Special events:
@ Subterranean Cabaret Room and Lounge ( 2011 W. North Ave. ) - Jett Set: A Tribute to Bad Ass Ladies of the 80s benefit gala - Ladyfest bands such as Pistol Whipped, Tormentual, Stewed Tomatoes and others will be performing at this gala in support of Tammy Cresswell's forthcoming independent documentary Coup d'etat. The film, which is due to be released shortly after Sept. 21, takes a look at culture, art and feminity, as well as acceptable images of women, and women as storytellers. It features interviews with The Butchies, Miranda July, Amy Ray, Lori Barbero ( formerly of Babes In Toyland ) , filmmaker Vanessa Renwick, Kathleen Hanna, Harriet Dodge, Evil Beaver and new footage of Joan Jett, LeTigre and the Ladyfest music conference. ( 9.21 )
Limited runs:
Karmen Gei: As one of her fellow inmates at the women's correctional facility Prison Kumba Castel says about her, there is no one like Karmen ( Djeinaba Diop Gai ) . She attracts men and makes women undo their robes. According to her fellow prisoner, when Karmen Gei is around, "hide your women, hide your men." In this musical African re-telling of Carmen, Bizet's operatic score has been replaced with Senegalese music and dancing. After Karmen seduces Angelique ( Stephanie Biddle ) , the female warden of the prison, she takes flight, only to land at the prenuptial ceremony of Majguene ( Aissatou Diop ) and soldier Lamine ( Mahaye Niang ) . Once again under arrest, Karmen escapes, but not before casting her spell on Lamine, who spends the remainder of the movie trying to clip Karmen's wings. Fiery, passionate and exotic, Karmen Gei's musical and dance sequences revive a tired genre and the title character, with her yard-long braids, bright smile and non-stop erotic body is a bad girl for the ages. Rating: 7.5/10 ( @ Gene Siskel Film Center - 312/846-2800 - thru 9.19, 6:15 & 8:15 ) ALSO: Abel Ferrara's Dangerous Game starring Madonna and Harvey Keitel ( 9.21 )
"International Dinner & A Movie": The Vanishing ( Dutch cuisine served ) 10.15; Amarcord ( Italian cuisine served ) 11.12; Rashomon ( Japanese cuisine served ) 12.10; ( @ Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, 312/742-8497 ) .
@ The Music Box ( 773/871-6607 ) : Lawrence of Arabia...To mark the 40th anniversary of David Lean's multiple Academy Award-winning 3.5-hour cinematic epic, a new 70mm print with digital sound is being shown in theaters. Peter O'Toole starred as British soldier T.E. Lawrence, who led a Bedouin army during World War One. According to Vito Russo in The Celluloid Closet, Lawrence's homosexual tendencies are whitewashed in Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson's screenplay. However, in Out Of The Past, Neil Miller writes about Lawrence's "truest sexual inclinations" that were "awakened in the desert." ( opens 9.20 )
@ Chicago Cultural Center ( 78 E. Washington, 312/742-8497 ) "International Dinner & A Movie" - The Vanishing ( Dutch cuisine served ) 10.15, Amarcord ( Italian cuisine served ) 11.12, Rashomon ( Japanese cuisine served ) 12.10
Special events:
@ Subterranean Cabaret Room and Lounge ( 2011 W. North Ave. ) - Jett Set: A Tribute to Bad Ass Ladies of the 80s benefit gala - Ladyfest bands such as Pistol Whipped, Tormentual, Stewed Tomatoes and others will be performing at this gala in support of Tammy Cresswell's forthcoming independent documentary Coup d'etat. The film, which is due to be released shortly after Sept. 21, takes a look at culture, art and feminity, as well as acceptable images of women, and women as storytellers. It features interviews with The Butchies, Miranda July, Amy Ray, Lori Barbero ( formerly of Babes In Toyland ) , filmmaker Vanessa Renwick, Kathleen Hanna, Harriet Dodge, Evil Beaver and new footage of Joan Jett, LeTigre and the Ladyfest music conference. ( 9.21 )
Limited runs:
Karmen Gei: As one of her fellow inmates at the women's correctional facility Prison Kumba Castel says about her, there is no one like Karmen ( Djeinaba Diop Gai ) . She attracts men and makes women undo their robes. According to her fellow prisoner, when Karmen Gei is around, "hide your women, hide your men." In this musical African re-telling of Carmen, Bizet's operatic score has been replaced with Senegalese music and dancing. After Karmen seduces Angelique ( Stephanie Biddle ) , the female warden of the prison, she takes flight, only to land at the prenuptial ceremony of Majguene ( Aissatou Diop ) and soldier Lamine ( Mahaye Niang ) . Once again under arrest, Karmen escapes, but not before casting her spell on Lamine, who spends the remainder of the movie trying to clip Karmen's wings. Fiery, passionate and exotic, Karmen Gei's musical and dance sequences revive a tired genre and the title character, with her yard-long braids, bright smile and non-stop erotic body is a bad girl for the ages. Rating: 7.5/10 ( @ Gene Siskel Film Center - 312/846-2800 - thru 9.19, 6:15 & 8:15 ) ALSO: Abel Ferrara's Dangerous Game starring Madonna and Harvey Keitel ( 9.21 )
"International Dinner & A Movie": The Vanishing ( Dutch cuisine served ) 10.15; Amarcord ( Italian cuisine served ) 11.12; Rashomon ( Japanese cuisine served ) 12.10; ( @ Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, 312/742-8497 ) .
