I believe that there are two powerful phenomena in the world that turn people into terrible solipsists; Internet and cinema. With the former one we realize that the world accessible to us from any point and it would be suitable here to utilize the most famous motto, "The world just click away". When we enter the Internet domain we feel the Godlike omniscient power to see everything, to track everything, and to assume any identity. As soon as we log off we realize certain physical aphasia and loss of that super power and so on. In the latter one, in the experience of cinema we open up to our inner subjective world. The cinema opens passage to our innermost voyeuristic instincts. And in such moments of fetishistic pursuits for our subjectivity we turn into film, especially our fave ones. The geek who purchases tix in advance to the opening nights of Dark Knight is not to blame. I am well aware of that frustration when you cannot find certain title and it's not even available for rental from Blockbuster or Hollywood videos. There was once instance when I travelled over hundred miles to buy some obscure director's cut. The Facets that time (keep in mind Netflix was not in full bloom that time) was the only store that carried "The World" I wanted for myself http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUHunJGsBMU And when I gave up search for this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiM5XDeTxjk Facets taught me to keep my old VHS cassette player because there are still films produced on VHS read more

Facets is one of the very very few places in the city I can see amazing films both at their small theater and renting. If it was not for Facets we would miss so many amazing films that otherwise would pass up Chicago. If you cant find a movie here they can get it for you. The staff is so knowledgeable and while browsing their video collection you get to meet other Facets members who share the same passion as you. The theater itself is small but their selection is amazing. I especially love their Night School program and I have learned a lot by attending these. Especially try out their Fright School program during Halloween. If your a big movie geek like I am Facets is a must stop place to rent and watch films. read more

this is the place to get your fix of independent films. but, you already knew that. it's fairly small and intimate and they have typical concessions but considering the quality of the films screened, i'd kind of expect them to go around serving fine cheeses before the film started, but sadly, there is no cheese platter and wine is not offered. i saw a screening of Godard's 'Pierrot le Fou' here and the Godard writer Richard Brody introduced the film and held a Q&A session. seriously, 'Pierrot le Fou' is one of my favorite films of all time by one of my favorite directors of all time. Facets, i salute you! read more

Runs great films, has character. Single screen.

I never knew this movie theater existed until a friend invited me here for an indie movie. What a cute location. The theater was intimate and not too expensive. They pop the popcorn fresh, in house and nothing was overpriced like at the big theater houses. I didn't get to shop in the store, but will try to save more time to do that next time I come. If you know of a movie playing there, go, and be reminded of how movie theaters used to be. read more

I have probably spent a lot of time at Facets, probably more than most people on this review thread (not trying to sound "leet" but trust me there is a reason beyond cenophilia) The employees are wonderful and the theater truly digs deep to play some wonderful and obscure stuff you just won't find anywhere else, in fact I can think several movies I saw last year that still have not found their way to DVD! The video store has a great selection but it bothers me that you must make list, take it up front, have them tell you all 7 titles are rented then have to start all over again. Also they keep a large amount of movies on the shelves that are damaged/lost/stolen and never take the box off the shelf. I understand that part of the deal is to "show off" the collection but this is really frustrating and practically false advertising. I frequented Facets for a long time but now do to my new location and schedule I just don't have the time to stop by and spend the large amount of time this process takes, had to go with Netflix. I still show my support through the theater but wow, please get a new type of "butter" for your popcorn. The ooze that you are drenching it in now tastes like cardboard, seriously. read more

facets is an amazing resource whether watching first run foreign films or renting an obscure vhs! at 25+/-dollars for a monthly membership that includes an unlimited 3 movie at a time policy and free admission to the movies playing for you and a guest it is an amazing deal. i moved to colorado and still miss facets dearly. i find myself browsing their website often to see whats new! the employees are a treasure trove of info and you shouldnt be intimidated in the least. they know their stuff! facets also releases dvds by many directors that may not have been released otherwise such as bela tarr! simply amazing place that has a vested interest in the film community! read more

The bf found this place, and at first I was a hater. It's SOOOO far away (ok fine, not that far but the traffic around there makes it feel like it's a million miles away). Then, they got me. First, they had all these Korean movies that I wanted to see but couldn't find, then they had all these movies that I randomly wanted to watch but, again, could never find, then they got me with their always friendly staff, and then the kicker......the stupid popcorn they sell at their concession stand. I'm easy to win over..... read more

