Limited runs and special events:
@ Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington, 312/744-6630: International Dinner and A Movie - Black Orpheus - South American cuisine served - Feb. 18 Taste of Cherry - Iranian cuisine served - Mar. 18 M - German cuisine served - Apr. 15; Rififi - French cuisine served - May 20 & 21
@ DOC Films @ U of C/Max Palevsky Cinema, 1212 E. 59th St, 773/702.8574: Queer Heroes - Paris Is Burning and Benjamin Smoke - Feb. 13 Wilde - Feb. 20; Southern Comfort and My Left Breast - Feb. 27; The Man Who Drove With Mandela and Tongues Untied - Mar. 6; I'm The One That I Want - Mar. 13
@ Facets, 1517 W. Fullerton, 773/281-4114: MC5*A True Testimonial - Feb. 19l Dead Alive: Final - Feb. 28, Mar. 1 - 6
@ Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, 312/846-2600: The Pocket - Feb. 13; ABBA: The Movie - Feb. 16, 20; Drugstore Cowboy, Mala Noche + shorts - all directed by Gus Van Sant - Feb. 21 Drugstore Cowboy - Feb. 22; A Skin Too Few - Feb. 22, 23, 27; My Own Private Idaho - Feb. 23, 25; Mala Noche - Feb. 25; Gerry - new Van Sant film w/Matt Damon - Feb. 26 The Producers - Feb. 28, Mar. 1-6; Converging W/ Angels - Feb. 28, Mar. 1-3, 5.
@ Museum of Broadcast Communications, 78 E. Washington, 312/744-6630: Tracking Syphilis: Countdown To Elimination - See PBS listing above - Feb. 19
@ The Renaissance Society at University of Chicago (5811 S. Ellis Av, 773/702-8670): War and Peace - documentary chronicling nuclear weapons programs in India and Pakistan, dir. by Anand Patwardhan - Feb. 20
@ Women in the Director's Chair, 941 W. Lawrence, 773-907-0610: Dinner and a Movie with Jennifer Montgomery: Local film and video artist Jennifer Montgomery presents two videos - Age 12: Love With a Little L and Transitional Objects. Dinner Menu (Catered by Southern Girls Catering): Tandoori chicken wings and sweet potato savory mix, Talapia fillets baked in spiced tomato, ginger and garlic sauce, vegetable pilaf, yogurt and mint chutney, cucumber salad, bread Pudding with Bourbon Créme Anglais. Price per plate: $50 minimum. All proceeds (beyond $15 per plate cost), benefits Women in the Director's Chair. Limited seating (30 people) - make reservations soon (deadline: Feb. 13). - Feb. 20
In theaters:
Daredevil (20th Century Fox)—I wouldn't have cast Ben Affleck as blind (vision lost during horrific childhood accident) and misunderstood masked righter of wrongs Matt Murdock, whose remaining senses are heightened to the extreme, but they didn't ask me. As it is, he does a passable job, although he's somewhat less believable as a romantic lead. Hell-bent on avenging the death of his boxer father Jack (David Keith, whose prosthetic nose makes Nicole Kidman's nose in The Hours look like a masterpiece), he divides his time protecting the downtrodden as a lawyer (with law partner Franklin, played by an out-of-his league Jon Favreau) and as a super-hero. Affleck is, however, not as miscast as behemoth Michael Clarke Duncan as uber-villain Kingpin. The good news is that, as urban Greek goddess Elektra Natchios, rising lesbian icon Jennifer Garner goes from a damsel in distress to a babe with blades in no time. Irish import, and hot man of the moment, Colin Farrell practically steals the show as contracted killer Bullseye, whose aim is truly deadly. B-
The Guru (Universal)—You probably won't believe it, but The Guru director Daisy von Scherler Mayer is the same woman who helmed the Parker Posey breakthrough comedy Party Girl, but it's true. Sharonna (Heather Graham, who appears to be doomed to playing porn stars with soft spots) takes newly arrived-from-India Ramu Gupta (Jimi Mistry) under wing to groom him in the American ways of love and honesty, on and off-screen. Sharonna is really no expert considering that her hot, but naive, fire-fighting fiancée Rusty (Dash Mihok) doesn't have a clue about her real occupation. In the meantime, Rusty is hiding a special secret of his own. Marisa Tomei, Christine Baranski and Michael McKean are tossed in for less than comic effect. The 'gay punchline' at the end of this lame exercise was as insulting to me as the 'Indian punchlines' throughout the movie probably will be to audience members with of Indian ethnicity. D+
On TV:
—PBS (check local listings) - In The Life: Poet Staceyann Chin hosts the February edition of In The Life, featuring 'post-riot grrrls' (such as JD Samson of Le Tigre), a leader in the civil-rights movement (Bayard Rustin), and 'a Native American who makes art out of his AZT,' in a program focusing on 'gays and lesbians who struggle to create voices for themselves and for the movement.' Other profiles include The Advocate on its 35th anniversary and openly gay NYPD Blue actor Bill Brochtrup. - Feb. 23 @ midnight
Tracking Syphilis: Countdown To Elimination —This new documentary looks at 'innovative efforts by the Chicago Dept. of Public Health, collaborating with a wide coalition of organizations, to rid the city of this disease and help meet the U.S. Centers for Disease Control's goal of complete syphilis elimination in the U.S. by 2005.' The film gives a 'behind the scenes' look at the disease control investigators from the STD/HIV Prevention and Care Program and members of the Syphilis Elimination Task Force, as well as the U. of Illinois - Chicago's Community Outreach Intervention Program, Howard Brown Health Center, and gay bathhouse Steamworks. - Feb. 26 @ 10:30 p.m.
—Sundance Channel highlights (check local listings) - Amargosa - Feb. 16, 19, 27; Benjamin Smoke - Feb. 24; The Blank Generation - Feb. 15, 20, 24; Downtown 81 - Feb. 12, 15, 20, 25; The House of Mirth - Feb. 19, 22, 28 ; The Night Porter - Feb. 12, 17, 20; Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's - Feb. 15, 18 Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story - Feb. 12, 15 Sweetie - Feb. 13, 25; Under the Sand (aka Sous le sable) - Feb. 14; Won't Anybody Listen - Feb. 14, 19, 24