Special Events
Phil Ranstrom in person!
CHEAT YOU FAIR: THE STORY OF MAXWELL STREET
2007, Phil Ranstrom, USA, 90 min.
Narrated by Joe Mantegna
A rich legacy of Chicago history is brought back to life in Phil Ranstrom’s vibrant documentary portrait of the late, lamented Maxwell Street market, a unique neighborhood bazaar that served as a hub for immigrant opportunity, interracial harmony, and musical innovation. Ranstrom began making the film in 1994, in the last days before the market’s closing, and he captures all its magic: the sock vendors, the polish sausages, Nates’s Deli, the great blues musicians from Buddy Guy to Junior Wells to Little Walter, and much, much more. But CHEAT YOU FAIR is more than nostalgia; it is also a hard-hitting exposé that details the UIC real-estate grab that brought about the demise of a great urban institution. DigiBeta video. (MR)
Director Phil Ranstrom will be present for audience discussion.
Saturday, February 2, 8:00 pm
Special preview!
Free admission!
Members only!
Bob Balaban in person!
BERNARD AND DORIS
2007, Bob Balaban, USA, 102 min.
With Susan Sarandon, Ralph Fiennes
From director and executive producer Bob Balaban comes the imagined story of an extraordinary relationship between two very real people. Susan Sarandon stars as Doris Duke, the richest woman in the world, and Ralph Fiennes as Bernard Lafferty, her devoted Irish butler, in this HBO Films presentation. In 1987 a penniless Bernard arrived on the eccentric billionaire’s doorstep, fresh from six months in rehab. Six years later, Doris died and left Bernard in control of her entire fortune. 35mm.
Sunday, February 3, 7:00 pm
Special event!
Derek Dow in person!
FAMILY VALUES
2006, Derek Dow, USA, 125 min.
With Roderick “IBN” Haygood, Ramon Anthony
Director-writer-cinematographer-actor Dow created this raw and powerful drama set on the South Side of Chicago, winner of the Audience Award at our 2007 Black Harvest International Festival of Film, Video, and TV. Two orphan brothers, Ares (Dow) and Theo (Anthony), attend South Shore High under the guardianship of their older cousin Achilles (Haygood). Ares battles a violent streak, and basketball star Theo confronts his sexuality, while Achilles has demons of his own as a once-promising painter now paralyzed by doubt and drink. A joint presentation of the Museum of Science and Industry’s Black Creativity and the Gene Siskel Film Center. DV-CAM video. (MR)
Tuesday, February 5, 6:00 pm
Chicago premiere!
Filmmakers in person!
THE FATHER
(OTETS)
2007, Ivan Solovov, Russia, 82 min.
With Alexei Guskov, Polina Kutepova
A moving drama of war and homecoming, THE FATHER is based on Andrei Platonov’s celebrated short story “Return,” which was banned by Stalin, and admired and translated by Ernest Hemingway. At the end of World War II, a soldier returns to his village for an uneasy reunion with his wife, whom he suspects of having been unfaithful. Ivan Solovov, director of over 40 films, and Alexei Guskov, one of Russia’s most famous actors, have journeyed from Moscow to present their film. In Russian with English subtitles. 35mm. (MR)
Director Ivan Solovov and actor Alexei Guskov will be present for audience discussion.
Thursday, February 14, 8:15 pm
© The Ashbrittle Film FoundationSpecial Event!
BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE
(HERZOG BLAUBARTS BURG)
1964, Michael Powell, Germany, 60 min.
With Norman Foster, Ana Raquel Satre
One of the cinephiles’ holiest grails is this lost late work by the legendary Michael Powell. Produced for German TV and virtually unseen thereafter, it combines the music of Béla Bartók’s opera with stunning production design by Hein Heckroth of THE RED SHOES fame. The lucky few who have seen BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE have proclaimed it a major work with strong links to such Powell classics as TALES OF HOFFMAN and PEEPING TOM. Renowned Powell scholar Ian Christie says, “Watching BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE is a life-changing experience. There are moments that are the equal of any of the Powell-Pressburger high points.” Special thanks to Thelma Schoonmaker, Charles Doble, Greg Olson, and Norman Hill. In German with English subtitles. 35mm. (MR)
Tuesday, February 19, 6:00 pm
Chicago premiere!
Frank V. Ross in person!
HOHOKAM
2007, Frank V. Ross, USA, 72 min.
With Allison Latta, Lonnie Phillips
“Exceeds in humor and human authenticity any half-dozen recent Hollywood romantic comedies put together.”--Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
“A nice-sized slice from the mumblecore pie.”--Don R. Lewis, FilmThreat.com
Lori (Latta), a flighty twenty-something who seems happiest as sidekick to her very out-there best friend Guy, is also uneasily attached at the hip to clean-cut gun-toting boyfriend Anson (Baker). This slice-of-life film with the low-key demeanor of a drama and the quirky impulses of a romp unfolds in an Arizona suburb where every interior sports the bare glare of a Motel 6. By way of a row of little rows, some good times, and a trip to the zoo, Chicago-area director Ross (QUIETLY ON BY) sneakily makes it all add up to a slacker story with genuine heart. DV-CAM video. (BS)
Director Frank V. Ross and members of the cast and crew will be present for discussion at both screenings.