Valentine's Day is nothing but a pre-fab holiday designed to get consumers to spend money on crap for each other ... especially if you're single. Instead of battling the hordes for a good table at a restaurant this evening, why not just order out from Art of Pizza, rent a movie and enjoy a few hours of twisted romance with one of these: more ›

Even before we moved to Chicago we were aware of Poi Dog Pondering, thanks to a splashy ad in Rolling Stone for their album Wishing Like a Mountain and Thinking Like the Sea. Their song "Thanksgiving," from the aforementioned album, always pops into our playlist this time of year; and it was really cool to see them open for David Byrne a few years back at Navy Pier. However, their newest foray comes as something... more ›

Luis Buñuel once wrote, "A film is like an involuntary imitation of a dream; as in dreams, images appear and disappear through dissolves and shadows, time and space become flexible, shrinking and expanding at will." A film is like a dream ... or a nightmare. Why do we, as viewers, sitting in the dark, voluntarily subject ourselves to disturbing images and sounds? Do the horrors of the real world help to explain the popularity... more ›

Most of us know Crispin Glover from the role which he will be forever associated with: that of Marty McFly’s dad in Back to the Future. (His most famous line of dialog, of course, “Get your damn hands off her!”) But aside from the dozens of quirky performances he’s given over the years (the Christmas-obsessed weirdo in Wild at Heart being our favorite), Mr. Glover is also an accomplished artist, writer, musician and filmmaker. He... more ›

So, you�ve been wanting to catch up on your French avant-garde cinema? Chicagoist thought so. Tonight, University of Chicago professor James Lastra � in conjunction with the Terra Museum�s exhibition �A Transatlantic Avant-Garde: American Artists in Paris: 1918-1939� � will give a lecture on the subject at Alliance Fran�aise (located at 54 W. Chicago). Following his talk will be a �light reception� and a screening Luis Bu�uel and Salvador Dali�s surrealist classic � and inspiration for the Pixies� Debaser � Un Chien Andalou. (If you see it, Chicagoist dares you not to get the theme music stuck in your head.) The event only costs $10, but reservations are required. Call (312) 337-1070 to save your spot.
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