Hollywood isn't the only place where film magic is at. Chicago is quickly becoming the "it" place to film blockbuster and indie films alike. Films such as Wanted starring Angelina Jolie and The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale and Heath Ledger are the most recent to use the Windy City as it's backdrop, but films have been shooting there for quite a long time.

You might remember Adventures in Babysitting with Elizabeth Shue. How about the horror films Candyman and Child's Play? Or how about arguably the most famous movie shot in Chicago Ferris Bueller's Day Off? The Blues Brothers? Risky Business? Batman Begins? These are just a few of the hundreds of films shot there. Other famous movies include The Fugitive with Harrison Ford (and the followup US Marshalls), The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Weird Science, Payback with Mel Gibson, Home Alone, Natural Born Killers, My Best Friend's Wedding, and my personal favorite High Fidelity with John Cusack.

Great sport movies such as Rudy, Rookie of the Year, A League of Their Own, Major League 2, and Eight Men Out were partially shot in Chicago. Timeless comedies like Uncle Buck, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Groundhog Day were shot in the suburbs of Chicago. And some of the best gangster movies such as The Untouchables, Goodfellas, and Al Capone's Treasure have used Chicago as their playground.

Chicago is filled with so much beauty in it's scenery that sometimes the city itself is it's own character. I look forward to more movie studios utilizing this gorgeous city in the future of film making.