Preview: The 46th Chicago International Film Festival, Week Two

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CHICAGO – We’re back with the highlights of the rest of the 46th Annual Chicago International Film Festival, which features a centerpiece tonight in Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours” and continues through to a Closing Night presentation of John Madden’s “The Debt” on October 21st, 2010. Here are six of the best films yet to play during of the remainder of the festival, covering October 13th to October 21st, 2010.

The most memorable films of the second act including two very different documentaries, two dramas from a pair of our best directors, a wacky Korean thriller, and a devastating drama from an honorary Chicagoan. The top tier of films remaining at CIFF include “127 Hours,” “Hereafter,” “Trust,” “The Housemaid,” “The Minutemen,” and “Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff.”

It should also be noted that several of the best films that debuted last weekend have second or third shows still to play including “Louder Than a Bomb” on October 16th & 18th, “How I Ended This Summer” on October 17th, “Norman” on October 17th & 19th, and “Blame” on October 17th. Check out the first preview for details on each.

127 Hours
127 Hours
Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“127 Hours”
October 13th, 7pm

In 2003, Aron Ralston made headlines when he survived a nightmarish ordeal with his arm trapped under a boulder deep in a Utah canyon. In 2008, director Danny Boyle made headlines when he won dozens of awards including Best Picture and Best Director for “Slumdog Millionaire.” In 2010, their lives will be forever intertwined when the film “127 Hours” takes the critical world by storm later this year. CIFF offers an early look at a work that I expect will not only make dozens of top ten lists for 2010 but probably win its lead actor an Academy Award. James Franco delivers an amazing performance as Ralston, appearing in every scene of an amazingly-challenging film. “127 Hours” fits perfectly in the Boyle filmography — a series of films that seem to have little in common but are often about men overcoming remarkable odds whether they be kicking drugs (“Trainspotting”), surviving the zombie apocalypse (“28 Days Later”), winning a game show (“Slumdog”), or escaping a deadly situation (it also fits into his interest in the power of nature in films like “Sunshine” and “The Beach.”) “127 Hours” proves that Danny Boyle is one of our best working directors and that James Franco is one of our best working actors. It is the centerpiece of the Chicago International Film Festival and the best film showing during its entire run.

Director Danny Boyle will be in attendance.

Hereafter
Hereafter
Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Hereafter”
October 14th, 6:15pm

Clint Eastwood’s “Hereafter” has already divided critics but it feels like those who have easily dismissed the film have fallen into the trap of bad marketing and expected something else when the lights dimmed in the screening room. “Hereafter” is not a relative of “The Sixth Sense” and the previews that make it look like a supernatural thriller are incredibly misleading. This is a character-driven drama that dares to address a subject that most American filmmakers refuse to examine without elements of horror or melodrama. The great script from one of our best writers in Peter Morgan (“The Queen,” “Frost/Nixon”) is a daringly intellectual and unsentimental analysis of three different states of dealing with death. For Marcus (Frankie McLaren), he’s concerned that death is final and that he’ll never see his brother again. A survivor of a tsunami named Marie (Cecile de France) is on the other end, knowing that death is not the end but with no one willing to believe her. And then there’s George (Matt Damon), the man with uncommon powers who represents the common approach to the afterlife — denial. Like most people do with such a sensitive subject, he’s tried to put his connection to what happens after death on a shelf and ignore it. “Hereafter” plays perfectly to Eastwood’s strengths as a director with only a few major speaking roles in intimate, dialogue-driven scenes, and a subject matter that is clearly personal to a man approaching the end of his life. It’s his best film since “Letters From Iwo Jima.”

Actress Cecile de France will be in attendance.

