Fun place to watch movies for cheap (7 USD per ticket). There are even free screenings sometimes. Dinky theatre, no concessions, and no intermissions. Sometimes, the screenings are followed by panel discussions with faculty or even filmmakers. The most memorable screening I attended was of "The Janes" (2022): based on the real-life story of bad-ass women from the late 60s and early 70s who provided abortion services to Chicago women before the legalization of abortion (Roe v Wade) in 1973. There was a panel discussion following the screening with the actual Janes (now in their 80s) who spoke about their experiences as part of the Jane Project. It was an incredible experience. Since then, I've been going to Doc quite consistently. They often have fun themes, such as a martial arts series, and also screen mainstream films like Barbie and most recently, One Battle After Another. There are quarters where I don't enjoy their selections, but when I do go, I always enjoy the movie-going experience. The theatre is medium-sized and quite shabby. It is usually very clean and the sound and picture quality are great. The website is quite poorly designed, so I would recommend buying tickets in person. I recommend a visit to Doc if you are in Hyde Park and find their selections interesting: the calendar is on the Doc Films website. read more

Doc Films - Doc Films Theatre - Cinema Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The range of documentaries offered was not just impressively broad but also quite engaging. I was able to discover realms I might not have otherwise at https://www.apkloklok.com/loklok-mod-apk/ thanks to the distinct perspectives each movie offered. The carefully chosen lineup was a testament to the commitment and love that went into organizing the event. Furthermore, you produced a warm and interesting atmosphere. The conversations and exchanges I had with other guests gave the event a deeper level of complexity. It's clear that Doc Films provides a forum for deep dialogue and relationships in addition to fostering a feeling of community. read more

Doc is a great place to see movies. When I was in High School we would get passes and go to Doc every weekend, sometimes both Fri and Sat night. However, they do have a lot of problems when showing the movies. I think there were small glitches about 50% of the time, once they switched to a different movie in the middle, and once there was a huge glitch that couldn't be fixed so I only got to see half of the movie. read more

There's something about watching a good film with a bunch of smarty pants U of C students that is kind of envigorating. Now I know why Ponce DeLeon was so darn persistent. Unfortunately, this particular night....the entire building felt like a russian bath house mit towels and old naked fat guys. That aside, what I love best about Doc Films, is that they provide you with a venue to watch 35mm prints of films that you might have only seen in the privacy of your own living room. This might not mean a lot to you, personallly....but part of the movie going experience for me is audience reaction. Eh, I guess I'm a people person. Keep an eye out for their schedule, it's worth the drive for us northsiders...and parking has been cake everytime! read more

Singular; selective; superlative. A veritable cinematic sanctuary. Oh: and really fucking affordable, too, particularly if one purchases the all-too-inexpensive season-pass. There really isn't much of a parallel to Doc Films; you might have a bad night with the projector/projectionist, but - as an institution - it's extraordinarily proximal to "perfect." read more

Doc Films is amazing. They consistently offer fantastic programming and for $5 per show-- all shows, all the time-- there's hardly a better deal for film lovers in Chicago. Actually, Facets' membership program is probably really the ONLY better deal for film lovers who live in the city! Just in the last year, I've been here to see: Jacques Rivette's "Celine & Julie Go Boating," Andy Milligan's "Fleshpot on 42nd Street," Al Adamson's "Carnival Magic," the entire 4-film Christian apocalypse-themed "A Thief in the Night" series, Duke Mitchell's insane "Gone With the Pope" and Gerard ("Deep Throat") Damiano's "Let My Puppets Come." Seriously. My one complaint about Doc Films is its location. It's really not easily accessible via public transportation, and if I drive it's easily a half-hour trip all the way across the city. However, if neither of these issues bother you, feel free to add an additional star. read more

Do the projectors occasionally break? yep but The Doc makes up for this with many other charms. First off, movies are still only 5 dollars and if that's too expensive for you it's usually possible to sneak in for free five minutes after the show starts. Second, on weekend nights The Doc shows older movies. Yes sometimes they're too weird for words but I've seen some great classic movies here. Third, The Doc is a great atmosphere to see movies in. This is because the crowd is made up of University of Chicago students whose sense of humor is often different and who have no problem laughing at bad dialogue and openly mocking bad movies. read more

