I am excited to announce that Cow Lamp Films has acquired RENDEZVOUS IN CHICAGO for distribution! The film will be made available to stream on various online platforms and for purchase as a Special Edition DVD after our theatrical/festival run concludes in October. You can read all about the acquisition in a nifty story by Dan Patton at Reel Chicago: https://reelchicago.com/article/rendezvous-chicago-2/
1. Man with the Movie Camera (Vertov)
2. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Talbot)
3. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Wiene)
4. Mulholland Drive (Lynch)
5. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Wiene)
6. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story (Scorsese)
7. Our Hospitality (Keaton)
8. In the Mood for Love (Wong)
9. Sherlock Jr. (Keaton)
10. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story (Scorsese)
All of these films first screened theatrically in Chicago in the first half of 2019. I’ve linked to my original reviews where applicable and offer new thoughts on my favorite film of the year (which I haven’t written about elsewhere). Enjoy.
20. Hail Satan? (Lane, USA)
“With unfettered access to the leaders of the group’s various nationwide chapters, including charismatic church founder Lucien Greaves, director Penny Lane crafts a deceptively simple work of political commentary that ultimately sympathizes with the Satanists as a group of merry pranksters who see their movement as a counterbalance to the repressiveness of other organized religions.” My review at Time Out Chicago here.
19. The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Talbot, USA)
18. Infinite Football (Porumboiu, Romania)
17. Her Smell (Perry, USA)
16. 3 Faces (Panahi, Iran)
15. The Nightingale (Kent, Australia)
14. Asako I & II (Hamaguchi, Japan)
13. Saint Frances (Thompson, USA)
“This female-centric character study, which is shot through with compassion, insight and originality, speaks to our cultural moment in a way that other recent American movies do not.” My review for Time Out Chicago here.
12. The Wild Pear Tree (Ceylan, Turkey)
10. (tie) Hotel By the River/Grass (Hong, S. Korea)
9. Hale County This Morning, This Evening (Ross, USA)
8. Pasolini (Ferrara, Italy/USA) – Screens at the Siskel Center from 6/21-6/27.
7. Black Mother (Allah, USA/Jamaica)
“As in the films of Pedro Costa, (Khalik) Allah gives a voice to the voiceless while solidifying his own unique cinematic language.” My review at Time Out Chicago here.
6. CoinCoin and the Extra-Humans (Dumont, France)
5. The Souvenir (Hogg, UK)
4. Long Day’s Journey Into Night (Bi, China)
3. High Life (Denis, France/Germany)
2. The Image Book (Godard, France/Switzerland)
“In spite of what some of his detractors think, Godard still believes in the elemental power of cinema, which is why the mesmerizing IMAGE BOOK is a more accessible work than even many of its champions would have you believe.” My review at Cine-File Chicago here.
1. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story (Scorsese, USA)
Martin Scorsese revisits one of Bob Dylan’s most celebrated tours, 1975’s Rolling Thunder Revue, repurposing footage from the Bard of Minnesota’s own wild, self-directed 1978 film Renaldo & Clara and turning it into a fantasia about, in poet Anne Waldman’s words, “America’s search for redemption” (most evident in the scenes involving Rubin “Hurricane” Carter and the Tuscarora Indian Reservation). An overwhelming sensorial and emotional experience and, for my money, Scorsese’s best film of the 21st century. Also, no offense, but if you felt “duped” by the (hilarious) fictional elements in this, you are an idiot.
1. Pasolini (Ferrara)
2. Asako I & II (Hamaguchi)
3. Empty Metal (Khalil/Sweitzer)
4. The Souvenir (Hogg)
5. The Strange One (Garfein)
6. Pickup on South Street (Fuller)
7. Mercury in Retrograde (Smith)
8. Rendezvous in Chicago (Smith)
9. The Nightingale (Kent)
10. Bleed American (Manchester)
I wrote the following review for Time Out Chicago where it should appear today or tomorrow.
Elevated Films Kicks Off Summer Series with SxSW Winner ‘Saint Frances’
Elevated Films, an outdoor independent film series that supports cinema and local youth arts programs in Chicago, will kick off its summer slate with a sneak preview of Alex Thompson and Kelly O’Sullivan’s Saint Frances on the rooftop of the Ace Hotel on Thursday, June 13. The event offers an excellent opportunity for Chicagoans to see the locally made dramedy before it opens theatrically later in 2019. Saint Frances recently won two awards at the South by Southwest Film Festival where it had its world premiere in March—a surprising feat for a first feature with no recognizable stars in the cast. A single viewing makes it immediately apparent why it resonated with judges and audiences: This female-centric character study, which is shot through with compassion, insight and originality, speaks to our cultural moment in a way that other recent American movies do not. Director Thompson will be on hand at the Ace Hotel screening with members of the cast, including writer and lead actress O’Sullivan, for a post-screening Q&A moderated by filmmaker Kris Swanberg.
RECOMMENDED: Where to see summer outdoor movies in Chicago‘
Saint Frances centers on Bridget (O’Sullivan in a remarkably naturalistic and winning performance), a 34-year-old Chicago woman with no “fancy job” (she’s a server), no boyfriend and no real direction in life. After she gets a job as a nanny for the film’s title character, the 6-year-old daughter of an interracial lesbian couple in Evanston, Bridget also unexpectedly finds herself pregnant in the wake of a one-night stand. This basic premise might feel reminiscent of other recent American indies, but the narrative takes a completely unexpected turn. It continually moves in gratifyingly unanticipated directions as it flips expectations about gender roles, includes some surprisingly edgy humor, and focuses primarily on the relationship between Bridget and Frances. In the process, Saint Frances ends up feeling less like other movies and more like a messy slice of real life. To give away more of the plot would be a crime, but the conclusion is admirable for the way it goes against the grain of how much a protagonist’s external circumstances are supposed to change over the course of a film. The changes that do occur are ultimately more of the interior—and more profound—variety.
The Elevated Films screening series continues throughout the summer on the Ace Hotel rooftop, with the Chicago premiere of Lynn Shelton’s Sword of Trust (starring comedian and podcaster Marc Maron) and the Sundance hit Greener Grass. These screenings will take place on yet-to-be-determined dates in July and September. For more information about the upcoming screening of Saint Frances and additional outdoor screenings at the Ace Hotel this summer, check out the Elevated Films website.
White City Cinema 