From high-speed chases to preposterous parades, Chicago dazzles on the silver screen. Last episode, we attempted to uncover the best movie ever filmed in Chicago. What we found was that it was impossible to name a definitive best, let alone name every movie that deserves recognition.

Today, we dive deeper into movies that resonate with Chicagoans with two film critics: Marya E. Gates, author of Cinema Her Way: Visionary Female Directors in Their Own Words and Robert Daniels, associate editor of RogerEbert.com. They argue that the city doesn’t just look good on screen, it also helps tell stories that are reflective of its residents. Gates and Daniels talk about Chicago movies that highlight crime and political tropes (like “The Untouchables,” “Medium Cool,” and “Call Northside 777”), movies that bend space and time to navigate through Chicago’s geography (like “The Fugitive” and “Blues Brothers”), and movies that follow teenagers as they romp around the city (like “Cooley High” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”). Plus, they’ve got recommendations for Chicago movies that may have flown under your radar.

Music in this episode:

• “Do You Know Where You're Going To” from the film “Mahogany” by Dianna Ross
• "Somewhere in My Memory" from the film “Home Alone” by John Williams
• Main Theme from “The Dark Knight” by Hans Zimmer
• “Hopeless” from the film “Love Jones” by Dionne Farris
• “She Caught the Katy (And Left Me a Mule to Ride)” from the film “The Blues Brothers” by The Blues Brothers
• “Rawhide” from the film “The Blues Brothers” by The Blues Brothers
• “Boom Boom” from the film “The Blues Brothers” by John Lee Hooker
• “Stairway Chase” from the film “The Fugitive” by James Newton Howard
• “Twist and Shout” from the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” by The Beatles
• “Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want (Instrumental)” from the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” by The Dream Academy
• “Baby Love” from the film “Cooley High” by The Supremes
• “Reach Out (I’ll Be There)” from the film “Cooley High” by The Four Tops
• “We Slept In” from the film “Home Alone” by John Williams
• “Run Rudolph Run” from the film “Home Alone” by Chuck Berry
• Original music from the film “A League of Their Own” by Hans Zimmer
• Original music from the film “Compensation” by Reginald R. Robinson
• Original music from the film “We Grown Now” by Jay Wadley and Attacca Quartet
• “The Float” from the film “Hoop Dreams” by Ben Sidran
• “Oh Yeah” from the film “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” by Yello
• “Doing It Again” by Lincoln Grounds and Thomm Jutz