Join us for the Roger Ebert's Film Festival!!
Schedule of Events:
09:00 am: The Adventures of Prince Achmed
11:30 am: Color Book
At this year's Chicago Film Festival, I've noticed a prominent connection between intimate f amily tales in my viewing lineup. As a youngest daughter and little sister to two older brothers, I admit the domestic stories I gravitate towards are often ones with which I can identify. However, at this year's festival, I found myself moved immensely by stories of sons. It reminded me of a quote that's stuck with me for years: "Seeing someone with their parents is a tangible reminder that we're all composites" (Iain Reid, I'm Thinking of Ending Things). The question this statement arises is which pieces in the parental puzzle fit, which do not, and why. The films I outline in this particular dispatch investigate these ideas as they bear witness to sons and fathers (or father figures) as they collide in love, competition, pride, and petulance.
4:00 pm: Touch
"Touch," from Icelandic director Baltasar Kormákur, is vast in scope, stretching over decades, languages, continents, and cultures, with themes of memory, aging, loss, and love. But its sensibility is as exquisitely tender as the flutter of a butterfly wing.
9:00 pm: The Hangover
The tiger, the baby and the missing tooth, okay. But the chicken?
Now this is what I'm talkin' about. "The Hangover" is a funny movie, flat out, all the way through. Its setup is funny. Every situation is funny. Most of the dialogue is funny almost line by line. At some point we actually find ourselves caring a little about what happened to the missing bridegroom - and the fact that we almost care is funny, too.
