Poet Thax Douglas has long been described as a polarizing figure in the local music scene, but after viewing the recent documentary on Douglas, Thax: The Movie, we've decided that viewpoint is skewed and incorrect. While there are a number of incredibly vocal critics who deride Douglas' presence at shows, the overriding majority of musicians and concert attendees appreciate his contributions to the community. Luminaries from Ted Leo, to Josh Caterer, to Jeff Tweedy sing......

We finally saw the Heavy Metal in Baghdad documentary last night and walked away rather stunned. It follows the one and only metal band in Iraq, Acrassicauda, from just after Saddam's defeat through 2006 when they are seeking refugee status in Syria. (Currently the band is in Turkey.) In the beginning we see a band that is hopeful yet apolitical, and that plays its music for the sheer joy of doing so. The single......

Ah, the Coen Brothers. They've given us many memorable tales of kidnapping, murder, and betrayal. But none has grown in cult status quite like The Big Lebowski. Since it's theatrical release (10 years ago yesterday!), and despite its subsequently tepid box office gross, the film has become a huge hit on DVD and has even inspired it's own yearly get-together, known as Lebowski Fest. The Fest gives all the Dude enthusiasts a chance to come......

So that's how they do it. Photo by Icarusthebright A father of five was killed yesterday when he tried to stop his minivan from being carjacked. Eric Holmes, 36, grabbed onto the van's luggage rack and was killed when the car jacker ran into a concrete barrier. [Trib] The police have 30 days to give Drew Peterson his stuff back. [AP] An A+ missed connection: "Would I really accidentally park my car in a......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. The 2009 Toyota Corolla, which encourages you to "Live the Dream for Less Coin." Joe Jackson's Rain, available now on Amazon.com. Busted Tees, which introduces three new designs a week. Enter for a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Jeremy Fisher at Schubas Tavern on Feb. 28th. If you're interested in advertising on Chicagoist or any other site......

The listed events were chosen by the editors of Chicagoist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla. Burgers: While we are loathe to actually divulge this information, the Dunlay's location in Logan Square has fucking awesome hamburgers. Almost as good as Kuma's, we swear. So it's no wonder that on Wednesdays the place is jam-packed with folks stuffing their faces with the restaurant's ground beef since today if half-price burger night. If......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. The 2009 Toyota Corolla, which encourages you to "Live the Dream for Less Coin." Joe Jackson's Rain, available now on Amazon.com. Busted Tees, which introduces three new designs a week. If you're interested in advertising on Chicagoist or any other site in our network, check out our online mediakit.......

Happy Valentine's Day, Barack! Obama hasn't yet snagged the Democratic nomination. But already, like John Kerry before him, he's about to become the target of an "exposé film." As reported in the New York Times, the conservative group Citizens United has budgeted about $1 million to produce the film, which they plan to distribute this summer. The group and its president have previously released such creatively-titled valentines as Hillary, the Movie (a love song......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. The 2009 Toyota Corolla, which encourages you to "Live the Dream for Less Coin." Joe Jackson's Rain, available now on Amazon.com. Busted Tees, selling a special shirt to honor the New England Patriots. If you're interested in advertising on Chicagoist or any other site in our network, check out our online mediakit.......

Fellini once famously said that there are two things that always look great on film: trains and snow. Just in case you're a bit tired of looking at all the snow outside, which by now is more like evil slush, here are some suggestions for your Netflix or greencine queue so you can get a good look at some snow on screen: 1. Akira Kurosawa's Dreams [1990] The most harrowing sequence in this film......

It wasn't so terribly long ago that in order to watch any sort of semi-obscure Japanese cinema you'd have to be prepared to invest in a region-free DVD player and sit through discs with dubious subtitles (when they were subtitled at all). Even a filmmaker like Kurosawa wasn't immune. Luckily for cinephiles the situation has really changed, and access to Asian cinema in general is better than ever. If only our access to Hyde......

We would like to take a moment to thank this week's advertisers on Chicagoist. Joe Jackson's Rain, available now on Amazon.com. Busted Tees, giving you free shipping when you buy three shirts. If you're interested in advertising on Chicagoist or any other site in our network, check out our online mediakit.......

Ira Glass wasn’t so popular with Chicagoans in 2006, when he announced that he would be moving production of This American Life from Chicago to New York. Showtime had approached Glass and his production staff with a television deal, but the budget just couldn’t work without a New York transplant, so the deal was sealed. Glass has publicly addressed this issue, saying “I’ve always said that because I end up working, like, 70 or 80......

With the proliferation each year of "best of" lists, you'd think that the human mind divided up its cinematic experiences and memories in tidy, discreet yearly blocks of time. It ain't so. Great movies do not have "sell by" dates; instead, they're as fresh as whatever day you end up seeing them for the first time. It applies equally to brand-new films you've been anticipating for months and unearthed treasures you never expected to......

So many movies, so little time. How true. Unless you're a professional cinephile, there's no hope of seeing even a fraction of what looks interesting in any given year. We actually tallied up the numbers and between theatrical releases, film festival screenings, and DVDs we've seen 175 movies this year — barely any at all. And with the industry's practice of backloading releases, a veritable midyear drought suddenly giving way to an avalanche of......

