2017 Oscar-nominated Shorts: ANIMATED
What I typically look forward to the most from this category is diversity. Not just in finding storytelling that represents a variety of gender, race or socio/ecomonic status, but mostly in terms of approach and use to animation. Animation can be implemented and presented in many ways and this is usually the category where we see that, which can lead to animation that is more unique and set apart from what we’re typically used to seeing from studios. While they are often hard to find, unless they precede a Disney blockbuster, they are always interesting to check out for their variety and for – as always with shorts – how they make the most of their time. Read more…
FIFTY SHADES DARKER (2017) review
written by: Niall Leonard, based on the book by E.L. James
produced by: Dana Brunetti, Michael DeLuca, E.L. James, Marcus Viscidi
directed by: James Foley
rating: R (for strong erotic sexual content, some graphic nudity, and language)
runtime: 118 min.
U.S. release date: February 10, 2017
“Now you know what those silver balls do.”
“Fifty Shades Darker” continues the trend established in 2015’s “Fifty Shades of Grey,” wherein an average, plain jane white girl with a stripper’s name = Anatastia Steele, played by Dakota Johnson – is inexplicably the object of obsession for every single man with whom she comes in contact. Her main squeeze, Christian Grey – Irish actor Jamie Dornan (trying valiantly to sound like he’s from America) – is a billionaire sadist who revels in controlling and stalking her. I would love to report that there’s any growth beyond those two sentences in this film – especially considering it was more or less the log line for the first film – but that’s more or less where those two characters begin and end this film. Read more…
27th Annual Festival of Films from Iran: INVERSION (2016)
written by: Benham Behzadi
produced by: Benham Behzadi
directed by: Benham Behzadi
rating: unrated
runtime: 91 min.
U.S. release date. February 11, 2017 and February 12, 2017 (Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL)
Right from the start, “Inversion” won me over with its playful and sweet interaction between a stubborn elderly mother and her cheerful thirtysomething daughter. It didn’t take long for me to realize how content I’d be if this film consisted of just these two characters. But writer/director Behram Behzadi knows that there’s certainly more to these characters as well as the other family members we’ll meet soon and guides us into a complex story that revolves around familial obligation that conflicts with personal dreams and desires. “Inversion” (“Varoonegi”) premiered last year at Cannes Film Festival and was then shown in other festivals and now Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center is gifted with including this compelling drama as part of their annual focus on recent Iranian films. Read more…
CHAPTER AND VERSE (2016) review
written by: Jamal Joseph and Daniel Beaty
produced by: Cheryl Hill and Jonathan Sanger
directed by: Jamal Joseph
rating: R (for language, drug use, some violence and sexuality)
runtime: 91 min.
U.S. release date: February 3, 2017 (Harlem, NY) and February 10, 2017 (L.A./Atlanta/Chicago)
We go through our lives not realizing our potential to help those around us or fully realize what we have to contribute to those we encounter. The older we get, the more life we experience and it’s that life experience that we often overlook. We don’t realize how valuable our mistakes, failures and life lessons can be to others who are stuck in their own life situation, whether or not they realize it. Writer/director Jamal Joseph understands this though and his latest feature, “Chapter and Verse”, is a semi-autobiographical journey that follows a weary man who’s trying to move forward one day at a time, away from a past of bad decisions and cyclical self-destruction. The film injects a palpable authenticity and honesty to familiar situations and recognizable characters, lending a personal tone that acknowledges human conditions that deserve our attention. Read more…
Interview with CHAPTER AND VERSE writer/director Jamal Joseph
Jamal Joseph is a fascinating man. I don’t know him personally, since the only time I’ve spoken with the filmmaker was over the phone recently to discuss his new film “Chapter and Verse” for twenty minutes. It became clear right away in our interview that Joseph is a patient and focused conversationalist, but the more I learned what he’s experienced in his past and what he’s doing now, the more interesting he became. Not only is he a film director, but he’s also an acclaimed author, a film professor at Columbia University in New York, a community leader and an activist. He also spent years in jail for his involvement in the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Front, where he earned two college degrees and wrote his first (of five) plays. He’s the kind of guy who makes you reaccess your own life and wonder “What have I done?” or “What am I doing?” Read more…
HIDDEN FIGURES (2016) review
written by: Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi
produced by: Peter Chernin, Donna Gigliotti, Theodore Melfi, Jenno Topping & Pharrell Williams
directed by: Theodore Melfi
rating: PG (for thematic elements and some language)
runtime: 127 min.
