Entries categorized as “Movies” 102 results

E. Malcolm Martinez writesThe Midwest Independent Film Festival’s Screening of “Sole Survivor” Is This Tuesday!

The Midwest Independent Film Festival’s First Tuesdays series returns to Landmark’s Century City Theatre (2828 N. Clark) on November 5th with the screening of the acclaimed documentary Sole Survivor.

Directed by local filmmaker Ky Dickens, who will be in attendance for a post-screening discussion, the documentary presents the stories of four sole survivors of commercial airplane crashes. They speak for the first time of the tragic events that they, and only they, survived and the questions and feelings that arose from their experience. It has been recognized by PBS as one of the most anticipated documentaries of the coming year and CNN Films is scheduled to release the film in early 2014.

The evening begins at 6pm with a pre-show cocktail reception and a Producers Panel at 6:30 p.m. Sole Survivor screens at 7:30 p.m., followed by a post-screening reception. Sole Survivor is co-presented by the festival and Women In Film Chicago. You can watch a trailer for the film and purchase advance tickets ($10 General Admission, $15 for Premium Reserved) at www.MidwestFilm.org.

Jason Crock writesCouldn’t You Wait?: The Story of Silkworm

The particular charm of Silkworm is explained many times over the course of Couldn’t You Wait?, a documentary that was self-released by the filmmakers last month as a $5 DRM-free download. It may be producer Steve Albini who puts it most succinctly: “People that like Silkworm really like Silkworm, but they’re not like normal people, and there aren’t that many of them.” What made the band strange, and what made them a taste worth acquiring, is a subject the filmmakers have been plumbing since beginning the project in late 2006. To tell the story of how different the band’s path was, and how Chicago played a part in that story, several subjects are interviewed, and their responses are interspersed with clips of the band’s performances throughout the years.

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Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesDon’t Miss the 20th Anniversary of the Chicago Underground Film Festival

It’s been 20 years since a young Columbia College film student named Jay Bliznick established a film festival that would spotlight creative film and video work outside of the system that supports major Hollywood players and elitist distributor events. For him and others who share his passion for film and desire to see new, original projects, years of dedication and effort have established the Chicago Underground Film Festival as one of the most respected and anticipated annual events for cinephiles, movie buffs, and anyone else who wants to see the kind of independent, experimental, and documentary work that doesn't make it into the local metroplex.

This year’s festival will treat audiences to outstanding work from the past and present. In the words of Festival Coordinator Lori Felker,  ”We've got a really energizing mix of films from the past 20 years mixed in with current in-competition films.  It really gives you a sense of how broad the definition of ‘underground’ is, how weird ‘weird' can get, and interesting and talented people are.”

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Dan Epstein writesSeen and Heard Video Showcase

Music videos ruled the eighties and early nineties as mainstream bits of cinema feeding our hungry pop-obsessed culture. Now, the rules have changed, and the video’s descent into the shadows of pop culture has opened doors to genre experimentation.

The Seen and Heard showcase highlights videos that embrace this change and shave the edges of video and music production. Filmmaker and curator of the showcase, Amir George, along with Zach Maderas guitar player for Outer Minds, Nelson Carvajal filmmaker and writer, and Todd Lillithum, program director for Chicago Filmmakers, talked with CHIRP’s Amye Frye about video’s redefinition.

Check out the Seen and Heard Video Music Showcase Friday September 16th at Chicago Filmmakers!

Featured music in the story:
Duran Duran, Girls on Film
Kodachrome, Modern Man, video directed by Nelson Carvajal
Outer Minds, Bohemian Grove, video directed by Chris Anderson

Click here to download a copy of the story.

CHIRP DJ writesTonight: “A Fond Farewell…” at the Music Box

In a Chicago summer packed with concerts, street parties, and music fests, The Music Box Theatre is presenting its own music series on the big screen. CHIRP Radio is proud to be a part of this week’s Music Box Theatre Summer Music Film Festival, a celebration of new, classic, and underground movies about music!

We’re especially excited to present “A Fond Farewell Night” on Tuesday, July 26. The night’s lineup includes:

• A 60-minute program of short films from the 2011 Chicago International Movies and Music Festival (CIMMfest), at 5:30pm

   

   

• The CHICAGO PREMIERE of The Last Dispatch, a 2005 documentary about one of the most successful label-independent bands in history, at 7:30pm

   

   

• The classic 1978 concert film The Last Waltz, directed by Martin Scorsese, featuring the last concert of The Band, at 9:30pm

It’s a tremendous week of movies and music in the beautiful décor and atmosphere of the Music Box. Don’t miss it!
 

Music Box Theatre / 3733 North Southport Avenue / Full schedule