If you're like us, you're already getting pumped up for the Oscars! Not. Jeez, let's get past New Year's first, O.K.? Oops. Too late. The Chicago Film Critics Association has already jumped the gun and handed out their awards. To the surprise of no one the big winner was No Country for Old Men, the new Coen brothers movie that both impressed and disturbed us when we saw it last month. It won four awards in all (Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor for Javier Bardem). We're very pleased that Bardem won; there wouldn't be much of a movie without his chilling character study, and he damned well better win the Oscar. more ›

As far as predictions go, it looks like we were pretty darn prescient. Sort of. The awards were indeed spread far and wide among many films. more ›

Standing on the bus this morning, we glanced at another rider’s Red Eye, where a Golden Globes article was visible. The images featured Borat and Chicago native Jennifer Hudson, with a headline to something of the effect of “surprise nominations.” While the movie about a crass Kazakh is a bit perplexing, Hudson’s nod is anything but a surprise. While we are waiting like everyone else to see the much-lauded film version of the hit 1981... more ›

Nominations for The Joseph Jefferson Awards Citation Wing, recognizing the finest work from scrappy but brilliant non-Equity theater companies, were announced this morning. A local, less insufferable version of New York’s Tonys, the Jeff Awards recognize excellence among productions that opened between last April and this March. Click here to learn (and possibly understand) the nominations process. Queen Lucia rules the musical nominations; Lifeline’s original adaptation of E.F. Benson’s operatic rivalry tale leads all productions... more ›

Chicagoist hasn’t posted much about the Oscars this year, and we think we’ve figured out why. more ›

There were a few surprises this morning when the Chicago Film Critics announced the winners of their annual awards. Past award slates from the CFC have been known for the occasional maverick choices and this year was no exception. Joan Allen, the pride of Rochelle, IL earned a Best Actress win for her performance in The Upside of Anger while Mickey Rourke was named Best Supporting Actor for Sin City, makeup be damned! Maria Bello’s... more ›

As prelude to last night’s Jeff Equity Awards, the Tribune published a love letter to Chicago’s theater community rebutting the notion of its inferiority to New York counterparts. To paraphrase, our stages have more street-level character, our productions ooze talent and substance, and our improv troupes put them to shame. So it’s disappointing that the Trib hasn’t seen fit (as of this writing) to follow up their big wet kiss with any news from last... more ›

Several years ago, Chicagoist was reading an interview with a Big Famous Movie Critic who was asked why critics sometimes fall all over themselves to single out a particular film for near unanimous praise. BFMC replied that as critics, they are required to see almost every movie that’s released and most of them are crap. So when a film (or a filmmaker) comes along with an original, intelligent work that is also entertaining, he and... more ›