky Vault" and "Wellness."
Talking Volumes author Ann Patchett on Kate DiCamillo, 'Cats' and the novel that went disastrously wrong
The best-selling author says all her books are about the same thing.
Could you be Minneapolis' first poet laureate?
Now hiring: The city and the Loft are searching for an advocate for poetry.
7 shocking books about real-life fires — in Hinckley, Minn., Chicago and Montana
NONFICTION: Scott W. Berg's "The Burning of the World," about the Great Chicago Fire, joins an exceptional list.
'Of Time and Turtles' has lots to teach us about compassion and nature
NONFICTION: Sy Montgomery's tale of turtle rescues is a cousin to her "The Soul of an Octopus."
Hollywood is a bit up in the air but there's a movie series for everyone
From erotic shorts to "Singin' in the Rain," Twin Cities movie festivals have you covered.
10 movies we're most excited for this fall
Get ready for a scary, funny, Oscar-nominee-packed autumn at the multiplex.
Murder-solving octogenarians solve crimes in 'The Last Devil to Die'
FICTION: Richard Osman's "Thursday Murder Club" series keeps getting better.
Review: 'A Haunting in Venice' takes the Christie out of an Agatha Christie mystery
The setting and main character are compelling but the clues don't add up.
Want a great fall read? Check out 'North Woods'
FICTION: Daniel Mason's book is a playful, inventive history of a Massachusetts house.
Minneapolis mystery author uses humor to counter the brutality in her books
Jess Lourey's latest thriller is "The Taken Ones."
Review: In 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3,' the gang travels to the source of their humor
Nia Vardalos again wrote and stars in the family comedy.
Review: 'Pockets,' a new book, reveals gender, class and control issues in the simple receptacle
NONFICTION: Plenty of illustrations help tell the story.
Rachael Leigh Cook and 'Mallrats' stars on tap for Twin Cities Con
The annual fan fest in November is a chance to get autographs and buy tons of merch.
Review: 'Secret Hours' delivers more spy games and wisecracks from 'Slow Horses' writer
FICTION: Mick Herron's latest is suspenseful and packed with juicy insults.
Former Minneapolis cop writes candidly about George Floyd, police racism and championship football
The memoir, "Twin Cities," covers a lot of ground.
Former Star Tribune books editor Laurie Hertzel wins award
The prize, also given to Lauren Stringer, honors contributions to children's literature.
Opening night? Closing? Theater artists break down the best time to see a play.
It will depend on whether you like the energy of newness or the richness that comes with time.
Duluth's Maria Bamford reveals it all: The State Fair, suicide, comedy, sex and money
Review: Her memoir has hilarious jokes and compassionate insight into mental illness.
Review: When it comes to comedy, 'Bottoms' is tops
A contemporary "Heathers," its stars are two high schoolers who form a female fight club.
Review: 'Gran Turismo' zooms past plot holes
Based on a true story, the drama features a great performance by David Harbour.
Review: Can the Queen of Twists keep 'em coming with thriller 'Good Bad Girl?'
REVIEW: Alice Feeney's latest is about mothers, daughters and ridiculous coincidences.
Review: A 'Dream Town' struggles for equity in its schools, with mixed success
NONFICTION: Washington Post reporter Laura Meckler embedded in Shaker Heights to tell its story.
Dead writers like Stieg Larsson, Agatha Christie and Vince Flynn keep churning out books. Shouldn't they rest in peace?
They've left this mortal coil but their bylines live on.
Review: Five dogs are determined to sniff out all the fun at the State Fair
FICTION: The picture book introduces young readers to fair highlights.
Review: Jamie Foxx and Will Ferrell supply the voices for some not-very-funny 'Strays'
Along with Isla Fisher and Randall Park, they're part of a vengeance-minded canine gang.
The pandemic has waned, but novelists remain fascinated by it
Couples were thrown together and mysteries brought into focus in novels of the past three years.
Review: I loved 'Wifedom' but it will make you hate George Orwell
Anna Funder writes about his wife, Eileen Orwell, whose life and contributions have been erased.
NHL star Reed Larson and Jennifer Cramer-Miller bring memoirs to the people
Authors of books on hockey and hope have signings this month.
What's all of Minnesota reading? 'In the Night of Memory'
One Book/One Minnesota returns with a novel from a Duluth author.
Disappointed in the summer blockbusters? Read these Hollywood books instead
From hellhole to benign workplace, there's a Tinsel Town for everyone in new books about making movies.
Review: Bill Pohlad's 'Dreamin' Wild' is a mournful, ironic character study
Casey Affleck stars as a struggling musician who's given an unexpected shot at success.
How Dolly Parton's music, and a trip to Dollywood, helped one writer survive trauma
NONFICTION: Poet Lynn Melnick finds inspiration and support in Dolly Parton's life and words.
From Barbra Streisand to Sly Stone, 12 superstars are coming out with books
Screen stars and literary stars will share the shelf space at bookstores in the coming weeks.
Review: Battling Yellowstone poachers and killers in 'The Last Ranger'
FICTION: Peter Heller's latest is an adventure in which the title character tries to solve an attempted murder.
Review: Ann Patchett's new novel 'Tom Lake' is so good you won't want it to end
FICTION: Its narrator tells her daughters a wild tale of her youth while they tend their cherry farm.
Review: 'Haunted Mansion' scares up as many tears as laughs
Ghosts are a metaphor for grief in the not-quite comedy.