If you enjoy foreign or indie film, you've got to add Facets to your list. The theatre shows some pretty obscure films but also shows some very poignant selections that are rarely shown anywhere else. Try checking their website regularly at least once per week to see what's rolling through. read more

Amazing, I think one of the best video rentals in the country. The staff is very helpful and can recommend great selections in any category for you. read more

Facets should be considered a landmark, I travel from Madison, WI just to visit their cinematheque as it plays movies that aren't available elsewhere in the midwest. I work at a video store, 4 Star Video Heaven, so I don't have a need for their subscription service but our own store carries the majority of Facets exclusive titles. read more

Facets charged me over $300 for dvds that never arrived, refused to cancel my account when requested. Has anybody else had problems with these guys? I was really excited about this service--they have an amazing selection. I first heard about them from the Filmspotting guys, whom I love. Really disappointed in their service and the way they treat fellow filmmakers. read more

This shows some great harder to find films but the screen is really small and the price is still expensive, especially when it's a much older film that can be rented. For me, it is not worth it to go here as much because I have a projector and the projection is actually almost as big as the screen here and at $9 per ticket, it just doesn't seem too reasonable. They do have a membership option, however, if you live in the area and love seeing foreign and rarer films. read more

I think that Facet's rental service has an abundance of titles, and nearly half of my rentals stalled because of scratches. I think Facet's has an inconsistent mail system. I believe for the late July-October membership I received an average of 2 video (I was signed up for 4 at a time) a week. Sure, sometimes they came to me all at once. But most of the time it was a long wait, when I live at North and Ashland, relatively close by. I had queued up to 60 films for those months, and their cumbersome approach to mailing my titles left me movieless and frustrated. I am a student with a need to view films. I wasted money and time with Facets, they could not supply titles in a reasonable amount of time. I wrote an e-mail on the 18th of October asking for my account to be cancelled and a refund to be issued. I hadn't received a new title since I had sent back previous films. I came home on the 24th to find a new film in my mail box, the first in 2 1/2 weeks. A young man in membership explained my account had been deactivated on the 18th, to which I stated no one confirmed my accounts termination and in the mail today I found another DVD. He further explained that without receiving that DVD ASAP I would be charged. He said they need the DVDs back within 3 days of cancellation. I said that I do not have a car (hence receiving titles by mail) and since this DVD took 2 1/2 weeks to arrive, I believe that I should be given a grace period to send this DVD back without any fee. He said he'd tell his manager about the situation. I wanted to give this Chicago-based film entity help. But now, I decide that if anything will be used in the future, its NetFlix. Sure Chicago Post Office is awful, but when I was repeatedly (I called several times to check DVDs whereabouts) told it only takes 2-3 days for a DVD to ship, I can only subject myself to that crockery so long. I say, if you've got a car, you're most likely fine aside from scratched DVDs. Sure the titles are extensive, but I believe Netflix has double the films. The Gene Siskel theatre has one of the best screens in the midwest, and showcases obscure arthouse movies regularly. I'm jaded, and for good reason. Facets you lost a devoted lover of film, how irresponsible of you. read more

We have art museums, history museums, etc., but film museums? I think it's fair to say that Facets is an important cultural institution for the city. I drive past it all the time, and I'm surprised it took me a while to notice it sitting along Fullerton. As it turns out, they offer loads of interesting events. We stopped in for a screening of a documentary that featured a wine and cheese party (bonus!) prior to the show, and a Q&A with one of the producers afterward. If you were ever tempted to take a class in film, or you enjoy reading film critic reviews, this place is worth checking out. read more

I saw Robot Stories here and Loved it. The theatre is small and quaint - the staff here is very friendly and polite. Not only do they offer different movies here but there is a store to rent their movies. read more

Even though: *They don't have some common titles that Blockbuster would. *More than a few DVD's have definitely skipped even though they cleaned them. *It's out of the way for most people. I'm consistently blown away by what they do have here. An absolute must for film lovers. read more

Maybe this is a charming place to watch a film or do a birthday party (as Kathleen Beckman was a super kind and helpful person), but for someone just making a simple inquiry into potentially programming a documentary film on immigrants, Charles Coleman who runs their programming was aggressively rude and disrespectful, nonetheless unprofessional, to my call requesting information. In my years of initial phone calls to art and film venues, I have never encountered such a negative person. Hope this heads-up helps another person who finds themselves calling him. read more