Trust
Trust
Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Trust”
October 16th, 5pm
October 18th, 8pm
October 19th, 8pm

Honorary Chicagoan David Schwimmer delivers his second directorial effort at this year’s fest with the devastating “Trust,” a daring drama about the emotional earthquake that redefines a family after a horrible event. The event in question occurs when a smart and charismatic young teenager named Annie (Liana Liberato) meets a young man online. It turns out that the young man is not what he claims to be and when the two meet at a mall, after a number of sexually-charged internet interactions, Annie falls into the trap of a sexual predator. While Annie’s father is torn apart by his daughter’s rape, Annie herself is in denial, asserting that the man who betrayed her trust still loves her. Clive Owen and Catherine Keener star as Annie’s parents, Viola Davis her therapist, and Jason Clarke the FBI agent assigned to her case. Schwimmer works from an award-winning play and proves that he has a remarkable ability at drawing emotionally-charged performances from actors without sinking into melodrama. Owen gives the best performance he’s delivered since “Children of Men” and Liberato gives one of the best teenage performances ever. This is the kind of quality drama that will take the arthouse by storm when it’s eventually released. See it early this weekend before someone tells you to do so months down the road.

Director David Schwimmer will be in attendance on the 18th. The filmmakers and Cinema/Chicago are also hosting a fundraising event that evening for Rape Victims Advocates and Cinema/Chicago.

The Minutemen
The Minutemen
Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“The Minutemen”
October 15th, 6:40pm
October 16th, 2:20pm

Making a documentary about “The Minutemen” was a challenging task for any filmmaker. How do you tell the story of the men and women who have chosen to devote their every minute to patrolling the border between the United States and Mexico not as government employees but as concerned citizens without either demonizing/ridiculing them or turning them into heroes. The highest compliment I can pay “The Minutemen” is that it does neither of those things. A strong-left version of the film could have made these people look foolish and extreme while a Tea Party version could have turned them into idols. Instead, director Corey Wascinski takes a very non-judgmental approach that fits the material perfectly by merely providing a you-are-there experience. Where is there? It is in the trailers, tents, and SUVs of some of the most memorable people you’ll see in a documentary all year. The most interesting thing about The Minutemen is how much they preach that they are merely trying to enforce the law and not discriminating (and I think some honestly are while others are straight-up racist). They blame our government for letting the border get to the state it’s in as much as anyone. Despite my strong opinions on immigration, “The Minutemen” constantly surprised me. It will surprise you too.

Director Corey Wascinski, Producer Nicholas Weissman, and Robert ‘Lil Dog’ Crooks of The Mountain Minutemen will be in attendance at both screenings.

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff
Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff”
October 15th, 4pm
October 17th, 1:30pm

Who’s Jack Cardiff? Only the first cinematographer to ever get an honorary Oscar. He’s one of the most important men in the history of cinema and the film about his life and work is worth a look if just to see parts of “Black Narcissus” and “The Red Shoes” on the big screen. It’s a great introduction to the importance of the cinematographer by detailing the work of one of the most important artists in the craft. People like Jack Cardiff are as essential to the history of the most important art form of the 20th century as painters are to the history of art. The way Cardiff explored color in films like “Black Narcissus” and “The Red Shoes” (and dozens more) simply changed the history of cinema. The film focuses primarily on Powell & Pressburger work, naturally, but does get to “The African Queen,” “Sons and Lovers,” and Cardiff’s other work. See “Cameraman” just to hear Martin Scorsese talk about how “The Red Shoes” impacted “Raging Bull.” It’s a class in cinema that every movie lover should attend.

The Housemaid
The Housemaid
Photo credit: The Chicago International Film Festival

“The Housemaid”
October 17th, 7:15pm

This year’s Chicago International Film Festival has been relatively predictable and very English-language, so it seems like a nice left turn finale to end our preview coverage with a totally wacko erotic thriller from Korea. “The Housemaid” is a slice of lunacy that probably wouldn’t even play outside of pay cable were it made in the States. Then again, if it were this well-done, it could find an audience. Don’t discount the filmmaking skill on display here just because it’s a film with ridiculously overheated sexual dialogue, a mother out of “Mommie Dearest,” and an ending that will make audiences gasp at its sheer audacity. The basic summary of “The Housemaid” sounds simple enough — a rich patriarch sleeps with the hot new housemaid, gets her pregnant, and then the evil family “deals” with the pregnancy — but it’s the downright gothic execution that separates this memorable film from the group. It’s certainly not a movie for everyone but if you like your international cinema left of center (even for international cinema) then it will make a great festival ticket.

Check out page two for more week two highlights.

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