In the ecosystem of the American Cinema, blockbusters are the blue whales. They compete with one another for the vast amounts of sustenance (ticket sales) they demand while the more numerous but smaller fish fight over what's left. There's thought to be a ready-made niche in this food chain for the summer indie crossover, a beast with the budget of a guppy who swells to many times its size. We're not talking moon shots like My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Usually more like the ten-times-smaller gross of Garden State. This year's best candidate for that role seems to be the affable, breezy and nearly universally-acclaimed The Kids Are All Right, which we are pretty happy to see is making lots of money on a per-screen basis but will need some more good weekends to stay afloat. more ›

Typically, a summer film centered on the family dynamics between a suburban middle-class married couple and their two children hardly feels like the sort of thing that could be described as even remotely "radical," nor a "hit." But through her latest creation, The Kids Are All Right, film writer and director Lisa Cholodenko (High Art, Laurel Canyon) has ventured into some emotionally provoking territory worthy of both aforementioned labels. Recently in town for an advance screening of her film, premiering in Chicago theaters next Friday, July 9, Cholodenko spoke with Chicagoist. more ›