Gene Siskel News

Anthony Freud, general director of Lyric Opera of Chicago, today announced Memory and Reckoning, a confluence of activities related to the Chicago premiere of Mieczysaw Weinberg's The Passenger, on stage at Lyric February 24 through March 15. This poignant and gripping 20th-century masterpiece portrays the story of the Holocaust from the perspectives of both victim and perpetrator, and was only recently rediscovered after more than 40 years of suppression.

'Life Itself,' (Magnolia Pictures) the acclaimed documentary chronicling the life of world renowned film critic Roger Ebert, is back on the big screen in Chicago for one night only this Wednesday as part of the Chicago International Film Festival.

Bjork: Biophilia Live, the documentary film capturing the multidimensional concert centered on Bjork's eighth studio album, will begin a limited series of premiere screenings at festivals, museums, libraries, galleries and cinemas worldwide

Bjork: Biophilia Live, the documentary film capturing the multidimensional concert centered on Bjork's eighth studio album, will begin a limited series of premiere screenings

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) presents its annual spring festival from May 19 to June 8, 2014, which this year is entitled Truth to Power. Inspired by the phrase "speaking truth to power"-part of a 1955 Quaker treatise that outlined alternatives to violence and served as a cornerstone for the pacifist movement-the Truth to Power Festival highlights the works of Dmitri Shostakovich, Benjamin Britten and Sergei Prokofiev, three composers who believed in music's ability to connect people and thus harness the power of shared experience.

In response to the interest and discussion surrounding the recent releases of 12 Years a Slave (2013) and Django Unchained (2012), Museum of the Moving Image will present Massa' Gaze: Screenings and Critical Discussions of the Depictions of Slavery in Film and Television. The event, on Saturday, February 1, from 1:00 to 8:30 p.m., opens with a rare screening of Solomon Northup's Odyssey, Gordon Parks's 1984 film adaptation of Northup's memoir (the same source material as 12 Years a Slave), and closes with Burn!, Gillo Pontecorvo's 1969 film about a Caribbean slave rebellion starring Marlon Brando.

The Film Society of Center announced today a special Views From the Avant-Garde evening presenting the work of video artist Dani Leventhal tonight, December 18 to celebrate the occasion of her receiving the 2013 Kazuko Trust Scholarship Award Grant.

The Film Society of Center announced today a special Views From the Avant-Garde evening presenting the work of video artist Dani Leventhal on Wednesday, December 18 to celebrate the occasion of her receiving the 2013 Kazuko Trust Scholarship Award Grant.

Celebrating the 30th anniversary of A Christmas Story, is a new interactive, full-colour, hard-cover book A Christmas Story Treasury by Oakville-based author and entrepreneur Tyler Schwartz, that tells the story behind the film's unlikely success and reveals it's humble Canadian beginnings.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Roger Ebert's former colleague and fellow critic Richard Roeper will take on the role of movie columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times.

Digital entertainment curator FilmBuff previously announced that they would release the Russell Crowe-narrated documentary RED OBSESSION on VOD September 6 with exclusive theatrical engagements in New York and Miami with additional markets such as Los Angeles and San Francisco to follow.

A new book, Blast of Silence, sheds light on a three-decade career in film and television, from the late 1950s to the mid 1980s.

Chicago Opera Theater (COT) offers more opportunities to look inside its operas through its new initiative, “Viewpoints.” These collaborations with Chicago cultural institutions draw audiences even further into the passionate world of COT's 2013 Season, “Power of Love – Love of Power,” and offer new insight and perspective on the artistry and vision of upcoming productions.

Through a partnership with event-based distribution company AREA 23A, RED OBSESSION will open in theaters in New York and Miami on September 6, Chicago on September 7 and Los Angeles on September 13 with select cities across the US to follow. FilmBuff will release the film on VOD September 6 in the US and Canada on all leading On Demand platforms including iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, Comcast, DirecTV, Time Warner Cable, YouTube, XBOX, Sony Playstation, Cinemanow and Vudu.

Low Movie shows tonight, July 29, at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The film follows the entire career of iconic band Low and their relationship with director Philip Harder. For twenty years they have made music videos and short films together, filming on ice, in railroad yards, and in rapidly disintegrating rooms.

Low Movie shows Monday July 29, at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The film follows the entire career of iconic band Low and their relationship with director Philip Harder.

Over 50 drawings, paintings and computer-generated images will be featured in the Beyond Influence: The Art of Little City exhibit at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago. Past and present artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities who work out of Little City's Center for the Arts will showcase work at this prestigious museum, dedicated solely to presenting self-taught and outsider art.

The Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts announced the details of its 2013-2014 Season on Monday night. The RHCPA follows up its highly successful third season, Captured Moments, with a lineup guaranteed to provide something for every taste. Shows range from solo performances to ensemble plays from October 2012-May 2013.

Over 50 drawings, paintings and computer-generated images will be featured in the Beyond Influence: The Art of Little City exhibit at Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art in Chicago. Past and present artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities who work out of Little City's Center for the Arts will showcase work at this prestigious museum, dedicated solely to presenting self-taught and outsider art.