HEY....MEET ME AT THE LIBRARY!
- 5 days ago
- 3 min read
If you love movies... and I mean really love movies, the kind that get under your skin, stick in your brain, and sometimes completely rearrange your emotional wiring, then I’ve got something special coming up that I’d love for you to be a part of.
After four decades of watching, reviewing, arguing about, defending, tearing apart, and occasionally falling head-over-heels in love with movies, I finally put it all down on paper in my new book from Eckhartz Press, 40 Years, 40 Films.
One film per year. One long, winding, deeply personal cinematic journey. And now I get to celebrate that journey live, in person, right here in Chicago... which is exactly how this stuff should be shared.
Here are the details, plain and simple, so you can lock it into your calendar right now:
• Wednesday, January 21, 2026
• 6:00 PM – 7:45 PM
• FREE event, open to all ages
This is going to be a relaxed, fun, movie-lover’s night. We’ll talk favorite films, revisit underappreciated gems, and watch short scenes from select titles that have meant something to me (and maybe to you) over the years.
This isn’t a lecture. It’s a conversation, moderated by my friend, fellow film critic (and Chicago librarian!) Jim Laczkowski. It's a celebration of moviegoing, movie reviewing, and movie-loving, one film at a time. If movies have ever mattered to you on a personal level, you’ll feel right at home.
While we are there, I will also be selling and signing copies of 40 Years, 40 Films, so if you haven't purchased a copy yet, you can do it right there at the library...and get it signed!
The book itself is about looking back, sure, but it’s also about how movies shape who we are. From the ones that blew our minds as kids to the ones that hit us hard as adults, these films mark time in our lives.
I’ll share stories from my years in radio, podcasts, theaters, and live events, along with the strange, funny, sometimes ridiculous path that led me from growing up six blocks from Wrigley Field to spending over 35 years at WGN-AM radio, including more than 20 years hosting the number-one-rated overnight show in Chicago.
That overnight show gave me the chance to talk movies with incredible guests, interview fascinating people, and connect with listeners who cared as deeply about film as I did.
Along the way, I also studied and performed at The Second City, spent years in Chicago theater as an actor, director, and playwright, and even did my time on stand-up comedy stages at Zanies.
All of that feeds into this book and into how I talk about movies, which is passionately, honestly, and with a sense of humor, because movies are supposed to be fun, even when they wreck you emotionally.
If you plan on coming to the event REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED, so REGISTER at this LINK:
Seats are limited, so get those reservations in NOW.
Here is another LINK for full details and for REGISTRATION:
So, come hang out with me at the Rogers Park Library on January 21st. Bring your love of movies, your opinions, your memories, and maybe even that one film you’ll argue about forever.
We’ll laugh, we’ll reminisce, we’ll watch a few great scenes, and we’ll celebrate the incredible power of cinema together....and you can get a copy of my book as well.
I can’t wait to see you there.
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Thanks again!