Chicago Overcoat

2009 Chicago International Film Festival ‘Best of the Fest’ For Oct. 21, 2009

PatrickMcD — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 09:33:47 -0600

CHICAGO – As the 45th Chicago International Film Festival comes to a close, this year’s award-winning and most popular films are being screened one more time. All of the screenings will be held at the AMC River East 21 theater at 322 E. Illinois St.

MISSISSIPPI DAMNED (USA), Director: Tina Mabry

Winner Gold Hugo: Best Film, Best Screenplay - Tina Mabry, Best Supporting Actress - Jossie Harris Thacker

7:30PM

They weren’t the first to dream of escaping their small Mississippi town, but—raised among their family’s vicious cycle of abuse, addiction, and lies—three young black children learn the hard way that their dreams will never be enough. Based on a true story, Mississippi Damned is the brutally honest tale of what happens when a family’s haven is also its prison.

‘Mississippi Damned,’ Winner of the Gold Hugo for Best Film at the Chicago International Film Festival.
Photo credit: Chicago International Film Festival

FISH TANK (UK), Director: Andrea Arnold

Winner Silver Hugo: Special Jury Award, Best Supporting Actor – Michael Fassbender

5:45PM

Oscar® winner Andrea Arnold asserts her place at the pinnacle of contemporary British cinema with Fish Tank, her keenly observed and unflinchingly realistic portrait of life in a rough Essex housing project. Mia (Katie Jarvis, a revelation in her first screen role) is an alienated, emotionally volatile teenager whose life is turned upside down by the arrival of her mother’s charming new boyfriend Connor (Michael Fassbender, named best actor at last year’s Festival for Hunger).

VINCERE (Italy/France), Director: Marco Bellocchio

Winner Silver Hugo: Best Director - Marco Bellocchio, Best Actor – Filippo Timi, Best Actress – Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Best Cinematography – Daniele Cipri

8:00PM

The closely guarded story of Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s secret lover and son is revealed in fittingly operatic proportions in this electrifying tour de force. Thunderstruck by the young Mussolini’s charisma, Ida Dalser gives up everything to help champion his revolutionary ideas. When he disappears during World War I and later resurfaces with a new wife, the scorned Dasler and her son are locked away in separate asylums for more than a decade. But Ida will not disappear without a fight….

GIGANTE (Uruguay), Director: Adrián Biniez

Winner Gold Hugo: New Directors Competition

6:30PM

This gentle and subtly humorous one-sided love story follows Jara, a shy, heavyset supermarket security guard whose humdrum life is turned upside down when he notices his coworker Julia on the security monitors. Jara’s fascination soon moves off the video screens and into the streets, but when rumors of layoffs begin to circulate at work, Jara realizes he must make a move or risk never seeing her again.

MADE IN CHINA (USA), Director: Judi Krant

Winner Silver Hugo: New Directors Competition

6:00PM

A wide-eyed Texas hayseed travels to China to find a manufacturer for the novelty product he hopes will put him right up there with the guy who invented the whoopee cushion. But when he gets sucked into a world of scammers and schemers, this eternal optimist will have to figure out just how far he’s willing to pursue the American Dream. Wes Anderson’s whimsy meets David Mamet’s love of duplicity in this peppy comic debut.

SOUNDTRACK FOR A REVOLUTION (USA), Directors: Dan Sturman, Bill Guttentag

Docufest Winner Gold Plaque: Best Direction - Dan Sturman, Bill Guttentag

8:00PM

Relive the American civil rights movement through the soul-stirring folk songs that fortified protestors struggling for equality. This powerful doc pairs modern renditions by Wyclef Jean, John Legend, TV on the Radio, the Roots, and others with footage from the bitter days of segregation and emotional present-day interviews with the people (including Harry Belafonte and Congressman John Lewis) who fought and lived through it.

