This is the archive page for the category [Movies]; below you should see headlines and summaries of all entries found here on the subject. Click the appropriate link at each to read the entire entry.

Movies for Grown-Ups: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead | May 14, 2008
Today's movie: The surprisingly great 2007 noir "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," by the 83-year-old Hollywood legend Sidney Lumet. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Lars and the Real Girl | May 13, 2008
Today's review: The quirky indie 2007 dramedy "Lars and the Real Girl," from "Six Feet Under" writer/producer Nancy Oliver. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: "Iron Sky" | May 13, 2008
Today's obsession: The new and extremely impressive trailer for "Iron Sky," the homegrown retro action thriller feature film by Timo Vuorensola and Samuli Torssonen, the Finnish team behind the cultishly popular "Star Wrecks." | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 3 May 2008 | May 3, 2008
A round-up of little tiny reviews for the last week or two, including four books and four movies. Click through for a lot more. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Margot at the Wedding | April 24, 2008
Today's movie: Noah Baumbach's 2007 "Margo at the Wedding," the latest in a series of brilliant dark character dramas from this writer/director (including "Mr. Jealousy" and "The Squid and the Whale"). | Read entire entry

Book Versus Movie: "From Hell" | April 22, 2008
Today, the first in an irregular series of essays here at CCLaP -- a review of both the book and movie versions of the "Jack The Ripper" conspiracy tale "From Hell," the 1999 book by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, the 2001 movie by The Hughes Brothers. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Downfall / Der Untergang | April 14, 2008
Today's movie: The haunting, brilliant, absolutely riveting "Downfall," the 2004 German film regarding the last week of World War II from the viewpoint of the Nazis, as seen from Hitler's bunker in Berlin. | Read entire entry

Your micro-review roundup: 13 April 2008 | April 13, 2008
One-paragraph reviews of five movies and two novels, none of them interesting enough to warrant full critical reviews of their own. Includes "The Name of the Rose," "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea," "Closer," "Zeroville," "Beautiful Children," "The Illusionist" and "Funny Games." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" | April 10, 2008
Today's review: The awkwardly-titled, fascinating but frustrating 2007 Oscar nominee "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," by obscure Australian filmmaker Andrew Dominik. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Abigail's X-Rated Teen Diary | April 9, 2008
Today's obsession: The deceptively smart and cynical video podcast "Abigail's X-Rated Teen Diary," from "Goodnight Burbank" creator Hayden Black. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Regarding the glorious trainwreck which is "Southland Tales." | April 7, 2008
Today, a sorta half-review and half-essay of sorts, examining in detail why Richard Kelly's latest film "Southland Tales" is such a creative trainwreck, and why I loved it anyway. Ahoy, pretention ahead! | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: For Tax Reasons | April 2, 2008
Today's obsession: The comedy duo and animation team "For Tax Reasons," including an embedded video of some of their work. | Read entire entry

Your movie micro-review roundup: 29 March 2008 | March 29, 2008
Today, the start of a new occasional weekend series, posting a collection of mere one-paragraph reviews of movies not worth saying that much more about. In today's collection: "Braveheart," "Chocolat," "Kill Bill," "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," "The Darjeeling Limited," and "Superman Returns." | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: "The Reprover/Le Réprobateur" | March 27, 2008
Today's obsession: The witty, experimental hyperfiction project "The Reprover/Le Réprobateur," by French artist and CCLaP reader François Coulon. | Read entire entry

The latest "Creative Screenwriting" podcast is their best yet | March 12, 2008
Just wanted to mention that one of my favorite podcasts, the one produced by "Creative Screenwriting" magazine, just put out their best episode yet -- a 90-minute talk with Drew Goddard, writer not only of "Cloverfield" but also "Lost," "Alias," "Buffy" and "Angel." (Whew!) Click through for more. | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Regarding the "magic middle" of the independent arts. | March 5, 2008
For those who don't know, creative guru Kevin Kelly published a fascinating article this week, positing that it's easier than ever for independent artists to make a working living. Today, my thoughts on the essay, and what it has to do with Dave Sifry's theory of the blogosphere's "magic middle." | Read entire entry

