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KSanders writesThe Most Dangerous Men in Comedy: Reviews of “Belushi” and “For Madmen Only”
written by Kyle Sanders as part of his coverage of the 2020 Chicago International Film Festival
Comedy, like a documentary, is always better when it's honest. There's truth in comedy as there is truth in documentary, so I guess making documentaries about comedy legends would seem like the right thing to do.
Coincidentally, both men happen to be groundbreaking legends of the comedy world, having ties to the same Chicago institution where they even shared the same space for a moment in time. They also both died way too soon.
What these men also have in common is their extremely complicated dark sides that contrasted with their bright improvisational talents.
Belushi opened this year's Chicago International Film Festival, and is about the late Saturday Night Live veteran. Acclaimed filmmaker R.J. Cutler (The War Room, The September Issue) weaves audio interviews with some of Belushi's most common collaborators (including Dan Ackroyd, Chevy Chase, Lorne Michaels, and the late Harold Ramis) to narrate his rise and fall, from his Albanian upbringing in Wheaton, Illinois, to his early start at Second City and the National Lampoon Radio Hour, to his eventual rise to stardom in comedy classics like Animal House and The Blues Brothers. Behind his anarchic and unpredictable persona, however, hid a vulnerable, erratic individual who only felt comfortable on stage rather than off it.
KSanders writesStrife Imitating Art: Reviews of “Apples” and “And Tomorrow the Entire World”
written by Kyle Sanders as part of his coverage of the 2020 Chicago International Film Festival
The year 2020 feels like something out of a movie, and that's because there are so MANY movies out there that seem to have predicted our current reality: a global pandemic affecting millions of lives, social upheaval charged by political conspiracies, and an overall "us vs. them" vibe plaguing our every corner.
It's no surprise then that some of the films screening at the Chicago International Film Festival this year involve such matters that seem eerily prescient.Two of those films are Apples (Greece/Poland/Slovenia) and And Tomorrow the Entire World (Germany).
Directed by Christos Nikou (a frequent collaborator with Yorgos Lanthimos), Apples gives us an all too familiar scenario involving a mysterious pandemic facing the world; however, the infected don't develop fevers and coughs, they develop amnesia.
One of the seemingly afflicted victims is Aris (Aris Servetalis). After awaking on a bus without any sense of his identity, he's taken to a rehabilitation program called "Learning How to Live." This place returns him to the world not with a face mask in tow, but a Polaroid camera.
KSanders writesKyle Sanders Goes to the 56th Annual Chicago International Film Festival
by Kyle Sanders
Well...it's been quite the year.
The whole world has nearly collapsed under the strain of Covid-19, especially here in the United States. In 2020 alone, we've dealt with a string of racial injustices, nervously wondered who will fill the vacant seat of one of the most respected (and most "notorious") Supreme Court Justices we've ever had, AND on top of all of this, we are just weeks away from what has already been a tumultuous presidential election.
But as the old saying goes, c'est la vie: "life is life."
And that's the attitude the Chicago International Film Festival has taken this year, going "on with the show" so to speak. They're providing a new roster of international titles for their 56th annual film festival--with a few added changes, of course.
This year, CIFF is providing theatergoers with on-demand streaming, appointment screenings, and in-person drive-in theater presentations with virtual filmmaker Q&As and Industry Days that will be completely online. All films screening in person will be showcased at Chitown Movies in Pilsen (2343 S. Throop Street).
As always, I'll be your festival reviewer, taking in some of what the cinema world has to offer. I'll be checking out what's part of the international competition, but also including an array of genres, such as Black perspectives, documentaries, and queer cinema--all from the comfort of my couch!
We might be rounding out one abysmal year, but let's allow the Chicago International Film Festival to help us escape our lives for a life beyond the border! To find out when and how to check out this year's films and to download a convenient festival guide, check out the festival Web site for more information. The 56th Annual Chicago International Film Festival is going on now through October 25th.
See you (virtually) at the movies!
Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesMonday 2/10: “Disco Godfather” at The Music Box Theatre!
Tonight at the Music Box Theat re holds a very scpecial screening presented by the Chicago Film Society and CHIRP Radio: the 1979 bloxsploitation classic Disco Godfather.
Starring Dolemite legend Rudy Rae Moore (who also produced) and Carol Speed, the film is the story of a retired cop who runs a discoteque and must defend his neighborhood from a local PCP dealer. Featuring the urban DIY aestetic of its genre along with a killer soundtrack, the movie is a glimpse into an earlier, simpler time where dancing, roller skating, and "puttin' your weight on it" ruled.
The Music Box is located at 3733 N Southport Ave 60613. Showtime is 7:00pm. Buy tickets here.
Kyle writesThe 92nd Annual Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees in Review
by Kyle Sanders
Boy, 2019 sure was something, huh? Amidst all the talk of impeachment hearings, climate in crisis, and continual hints at a crumbling society, we still had the movies to help us cope through it all.
And what a year for films! While Disney continued it dominance with Marvel comic adaptations and live-action remakes of animated classics, there were filmmakers out there producing motion pictures that were less mind-numbing "theme park rides" (sorry, Mr. Scorsese!) and more so cerebral cinema.
Well, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has seen 'em all, and given us their nominees for the best of 2019. Here are the nine films up for Best Picture of the Year...
1917 (The War Epic)
While it's been done before, it's still a pretty impressive effect to see a film that appears captured all in one take. Director Sam Mendes went this route for this World War I film about two British soldiers tasked with delivering a message to the Second Battalion of the Devonshire Regiment.
The two must maneuver through German trenches and avoid attacks from the enemy in order to insure the battalion calls off a planned attack against the Germans, who are plotting an ambush that could cost the lives of 1,600 British men.
The one-take gimmick works well at building tension, as there is a sense of timely dread the more this based-on-a-true-story unfolds. Skillfully directed by Mendes, 1917 surprised many by winning Best Drama at this year's Golden Globes, and it's possible it could do the same thing at this year's Oscars.