SHORTS 3: REDISCOVERY

Program Includes the Award Winning Short SHORT TERM 12

5:30PM

Ali Shan (Canada) endeavors to answer the question, “How do we dream?” A man seizes one last opportunity for intimacy with his ex-wife in The Handover (New Zealand). A teacher helps a student learn how to get off in Acting for the Camera (USA). Ten for Grandpa (Canada) tries to uncover whether Grandpa was a manipulative antihero or simply a victim of a McCarthy witch hunt. Short Term 12 (USA) is a film about kids and the grown-ups who hit them. A poetic exploration of memory and loss, Steel Homes (UK) takes the viewer inside the world of a self-storage warehouse. Happy 95th Birthday Grandpa (USA) presents a fleeting memory of childhood quarrels at grandpa’s birthday. Careful with that Power Tool (New Zealand) shows the real reason why little boys shouldn’t play with power tools. In Young Love (Australia), Erno is in tortuous pain, but he must keep moving as danger awaits him.

BEST OF THE HUGO TELEVISION AWARDS

6:00PM

The Hugo Television Awards celebrates new and exciting approaches continually influencing television programming and commercials. In celebration of the 45th anniversary of the Chicago International Film Festival and the Hugo Television Awards, this program presents a selection of the most memorable commercials awarded throughout the history of the competition.

VIDEOCRACY (Sweden/Italy), Director: Erik Gandini

Festival Favorite

7:30PM

Shockingly relevant and precisely crafted, Erik Gandini’s documentary portrays the relationships between Italy’s political elite and its powerful media empire. As Gandini puts it, “President Silvio Berlusconi has created a perfect system of TV entertainment and politics.” With an eerily fitting soundtrack to guide it along, Videocracy exhibits firsthand the dangers of government-television cohabitation.

PERSĖCUTION (France), Director: Patrice Chéreau

Festival Favorite

8:30PM

Daniel has a talent for making life go his way, but lately he’s been put to the test by a stranger who follows him through the streets, to his job, to his apartment. And this strange relationship is not the only one wearing on him: His possessive attitude toward Sonia, his partner of three years, is slowly poisoning them both. Soon Daniel will discover how it feels to be both persecutor and persecuted…. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Romain Duris, and Jean-Hugues Anglade star in this psychological drama from provocative director Patrice Chéreau (Intimacy, Queen Margot).

CHICAGO OVERCOAT (USA), Director: Brian Caunter

Back by Popular Demand

9:45PM

Twenty years ago, Lou Marazano (Frank Vincent, The Sopranos, Casino) was the deadliest triggerman in the notorious Chicago Outfit. When Lou’s jailed boss (Armand Assante) orders a wave of hits to cover up a conspiracy between city officials and the mob, Lou sees a chance to finance his retirement and relive his glory days. But does he still have what it takes? This neo-noir crime drama is an accomplished debut from first-time local filmmakers.

BERLIN ’36 (Germany), Director: Kaspar Heidelbach

Back By Popular Demand

6:15PM

With Nazi-ruled Berlin facing boycotts of its 1936 Olympic Games if Jewish athletes aren’t allowed to participate, party officials bully expat champion high jumper Gretel Bergmann into training alongside a team that reviles her. At the same time, they use über-athlete Marie Ketteler as a pawn in a covert campaign to defeat Gretel. This powerful true story celebrates the small triumphs strong-willed individuals can win over tyranny and hatred.

HIPSTERS (Russia), Director: Valery Todorovsky

Back by Popular Demand

8:15PM

Moscow, 1955. Soviet uniformity is the order of the day, but incurring the wrath of all the grim-faced comrades in Russia isn’t enough to stop a group of young “hipsters” from donning outrageous threads, puffing up their pompadours, pushing up their cleavage, throwing back martinis, and shakin’ their hips. Could this romantic, infectiously fun musical be this year’s Slumdog Millionaire?

The Chicago International Film Festival runs until October 22th. Click here for ticket information. Walk-up box office locations are at the Cinema/Chicago Administrative Office at 30 E. Adams, Suite 800, Monday through Friday, 10:00am to 6:00pm or at the AMC River East 21 Festival Box Office at 322 E Illinois St., 7 days a week, noon to 9pm. All ticketing locations take Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Director Brian Caunter of ‘Chicago Overcoat’ at the Chicago International Film Festival

PatrickMcD — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 17:25:39 -0600

CHICAGO – Last Saturday at the Chicago International Film Festival was a very important debut for the new film “Chicago Overcoat,” directed by newcomer Brian Caunter. The hometown audience gave big thumbs up to the gritty mobster film.

