Chicago Weekend Fun!

What’s going on in Chicago this weekend?

It’s fall now, the leaves have mostly fallen and we are picking through the last of the Halloween candy and thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas. (started you shopping yet?) But there are still a lot of things going on in Chicago during this holiday intermission. There are always new movies released every Friday and this week there look like a few I would actually go see. On Sunday we have some free cultural events at Millennium Park and some Musical Improv Theater. Saturday is open with artistic and theater possibilities.  Check out all the listings below and plan your weekend today:

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Friday November 2

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Friday night is Movie Night! These new movies open this Friday in Chicago:

American Gangster - this highly anticipated Oscar buzzy film is very popular before it’s opening. The buzz for this movie started back in July. The American public is always interested in gangster life drama that balances the wrongs they do in society with the strong family bonds and entrepreneurial spirit that they use to make a living in hard places. This movie promises a lot of drama and surprises.

Martian Child - John Cusack is finally starting to look like his sister. I never saw the resemblance before. In this movie he is a guy that adopts a boy. Why not in this world? If dads can get full custody they should be able to adopt too. Maybe it’s not a manhood movie in the sense of blowing things up but its still a manly characteristic to be a good father.

Bee Movie - Jerry Seinfeld’s animated “B” movie featuring a Bee has been getting hype for about a year now. How a film takes 3 years to develop and involves so many people that even Eddie Izzard is in the trailer I don’t know. It was a random unfocused project, we will see if it is a random unfocused movie or if it will be memorable and get Jerry out of the Seinfeld rut that so many long running sitcom people have after the shows end.

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead - Ethan Hawke and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (playing brothers) are in this movie and they say there are Oscar nominations waiting in the wings. Yet there has been little or no advertising support for this. So maybe it is good? Or not? Or just doesn’t have a marketing budget? Seriously, if we didn’t bring you the rundown, where would you find out about these un-promoted movies?

Darfur Now - Don Cheadle has made a documentary about the places in Africa in Darfur that he learned about while making Hotel Rwanda. It seems that a few celebrities really take the time to go learn about a humanitarian crisis and do something to try and help. He seems like one genuinely dedicated to promoting this problem but aside from another military invasion we can’t support I am not sure what any of us are supposed to do in this situation.

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Saturday November 3

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DANCE Chicago is now playing at the Athenaeum Theater on Lincoln and Southport in Lakeview/Lincoln Park. Check out all kinds of dance styles and performances all month long from the traditional to the modern and avant garde. Tickets are very affordable at $10, $20 and $30 dollars depending on the show and the seat. The tickets can be purchased from dancechicago.com or ticketmaster.

Dane Cook - Standup Comedian extrordinaire is playing the very large house of United Center Saturday night. Last minute tickets might be found at ticketmaster or by checking ebay or stubhub or craigslist. They orginally listed at $30-$100 bucks, now being last minute expect to pay double. Go rock out the su-phi finger thing with all the other college and 20 somethings. He is funny, but it’s getting a bit overplayed. Please Dane, some more new material…we like A:46 but we need some new stuff to chew on.

Drink for Hunger - Charity bar club event at Aliveone. Open Bar 8-11 pm and music all night long. Located at 2683 N. Halsted Street Chicago, IL 60614-2301 call 773-348-9800 for more info and tickets.

SOFA Chicago - The 14th annual International Exposition Sculpture Objects and Functional Artfeatures three-dimensional fine art in glass, ceramics, wood, metal and fiber, from 100 galleries in 18 countries, including dealers from England, Scandinavia, the Czech Republic, Argentina, the U.S. and others. Also includes a lecture series on art-related topics. All artwork is for sale. Located in the pier’s festival hall. I have yet to see this but it is supposed to be really spectacular. The creativity here influences the consumer products we buy and use years down the road. Get hip to the emerging trends here first. Open at Navy Pier Friday Saturday and Sunday this weekend only. Tickets $15 bucks at the door. Call 800-563-7632 for more information.

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Sunday November 4

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Second City Danny’s Skybox Theater – The Second City Musical Improv House Ensemble puts on one heck of a show. Not only are they all skilled improvisers, they are also great singers and end up improvising a lot of very funny songs. Check out this week’s Sunday show at 8pm. Tickets are $10 dollars at the door.

Arctic: Soundscape Millennium Park- As part of the Chicago Humanities Festival 2007 “The Climate of Concern,” this  outdoor audio/video installation will have you revisioning the outdoor Pavilion as a giant iceberg. A collaboration between composer Max Eastley and video artist David Buckland, Arctic combines chilling video footage with sounds recorded on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen, (part of the Cape Farewell Project), reassembled into a haunting hour-long sound and video spectacular. Max Eastley’s Arctic will be played over the speakers of the Park’s Jay Pritzker Pavilion and the Great Lawn from 9am – 10pm. It’s a Free event!