Holy crap, the new Chicago Public Library website looks great! | March 5, 2008
Wow, the Chicago Public Library system overhauled its website this week -- and it's freaking great! Click through for all the details, as well as copious links. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Great Expectations (1999) | February 28, 2008
Today's review: The 1999 television adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1861 "Great Expectations," made in this case for the BBC in the UK and "Masterpiece Theatre" in the US. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Sunshine | February 26, 2008
Today's movie: The visually thrilling 2007 science-fiction actioner "Sunshine," by visually thrilling veteran director Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and a whole lot more). | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Zodiac | February 19, 2008
Today's review: David Fincher's latest, the surprisingly good 2007 historical drama/true-crime thriller "Zodiac." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Apocalypto | February 18, 2008
Today's review: The surprisingly great 2006 Mel Gibson Mayan Empire epic "Apocalypto." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Horatio Hornblower: Loyalty | February 12, 2008
Today's review: The 2003 television film "Horatio Hornblower: Loyalty," based on the highly popular series of Napoleonic naval adventure novels by CS Forester. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: THX 1138 | February 11, 2008
Today's movie: The surprisingly crappy 1971 dystopian sci-fi thriller "THX 1138," the first film of George Lucas' career, which makes clear why he delved afterwards so fast into the world of "Star Wars" style space opera. | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...Charming A--holes | February 6, 2008
Today, a rare new edition of the "Ten Movies About..." series; in this case, ten great movies all featuring charming a--holes. Click through for the choices as well as the reasons I picked them. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: The Simpsons Movie | February 4, 2008
Today's review: 2007's "The Simpsons Movie," which is exactly and precisely what you expect it to be. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Tooble | February 4, 2008
Today's obsession: The simple freeware program "Tooble," which downloads YouTube videos, converts them into MP4s, and adds them to your iTunes movie library. Pretty simple and pretty cool. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Eastern Promises | February 1, 2008
Today's movie: David Cronenberg's latest, 2007's Russian expat crime thriller "Eastern Promises," proving again just how on top of his game this talented director is these days. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Man Who Fell to Earth | January 31, 2008
Today's movie: The so-so trippy 1976 science-fiction film "The Man Who Fell to Earth," which in its rush to employ as many '70s cinematic effects as possible forgets along the way to tell a decent story. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: The Take Away Shows | January 31, 2008
Today's obsession: The unique video-based music podcast "The Take Away Shows," in which indie-rock bands are dragged through the streets of Paris and filmed as they perform songs live. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Helvetica | January 30, 2008
Today's movie: The sharp, smart, fascinating 2007 documentary "Helvetica," a two-hour movie about a typeface that has become the biggest money-maker in the history of Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center. Click through to find out why. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Hot Fuzz | January 30, 2008
Today's review: The 2007 buddy-cop-action-thriller parody "Hot Fuzz," by the British comedy team that made "Shaun of the Dead," much better than its insipid American marketing campaign would have you believe. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Clockers | January 24, 2008
Today: The surprisingly disappointing 1995 Spike Lee crime thriller "Clockers," based on the vastly superior novel by Richard Price. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Ratatouille | January 23, 2008
Today: The absolutely perfect family film "Ratatouille," the latest by Brad Bird and the newly Disneyfied Pixar Animation. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Maltese Falcon | January 22, 2008
Today's movie: The seminal detective movie and film noir, 1941's "The Maltese Falcon," which not only established the career of John Huston but also made Humphrey Bogart a star for the first time. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Casablanca | January 22, 2008
Today's review: The surprisingly disappointing 1942 so-called classic "Casablanca," which somehow manages to mix jaded film noir with rah-rah wartime patriotism, not to great effect. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Day Watch | January 21, 2008
Today's review: The 2006 Russian big-budget science-fiction actioner "Day Watch," a sequel to the 2004 Russian big-budget science-fiction actioner "Night Watch." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Zardoz | January 18, 2008
Today's movie: 1974's science-fiction "masterpiece" (read: cult favorite) "Zardoz," a perfect example of everything both great and awful about '70s cinema. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow | January 10, 2008
Today's review: The 2004 "retro future" cutting-edge computer-animation experiment "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," which deserves a better reputation than it currently has. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Match Point | January 9, 2008
Today's review: The surprisingly thrilling 2005 Woody Allen British crime noir, "Match Point." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Brokeback Mountain | January 8, 2008
Today's review: The 2005 f--king gay cowboy movie, "Brokeback Mountain." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: "2001: A Space Odyssey" | January 7, 2008
Today's movie: The 1968 masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey," considered by many to be the greatest science-fiction film ever made. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: King Kong (2005) | January 7, 2008
Today's review: The mostly disappointing 2005 Peter Jackson remake of "King Kong." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Little Children" | January 3, 2008
Today's review: The 2006 Oscar-nominated movie adaptation of Tom Perrotta's "Little Children," which believe it or not may actually be better than the book version (which I loved too). | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Afterworld | December 21, 2007
Today's obsession: The new online "vertical science-fiction project" Afterworld, which not only uses multiple media to tell its story but also to distribute its content. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Cube 2: Hypercube" | December 20, 2007
Today's review: The maddeningly disappointing 2003 movie "Hypercube," a sequel to the far superior low-budget science-fiction classic "Cube." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Time Bandits | December 19, 2007
Today's movie: The wickedly funny "Time Bandits" from 1981, the first solo film by former Monty Python member Terry Gilliam, as well as an examination of Gilliam's career as a filmmaker since. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Reservation Road," by John Burnham Schwartz | December 19, 2007
Today's review: The 1999 revenge tale "Reservation Road" by John Burnham Schwartz, which was recently made into a high-profile Hollywood movie. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: Lonesome Dove | December 18, 2007
Today's review: The eight-hour revisionist Western freaking saga "Lonesome Dove," based on the Pulitzer-winning novel by Larry McMurtry. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Steve Ibsen, AKA "G-Shack" | December 18, 2007
Today's obsession: College student Steve Ibsen (aka "G-Shack"), creator of one of the silliest online guilty pleasures of recent memory, the instantly addictive "Kitty Cat Dance." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "X2: X-Men United" | December 17, 2007
Today's review: The truly awful superhero film "X2: X-Men United." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "LOL" | December 11, 2007
Today's review: The masterful 2006 look at technology and relationships, "LOL," a so-called "mumblecore" film by Chicagoan Joe Swanberg. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "The Bourne Identity" and "The Bourne Supremacy" | November 30, 2007
Today's films: The infinitely smart 2002 action thriller "The Bourne Identity," and the infinitely disappointing 2004 action thriller sequel "The Bourne Supremacy." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Donnie Darko | November 29, 2007
Today's movie: The head-scratchingly brilliant (or is that brilliantly head-scratching) 2001 cult classic "Donnie Darko," by "Southland Tales" writer and director Richard Kelly. | Read entire entry

