By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

In theaters:
“How She Move” (Paramount Vantage/MTV Films)—Leave it to a queer filmmaker, in this case Ian Iqbal Rashid (“Touch of Pink”) to inject the urban dance drama with a much needed shot of energy and life. Look, it’s not “Atonement.” But with “How She Move,” which might be considered nothing more than an excuse to bring step competitions to the big screen, we get a predictable and Hollywood-gritty slice of the hard-knock life, with a couple of decent performances tossed in for good measure. The pressure is on smart girl Raya (promising newcomer Rutina Wesley). Following the death of her older sister, junkie Pam, Raya comes back to the ’hood after her parents are unable to afford the tuition at the private school where she had been excelling. Under the watchful eye of her parents and the judgmental gaze of her peers, including Michelle (Tre Armstrong) and Bishop (Dwain Murphy), resourceful Raya finds time to study, prep for scholarship exams and stomp the competition at step throwdowns. Going on the premise of “how one moment changes a million after it,” doesn’t, like it’s lead character, live up to its potential, but it’s a step in a different direction.

Limited runs:
Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson star in Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona” at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m.

Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark, proudly presents the first Chicago screening of films by Tate Bunker, who was named "Best Milwaukee Filmmaker" for two years by the Milwaukee International Film Festival, with a Q & A with Bunker to follow.

Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, presents the Chicago premiere of “Nanking,” with Woody Harrelson, Mariel Hemingway, Jürgen Prochnow and Stephen Dorff, Feb. 1-7.


Joe Mantegna narrates Phil Ranstrom's vibrant documentary “Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street,” Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State.

Director-writer-cinematographer-actor Derek Dow is at the screening of his drama “
Family Values” at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, Feb. 5 at 6 p.m.