I love that DoC offers films I wouldn't normally get to see on a big screen. I've gotten the chance to see so many great films that aren't offered on Netflix and experience them the way they were meant to be seen. Buying a pass is totally worth it and gives you an excuse to go back. The projectionists are ungrads and grad students and projection isn't perfect. Sometimes sound doesn't line up or cuts out, or reels aren't lined up or focused properly. I think one of these errors has occurred nearly every time I've come to see a film (I assume these errors don't happen when they screen DVDs), but you have to shrug it off. You're paying $5 to see a classic, in any case. read more

I have fond memories of attending Doc weekly for entire quarters for particularly spectacular themes (Hitchcock, zombies, Bollywood) and always hope the new quarter's calendar will be full of gems, but have disappointed for the past two years or so. With that being said, can't beat recently released movies for $5 on the weekends and the themed weeknights are sure to make many people happy. Plenty of technical problems, late starts, and general annoyances, but again, $5 (or cheaper with a quarter pass!). I love to hate it. read more

-A screening calendar that's updated quarterly. -Series cover the full spectrum of genres, directors, actors, eras, etc. -Really, really cheap movie tickets. OK, so sometimes the projectionists may mix up the reels. Or they'll load them in reverse so that the soundtrack is visible on the screen (when was the last time you SAW a soundtrack?). If you're lucky, the actor's feet might be on top of their heads, too. Yeah, it sounds like a fly by night operation, but it's none of that. DOC Films has been around longer than my grandma. The students at the University run the whole show from ticketing to programming to projection ( Hey, I was an apprentice projectionist at Doc back in the day!). Give 'em a break if the focus is off, someone's probably catching up on their readings in the booth. On top of that, you occasionally get to watch movies with directors and film critics in the audience who'll take questions after the show. read more

Correction: this is second best thing in Hyde Park (after the Seminary Co-op, natch.) This year's calendar has really upped the ante: New Taiwanese Cinema? Check. Stan Brakhage Mondays? Check. read more

I had to do an assignment for a film class where we had to write about my experience going to see a film with other classmates, and it had to be foreign film. Not that I have anything against foreign films. I typically enjoy a good foreign film Anyway, Doc's was screening Ousmane Sembene's Guelwaar. Since I had seen another film of his (Mandabi) in another film class, I decided to go for it. The theater is small and quaint. It's a movie theater pre- AMC colonialism, which I like. If you're up for catching a film that is not your typical HBO/Showtime re-run, it's a relatively good spot. A lot of old people were there. You'll just eat this place up if you're 65 and over. I would at least. However, if it weren't for that assignment, I wouldn't have gone out of my way to go there. I would rather just find the film on netflix. I was a little mad that they ripped my raffle ticket, because I needed it as proof that I actually did go see a movie at a movie thtr. Oh and no food or drink is allowed in the thtr. I'm sorry, but I'm just a popcorn and film kind of girl. I still ate skittles anyway. :P read more

Presenting one of the most diverse selections of film in the city, U of C Doc Films is sure to satisfy just about everyone with something on their calender. Presenting at least 1 different film every night of the week (they close up for spring and winter breaks) in different themed series, there's always going to be something interesting playing there. Doc is also the only large venue which regularly plays avant garde/experimental cinema. Tickets are a bargain at $5 and projection is almost always perfect. Guest speakers and filmmakers are sometimes present to introduce movies and answer questions. Although rather inconvenient to get to unless you live in or near Hyde Park, no matter where you are, Doc is worth the trip. read more

It took us a long time to agree on movies. We've got some tough differences: you like camp, but I hate camp; I like space movies, but you hate space movies. Admittedly, there was a lot of negative stuff that came out of going to see "Poison" without looking it up first. But hating it together, it might just have been the first movie we agreed on. read more