Announcing the CCLaP winter project: Gilbert & Sullivan | November 21, 2007
Now that it's winter and I'm doing a lot less bicycling and exercising here in Chicago, I've decided that it's time to take on an extended research project in the arts. This winter's research subject is Gilbert & Sullivan; click through for a lot more. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Hollywoodland" | November 21, 2007
Today's review: The Los Angeles film noir "Hollywoodland," which takes a look at the real-life bizarre death of actor George Reeves. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Alphaville" | November 20, 2007
Today's review: The artfully messy, messily artful 1965 science-fiction experiment "Alphaville," by French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Ocean's Twelve" | November 19, 2007
Today's review: The only so-so "Ocean's Twelve," directed by Steven Soderbergh and based on his much better "Ocean's Eleven." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Oldboy" | November 16, 2007
Today's review: The highly experimental, ultra-violent South Korean 2003 action film "Oldboy." | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "Clerks" and "Clerks II" | November 15, 2007
Today's review: The classic slacker two-film series "Clerks" and "Clerks II," both written and directed by Kevin Smith a decade apart. | Read entire entry

Mini-review: "V for Vendetta" | November 9, 2007
Today's mini-review: The truly awful 2005 movie "V for Vendetta," by the "Matrix" trilogy's Wachowski Brothers and based on the '80s comic from Alan Moore. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 15: Split Pillow's Jason Stephens | November 1, 2007
Today on the CCLaP Podcast: A 20-minute talk with Jason Stephens, founder of the Chicago film organization Split Pillow, a group that helps underground filmmakers finish and distribute their experimental projects. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Brick | October 18, 2007
Today's film: The brilliant teenage noir experiment that could've been an absolute disaster, Rian Johnson's 2005 masterpiece "Brick." | Read entire entry

