Chicago.com
The Chicago Film Tour was such an amazing experience! I checked it out with my “movie-know-it-all girlfriend” a couple weeks ago and it is a definitely a must-see in Chicago. If you like movies and history, I strongly recommend this tour. Pat McDonald, a film critic for www.hollywoodchicago.com, was our host for the day, leading us through the city with tons of film history knowledge and trivia. The bus is equipped with video screens, comfortable seating, and for those of you with tiny bladders -you guessed it, some of their buses have a bathroom. As we drive through Chicago slowly rolling past film locations, we are directed to the screens to watch the final clips that made it into the movies. I learned so much from this tour and how ingrained the history of movie making is in Chicago culture. Pat really knows his stuff and the staff of The Chicago Film Tour have put a ton of effort into making this a great experience.
The tour covers about 30+ miles of film history. We traveled past the world famous Wrigley field all the way south to Chinatown. There was a great selection of movies and not just the classics like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off or Blues Brothers. Pat covered everything from the 1910 silent movie The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, My Bodyguard, Child’s Play, Back Draft, While You Were Sleeping, and North By Northwest, to new releases like Eagle Eye, Wanted, and The Dark Knight. Possibly my favorite moment of the day was Pat’s homage to Vince Vaughn. There really is nothing quite like big guys dancing and no one does it better than Vince. (Fred Claus, The Breakup, etc.) You can tell Pat enjoys what he does which makes the whole trip even better. He’s freaking hilarious and is the kind of guy you want to have a beer with and watch a good flick. If you have friends and family coming in from out of town, or even folks you know in town and you want to show them how great our city is, tell them to take this tour. No matter what age you are or what you think you know about the movies, you’re sure to learn a ton on this tour.
Get yourself some tickets and check this out today!
Does this loincloth make my butt look big?
James Cameron is one lucky guy because he got me to see his movie AVATAR twice. I first saw it a couple weeks ago with my girlfriend in a regular, joe-shmo movie theater, and believe me, it was a mistake. I spent $14! FOURTEEN DOLLARS! And I got stuck in the front row because we were late. (Thanks Evanston cab drivers!) The good thing about assigned seating at the IMAX at Navy Pier is you can purchase your tickets in advance and walk in as the movie starts to great seats with your name on them (including the front row). For three bucks more I finally saw it the way James Cameron had really intended me to.
The only thing that I wished they had were the previews. But other than that, IMAX is a movie theater on steroids. The 3D effects are so realistic that every time an arrow or alien ponytail flew past the screen I ducked my head. The colors were so vibrant and exciting that it was like a box of crayons exploded on the screen. Every aspect of IMAX is ten times better than your conventional movie theater experience. The premium sound system, 60’ by 80’ screen and the quality of IMAX 3D blew my mind. The movie itself I have to describe as “alienriffic.” It reminded me of a cross between Dances with Wolves and Fern Gully, although you’d never catch me going to a movie with Kevin Costner wearing a loincloth.
I’ve heard how a lot of people feel depressed about watching AVATAR because it was so visually beautiful and how they wish life on Earth was like life on the alien planet Pandora. Um… I don’t know about you, but I’d hate having to wear a mask to breathe. I may want to grow my hair out though. That braid thing was awesome… if you know what I mean. I think my favorite part was that you needed huge 3D glasses that covered half your face to watch this flick, which was great because I was able to bust out my Harry Carey impression (my girlfriend really appreciated it when I pretended to walk around sloppy drunk with giant glasses on, screaming “Holy Cow!”) The next time you are in Chicago and want to treat yourself and your family to an awesome movie experience, please think Navy Pier IMAX.