"Chicago 10" *** (out of four)
Brett Morgan's intriguing, partially-animated dramatization of the 1968 protest of the Chicago Democratic National Convention dimly shines a light on how far we've come, and how far we haven't.

With a wealth of archival footage, and talented actors voicing animated courtroom scenes, "Chicago 10" attempts to dramatize the events that led up to the 1968 protest of the Chicago Democratic National Convention and the trial that followed (they were called the "Chicago 8" at the time, but the filmmakers add two lawyers to get the title). Director Brett Morgan, who also made the superior Robert Evans doc "The Kid Stays in the Picture", weaves an intriguing tale with the material at hand, painting a picture of an antiquated judicial system, a few motivated rabble-rousers and a youth movement ready to erupt. Like 2002's "Kid", Mr. Morgan uses a unique visual style to present his story, and "Chicago" is liable to leave you frustrated at the easy parallels it draws to current events, as well as the film's lack of conviction in portraying it.

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And as several people have already mentioned, almost all characters are villains...kinda funny.

- I loved the humping USB dog. But a crunching dog? It just ain't natural.
- If John McCain was born in the Panama Canal zone, can he run for Pres?
- Possibly the dumbest debate ever...Did Mary Poppins actually tell a big fib?
- Coming soon...new advertising from Microsoft, courtesy of the new agency.
- And Friday's Running of the Brides was followed by the Fleeing of the Grooms.

I used to live in Chicago. I moved there for a couple years for work. And while I was there, something weird happened almost every morning. When I left my building, more often then not, I would smell fudge brownies the minute I walked out the door. And I don't mean a subtle hint of chocolate. I mean "hold a plate of double fudge bad boys up to my nose til I drool" kind of smell. And every time, I would ask other people on the sidewalk, the door guy, anyone I could find, and they would all tell me the same thing...sorry, I don't smell anything. And with every "don't smell it" I got, I would rack my brain to figure out what medical emergency was taking place. I know that Sopranos dude smelled rotten eggs before he dropped dead...What does fudge mean? Am I having a stroke? An aneurysm? Diabetec seizure? Should I call a paramedic? Combine random unexplained smells with a tendancy towards major hypochondria, and you get a happy little panic attack every day on the way to work.

Cut to about a week before I'm moving back to New York...I walk out the front door...and there's my plate of brownies smell, strong as ever. As a gut reaction, I say, in a louder than normal tone...What the hell is that chocolate smell. Someone on the sidewalk looks at me, takes a big whiff, and says...oh, that's the candy factory about a mile north of here. They make their chocolate fresh every day.

Anyway...the maple syrup smell is back. Anyone else smell it? Or have any theories?