The Music Box Theatre is honoring its Oscars wager with Roger Ebert and letting him screen the John Dahl cult film "Red Rock West" tomorrow night. more ›

Looking for something unique to do this Valentine's Day? The Music Box Theatre has a couple of programs that appeal to both the romantic and film buff: Valentine's sing-a-longs screenings of Breakfast at Tiffany's and The Princess Bride. more ›

Here at Chicagoist we're huge fans of the Master of Suspense. The films selected for the Music Box's current retrospective veer towards the latter part of his career, but they're worth watching on a large screen. more ›

Yesterday we spoke with Nick Prueher of the Found Footage Festival about his chances in tonight's battle of found media. Today we turn to his opponent, who must be considered the home team, Davy Rothbart of FOUND magazine. more ›

Serge Gainsbourg’s influence extends beyond his country’s borders, so Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life, is worth seeing even if you’re not so into the French thing. The film makes its Chicago premiere tomorrow night. more ›

The Music Box's Summer Music Film Festival kicks off tonight. The Wednesday Midwest premiere of The Swell Season is undoubtedly the highlight of the festival. 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 ›

Remember when the fun police suspended the Everything is Terrible YouTube account? YouTube got on EIT’s case because they were posting hysterical clips extracted from old VHS tapes, which just so happened to be copyrighted material. Well now, EIT is back in full force, and you’ll find plenty of viral video fun on their BargainBinofOblivion Channel. And yesterday, they just announced the tour dates for an all-new live show and a movie titled 2Everything2Terrible2: Tokyo Drift. The tour will kick off at the Music Box Theatre on July 1 before traveling all over these great United States. more ›

• David Cromer’s acclaimed production of Our Town, which originated at Hypocrites last fall, has been extended Off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre until January 31. However, Cromer, who also plays the role of the stage manager, will only be in the production until August 16, and then he has to go onto his bigger Broadway obligations - directing Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound and Brighton Beach Memoirs. His replacement has not been announced.
• The original cast of Tracy Letts’ Superior Donuts, which premiered at the Steppenwolf last summer, will keep the same cast for its Broadway run, opening in October at the Music Box Theatre. The cast includes Michael McKean, known for his roles in Christopher Guest mockumentaries, as the donut shop owner, and ensemble member Jon Michael Hill as his only employee. We’re happy about the cast, but from what we’ve heard, the script should definitely not remain the same. Good luck editing Mr. Letts.

Christmas On Mars is the years in the making super-independent first feature film from The Flaming Lips. A few years ago lead-Lip Wayne Coyne rounded up his bandmates, a few friends, and set out to make an interstellar psychodrama built around sets constructed from found objects primarily located around the Coyne home compound in Oklahoma City. The plot line involves ... actually we have to admit there barely is a plot line. The movie underwent numerous re-writes over the years as locations fell by the wayside, and the band's full-time obligations forced long lulls in filming. The end result is a disturbing tone-piece constructed from cameras that veer from disturbing close-ups to static location shots, and pop back and forth between black and white and color. more ›

more ›

more ›

Here are some things going around town to make you consider giving the weather a big ol' raspberry. more ›

For a sizable chunk of the US population, Christmas is a time for... wondering when it's going to be the 26th. Jews have the stereotypical routine of Chinese food and a movie (Chicagoist has deemed Charlie Wilson's War the family-friendly-but-still-interesting-enough-not-to-bore-dad-who-likes-foreign-films movie of the season), but what to do for the rest of the day? more ›

We’re dusting off our roller skates and sprinkling some glitter on them. We’re going to a place where nobody dared to go. The love. The echos of long ago. You need the world to know They are in Xanadu. Tonight, one night only, it’s Sing-along Xanadu at the Music Box Theatre for the midnight movie. Start warming up your vocal cords while practicing backwards, forward, and couples. more ›

Dust those cobwebs off your costumes, folks. It’s the Saturday before a hump-day Halloween, so that means tonight is the night to let it all hang out. That is, if your costume is of that genre. Otherwise, check out these Halloween haunts: The Six Corners Monster Movie Festival in Portage Park features seven classic horror movies both today and tomorrow. Tonight: Nightmare on Elm Street at 8 p.m. Internet gossip columnist Perez Hilton hosts his... more ›

Halloween, for some of us, is the most wonderful time of the year. If you're of the same mindset, get thee to the Music Box Massacre III tomorrow, a 24 hour horror movie marathon filled with spooky, scary and gore-y goodness. The third installment fittingly offers 13 movies (along with a short, and several vintage trailers) hosted again by Rusty Nails. Fred Dekker, the director of The Monster Squad (being shown this year) and RoboCop... more ›

We've been hearing about director Kevin McAlester's disturbingly intimate look at Roky Erickson's life for quite some time, anticipating the documentary's arrival in the Midwest. And tonight we don't have to wait any longer. "You're Gonna Miss Me," is a documentary that outlines the story of Erickson, who made his name as lead singer from the 13th Floor Elevators. As the story goes, Roky was arrested in 1969 for carrying one joint. He entered an... more ›

The great thing about having old theatres still around is that they do funky stuff. It’s always amusing to see what the Music Box Theatre brings back, and even better, the crowd that turns out. Last time I was in the Music Box, they were showing Deep Throat. We showed up for the midnight viewing after a disco nap, hearing it was a naughty, dirty film. The audience was filled with groups of giggling people too young to know any sexual revolution first-hand. And sprinkled throughout, old men in trench coats. In trench coats, we kid you not. more ›

You know that extra car you have lying around? The one that only half works, requires lots of maintenance and doesn't get driven that often? Yeah, us neither (we rely on the lovely services of the CTA). But if we did, we would be pumped about an event that Zipcar is having next Monday, Feb. 26, at the Music Box Theatre called "Drive-In, Don't Drive Out." Drivers who bring in their old Pintos, Yugos and... more ›

In keeping with Chicago Artists' Month we are going to hit up some more good looking shows today. It is also about the time for everyone to get in the Halloween spirit. No better way than watching 24 hours of horror films. more ›

September must be the month to run profiles of Chicago. On Friday we found an eclectic weekend itinerary for the Windy City in the New York Times, and just last night while flipping through Dwell, we came across this profile called "The Real Chicago." The folks from the flagship of the modern design porn interviewed architect Brad Lynch of the Chicago-based firm Brininstool + Lynch about some of his favorite spots in the city. Just... more ›

For those that have their holiday shopping finished, the Music Box Theatre is rewarding you with several classic and modern movies about Christmas. more ›

Dear Chicago International Film Festival: more ›

Steve James. more ›

Like movies? Like comedy? Have an attention span so short that shiny objects distract you? Then the Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival might be for you. The Chicago Short Comedy Video and Film Festival is currently in its eighth year. Featuring up-and-coming local independent filmmakers like Jim Zulevic, D.P. Carlson, Tracy Letts, and former Project Greenlight finalist Scott Smith (no relation), the fest features 37 films under ten minutes with some as short... more ›

Christmas bells are ringing… and ringing, and ringing at the Music Box Theatre, the jewel in the crown of the northwest side’s piping hot, yuppie magnetized Southport Corridor. From Sunday through Thursday, the Music Box will celebrate its 21st Annual Christmas Show, featuring two holiday classics and more Christmas cheer than you can shake a Restoration Hardware Woodland Twig Berry Wreath at. more ›