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KSanders writesKyle Sanders Goes to the 55th Chicago International Film Festival
Bonjour! And bienvenue to coverage of the 55th Annual Chicago International Film Festival! I always look forward to this time of the year, when "sweater weather" sees the leaves changing, and the Windy City showcases dozens of films from across the globe. As as avid cinema lover, this is my kind of Christmas!
As always, I'll be reviewing a pair of films with each post, similar in theme or content, yet produced from different walks of life. It's what I love about CIFF: you become exposed to all sorts of cultures without having to travel abroad! Here's today's review:
On the Lam with My Best Bud: Reviews of Adoration and Paradise Next
The "buddy picture" has been a common theatrical draw since Bob Hope and Bing Crosby traveled by camel to Morocco. But not all buddy pictures are comedic in nature, some involve a duo in dire straits running from the law, the mob, or (in the case of Thelma and Louise) the male patriarchy. Sometimes the paired protagonists are star-crossed lovers making a break from their feuding families, and other times they're exact opposites who find common ground on their picaresque journey. No matter what scenario though, this dynamic duo will experience moments of soul searching and camaraderie.
Kyle writesHighlights From the Fourth Annual Doc10 Film Festival
by Kyle Sanders
The Fourth Annual Doc10 Film Festival was held at the Davis Theater from April 11 - 14. Ten documentaries were presented throughout the festival, diverse in content and yet connected through urgent relevancy of the times we live in today. Here's a few of the docs I was able to check out:
Knock Down the House
Directed by Rachel Lears
The 2016 presidential election shook Americans to their core. Meet four women who decided to shake back: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Paula Jean Swearingen, Cori Bush, and Amy Vilela. Each of these women run a grassroots campaign in their respective districts across America, experiencing the inspirational highs and frustrating lows of running for office. Through community canvasing, public rallies and publicized debates, these women share their deeply personal reasons as to what motivates them for getting into politics. Political campaigns have never been more uplifting.
Anthropocene: The Human Epoch
Directed by Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas De Pencier
We often find ourselves affected by the environment, but have we ever considered just what sort of effect we have on the planet? Book ended by striking visuals of poached elephant tusks that have been seized and collected only to be set ablaze, this documentary chronicles humanity's devastating reengineering of the Earth, traveling the globe and visiting site after site of ecological destruction of epic proportions. Visually stunning as it is viscerally jaw-dropping.
Hail Satan?
Directed by Penny Lane
What do you think of when you hear the word "Satanist?" Whatever it is, this documentary will shed light on this controversial religion wrapped in black cloaks and the dark arts. Taking us inside the Satanic Temple, Hail Satan? learns about the motivations of co-founder Lucien Greaves, who pulled the infamous cult out of the shadows and into the political mainstream, evoking justice and defining religion constitutionally. Learning about Satanism through archived footage and a varied amount of talking heads, this documentary will have you second-guessing initial prejudices against the misunderstood organization.
Biggest Little Farm
Directed by John Chester
Meet John and Molly, a California couple who promised their rescued pet dog that they would build a life of purpose. That purpose was to live on a self-sustaining farm, growing a variety of crops and raising diverse livestock on 200 acres of dead soil and weed-ridden foliage. With the help of their kooky farmer friend Allen, this couple learn the ups and downs of building a life in the midst of nature, where coyotes, droughts, and pesky insects can attack at any random moment. Yet they learn that living in harmony with wildlife requires balance, and solve the many issues of running a farm with the help of Mother Nature. This documentary will pull you into their lives as if you're working alongside them every step of the way.
Kevin Fullam writesThe Fourth Wall: Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Welcome to The Fourth Wall, CHIRP's e-conversation on cinema. This week's subject is the Melissa McCarthy movie Can you Ever Forgive Me?
This edition is written by CHIRP Radio volunteers Kevin Fullam and Clarence Ewing.
Kevin:
A little preamble here: when I was a kid, I was a huge comic-book geek. I may be a jaded cinemagoer today and thus nonplussed by the current wave of superhero movies, but I was a big-time Marvel Zombie from about 1984-90, enough so that I would frequent local comic-book shows to hunt down various back issues. The comics dealers would often sit side-by-side with sports memorabilia folks, and while I was also a baseball fan, the idea of collecting cards or autographs never seemed very appealing? To me, the entertainment value from a signature or card featuring a bunch of numbers on the back (which anyone could find elsewhere) paled mightily when compared with a tale about Spidey's latest exploits. While it was cool to have a comic "collection," it would've been meaningless to me without the stories therein.
This takes me to Can You Ever Forgive Me?, the recent film about writer Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) and her forgery schemes of the 1990s. When the story opens, Israel is sitting just one step above "destitute" -- unemployed, months behind on her rent, and far removed from the days when her agent would promptly answer her calls. While doing research on 1920s entertainer Fanny Brice at the library, a personal letter from Ms. Brice slips out of a dusty old tome... and Israel soon finds out from her local bookseller that such celebrity correspondence is worth serious coin. What's more, the letters are even more valuable if they include a bit o' personal flair from their authors. So, whom would it harm if Israel tacked on a saucy line or two to embellish the note, right?
Kyle writesThe Fourth Annual Doc10 Film Festival Starts This Week!
written by Kyle Sanders
The Fourth Annual Doc10 Film Festival
April 11 - 14th, 2019
The Davis Theater
For those of you whose interest is piqued by sincere cinema, the Doc10 Film Festival could prove to be just the ticket you're looking for: a four day theatrical experience dedicated solely to ten distinct documentaries presented by the Chicago Media Project.
The festival kicks off April 11, appropriately with Knock Down the House--a politically-inspiring spotlight on Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez--and will close out with The Biggest Little Farm, a fascinating look into the trials and errors of starting a sustainable farm in the middle of nature. All documentaries will screen at The Davis Theater in Lincoln Square.
Kyle writesThe Lost Generation: A Review of “Transit”
A review by Kyle Sanders
Transit
Directed by Christian Petzold
Music Box Films
A man dies and goes to Hell. But before he can enter, he has to go through registration. He spends hours looking for the registration office, without any luck. Finally, he runs into another man and asks "Where do you register for Hell?"
The other man answers: "Sir, this IS Hell."
This story is referenced in the new film Transit, but it also serves as an allegorical theme to the film's plot. Directed by Christian Petzold, Transit is about the hellish plight of being a stranded refugee. To avoid the ever-growing spread of fascism in Paris, German-born Georg (Franz Rogowski, Joaquin Phoenix's Euro-doppelganger) flees to Marseilles along with an injured writer. The writer dies before reaching their destination, and Georg assumes the dead man's identity and claims his transit papers.