Jean Paul Belmondo, in Mississippi Mermaid, tells Catherine Deneuve's character: "You're so beautiful it hurts to look at you." That isn't exactly the sort of statement one could assert to be true or not (though many have tried), but after an incredible 50 years captivating audiences onscreen we must admit that if it is, it must hurt so good. more ›

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),... 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 ›

Directed with plenty of style by a pre-exiled Roman Polanski, Chinatown is one of best examples of contemporary film noir, and Hollywood moviemaking, done right. It has everything Chicagoist could want: a hard-boiled Jack Nicholson performance, a screenplay (by a pre-Mission: Impossible Deux Robert Towne) that writing guru Syd Field maintains is a model of perfect construction, kid-who-stayed-in-the-picture Robert Evans as producer, and a cameo by Polanski himself. It plays tonight as part of the Gene Siskel Film Center’s series on the masterful (if downright creepy) director, which has upcoming screenings of Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby, Frantic, and most excitingly, the director’s cut of The Fearless Vampire Killers. The theatre’s website description of that last one notes, “With a dazzling blend of movieland kitsch and Eastern European lore, Polanski creates a fairy tale full of slapstick humor and poignancy, enhanced by his own picaresque performance as the innocent in love.” Movieland kitsch, Eastern European lore, slapstick humor, AND poignancy? Chicagoist knows what we’re doing this Saturday at 6. more ›