A native Chicagoan, it's no wonder that Bob Balaban was bitten early on by the movie bug, since his family is the Balaban of the Balaban & Katz movie threater chain. What's more surprising is how many hats he's worn. He's a character actor royale, appearing in films by everyone from Woody Allen and Christopher Guest to Terry Zwigoff and Robert Altman. (But he's probably best known for playing the NBC exec who's obsessed with Elaine in five episodes of "Seinfeld"). He's also a children's book author and a filmmaker. more ›

We’re at the halfway mark of the Chicago International Film Festival. If you’re not attending because you don’t know how to separate the good flicks from the crap flicks, then you’re just not trying. No matter how you like your movies—arty farty or just plain entertaining—there are plenty of ways to find movies to suit your tastes. more ›

We’ve been alluding to it all week, but tomorrow marks the beginning of the Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF)! In a city with no shortage of film fests, the CIFF is considered the gold standard. Now in its 41st year, the CIFF brings us new and classic films, documentaries, critic’s favorites, locally produced films and even the occasional splatter film. Running through October 20th, the fest kicks off tomorrow with Cameron Crowe’s Elizabethtown and a... more ›

Dear Chicago International Film Festival: more ›