CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Film News: Special Appearances at the 6th Chicago Critics Film Fest, May 4-10, 2018
CHICAGO – The 2018 Chicago Critics Film Festival (CCFF), the only fest curated by film critics in the country, is entering its sixth edition with another outstanding line up. A collective of Chicago film critics attend the winter film festivals (Sundance, SXSW, etc.) and find the hidden gems that will make their mark in cinemas for 2018 and beyond. The festival takes place from Friday, May 4th – “Fast Color” is the opening night film – through Thursday, May 10th, at Chicago’s historic Music Box Theatre. Get all the information – including the opportunity to purchase a weeklong pass – by clicking here.
From short films to features to documentaries, there are film treats to savor at this year’s CCFF. One of the benefits of the festival is special appearances by the filmmakers and featured performers. HollywoodChicago.com breaks down all those meet-and-greets below, and includes one other additional festival highlight by day and date.
CCFF Opening Night is Friday, May 4th, 2018
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com
OPENING NIGHT: Friday, May 4th, 2018
FAST COLOR (7p) Special Appearances by lead actor Gugu Mbatha-Raw and writer/producer Jordan Horowitz. A woman (Mbatha-Raw) goes on the run to hide her superhuman abilities, but finds that home becomes her only option. To purchase tickets, click here.
SUPPORT THE GIRLS (9:30p). A SXSW favorite, about a Den Motherish general manager (Regina Hall) at “Double Whammies,” a sports bar of a particular genre (“with curves”). Despite her efforts, the reality of such a venue controls the course of a long, strange day. To purchase tickets, click here.
Saturday, May 5th, 2018
BODIED (7p) Special Appearance by director Joseph Kahn. Intriguing premise, a satire set in the world of competitive battle rap. As an accidental participant begins the climb to the top, he risks alienating everyone he knows. To purchase tickets, click here.
BEAST (Midnight). The late night offering is a murder-and-life mystery, as a 27-year-old woman named Moll falls in love and breaks away from her family at the same time, only to have her lover accused of serial murders. To purchase tickets, click here.
Sunday, May 6th, 2018
CCFF SHORTS PROGRAM #1 (2:30p) Special Appearances by Clare Cooney (director of RUNNER) and Tony Grayson (Lead/Writer ALLEN ANDERS). One of two short films programs (PROGRAM #2 is at 5:15p, May 7th) is . To purchase tickets, click here.
DAMSEL (7:15p). Special Appearances by co-directors David and Nathan Zellener. Blurring the lines between hero, villain and damsel, this pioneer-era American Frontier story is an off-kilter story that goes in many directions. To purchase tickets, click here.
Monday, May 7th, 2018
FIRST REFORMED (7:15p) Special Appearance by director Paul Schrader. Legendary writer/director Paul Schrader (TAXI DRIVER, AMERICAN GIGOLO) explores a dying Dutch Reform church, outdone by a mega-church, which is challenged when a pregnant women (Amanda Seyfried) asks for counsel from the clegyman (Ethan Hawke). To purchase tickets, click here.
HAL (9:45p) One of the most influential filmmakers of the American New Wave of the 1970s, Hal Ashby, is being rediscovered in this documentary. To purchase tickets, click here.
The Films of CCFF Screen at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.
Photo credit: ChicagoCriticsFilmFestival.com
Tuesday, May 8th, 2018
SEARCHING (7:15p) Special Appearance by director Aneesh Chaganty. This thriller unfolds entirely on computer screens… with John Cho and Debra Messing. To purchase tickets, click here.
ON CHESIL BEACH (9:45p) Two virgins (Saoirse Ronan and Billy Howle) are married very young in the summer of 1962, and must reconcile their wedding night fears as the consummation approaches. To purchase tickets, click here.
Wednesday, May 9th, 2018
PUZZLE (7pm) Special Appearance by director Marc Turteltaub. A suburban mother (an always fab Kelly Macdonald) has a passion for solving jigsaw puzzles… which leads to another unexpected realm. To purchase tickets, click here.
A KID LIKE JAKE (5pm) A couple has always known their four-year-old son prefers fairy princesses to toy cars. But when a preschool advisor tells them it might be more than a phase, their roles come into question. Featuring Claire Danes and Jim Parsons. To purchase tickets, click here.
CLOSING NIGHT: Thursday, May 10th, 2018
ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT (6p) Special Appearance by director Skye Borgman. A “true crime” documentary about a Idaho family whose daughter is kidnapped by a neighbor. Twice. In the end, it points back toward the family. To purchase tickets, click here.
EIGHTH GRADE (8:30p) Special Appearance by director Bo Burnham. It’s been a disastrous eighth grade year for 13-year-old Kayla, but she must endure the last week before heading to high school. To purchase tickets, click here.
By PATRICK McDONALD |