Field report: "Petersburg" screening at Chicago Filmmakers | October 9, 2007
Today, photos and thoughts from my recent screening of the low-budget political thriller "Petersburg," produced by a great filmmaking non-profit in Chicago named Split Pillow. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 12b: Filmmaker Joe Swanberg, part 2 | October 2, 2007
Today, part 2 of my recent extra-long interview with Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg, one of the more well-known of the so-called "mumblecore" filmmakers getting so much attention these days. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 12a: Filmmaker Joe Swanberg, part 1 | October 1, 2007
Today on the CCLaP Podcast: Part 1 of my recent interview with Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg, one of the more well-known of the so-called "mumblecore" filmmakers getting so much attention these days. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Eric Wenger | October 1, 2007
Today's obsession: Eric Wenger, not only the brains behind the U&I Software company and their series of tools for artistic professionals, but also the creator of lots of short films highlighting the ways the software can be used. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Kissing On the Mouth | September 28, 2007
Today, part 2 of CCLaP's mini-feature on Chicago filmmaker Joe Swanberg; specifically, a review of his 2005 sexually-explicit human-interest drama, "Kissing On the Mouth." | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: The Yamagato Fellowship | September 28, 2007
Today's obsession: The Yamagato Fellowship, a cool fake "viral" website created to support the NBC cult hit "Heroes." | Read entire entry

Mumblecore: A friendly beginner's guide | September 27, 2007
Today, finally, part 1 of CCLaP's mini-feature on Chicago filmmaker and "mumblecore" pioneer Joe Swanberg. Here, a gentle introduction to Swanberg's work, and a detailed look at what the hell mumblecore is anyway, including lots and lots and lots of online samples. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: ThunderAnt | September 24, 2007
Today's obsession: Online video comedy troupe "ThunderAnt," which just happens to be comprised of former Saturday Night Live comedian Fred Armisen and former Sleater-Kinney guitarist Carrie Brownstein. Yeah, I know! | Read entire entry

Personal essay: Where to start when you know no one and nothing. | September 17, 2007
A reader email this weekend gets me thinking on my past; specifically, what advice I have to artists just starting out, and who have just moved to big cities where they know no one and nothing about how that "scene" works. Today, I share that advice. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Nerve Video | September 14, 2007
Today's obsession: The very naughty Nerve Video, featuring dozens upon dozens of smart, dirty online videos from very good-looking nerds. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: HBO Voyeur | September 12, 2007
Today's obsession: The surprisingly cutting-edge (but still troubled) online/cable-TV hybrid project "HBO Voyeur." | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Julie & Jackie | September 11, 2007
Today's obsession: The Los Angeles comedy duo Julie & Jackie (Julie Klausner and Jackie Clarke), who have lots and lots of free and very funny online video available for your downloading pleasure. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: DAVE School | September 10, 2007
Today's obsession: the Digital Animation & Visual Effects (or DAVE) School in Orlando, Florida, which offers its students a real-world project to work on at the end of every school year (and a page of free downloads for the public of all projects completed). Click through for more! | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Short Films of David Lynch | September 7, 2007
Today's movie: The compilation DVD "The Short Films of David Lynch," collecting up six of the celebrated Surrealist filmmaker's experiments over a 30-year period. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: The Midwest Teen Sex Show | September 4, 2007
Today's obsession: The funny and frank new "Midwest Teen Sex Show" podcast. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 09: The Brew N View | August 27, 2007
Today's episode: A three-minute video tour of the infamous Brew N View (held at Lakeview's Vic Theatre at Belmont and Sheffield), wherein recent movies are shown on a giant screen and liquor sold as well, and audience members encouraged to drunkenly shout at the films. | Read entire entry

