Why is next weekend's screening of an almost 40-year-old rock documentary by an affable chronicler of Americana so dangerous that if we were to publish its name, the screening would have to be canceled? more ›

Werner Herzog is rarely more articulate than when he's discussing poultry. more ›

We've been having a bit of a discussion today in the Chicagoist offices about Werner Herzog and some of the films he's made. more ›

• We'd be amiss if we didn't urge you to catch an encore presentation of The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans at the Siskel this weekend. It screens once on Sunday and again Monday night. Seeing it last year was hands down one of the funnest times we've ever had at the movies, a guilty pleasure consciously overstuffed with so many cop movie clichés it's hilarious. The paring of filmmaker Werner Herzog's dry-as-dust humor and Nicholas Cage's unhinged performance is stuff that cult films are made of. Along with the iguana. When you go, keep your eyes peeled for a cameo by Michael Shannon.
• The 2010 Chaz and Roger Ebert Truer than Fiction Award-winner, 45365, screens this Saturday and Sunday at Facets. Named after the zip code for Sidney, Ohio, this documentary by brothers Bill and Turner Ross examines 21st-century small town America in ways that are both heartwarming and surprising. TimeOut London calls it "a dizzingly detailed, thoughtful, sympathetic but highly pragmatic celebration of the modern Midwest in all its beauty, complexity, stupidity and brilliance," and gives the movie its highest rating.
• Speaking of Mr. Ebert, in a recent blog post he confirms plans for a new TV show. He's a bit coy, writing, "I can't reveal details about the talks we're deeply involved in," but promises that "the Thumbs will return." Yes, Thumbs with a capital T.

Want to interview Oscar-nominee Michael Shannon in Venice? $1500, please. Want to see him star in the world premiere of a new play here in Chicago? $30. Chicago's sure been getting dissed a lot lately. But a recent news item suggests that perhaps you can still get more bang for your buck right here. more ›

We've been so preoccupied lately with Blago and Huberman that we forgot to get excited about the Oscar nominations. Frankly, compared to last year, this year's crop holds a lot less excitement for us, although there are some notable exceptions. It's pretty awesome to see Richard Jenkins and Werner Herzog (!) up for awards, but coolest of all is the Best Supporting Actor nomination for long-time Chicago actor Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road. more ›

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. Being the nation's capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they... 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 ›

Plenty of filmmakers will tell you that if you’re serious about making movies then you should skip film school. Only Werner Herzog would tell you to take a hike…from Madrid to Kiev. more ›