CHICAGO – If you’ve never seen the farcical ensemble theater chestnut “Noises Off,” you will see no better version than on the Steppenwolf Theatre stage, now at their northside Chicago venue through November 3rd. For tickets and details for this riotous theater experience, click NOISES OFF.
Iran
APUC17: Interview with South Korean Actor Lee Sun Kyun of ‘Parasite’ and ‘Killing Romance’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 22, 2023 - 12:16pmCHICAGO – Season 17 of Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema’s (APUC17) had their Closing Night on October 7th, 2023, with a special screening of “Killing Romance” … part of their South Korean Film Showcase … which included an appearance by SK movie star Lee Sun Kyun, who also had a prominent role in the Oscar Best Picture “Parasite.” !—break—>
APUC17: South Korean 'Parasite' Actor Lee Sun-Kyun for ‘Killing Romance,’ Oct. 7, 2023
Submitted by PatrickMcD on October 5, 2023 - 6:17pmCHICAGO – Season 17 of Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema’s (APUC17) wraps up with a South Korean Cinema Showcase on October 6th-7th, 2023, featuring a special in-person appearance by actor Lee Sun-Kyun of the Oscar Best Picture “Parasite,” representing his new film “Killing Romance.” For appearance details and ticket info, click
APUC17: Afghanistan, Iran & Mongolia Spotlight for Sept. 23, 2023
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 20, 2023 - 12:00pmCHICAGO – Week Three of Season 17 Chicago’s Asian Pop-Up Cinema’s (APUC17) will focus on some outside-the-norm Asian countries including Iran, Afghanistan and Mongolia, including in-person appearances. For details and ticket info, click APUC17.
Film News: Asian Pop-Up Cinema SEASON 17 Presents Hong Kong Weekend, Sep. 16-17, 2023
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 15, 2023 - 11:17pmCHICAGO – It’s Hong Kong Weekend for Season 17 Asian Pop-Up Cinema (APUC) on September 16th and 17th, 2023, and representing the films there will be actor and filmmaker appearances. APUC will honor three guests with a Pinnacle Career Achievement Award and two Bright Star Awards for up and coming actors.
Podtalk: Sophia Wong Boccio on Asian Pop-Up Cinema SEASON 17
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 6, 2023 - 8:12amCHICAGO – Fall film festivals begin this week with Season 17 of the Asian Pop-Up Cinema, curated by Executive Director/Founder Sophia Wong Boccio. Opening Night is Friday, September 8th, with the Japanese film “Yudo,” subtitled “The Way of the Bath,” directed by Masayuki Suzuki. For tickets and info, click APUC 17.
Film Review: Zen and the Art of Cinema in ‘24 Frames’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on February 11, 2018 - 11:16amCHICAGO – The legendary Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (“Certified Copy”) passed away in 2016, but he left one more meditation on cinema and illusion, in the artistic “24 Frames.” Yes, it refers to the number of still photos that make up a second of film, but in this case it is also Kiarostami’s observations of stillness in motion.
Film Review: Gunplay & Violence Fuel Heroics in ‘American Assassin’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on September 15, 2017 - 6:24pmCHICAGO – There was another mass shooting (eight dead) in Texas this week, but it was underreported because it didn’t involve “undesirables” and just seemed like another week in America. This blithe attitude towards guns, gunplay and violence continues in the movies, this week with the overindulgent release “American Assassin.”
Interview: Director Richard Raymond on the Passion of ‘Desert Dancer’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on April 9, 2015 - 2:04pmCHICAGO – What does anyone understand about regimes outside their political or moral universe? The setting is Iran, the time is during their controversial 2009 elections and the medium is dance as expression. Combining those elements was the challenge for director Richard Raymond, in his debut film “Desert Dancer.”
Interview: The Story of Maziar Bahari in Jon Stewart’s ‘Rosewater’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on November 13, 2014 - 10:57pmCHICAGO – Journalists are under fire, both in the hot zones of the world’s conflicts, and within the economics of the shrinking news business. One journalist – Maziar Bahari – became part of the drama in the 2009 Iranian presidential elections, and that story is told in writer/director Jon Stewart’s new film, “Rosewater.”
Film Review: Problems in Iran Prove Universal in ‘A Separation’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on January 27, 2012 - 10:59amCHICAGO – Divorce, aging parents, economics, religion and social standing can be applied to any circumstance in any modern culture. The culture in Iran may seem mysterious, but there is nothing uncommon regarding what their people go through in the Oscar nominated “A Separation.”