Film News: 25 Official Selections Released For 2011 Chicago International Film Festival

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CHICAGO – Chicago movie buffs psyched for the 47th Chicago International Film Festival (CIFF) have a limited-time opportunity to purchase their passes at a discounted price. Festivalgoers can save $10 on their purchase through Sept. 21, 2011. CIFF has wisely enticed attendees by releasing the names of their 25 official selections at the 2011 festival, which is scheduled from Oct. 6 through the Oct. 20, 2011.

Easily the most hotly anticipated picture in the bunch is “A Dangerous Method,” which marks the third consecutive collaboration between director David Cronenberg and star Viggo Mortensen. The film centers on an unbalanced woman (Keira Knightley) and her pivotal relationship with Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Mortensen). “Method” promises to be a typically provocative addition to Cronenberg’s oeuvre, with the added intrigue of psychoanalysis and its origins.

Another must-see selection is “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” the long-awaited third feature from Lynne Ramsay, director of “Ratcatcher” and “Morvern Callar.” The great Tilda Swinton has already been garnering serious Oscar buzz for her role as a diffident mother whose titular teenage son goes on a killing spree. John C. Reilly co-stars as Swinton’s well-meaning husband, while Ezra Miller (as Kevin) is intriguingly cast as a sociopath with striking similarities to his memorable character in Antonio Campos’s “Afterschool.” Though the film received mixed reviews on the festival circuit, it is sure to be the topic of intense discussion and debate in Chicago.

Keira Knightly and Michael Fassbender star in David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method.
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics

Other highlights at this year’s CIFF include the latest work from filmmakers such as Wim Wenders (“Wings of Desire”), Claude Lelouch (“A Man and a Woman”) Aki Kaurismäki (“The Man Without a Past”) and Chen Kaige (“Farewell My Concubine”). Chicago native Prashant Bhargava will premiere his debut feature, “The Kite,” which was shot in India and tells the tale of a family reunion during the country’s vibrant kite festival. Sam Auster, another Chicago-born filmmaker, will debut his third directorial effort, “The Return of Joe Rich,” featuring Armand Assante and Talia Shire. 89-year-old icon Carol Channing is profiled in Dori Berinstein’s documentary, “Carol Channing: Larger Than Life,” which appears to be one of the festival’s surefire crowd-pleasers. Perhaps the oddest selection so far released is Paul W.S. Anderson’s 3D reboot of “The Three Musketeers,” with an all-star cast including Orlando Bloom, Juno Temple, Mads Mikkelsen, Til Schweiger and Christoph Waltz.

By MATT FAGERHOLM Staff Writer HollywoodChicago.com