If you live in Chicago and give a damn about film, it does not make any sense whatsoever to NOT be a member of this organization. Film classes, midnight movies, a Netflix-style DVD-by-mail service with a wide selection of obscurities, and the most out-there programming of any theater in the city. Ebert called Facets "A temple of great cinema." He wasn't kidding. read more

Wow, this place reminds me of NY's Angelique Theater. It plays obscure but very interesting, eye-opening, culturally diverse movies. This place is small but it usually had 2-3 different shows. They're concession stand is limited but you can still get your popcorn and drinks, no problem. Seating is very intimate. There are times a movie might have the director in the audience! I am really, really sad that the Latin Film Festival was taken away. Can someone tell me why? I miss it. As for the rental store aspect of the place. Extremely knowledgeable folks here. They can always give you good advice on films. Good customer service. I love this place! Good job. read more

Found some of my favorites as well as weird shit I've never heard of- Robert Anton Wilson made a movie? Buy or rent or check out a film, pretty great resource. Membership is costly but the movies they screen and shit they have on hand is pretty awesome if you can afford it. read more

Facets is a tiny non-profit arthouse movie theater that also has a video shop and movie classes. You can always count on them showing something unique and hard-to-find. I just wish the screen was a bit larger and that they chairs were a bit more comfortable. read more

Great option for watching foreign and independant movies as well as renting from their huge selection of movies. They normally offer many different events to attend. read more

I like the movies they had for rent. I like foreign flims, and it was relaxing and refreshing for me...not expensive at all.

Haven't been here in a long time but I can say that the flicks Facets shows are rarely shown anywhere else in the country. Really interesting programming, a must for film buffs. If I were living in Chicago, I'd be here all the time. read more

I can't believe how many people know absolutely nothing about this repository of great films -- they've been saving & sharing them for decades. Now streaming via Facets Edge so anyone too lazy to leave the house can get educated and at the same time entertained! A Chicago treasure! read more

Serious movie-junkies work in the rental section here. They are truly amazing and truly helpful. Wonderful selection of movies and impressive roster of festivals and events. Art and foreign film lovers need to go here. read more

A recent transplant, I am excited to have this theatre in my neighborhood and finally got to visit last weekend. Wasn't a big fan of the film we saw but the film maker gave a talk and that was neat. The rental store seems cool but needs to be sifted through--there are mainstream films mixed in with inde and foreign and it is too crammed to browse. Why not take out those we can find at Blockbuster? I wish there was a cafe area to sit and have a drink prior to the show. read more

$5 Night School, OMG! the best cheap date in Chicago. Staff run arthouse-style midnight movies.

If you loved Julien Donkey Boy, Breaking the Waves, Trees Lounge, Run Lola Run...etc, this place is for you. They have the real hard-to-find films and the staff is great at helping you find them. An amazing place that I can't rave enough about! read more

The people who work at Facets love movies. They know a lot about movies. They don't mind talking with you when you are trying to recall some certain movie and all you can remember is that a certain actor was in it and he played a certain role. Obscure director? They will be able to help you. The collection is very wide, deep and eclectic. Many, many foreign language films. read more

They have a great selection of obscure movies, are open until 10 p.m., and have a couple of free parking spaces out front. I don't like their envelope method of mailing back the movie dvd's, since they so often break in the mail. That usually ends up being why they don't have some title they are listed as having in their selections. I can't bring myself to mail something as awesome as an artistic and obscure movie I know will probably break in the mail, so I always return my movies in person, even though the location is hard for me to get at. There is no deadline and late fees for movies, so that helps. read more

Facets is a really cool spot. They contain tons of flicks that are usually seldom found at other video stores. I couldn't believe the amount of documentaries that were there. Facets also has a theater next store which I thought was brilliant. I went there once and seen one of those old road- rage films. It was pretty gross...but I still watched. read more

The BEST. Facets has been programming the best in independent cinema for Chicago cinephiles for 40 years. With two screenings a night of really amazing work and access to a rental archive of 65,000 films, Facets is, as Roger Ebert once put it, "a temple of great cinema." Support the temple! Or risk it going the way of the Biograph, the Three Penny, the Village, the Fine Arts, and Piper's Alley. read more

The film collection is a Netflix collection, and the service is out of date, poor and with snobby attitude. Bad experience.

