Chicago is My Home
Chicago is My Home
05
Jun
Chicago TV Station Receives Bomb Threat Related to Airing Gay Documentary
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film, Television
CHICAGO – Chicago television station WTTW-Ch. 11 received a bomb threat on Tuesday night in relation to its airing of the gay documentary “Out & Proud in Chicago”.
The locally produced film documents the history of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community in Chicago. The threat shows that homophobia is still a dangerous reality, Chicago Commission on Human Rights Chairman Dana Starks in a Wednesday statement.
“It is shameful and disgusting that this is how our LGBT community can be treated in Chicago,” Starks said. “More than anything, this incident emphasizes the importance of providing education on the harmfulness of stereotypes [that] lead to discrimination – and even hate.”
The Chicago Police Department was notified of the threat on Tuesday night. Station employees were encouraged to report any unusual activity.
By Megan O’Neil
Leave a Comment30
Jan
250 Free Tickets Available For Advance Chicago Screening of ‘The Spiderwick Chronicles’
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
We just received word that 250 advance-screening tickets are now available for a free Chicago screening of “The Spiderwick Chronicles”. These tickets will surely go quickly, so if you’re interested in this film, follow the steps below with haste.
This Chicago screening is on Feb. 12, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. at AMC River East 21 (322 E. Illinois St.).
“The Spiderwick Chronicles” is suitable for parents and their children ages eight and up. These tickets are being offered by GoFobo.com in partnership with FilmMetro.com.
You’re allowed up to one guest. As tickets are given on a first-come, first-served basis, you are advised to arrive early to the theater. Here’s how to snag your free pass:
1) Go to http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp
2) Enter RSVP code FMTO9679
3) Create an account
4) Print your tickets
5) Attend the screening
By Adam Fendelman
Leave a Comment17
Jan
Advance ‘In Bruges’ Screening, Director Q&A Coming to Chicago
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
CHICAGO – A special advance screening for the new Focus Features action film “In Bruges” is coming to Chicago on Jan. 25 along with a Q&A with director Martin McDonagh immediately following the screening. “In Bruges” stars Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson.
Here’s the film synopsis:
Martin McDonagh makes his feature directorial debut on the film from his own original screenplay. His plays (which include “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” and “The Pillowman”) have brought him two Olivier Awards and four Tony Award nominations.
Colin Farrell in “In Bruges”.
Photo credit: IMDbHe wrote and directed “Six Shooter” (starring Brendan Gleeson), which earned him the 2006 Academy Award for best live-action short film.
“In Bruges” was filmed on location. Bruges (pronounced “broozh”), which is the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world.
But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination.
A difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple weeks.
Clémence Poésy and Colin Farrell in “In Bruges”.
Photo credit: IMDbVery much out of place amid the gothic architecture, canals and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists.
Ray – still haunted by the bloodshed in London – hates the place while Ken – even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray’s often-profanely funny exploits – finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city.
But the longer they stay waiting for Harry’s call, the more surreal their experience becomes as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë (Clémence Poésy) who may have some dark secrets of her own.
When the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray’s vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.
By Adam Fendelman
Leave a Comment16
Jan
Advance ‘In Bruges’ Screening, Director Q&A Coming to Chicago
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
A special advance screening for the new Focus Features action film “In Bruges” is coming to Chicago on Jan. 25 along with a Q&A with director Martin McDonagh immediately following the screening. “In Bruges” stars Colin Farrell, Ralph Fiennes and Brendan Gleeson.
Here’s the film synopsis:
Martin McDonagh makes his feature directorial debut on the film from his own original screenplay. His plays (which include “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” and “The Pillowman”) have brought him two Olivier Awards and four Tony Award nominations.
Colin Farrell in “In Bruges”.
Photo credit: IMDbHe wrote and directed “Six Shooter” (starring Brendan Gleeson), which earned him the 2006 Academy Award for best live-action short film.
“In Bruges” was filmed on location. Bruges (pronounced “broozh”), which is the most well-preserved medieval city in the whole of Belgium, is a welcoming destination for travelers from all over the world.
But for hit men Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson), it could be their final destination.
A difficult job has resulted in the pair being ordered right before Christmas by their London boss Harry (two-time Academy Award nominee Ralph Fiennes) to go and cool their heels in the storybook Flemish city for a couple weeks.