@ The Music Box ( 773/871-6607 ) : Lawrence of Arabia...To mark the 40th anniversary of David Lean's multiple Academy Award-winning 3.5-hour cinematic epic, a new 70mm print with digital sound is being shown in theaters. Peter O'Toole starred as British soldier T.E. Lawrence, who led a Bedouin army during World War One. According to Vito Russo in The Celluloid Closet, Lawrence's homosexual tendencies are whitewashed in Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson's screenplay. However, in Out Of The Past, Neil Miller writes about Lawrence's "truest sexual inclinations" that were "awakened in the desert." ( opens 9.20 )
@ Chicago Cultural Center ( 78 E. Washington, 312/742-8497 ) "International Dinner & A Movie" - The Vanishing ( Dutch cuisine served ) 10.15, Amarcord ( Italian cuisine served ) 11.12, Rashomon ( Japanese cuisine served ) 12.10
Special events:
@ Subterranean Cabaret Room and Lounge ( 2011 W. North Ave. ) - Jett Set: A Tribute to Bad Ass Ladies of the 80s benefit gala - Ladyfest bands such as Pistol Whipped, Tormentual, Stewed Tomatoes and others will be performing at this gala in support of Tammy Cresswell's forthcoming independent documentary Coup d'etat. The film, which is due to be released shortly after Sept. 21, takes a look at culture, art and feminity, as well as acceptable images of women, and women as storytellers. It features interviews with The Butchies, Miranda July, Amy Ray, Lori Barbero ( formerly of Babes In Toyland ) , filmmaker Vanessa Renwick, Kathleen Hanna, Harriet Dodge, Evil Beaver and new footage of Joan Jett, LeTigre and the Ladyfest music conference. ( 9.21 )
Limited runs:
Karmen Gei: As one of her fellow inmates at the women's correctional facility Prison Kumba Castel says about her, there is no one like Karmen ( Djeinaba Diop Gai ) . She attracts men and makes women undo their robes. According to her fellow prisoner, when Karmen Gei is around, "hide your women, hide your men." In this musical African re-telling of Carmen, Bizet's operatic score has been replaced with Senegalese music and dancing. After Karmen seduces Angelique ( Stephanie Biddle ) , the female warden of the prison, she takes flight, only to land at the prenuptial ceremony of Majguene ( Aissatou Diop ) and soldier Lamine ( Mahaye Niang ) . Once again under arrest, Karmen escapes, but not before casting her spell on Lamine, who spends the remainder of the movie trying to clip Karmen's wings. Fiery, passionate and exotic, Karmen Gei's musical and dance sequences revive a tired genre and the title character, with her yard-long braids, bright smile and non-stop erotic body is a bad girl for the ages. Rating: 7.5/10 ( @ Gene Siskel Film Center - 312/846-2800 - thru 9.19, 6:15 & 8:15 ) ALSO: Abel Ferrara's Dangerous Game starring Madonna and Harvey Keitel ( 9.21 )
"International Dinner & A Movie": The Vanishing ( Dutch cuisine served ) 10.15; Amarcord ( Italian cuisine served ) 11.12; Rashomon ( Japanese cuisine served ) 12.10; ( @ Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, 312/742-8497 ) .