Golly, when it comes to Christmas presents why the heck would any parent waste hundreds of dollars on a mound of crappy, potentially-toxic plastic toys for their kid? Most of 'em'll end up in next summer's garage sale anyway. There are so many cooler options out there: do some browsing at this weekend's Renegade Craft Fair and you'll be sure to find a few, or go all out and sign up your kid for......

Need an original idea for a hot (read: nerdy) date or just an escape from the city this weekend that includes dinosaurs? The Walking with Dinosaurs exhibit won't be showing in Chicago, but it is open today through the 9th in Milwaukee at the Bradley Center. Tickets are a little pricey, $35-70, when you could just buy the DVD for less than $50 online and stay toasty at home, but really, how can you......

Two stories have us thinking about the continuing evolution of the cinematic experience and the differences between going to see a movie and just watching one. First off, "boutique" theater chain Muvico has signed a letter of intent to occupy two floors of the Block 37 development. The proposed multiplex would have only seven screens, much smaller than the AMC RIver East 21 for example. But (to quote Seinfeld) they'd be draped in velvet, so......

Kanye West's mother Donda West's autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday. The Chicago Board of Education is going to approve plans for a culinary arts high school for juniors about to drop out of school. Mark your calendars: On weekends between November 17 and December 23, Fannie May will be offering free ferry rides "between Chicago's commuter train stations and the Michigan Avenue shopping district." Moo Moo, a 2-year-old shih tzu was stolen from his Wicker......

Skidoo sounds like something we made up at 3 AM while at some party: Groucho Marx (in his last movie) plays a gangster named God, Jackie Gleason trips on acid while in jail, Carol Channing plays the most sane character in the whole thing, there's a musical number known as the Garbage Can Ballet, and every credit to the movie is sung. It's an actual movie from 1968 and it was directed by Otto......

Well, it's finally happened: the Writer's Guild of America declared a strike early this morning after midnight negotiations stalled. Naturally there's been plenty of finger-pointing, with writers claiming that the producers broke off talks while producers say that the writers were the ones who walked out. Regardless, the strike will have some very immediate effects, which the Trib has handily put in chart form. Daily shows will suffer the most at first, with programs like......

Have you always wanted to see Bon Jovi in concert but just haven’t been able to make the time in the past, oh, 20 years? Or have you already seen Bon Jovi and loved the experience so much that you want to be able to relive it over and over? Chances are you fall into one of those two camps, and as a result, consider this a PSA to you, lovely Chicagoist readers: THE......

Since its restoration in 2005 the Portage Theater has become a popular destination for music, movies (it's the home base for the Silent Film Society of Chicago) and live theater. This time of year, Portage Theater management and the folks at the Six Corners Association use the theater to screen some classic scary movies. This year's line-up casts a wide net across silent film, the classic Universal monster movies, modern horror, and a little bit......

Some things to do this weekend, and into next, as an excuse to dress in costume. Rare and fine wine auction house Hart Davis Hart is holding an auction of private collections from both coasts today from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at Tru. The auction is free to attend, but anyone taking the time to head to Tru and not eat is an idiot, quite frankly. Lunch today at Tru is fixed-priced at $75.......

Anyone remember last summer when you could send your friends a weird phone message from Samuel L. Jackson about Snakes On A Plane? The company behind that promotion, Chicago-based Varitalk, is back with a similar take on the upcoming Transformers DVD release that lets you send a call from Optimus Prime. Check it out for Monday's biggest (and most awesome-est) time suck.......

When Gary Huswit's documentary Helvetica screened earlier this year at the Siskel, it certainly brought all the typeheads out of the woodwork — it broke box-office records at the Siskel and is now the theater's highest-grossing film. Now you get another chance to see it if you missed it the first time around, but tonight and tomorrow is your your last chance. It's a fascinating examination of what it means to be modern (and post-modern),......

Let's start with a tough question: Who is Chicago's greatest filmmaker? When it comes to experimental film some might advocate for James Fotopoulos, whose output is both prodigious and relentlessly probing. When it comes to documentaries, Steve James is more than formidable. And on the narrative end of things although neither Andrew Davis nor John Landis quite make the grade, they've both had their moments. We would argue that the title should go to Tom......

Back in January we told you a little about Chicago filmmaker Daniel Kraus' ambitious documentary series, WORK. The first film in the series, Sheriff, will be released on DVD by Facets in October; and Musician has its premier this Friday night at the Siskel. It profiles Ken Vandermark, who, now that James Brown is dead, is certainly in the running for the title of Hardest Working Man in Show Business. The awesomely dedicated reed man......

The dog days of August are here. And we've got some ways to beat the humidity or, even better, give it a big ol' raspberry. We've also got some food news for you. Let's get started. - From Crain's, Jon Young and Helene Albert, the folks behind Kitsch'n and Volo have a new gastropub opening later this month. The two-story Paramount Room at 415 N. Milwaukee in River West will center on pairing upscale pub......

Chicago’s comedy scene is more than a small world, it’s a densely knit web. Everyone’s leaning on someone for something, from professional improv instruction to drunken 2 a.m. inspiration for the next routine. And with fame comes increasing gratitude for close friends and casual online “friends.” Comic, writer and all-around Big Man in Chicago Robert Buscemi is celebrating, with a little help from his friends, the DVD release of Robert Buscemi, (t)wit!, capturing his sold-out......