Sometimes things align at just the proper moment: the Siskel is wrapping up a restropective of the master filmmaker, who passed away peacefully Monday evening. As it so happens the last screening in the series is Thursday, when The Passenger with Jack Nicholson will be shown. The film ends with one of the most amazing, haunting sequences in film history. It's well worth catching on the big screen. His death, coming so close on... more ›

Oscar nominations are out, and for the second year in a row, there were few surprises save for one notable exception. Confounding the experts and flying in the face of several critics’ awards, Dreamgirls did not pick up nominations for either best picture or best director. The film was a victim of an underdog victory by Clint Eastwood’s film Letters from Iwo Jima. It may also have been a pre-emptive strike on the kind of... more ›

The Chicago Film Critics Association announced its awards for best films and performances of the year with The Departed picking up three awards for best picture, best director and best adapted screenplay. You can view the full slate of winners here. While we enjoyed The Departed, it felt too much like a mix tape of Scorcsese’s previous films with the themes of corruption and redemption set against urban grit with yet another use of “Gimme... more ›

In the spirit of last night’s Oscars, we present this montage of thoughts: * Forget pimps: it was hard out there for Jon Stewart. Stewart is and was frequently hilarious, but what works on the Daily Show doesn't work for the Oscars. Like most unconventional hosts (Letterman, Chris Rock), Stewart was done in because he was expected to bring his sharp, cutting wit to a venue that doesn't appreciate it. An organization that rolls three... more ›

There were a few surprises this morning when the Chicago Film Critics announced the winners of their annual awards. Past award slates from the CFC have been known for the occasional maverick choices and this year was no exception. Joan Allen, the pride of Rochelle, IL earned a Best Actress win for her performance in The Upside of Anger while Mickey Rourke was named Best Supporting Actor for Sin City, makeup be damned! Maria Bello’s... more ›

Last Tuesday, Chicagoist went down to the Landmark Century Theater to check out the 2005 awards for the Midwest Independent Film Festival. (See our earlier interview with the founders.) The evening kicked off with a social that included a rock band made up of cats, free drinks, and a drawing for screenwriting software. Around seven thirty, everyone piled into the theater to watch the ceremony. Half the awards show was spent announcing the winners... more ›

The Goodman Theater and IFC--The Independent Film Channel--will be hosting a free screening on Monday February 7th of Nobody Knows, the Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 2004, at the Landmark Century Cinema on Clark. Though not chosen as one of the nominees in this category, the film was nominated for the Palm D’Or at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and was the winner of the Golden Spur at the Flanders International Film Festival for Best Foreign Film-diddly-do! Director Hirokazu Kore-eda’s previous works include the award-winning film After-Life. more ›

Several years ago, Chicagoist was reading an interview with a Big Famous Movie Critic who was asked why critics sometimes fall all over themselves to single out a particular film for near unanimous praise. BFMC replied that as critics, they are required to see almost every movie that’s released and most of them are crap. So when a film (or a filmmaker) comes along with an original, intelligent work that is also entertaining, he and... more ›