For a university museum that could be called “small” and “suburban,” the Block sure does pack a wallop. In addition to its outstanding sculpture garden and valuable collection of prints and drawings, the museum organizes special exhibitions around themes like the early evolution of the moving image and human genomics. The Block is no slouch in the movie department, either, and mixes genres, periods and languages freely. If you go three nights running, you’ll probably end up seeing a strange combination of flicks, like a few great silent shorts, the films of a forgotten groundbreaking French director, and Johnny Depp’s best performances. In the summertime, some of the films are projected outside on the lawn behind the Pick-Staiger auditorium. During the school year, selected films are given clever and informative introductions by Northwestern University professors.

Centerstage Reviewer: Abigail Derecho