Clémence Poésy and Colin Farrell in “In Bruges”.
Photo credit: IMDbVery much out of place amid the gothic architecture, canals and cobbled streets, the two hit men fill their days living the lives of tourists.
Ray – still haunted by the bloodshed in London – hates the place while Ken – even as he keeps a fatherly eye on Ray’s often-profanely funny exploits – finds his mind and soul being expanded by the beauty and serenity of the city.
But the longer they stay waiting for Harry’s call, the more surreal their experience becomes as they find themselves in weird encounters with locals, tourists, violent medieval art, a dwarf American actor (Jordan Prentice) shooting a European art film, Dutch prostitutes and a potential romance for Ray in the form of Chloë (Clémence Poésy) who may have some dark secrets of her own.
When the call from Harry does finally come, Ken and Ray’s vacation becomes a life-and-death struggle of darkly comic proportions and surprisingly emotional consequences.
By Adam Fendelman
Leave a Comment14
Jan
‘The Dark Knight’ Viral Marketing Rings Again From Cake-Embedded Cell Phones
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
CHICAGO – Back on Dec. 4, 2007, we reported on “The Dark Knight” viral marketing activities that concluded in fans rushing around the U.S. to snag cakes in bakeries. Items were baked inside them and enthusiasts tore apart the treats to find out what they were. The Joker promised that the embedded cell phones would have a purpose later.
On Monday, the Chicago cake finder again contacted HollywoodChicago.com and said a text message was sent to the phone he received on that day. Here’s the e-mail to us containing the Joker’s new viral marketing message.
Hey, Adam! If you remember, I am the Chicago Joker cake finder.
I have the cell phone and I just got a text message from the Joker today from humanresources@whysoserious.com. Here’s what it said:
“You still out there, clown? Reply and let me know.”
I replied “yes” and I got another response:
“See you found my little message. So do you think you have what it takes to be a part of my circle of friends? Are you a backstabbing, self…”
Then the message gets cut off. Others I have talked to with the phone have said the same thing. I am sure this is an automated response.
I replied back “yes” to the last text and I am waiting to see what happens. I will keep you updated!
~ Vlkers54
Our Chicago cake photos from Dec. 4 are below.
By Adam Fendelman
Leave a Comment27
Dec
Sneak Screening of ‘There Will Be Blood’ With Daniel Day-Lewis Coming to Chicago on Dec. 29
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
“There Will Be Blood” is among the best films of 2007. Period. An Oscar-worthy performance by Daniel Day-Lewis helps to make this picture Oscar worthy in its own right.
Daniel Day-Lewis in “There Will Be Blood”.
Photo credit: IMDb
Though the film only opened in limited New York City and Los Angeles theaters on Dec. 26, it will expand in Jan. 2008. Before that, 14 cities are being treated to a midnight sneak screening on Dec. 29.
In Chicago, the film is sneaking at AMC River East 21.
Leave a Comment20
Dec
Interviews: Chicago Natives John Cusack, Gracie Bednarczyk, Shélan O’Keefe on ‘Grace is Gone’
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Celebrity News, Film, Film Festivals, Interviews
On Oct. 12, 2007, I interviewed Chicago native John Cusack along with first-time Chicago actresses Gracie Bednarczyk and Shélan O’Keefe on “Grace is Gone,” which opened in theaters on Dec. 14.
John Cusack in Chicago on Oct. 12, 2007 at the
Chicago International Film Festival for “Grace is Gone”.
Photo credit: Joe Arce
In our interview, Cusack speaks on the film as a whole, cell phones, sister Joan Cusack and his views on the war. Cusack speaks loudly in our interview with a soft-spoken voice. Here’s just one quotable:
I knew I wanted to do the film when the Bush administration banned photos of the dead coming from the coffins. That’s the most disgraceful, political, cowardly act I’ve seen in my lifetime.
These soldiers are making the ultimate sacrifice and we’re censoring it. There’s no draft, yet you’re willing to pay mercenaries more than our soldiers and not give them body armor.
You want to send them over there and deny this is happening or let FOX News tell us how we should view the war? I said: ‘All right. I’m going to do a story about one of these coffins coming home.’
My full, 23-minute audio interview with John Cusack is below.
My full, 14-minute audio interview with first-time Chicago actresses Gracie Bednarczyk and Shélan O’Keefe is below.
