Joan of Arc, the Chicago-based experimental collective, will perform a world premiere, live new soundtrack to the Charlie Chaplin film His New Job, at the 2011 Chicago Book Expo, according to a news release. more ›

Today's listings include Kaki King at SPACE in Evanston, a screening of a Charlie Chaplin classic and free admission to the Museum of Contemporary Art. more ›

122 years ago today Charlie Chaplin — arguably the most recognizable entertainer of the 20th Century — was born. Even today, Chaplin's iconic Tramp character is instantly recognizable with both film buffs and casual film lovers. Chaplin's movies featuring the Tramp, with their universal themes, still resonate nearly a century later. more ›

Marc Ribot is the very definition of versatility. From stints playing guitar with the likes of Wilson Pickett, Carla Thomas, Chuck Berry and other legends, to membership in John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, to collaborations with John Zorn and an unshakable association with Manhattan's downtown avant-garde scene, to high profile work with Tom Waits and Elvis Costello, the acclaimed instrumentalist and composer has been just about everywhere you could look at one time or another. Of late you'll encounter his work quite frequently playing behind your favorite movies, with noteworthy work on films such as Walk the Line, The Departed, Where the Wild Things Are and Where the Wild Things Are. 2010 even found him releasing an album called 'Silent Movies,' 13 instrumental compositions for films. more ›

Maybe you're waiting on pins and needles for the release of Tron: Legacy (we aren't), but this is still pretty cool. Rob clued us in to this mashup of Tron with the Charlie Chaplin classic Modern Times. We'd sit through the man in the machine sequence for hours. more ›

While there's a gap between football games today and, with Steven's list of Thanksgiving movies in mind, here's some Charlie Chaplin to tie you over until the Dallas kickoff. Here's Chaplin in "Tillie's Punctured Romance." more ›

It's that moment when she extends the flower, and Charlie takes it from her, lifts it to his face and presses the stem against his teeth. That's the moment in City Lights that, without fail, causes us to start bawling. It's one of the most tender moments in film history and it's part of the Charlie Chaplin retrospective currently underway at the Music Box. more ›

In 1907 Essanay Studios shot a short slapstick film on the streets of Old Town entitled An Awful Skate. It cost a few hundred dollars but went on to make thousands; perhaps as much as $10,000 (which, adjusted for inflation, would be about $216,000 today). A recent profile in the Trib gives a brief history of the once-booming studio, which had facilities in both Chicago and California. Between 1907 and 1917 Essanay churned out... more ›

Some of Chicagoist’s fondest memories occurred in a diner setting. Right now just thinking of old standbys like the old Huddle House on North Avenue (now known as the Hollywood Grill), Ravenswood Restaurant, or Alexander’s on Clark Street conjure vivid memories of breakfast skillets, chili, home fries, salty coffee, and key lime pie. We’ve sometimes gone so far as to plot our bike rides so that we can stop at Walker Brothers’ Original Pancake House in Wilmette for the apple pancake, which is really one gigantic turnover that dares to be eaten in one sitting. more ›

Next week kicks off The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Friday Night at the Movies series. Sadly, this does not mean the CSO will be projecting movies onto its back wall and serving brie and wine like some upper-crust Brew and View. Instead, they’ll perform musical scores from some well-known films. A logical starting point for this series would be the silent film era so Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” will kick things off on October 15th. The series will continue through the winter with The Golden Age of Film Music on November 19th featuring music from Gone With The Wind and Lawrence of Arabia and A Night On The Red Carpet, an Oscar-themed show on February 25th with selections from The Godfather and Doctor Zhivago. Tickets for these events are pricey but if you’re a student you can get in for only ten bucks. more ›