U.S. release date: December 25, 2016 (limited) and January 6, 2017
The coolest thing about “Hidden Figures” is that audiences are loving it and it’s been doing great financially. That’s cool because the movie has an important, untold real life tale to tell from American history that’s eye-opening and inspiring audiences and it surprised box office expectations. It’s currently grossed $112.1 million, which is fantastic for a movie with a budget of $25 million. Now, I usually don’t bring up how much a movie is bringing in, but it’s clear that like the intelligent African-American women the movie focuses on, “Hidden Figures” was a movie that was ready to be overlooked and passed over. Here is a genuine crowd-pleaser as well as a rare movie that succeeds because of the story it’s telling, not necessarily how its telling it. Read more…
27th Annual Festival of Films from Iran: Me (2015)
written by: Soheil Beiraghi
produced by: Saeed Khani and Saeed Sa’di
directed by: Soheil Beiraghi
rated: unrated
runtime: 84 min.
U.S. release date: February 4, 2017 & February 5, 2017 (Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL)
If you’re at all familiar with the insane quality of cinema coming from Iran in recent years, than you should recognize Leila Hatami, if not by name then definitely by face. She’s made a name for herself playing stubborn and strong women in film’s like 2011’s “A Separation” and 2014’s “Dorane Asheghi” and always has an intoxicating presence on the screen, regardless of how likable her characters are. Hatami is genuinely the MVP of any film she’s in and that’s why writer/director Soheil Beiraghi is fortunate to have her headline his directorial debut in “Me”, a drama which proves to be a showcase for Hatami’s immeasurable acting prowess. Read more…
27th Annual Festival of Films from Iran: Lantouri (2016)
written by: Reza Dormishian
produced by: Reza Dormishian
directed by: Reza Dormishian
rated: unrated
runtime: 115 min.
U.S. release date: February 3, 2017 & February 4, 2017 (Gene Siskel Film Center, Chicago, IL)
You may already be aware how prevelant misogyny and patriarchy reigns supreme in Iranian culture. A woman’s potential is stifled, leaving her to live with a systemic inequality that has existed for decades. When a woman is wronged or abused by a man, emotionally or sexually, especially physically, there is an expectation within the community for the woman to publicly forgive her assailant. It’s an act of courage and allegedly will guarantee a higher position in heaven. Yet, the woman still remains scared forever – either it’ll go unnoticed because it’s an internal wound or will serve as an inescapable reminder if the scars are visible on the outside. The fascinating and complex drama “Lantouri” touches on this never-ending social atrocity that plagues Iran, while providing an original non-linear storytelling approach. Read more…
COLIN HAY: WAITING FOR MY REAL LIFE (2015) review
written by: Aaron Faulls and Nate Gowtham
produced by: Aaron Faulls, Nate Gowtham and Elizabeth James
directed by: Aaron Faulls and Nate Gowtham
rated: unrated
runtime: 84 min.
U.S. release date: January 30, 2017 (City Winery in Chicago, IL & Amazon, Google, inDemand, Playstation, Xbox and VUDU)
I’m not surprised there’s a documentary made about Colin Hay. In fact, I’m quite happy. Some may know the award-winning Scottish-born Australian singer/songwriter from his work in the 80s as the front man for the successful rock band, Men at Work, while others may recall him from the TV show, “Scrubs”. If you can’t place his name, his recognizable voice may ring a bell. If not, after this film, your curiosity should be piqued and your next step should be to seek out a stop on his tour. The career-spanning “Colin Hay: Waiting for My Life”, which premiered at the Melbourne International Film Festival in August 2015, marks the directorial debut of Aaron Faulls and Nate Gowtham, both of whom have managed to capture the charm, charisma and wit of their engaging subject in a candid and revealing light. Read more…
JACKIE (2016) review
written by: Noah Oppenheim
produced by: Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin, Ari Handel, Juan de Dios Larraín, Mickey Liddell
directed by: Pablo Larraín
rated: R (for brief strong violence and some language)
runtime: 100 min.
U.S. release date: October 17, 2016 (Chicago International Film Festival); December 2, 2016 (limited release)
“I never wanted fame. I just became a Kennedy.”
Most biopics are bound and determined to maintain an aesthetic distance between the audience and subject. Keeping legends at arm’s length helps to maintain their legend, or so the prevailing wisdom seemed. Pablo Larraín’s devastating film “Jackie” bucks conventional wisdom and offers a painfully intimate window into the most chaotic month in the life of former first lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Read more…