13
Dec
‘The Dark Knight’ Delivers High-Impact IMAX Prologue Before ‘I Am Legend’
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Film
I went to screen “I Am Legend” on Wednesday in Chicago to experience “The Dark Knight”.
That statement doesn’t speak grimly about my feelings for Will Smith. I was looking forward to learning his legend and I’m glad I did. The night at Chicago’s Navy Pier IMAX, though, went to its first six minutes with the Joker as the star.
A production still from “The Dark Knight” prologue.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
Before I skipped the capacity crowd awaiting entrance into the theater, I stopped to listen to people’s pre-conceived motivations for spending a chilly Wednesday evening at the movies.
People weren’t there because it was free. More important, many people weren’t talking about “I Am Legend”. The buzz king went to Nolan & Co. A few people even went so far as to say they’d consume “The Dark Knight” prologue and skip out immediately thereafter.
I spoke to the publicist running the screening moments before heading in. He was in a panic.
He just got off the phone from New York because “the prologue wasn’t going to show,” he said. At the mere quiet mention of the notion, the few critics who heard it threw their hands in the air in disgust.
I’m paraphrasing, but the publicist immediately retorted: “Don’t worry. It’ll be there now. I made sure of it.” Their nerves were calmed and I now felt vindicated after having to miss last week’s sneak peak of the prologue following yet another “The Dark Knight” viral game.
We were first treated to a trailer for “The Spiderwick Chronicles”.
The next trailer – for a film documenting a rock star – was relatively unimpressive and forgettable. Then a sweeping shot of downtown Gotham ushered in “The Dark Knight” prologue and the theater erupted in applause.
You immediately felt the difference between a typical trailer preceding the big event as this prologue is a short film in its own right. Its design is to introduce the Joker as the crazed fiend he is. He’s indeed feared, he’s indeed demented and he indeed delivers on the frenetic hype.
The story leading up to his unmasking deliberately makes his revelation deliciously climatic. You love to hate Heath and feel no remorse loving him all the while.
For this Chicagoan who has been covering the ins and outs of the film as it has taken over our Windy City, the prologue feels much like home. I’d be watching and instantly recall reporting on that courthouse and stepping foot on those very floors when I was beckoned there for jury duty.
A cameo by William Fichtner (“Go,” “Armageddon,” “Contact”) as a Gotham National Bank manager proves even in just a glimpse the power of this cast from roles as big as Heath Ledger as the Joker and Christian Bale as Batman all the way down to this small bank manager who dominates a memorable scene.
William Fichtner in “The Perfect Storm”.
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
Director Chris Nolan will be remembered as an innovator who made the premeditated choice to work with director of photography Wally Pfister and IMAX technicians to mark the first time in Hollywood history the larger and heavier IMAX cameras were used to film select sequences.
Rather than succumbing to the quality degradation inherent in converting traditional 35-millimeter film to the largesse of IMAX, Nolan filmed directly using the 60-millimeter, sensually orgasmic format. The wait was worth the remuneration and serves as yet another telltale sign that “The Dark Knight” will be the film of 2008.
1 Comment09
Dec
Podcast: On Chicago Keynote Address From ‘Star Wars’ Producer George Lucas
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Business, Celebrity News, Film, Podcast
Legendary writer, director, editor and producer George Lucas (“Star Wars”) spoke in Chicago on Dec. 3 at the Economic Club of Chicago. In this podcast, Adam Fendelman and colleague Brad Spirrison discuss the keynote address and why industry change is in the air.
Samuel L. Jackson (left) and George Lucas on the set
of “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith”.
Photo credit: IMDb
07
Dec
John C. Reilly Delivers Dewey Cox at Chicago’s Cubby Bear For ‘Walk Hard’
Author: Adam Fendelman, Category: Celebrity News, Film, Music
We reported on Wednesday that man-of-many-faces John C. Reilly would be performing in character as Dewey Cox on Thursday in Chicago to pump his upcoming film “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story”.
Excellent photos are in from the Chicago native’s packed show. These are credited to Joseph Mohan and have been published by Pitchfork. The show took place at the Cubby Bear by Wrigley Field in Chicago.
The group will also play at Stubb’s in Austin on Dec. 7, the Mercy Lounge in Nashville on Dec. 8, the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco on Dec. 10 and the Knitting Factory in New York on Dec. 19.
“Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story” hits theaters on Dec. 21.
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