Filmed entirely on location in and around the Windy City, Chicago Overcoat features a veteran of “The Sopranos,” Frank Vincent (who played Phil Leotardo on that program and here plays aging hitman Lou Marazano). Lou is juggling a life-changing “final” assassination assignment, his daughter’s family problems and the nagging indignities of old age.

Mike Starr (left) and Frank Vincent of “Chicago Overcoat” at the
Chicago International Film Festival on Oct. 10, 2009.
Photo credit: Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com

HollywoodChicago.com caught up with Brian Caunter after his triumphant Chicago International Film Festival presentation. He talked about influences for the film and using Chicago as a character within the narrative.

HollywoodChicago.com: How did the postmodern gangsterism of ‘The Sopranos’ influence ‘Chicago Overcoat?’

Brian Caunter: I wouldn’t say that it was The Sopranos that was the influence. I based Chicago Overcoat on the older gangster movies, like “Goodfellas” and “Casino” and those type of movies. The one thing that does set it apart from those other films is that it is a modern Chicago gangster film and the mob is now as flashy and colorful, it’s more humble and gritty.

HC: What immediate character traits did you get from the essence of the City of Chicago?

BC: I wanted to keep my characters humble and hard-working, I think that is a Chicago trait. I’ve been here for seven years and I’ve met a lot of people, and I get small little influences from everyone. I made a collage of what I feel the city is all about, especially about the ‘lingo’ to keep it real.

HC: What did Frank Vincent bring to the character of Lou that most surprised you?

BC: The humanity he brought to someone who is basically a serial killer, a gunman, like the anti-hero from the wild west movies. He brought more humanity than we ever imagined, so much so that people side with Lou, and is interested to see where he going next.

HC: You wrote the original story that became Chicago Overcoat. Any event or reminder that inspired the story initially for you?

BC: The title came first. We wanted to stay true to the title, that the ‘Chicago overcoat’ is another name for a coffin. We wanted it to be about an older gentleman and death. I was most inspired by the old French film, ‘Le samouraï,’ as a hitman movie. We even designed the interiors of Lou’s apartment to be similar to the character in that film.

Brian Caunter Checks a Shot During the Production of ‘Chicago Overcoat’
Photo credit: Columbia Chronicle

HC: How does having Stacy Keach and Armand Assante strengthen the small parts of Ray and Stefano?

BC: We wanted to stay true to the genre in casting the mob boss [Assante]. Adding those two guys gave the film a bigger appeal than just local casting. At a film on this level, you have to selectively choose to afford bigger names in, and approach them with a smaller part that gives them enough meat so they want to play it and that contributes to the story.

HC: What did you try to do different with the ‘cop character’ that we haven’t seen before in TV or movies?

BC: The ‘drunk cop’ detective is usually a more likable character and what we tried to do in our film is put that type in an environment where you’re not sure whether you like this character. His word usage and general demeanor make him not likable. I think that helps the audience root for Lou the hitman and hope that he succeeds in the end instead of the detective.

HC: Obviously this is a hitman movie and there is going to be some violence and bloodshed. How did you determine how far you wanted to go with the violence in Chicago Overcoat?

BC: It comes down to edit. You shoot as much as you can on set, get it as graphic and detailed as possible. There are a lot of small, intensely violent shots that didn’t make the cut. An audience can get distracted by the gore and then they don’t respond to a scene like you want them to. So we cut back on a lot, wanting to keep it as realistic as possible.

HC: Why do you think Americans will continue to be entertained by the mob culture?

BC: Any sort of illegal activity, or an event that conjures suspense and thrills, I think will continue to be in the media. Whatever the audience is drawn is something that could never happen to them personally. A movie like a mob film gives them a glimpse into another life, a life that they themselves didn’t choose.

HC: Do you think Chicago has shed its mobster image or is it still in the background of the city?

BC: To the locals it has shed it. If you still go outside the city, especially to other countries, Chicago is still Al Capone. The young people don’t think of it as much, but it is still here. When I was working at a video store on 8th and Wabash when I was in college, I remember the mayor used to have his bodyguards rent movies from the store, and it felt kind of mobster-like. The general demeanor and the way they spoke (laughs).

But there is enough humor and lightness in our film to keep it away from an autobiography of any one person.