The new Star Trek fan movie is here! The new Star Trek fan movie is here! | August 24, 2007
Fun news for Star Trek fans: The newest episode of the fan series "New Voyages" is now finished and online, starring none other than George Takei ("Sulu") from the actual original series. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Rope | August 23, 2007
Today: The classic yet experimental 1948 Alfred Hitchcock gay-subtext murder mystery "Rope." | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...Creepy-Ass Robots | August 21, 2007
Today: Ten great movies that all feature a creepy-ass robot. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Equilibrium | August 20, 2007
Today's movie: The truly awful 2002 science-fiction action thriller "Equilibrium." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Night Watch | August 15, 2007
Today's movie: The 2004 big-budget Russian science-fiction epic "Night Watch." | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Bird Cinema | August 10, 2007
Today's obsession: The deceptively simple BirdCinema.com, which simply features user-submitted videos of birds around the world with a well-working and fast onscreen interface. Surprisingly addictive! | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Pan's Labyrinth | August 3, 2007
Today's movie: The breathtakingly expectation-defying adult fairytale and multiple Oscar winner "Pan's Labyrinth," by horror master Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy, Blade II). | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Primer | August 1, 2007
Today's movie: The astonishing 2004 no-budget trippy science-fiction epic "Primer." | Read entire entry

The Guardian has amazing coverage of Ingmar Bergman's death | July 31, 2007
For those who don't know, famed Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman died over the weekend. Today, a look at the amazing portal of information British newspaper "The Guardian" has assembled to mark the occasion. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Squid and the Whale | July 27, 2007
Today's movie: The amazingly good and astoundingly uncomfortable 2005 divorce dramedy "The Squid and the Whale," by master screenwriter Noah Baumbach (Kicking and Screaming, Mr. Jealousy, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou). | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Passion of Ayn Rand | July 25, 2007
Today's movie: the cable-television biopic "The Passion of Ayn Rand," detailing the sexual affair between the founder of Objectivism and one of her students, back in the 1950s at the height of her career. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: "The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai" | July 25, 2007
Today's obsession: The 2005 Japanese postmodern porn film "The Glamorous Life of Sachiko Hanai," one of a growing amount of smart modern "pink films" to come out of that country these days. | Read entire entry

CCLaP Podcast 05: Greater Wealth Productions | July 23, 2007
Today: A five and a half minute interview with GW Welsh of the multimedia production company Greater Wealth, shot at a recent fundraiser at Lakeview's Spot6 nightclub. Also includes footage of Chicago writer Kate Cullen, Indiana cartoonist Andrew Dimitt, and Georgia band The North And South, plus the visual artwork of "Corey." | Read entire entry

When Chicago was Hollywood, before Hollywood existed | July 23, 2007
Just wanted to point out a great article the Chicago Tribune has online right now, detailing the history behind Essanay Studios and other film production companies in Chicago at the beginning of the 20th century. Click through for the link. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Sideways | July 20, 2007
Today's movie: The 2004 overhyped character study "Sideways," which is actually much better than original hype and backlash would have you believe. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Storytelling | July 13, 2007
Today's movie: The classically uncomfortable 2001 black comedy "Storytelling," by master of the uncomfortable Todd Solondz. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Mimic | July 11, 2007
Today's movie: The 1997 low-budget horror film "Mimic," which happens to also be the American debut of Guillermo del Toro ("Hellboy," "Pan's Labyrinth"). | Read entire entry

Rocchi: "No, seriously, movies ARE getting worse in general" | July 10, 2007
James Rocchi, former lead movie critic of Netflix, has posted an interesting article at Cinematical today, arguing that it's not just your imagination -- that Hollywood movies, especially summer ones, really ARE getting worse and worse with each passing year. Click through for more. | Read entire entry

Announcing the CCLaP Movie Club | July 9, 2007
It's official; I've set up a Google Group as a complement to CCLaP's "Movies for Grown-Ups" series of film essays! Click through for more on how it works, how to sign up, and what you can expect as a member. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Altered States | July 4, 2007
Today, a special essay: not just a traditional review of trippy 1980 sci-fi thriller "Altered States," but also a look at how my understanding of the film has changed over the decades, as my own education about the world has expanded as well. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: KarmaCritic | July 2, 2007
Today's obsession: "KarmaCritic," a new online video-sharing site and ongoing contest, started by a whole bunch of angry former contestants and fans of the Fox reality show "On The Lot." | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...How Great Drugs Are | June 29, 2007
Today: Ten great films featuring scenes that glorify drug use. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Dead Ringers | June 28, 2007
Today's movie: The 1988 David Cronenberg dense psychological thriller "Dead Ringers." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: To Live and Die in LA | June 20, 2007
Today's movie: The overlooked William Friedkin 1985 neo-noir "To Live and Die in LA," also one of the first starring roles for both William Petersen (CSI) and Willem Dafoe. | Read entire entry