@ The Music Box ( 773/871-6607 ) : Lawrence of Arabia...To mark the 40th anniversary of David Lean's multiple Academy Award-winning 3.5-hour cinematic epic, a new 70mm print with digital sound is being shown in theaters. Peter O'Toole starred as British soldier T.E. Lawrence, who led a Bedouin army during World War One. According to Vito Russo in The Celluloid Closet, Lawrence's homosexual tendencies are whitewashed in Robert Bolt and Michael Wilson's screenplay. However, in Out Of The Past, Neil Miller writes about Lawrence's "truest sexual inclinations" that were "awakened in the desert." ( opens 9.20 )
@ Chicago Cultural Center ( 78 E. Washington, 312/742-8497 ) "International Dinner & A Movie" - The Vanishing ( Dutch cuisine served ) 10.15, Amarcord ( Italian cuisine served ) 11.12, Rashomon ( Japanese cuisine served ) 12.10
In theaters
Barbershop: This Chicago-based African-American comedic ensemble piece took me by surprise on more than one occasion. The old-fashioned story, about a barbershop owner struggling to keep the business that he inherited from his father afloat, is give a fresh, clean look, like the cinematic equivalent of a haircut and a shave. Even the portrayal of the bumbling thieves that steal an empty ATM has a new coat of paint. Calvin ( Ice Cube ) , a man with a pregnant and supportive wife, dreams of having a recording studio in his basement and to make those dreams a reality he has arranged to sell his late father's financially unsound barbershop. He hasn't gotten around to telling his employees, who are a humorous assortment of characters including Eddie the old man who will say anything ( Cedric the Entertainer ) , the college-educated Jimmy ( Sean Patrick Thomas ) , the troubled Ricky ( Michael Ealy ) , and sassy female hairstylist Terri ( Eve ) . While I was surprised that the barbershop didn't have at least one gay employee, I was even happier that Barbershop didn't have a homophobic hair on its head. The barbershop was portrayed as a symbol, a community gathering place and when it was necessary, the characters put aside their differences and came to the aid of one another. Rating: 6.5/10
Igby Goes Down: With a cast that includes Susan Sarandon, Bill Pullman, Ryan Phillippe, Jeff Goldblum, Claire Danes, Amanda Peet, Jared Harris, a couple of Culkins ( Kieran and Rory ) , and even features Gore Vidal as a priest, you might think that the only way for Igby Goes Down to go would be up. You'd be wrong. Pretentious and full of itself, this tale of teen rebellion ( imagine Holden Caufield on a pot-infused bender ) and familial dysfunction can't decide whether to manipulate the audience via laughter or tears. Jason "Igby" Slocum, Jr. ( Kieran Culkin ) , saddled with a childhood nickname and a knack for getting kicked out of private schools, has the chance to straighten up and fly right when he learns that his mother Mimi ( Sarandon ) is dying. You won't be surprised to learn that he doesn't, although he does have sex with Rachel ( Peet ) , the dancer/junkie girlfriend of his super-rich godfather DH ( Goldblum ) , hangs out with a gay performance artist named Russel ( Harris ) , feuds with his older brother Oliver ( Phillippe ) , and falls in love with and has his heart broken by Sookie ( Danes ) , the daughter of a Jewish theologian and metaphysical poetess. A major disappointment, Igby Goes Down goes down in flames. Rating: 3.5/10 ( Opens 9.20 )
On DVD:
Straight: A Conversion Comedy ( StageDirect ) : Transferring a one-person show from the stage to the screen isn't an easy proposition. Something usually gets lost in the translation. David Drake's The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me is one exception. David Schmader's Straight is another one. The story begins at a urinal in a North Seattle office building where gay male writer and performer Schmader is investigating, both personally professionally, a ministry offering "daytime support groups for men recovering from sexual broken-ness." Schmader provides his own individual history, which includes his own intoxicating thrill of coming out ( described as a second puberty ) and his happiness as a gay man, opposed to the hell of growing up a gay kid. He then leads us to what brought him to explore the world of ex-gay, and before you know it he's at a religious retreat in Texas. Schmader's spot-on observations about both the gay community ( for example: he says that he understands "the hunger for artistic representation and the importance of support, but to give a rousing standing ovation to an extremely mediocre gay arts event seems no different than clapping extra loud for the retarded kid in a talent show" ) and the futility of conversion therapy, provide as many opportunities for serious contemplation as they do genuine belly laughs. The minimal set, consisting of a Persian rug with strategically placed chairs and desk, allows Schmader room to move. Schmader himself, an average looking guy with an expressive face and an authoritative voice, does a stand-up job of keeping the viewer's attention. Rating: 7.5/10
On TV:
Showtime...
Latino Filmmaker Showcase: Five short films, ranging between 10 and 28 minutes in length, have been selected as the winners of Showtime's third annual Latino Filmmaker Showcase.
One of the films, De Colores, is a documentary about the Latino familial love that seems to transcend everything, but appears to stop at the discovery of gays and lesbians in the family. Separated into three sections ..."Our Culture," "Our Stories," and "Our Hope & Faith"...the co-directors Peter Barbosa and Garrett Lenoir present a series of touching and occasionally painful interviews with both Latino gays and lesbians ( including out comedian and actress Marga Gomez ) and their family members. The scene in which Martin Madrigal's straight brother Omar talks about how much it hurts him when he hears about gay people being bashed nearly brought me to tears and Leonor Holmstrom, the mother of a lesbian, also has some very powerful and important things to say from the parental perspective. ( 9.25.02 )
Sundance Channel...
Bar Girls ( 9.18, 26, 30 )
Bedrooms and Hallways ( 9.26, 29 )
Bent ( 9.20 )
The Brandon Teena Story ( 9.20, 26 )
Burnt Money ( 9.24 )
Chuck & Buck ( 9.21, 30 )
Chutney Popcorn ( 9.19, 28 )
Criminal Lovers ( 9.25, 30 )
I'm The One That I Want ( 9.26, 29 )
