From high-profile releases to film sales to schlock, we've got you covered. more ›

Events at the Music Box, CIMM Fest and Block Cinema head this roundup. more ›

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In his autobiography My Last Sigh, filmmaker Luis Bunuel describes going to the movies as a child during the silent era: "In addition to the traditional piano player, each theatre in Saragossa was equipped with its explicador, or narrator, who stood next to the screen and ‘explained’ the action to the audience." The movie experience wasn't just what was on the screen, there was also a live component. As we posted last week, in his... more ›

Though Chicago has plenty of venues that nurture independent film (Chicago Filmmakers, Block Cinema, and Facets to name a few), there aren't as many resources available to help you get the damn thing made in the first place. more ›

Damn you, Ray Quintanilla. Thanks to your seemingly endless quest to bring “news” and “information” to the readers of the Chicago Tribune, you’ve gone and spoiled one of the best-kept secrets among Chicago’s movie geek populace. more ›

Chicagoist and its fellow cinemaphiles have it rough this weekend. With the college crowd on Spring Break, most of our favorite off-the-beaten-path movie houses (Block Cinema, Doc Films) are dark. Don’t even get us started on the mainstream box office this weekend. We know The Ring was a big hit, but we saw the sequel the first time, you know? As for the new Woody Allen film, we’re skipping that one too. Unlike the family dog, we only have to be hit on the nose with a newspaper twice before we learn our lesson. And as much as we love Joan Cusack and Buffy’s little sister, we’re not sure we can bring ourselves to see The Ice Princess especially when our local video store has The Cutting Edge on DVD. Now THAT'S an ice skating movie. more ›

If you missed Buster Keaton’s The General back in December, you could head down to your local Blockbuster, ask for a copy, and get a blank stare in return. Or you could stop in at your local independent and suffer through a poorly transferred print. So why not do the smart thing and head over to Block Cinema and see a nice, clean, 35 mm print this Saturday night at 8 PM? Need another reason? How about accompaniment by Quasar Wut-Wut from Glorious Noise Records? Plain ol’ piano is sooooo early 20th century. more ›

Chicagoist loved the movie Garden State. Yeah, we know: way to go out on a limb and make a crazy, out-of-left-field statement. In other news, we’re big fans of oxygen and puppies. Still, on paper, it’s not a movie you’d pick as your first choice for a Friday night date night: heavily medicated, out-of-work actor comes home to New Jersey for his mother’s funeral to face up to his past. And yet it works. So much so that the script by writer/director Zach Braff has been short-listed by many for an original screenplay Oscar nomination. more ›

Though college film societies aren�t as prevalent or important as they were in the glory days of the 60s � Chicagoist likes to wax nostalgic about decades in which we weren�t alive � Northwestern�s Block Cinema and University of Chicago�s Doc Films continue in their renegade cinematic traditions. This week, Block Cinema wraps up their Howard Hawks retrospective, and the season�s schedule, with Rio Bravo tonight and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes tomorrow (both at 8), two wildly different films that show this auteur�s ability to master any genre. With $6 admission prices, 35-mm prints, and free parking, it�s one event that�s actually worth a trek up to Evanston. Grab some pan-Asian delights at Lulu�s and make a night of it. more ›