And this is why I no longer play Second Life | June 20, 2007
Okay, not really, but you should check out this hilarious real-world parody of Second Life anyway, embedded in the main entry courtesy YouTube. Click through to watch. | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...Sexy Nerds | June 19, 2007
Today, part 1 of a new series, presenting hopefully funny hyper-specialized lists of themed films, and why I in particular think they're so great. This entry: Ten great movies featuring sexy nerds. | Read entire entry

The CCLaP Movie Club? | June 19, 2007
And speaking of movies....I got an email from a CCLaP reader yesterday that made me laugh, where she admitted that each time I announce what's next on my Netflix* queue list, she runs out and rents the movie herself, so... | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: 24 Hour Party People | June 15, 2007
Today's movie: "24 Hour Party People," the partly true, partly fictionalized tale of Factory Records, the Manchester label behind not only the '80s post-punk scene there (Joy Division, New Order, etc) but also the '90s rave one (Happy Mondays, Stone Roses, etc). | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Helvetica (the movie) | June 14, 2007
Today's obsession: The new documentary "Helvetica," examining both the history of "the world's most perfect font," and the various ways it's been used over the decades. Opening tomorrow in Chicago, with the filmmaker on hand too! | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: The Independent Film Channel blog | June 12, 2007
Today's obsession: The staff blog for the Independent Film Channel, a cable network devoted to small and artsy movies. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Steampunk Star Trek | June 8, 2007
Today's obsession of the moment -- a fan-made, turn-of-the-century, silent-movie version of Star Trek. Rock! | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: A Scanner Darkly | June 8, 2007
In today's installment of Movies for Grown-Ups: "A Scanner Darkly," the black 2006 sci-fi thriller by Richard Linklater, based on the even blacker novel by Philip K. Dick. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: PSST! Pass It On... | June 7, 2007
Today's obsession of the moment: "PSST! Pass It On..." an ongoing experimental animation series, curated by designer Bran Doughterty-Johnson. | Read entire entry

Obsession of the moment: Sunset Gun | June 4, 2007
Today, a profile of film critic Kim Morgan, LA Weekly contributor and author of the movie blog "Sunset Gun." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Metropolis (1927) | June 1, 2007
Today, the latest in CCLaP's series of film reviews, this time covering the 1927 dystopian science-fiction epic "Metropolis." Written by CCLaP executive director Jason Pettus. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Requiem for a Dream | May 24, 2007
Today's movie review -- the 2000 dark anti-drug tale "Requiem for a Dream," by Darren Aronofsky (Pi, The Fountain). | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Prestige | May 16, 2007
Today's movie: The atmospheric Victorian-Age thriller "The Prestige," by Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins). | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Third Man | May 12, 2007
Today's movie: The post-WWII black comedy about the black market, "The Third Man," which recently received a brand-new DVD restoration treatment. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: The Departed | May 2, 2007
Today's movie: The surprisingly disappointing Martin Scorsese crime noir "The Departed." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Equus | April 28, 2007
Today's movie: The trippy 1970s psychological drama "Equus," starring Sir Richard Burton. | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Cube | April 19, 2007
Today's movie: The cultish Canadian science-fiction horror sleeper hit "Cube." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Triumph of the Will | April 16, 2007
Today's movie: the 1935 Leni Riefenstahl Nazi propaganda documentary "Triumph of the Will." | Read entire entry

Movies for Grown-Ups: Master list | April 15, 2007
The master list for CCLaP's series of film reviews, "Movies for Grown-Ups," penned by executive director Jason Pettus. | Read entire entry

Ten Movies About...Master List | April 15, 2007
Master list for all of CCLaP's "Ten Movies About..." hyperspecialized themed film essays. | Read entire entry

Mini-reviews: Master list | April 15, 2007
The master list of all mini-reviews (books and movies) found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography. | Read entire entry