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We're always in favor of more places to see movies, especially if those places are in close proximity to alcohol. So the news that Smartbar is now hosting a FREE Tuesday night movie night (via DVD projection) called "The Reel Deal" was welcome indeed. Bad news: you have to be 21+. Good news: they're showing two (tenuously thematically connected) classic cult films per night (plus an entire showing of the BBC's The Office on March... more ›

Oof. We’re getting off to a late start this morning here in the Chicagoist offices; we blame the humidity and last night’s late showing of Ah, sweat and confusion, thy name is laziness. more ›

Though the phrase "Christian rock" would likely (and rightly) send most music fans fleeing with hands cupped over their ears, Pedro the Lion's Dave Bazan manages to inject a spirituality into his songs that never becomes too preachy. He mercifully keeps things subtler than, say, Creed. (Who now have officially broken up. Thank God.) The fact that Bazan listens to and is noticeably influenced by bands like Radiohead also helps immeasurably. Pedro the Lion, perhaps most of all, works as great background music: Chicagoist has written our fair share of term papers to the pessimistically titled albums It's Hard to Find a Friend and The Only Reason I Feel Secure. It'll be interesting to see how their sound translates to a live setting tonight at the Abbey Pub. more ›