Sure, half the time the films I want to check out are not in stock, and it took a year or some such odd amount of time to get a copy of the criterion edition of pierrot le fou (for purchase, not rental), but it's a non-profit and I think facets does a lot for this city in terms of making cinema available. In fact, they do a lot for making cinema available in general. So, even though I'm sometimes disgruntled, I continue to love this place and to support it. I'm not sure if the freedom-value pass membership is actually worth it from a fiscal standpoint, but from a cultural standpoint I'd rather be a member here than netflix. read more

We signed up for the two week trial membership while on vacation and have already been in the video store twice and enjoyed one movie. This is a nonprofit organization that does an amazing job of supplying unique, quirky, foreign, independent movies. The staff is helpful and very friendly. We have enjoyed our experience so much we will likely continue a paid membership. read more

Would give them negative stars if possible. Facets hired my company Puzzle International - a small family owned business - for many years to create subtitles for their foreign films. All our work was delivered on time and to their satisfaction. To this day, many years later, we have not been paid, over $5,000. Owner Milo and accounting department won't answer calls or emails, even though they had acknowledged the debt. They have made no attempt to pay. I'm in Los Angeles, otherwise I'd go there myself collect the debt. I hope their supporters see their true colors. read more

Well, I have to say that this is one of the best movie rental memberships I have ever had. There are 3 different memberships that are offered, but I am the type of person that goes for all or nothing so I went with the gold circle membership. I was able to rent 4 movies for as long as I wanted as well as go to the cinema anytime it was open and bring a friend for free. This membership is pretty pricey but you can have two names to an account and split the monthly fee, which isn't bad at all for what you get (both people can share the 4 rentals, and each person can bring a guest in the cinema whenever there's a showing for free). The first time I ever went after joining I asked one of the staff, Lew, if he could recommend movies with epic Lucha Libre battles where the lead actors wear their masks throughout the entire movie. Off the top of his head he gave me 3-4 recommendations of old 70's Mexican films that they had...which where EXACTLY what I was looking for. With the gold membership you also get notifications of really neat events. I recieved an invitiation in the mail from Facets to attend the pre-screening of Constant Gardener which was followed by a panel discussion with the director, who also directed City of God, and lead actress (it was a really cool experience). The staff is unpretentious and make it apparent that they enjoy recommending something that is perfect for your needs. Facets also always has great new, as well as classic, international and independent films showing at the cinema. The rental selection is so vast that you could go to your grave without seeing everything you need to see to negotiate the obstacle course in the afterlife that floats over the fiery leviathan. I highly advise you to get a gold membership as soon as possible, start renting a shit-ton of movies and go to the cinema because you never know when your gonna go. When you go ask for Lew or Miguel; they are walking encyclopedias of film and just real cool guys. I had to give 4 stars because the only problem is finding another person that is into quality entertainment, that doesn't flake the fuck out about paying half of the monthly fee for the gold membership. When I get a better job I'll certainly add the last star. read more

This isn't just a Chicago treasure... it's really a national treasure with the absolutely infinite selection of movies available to its members. A movie lover's paradise. Things that could be better, however, are the condition of its DVDs (sometimes scratched up and even broken) and the untapped potential for this organization to become a more established entity in the minds and hearts of Chicagoans. Their film festivals are great but there is a sense that the city just doesn't really get what a cultural treasure this entity is... Facets needs to figure out how to stand out better and be appreciated for what it is better --- locally and nationally. Regrettably, I think that the biggest obstacle is the fact that people from Chicago just don't really think that anything in or from Chicago could be as great as something from the coasts. If Facets were in NYC, Boston, San Fran... well then, we Chicagoans would then trus the greatness of this institution. I've read or heard that they are looking into streaming video for their clients... Do this and position Facets as a the place to find the largest diversity of movies anywhere and make your audience truly global... then maybe people in Chicago will give this institution the credit that it deserves. I'm sure executing on this sort of vision is a lot harder than this yelper can imagine but if money is the issue, they need to pitch this to a venture capitalist who can make this path a reality. The goods (great movies --- well - known and obscure) are there, but the channel, the brand awareness, the ability to capture a larger audience fascination is the missing link IMO! Good luck Facets! We love you!!! read more