Doc Films is a student-run venture which screens movies at the Max Pavlevsky Cinema in Ida Noyes Hall on the U of Chicago campus. Their film program schedules coincide with the U of C academic quarters - on weekdays their programming tends toward art, obscure, foreign, and/or classic selections, while weekend shows are generally recent releases and/or mainstream crowd-pleasers. The Pavlevsky theater is surprisingly comfortable for an academic facility, though food & drink are prohibited & a trip to the bathroom will involve a long, daunting trek to another area of Noyes hall. At $5 admission per person, Doc is a great, inexpensive movie option in an area which is seriously underserved in terms of film screenings. read more

$5 for the chance to sit in the impartial dark and enjoy a movie... I'll take it. The audience is evenly distributed across the ages. I can only hope I'll be 60, bearded, with some elbow patches, watching Mad Max on the big screen one more time. read more

There's not a cheaper nor a more interesting place to see movies in the entire city of Chicago. Tickets are $5 ($5!) and they run some really interesting series during weekdays that one might not normally have a chance to see on a big screen (current highlights include Korean New Wave and an Andrei Tarovsky/Terrence Malick series) and on the weekends they show second-run new releases. A cinephile's heaven. read more

Doc films is a kick-ass student run movie theater at the University of Chicago, which is also open to the general public. On weekends (Friday and Saturday) they show newer releases and during the weekdays they show themed series of older but awesome films. Doc's lineup is programed by students in their late teens and early twenties, who have apparently already seen every movie ever made. There is no better place to see a comedy (like Napoleon Dynamite) or a movie that is unintentionally funny (like Transformers: The Movie) than in a theater packed with young people. Doc is also a place to meet kindred spirits who enjoy confusing art films where nothing actually happens. Occasionally the projector may break, or they may not play the scheduled film, but where else in Chicago can you watch a movie for $5? read more

The University of Chicago picks some weird and worthwhile films to show to the students and general public. Wild films well worth the ride down L.S.D. to the Hyde Park campus. read more

This is Hyde Park's and the U of Chicago's second-run and film-lover's screening theater. So the tickets are cheap ($4 for non-members). Their programming is always top-notch, based on a different theme for each day of the week (They're open every evening during academic quarters). The theater itself is super comfortable and you'll always know that the attendees are there to watch the film (no annoyances like chatting or young kids). There is also no concession stand, so bring your own (quiet) snack food (black olives are nice). This is a completely volunteer/student run operation. Pick up a copy of their cool poster/schedule of screenings. read more

This is probably the best way to spend an evening in Hyde Park. With cheap $5 tickets, a wide variety of second run flicks and 35mm prints of art house selections, there is definitely something for you in a quarter's calendar. For the price and the selection, it's tough to beat. Plus, it's not like you have many other options on the South Side, and this place is needed, badly. read more

Doc shows fantastic, rarely screened films every weekday and Sunday night (the weekends are for recent films). The curated series are a fascinating mix of classic gems and lesser-known, underrated works. No concessions, but that means you don't have to hear someone munching loudly on popcorn or slurping a giant Coke in the middle of a film! Even though all of the projection staff is made up of volunteers and students, projection is also pretty high-quality. I haven't witnessed any majorly annoying errors the 3+ years I've been attending screenings at Doc. Also, the volunteers are super friendly and knowledgeable. Best cinema in Chicago. read more

In a sense it is ridiculous to give Doc less than 5 stars. I am in Chicago for a month only, and this is already my favorite pastime here. The programming is completely on point, and I love their history and mission. I probably never would have seen Cassandra Cat otherwise, and as a huge film buff that's saying something. Or overcome loneliness on a Saturday night thanks to Burt Reynolds. And these in 35mm!! What joy. But here is where I must knock of a star. I love that you are maintaining the art of film projecting. Don't stop. HOWEVER, understand that real people...er, how to say...non-UChicago students? adults? strangers to the system? come to your viewings. It's a little weird how often the film misses, but if it does, be professional about it. This is where you're 100% lacking. Various students sit in the audience, then, after awhile, run up to the projection room, or look at each other bewildered. This is not helpful. Have a system. Make announcements (not tenuous ones muffled with a giggle). Manage your audience interaction a bit better and you'll be pros. And your paying customers will gladly be patient. read more