HC: How difficult was it, at the end of your film, to stay away from giving Lou more of a redemptive quality given that the audience is rooting for him?

BC: It’s all part of what I called ‘pure cinema.’ It’s a gun-slinging picture and you don’t want to take the audience anywhere so that they hate the ending. You spend the whole movie expecting Lou’s demise.

The response to the end has been very positive. The way we pull out of the movie, we can only assume where these characters will be afterwards.

The Chicago International Film Festival runs until October 22th. Click here for details.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Senior Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Slideshow: Chicago Premiere of ‘Chicago Overcoat’ With Mike Starr, Frank Vincent

HollywoodChicago.com — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 12:06:11 -0600

CHICAGO – This three-image slideshow contains our ace photographer Joe Arce’s shots from the red carpet for the Chicago premiere of “Chicago Overcoat” on Oct. 10, 2009.

“Chicago Overcoat” was filmed in Chicago by Beverly Ridge Pictures. Stars Mike Starr and Frank Vincent walked the red carpet as part of the 45th-annual Chicago International Film Festival along with actor and Chicago native Danny Goldring and actress Kathrine Narducci.

“Chicago Overcoat” stars Mike Starr (“The Black Dahlia,” 45 episodes of “Ed”), Frank Vincent (31 episodes of “The Sopranos”), Kathrine Narducci (20 episodes of “The Sopranos”), Stacy Keach (“American History X,” “Prison Break”), Armand Assante (“American Gangster”), Danny Goldring (“The Dark Knight”), Tim Gamble, Martin Shannon and Barret Walz from writer and director Brian Caunter.

You can click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through this slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All photos are credited to Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto and HollywoodChicago.com. All rights reserved.

chicagoovercoat1: Mike Starr (left) and Frank Vincent (right) cordially greet the HollywoodChicago.com lens and offer up a little protection on the red carpet at the Chicago International Film Festival premiere of their film “Chicago Overcoat” on Oct. 10, 2009 at AMC River East.
chicagoovercoat2: Actor and Chicago native Danny Goldring steps forward for his red-carpet shot at the premiere of “Chicago Overcoat”.
chicagoovercoat3: Actress Kathrine Narducci of “Chicago Overcoat”.

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief/Publisher
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Chicago Indie Gangster Film ‘Chicago Overcoat’ Wraps Principal Photography

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 20:43:38 -0700

Chicago indie gangster film “Chicago Overcoat” has just wrapped principal photography, according to an e-mail I received on Friday from casting director Chris Charles. He also released to me the following production still of Frank Vincent (“The Sopranos”) with a Tommy gun.

Frank Vincent with a Tommy gun in “Chicago Overcoat”.
Photo courtesy of “Chicago Overcoat” casting director Chris Charles
In addition, Charles sent the following Chicago filming details:

We filmed scenes with Armand Assante (“ER,” “American Gangster”) and Rick Plastina on Wednesday at the Joliet Correctional Center.

On Thursday, the production went out with a bang. We blew up a car just off Damen and 29th.

To follow the progress of the film through post-production, you can check Beverly Ridge Pictures for details. “Chicago Overcoat” will hit theaters in the summer of 2008.

Scoop: Stacy Keach From ‘American History X,’ ‘Prison Break’ Joins ‘Chicago Overcoat’

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 11:06:03 -0700

I just received a detail-packed casting update about “Chicago Overcoat,” which has been and continues to film in Chicago. This information comes from casting director Chris Charles.

Hello, Adam. We are on day 35 of 50 for “Chicago Overcoat” and the production is running smoothly.

I just thought I’d send you an update on the film. I am very pleased to report that veteran actor Stacy Keach (“American History X,” “Prison Break”) recently joined the cast of “Chicago Overcoat”.

Stacy Keach
Photo credit: Jemal Countess, WireImage.com
Keach was in town last week to play retired Chicago detective Ray Berkowski: a character who provides crucial information that propels the plot forward.

Keach, who has performed for years at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago, will share screen time with his old friend, Danny Goldring, who plays detective Ralph Maloney in the film.

Goldring was Keach’s understudy for the Goodman’s 2004 production of Arthur Miller’s “Finishing the Picture”. Three years later, they are acting side by side in “Chicago Overcoat”.