2009 Guide to Chicago Movies in the Park


Every Tuesday after sunset in 2009 from July 14 to August 25, Chicago will show free movies on a 50-foot by 34-foot screen in Chicago's downtown Grant Park at 100 S. Lake Shore Drive. (It's south of Millennium Park, and north of the Art Institute). Butler Field, Grant Park -- 100 S. Lake Shore Drive


July 14, 2009 @ 8:58 pm: Sunset Boulevard (1950)
July 21, 2009 @ 8:52 pm: Duck Soup (1933)
July 28, 2009 @ 8:45 pm: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1950)
August 4, 2009 @ 8:37 pm: Born Yesterday (1950)
August 11, 2009 @ 8:27 pm: Psycho (1960)
August 18, 2009 @ 8:17 pm: Young Mr. Lincoln (1939)
August 25, 2009 @ 8:05 pm: Tootsie (1982)
People start staking out their spots early As soon you get off work at 5pm. GO! Expect about 9,000 people to show up.

What to bring:
Ø Blanket to lay on or chairs to sit upon.
Ø Blanket to wrap up in. It may get quite chilly at night!
Ø Munchies to delight the tastebuds
Ø Drinks, but no alcohol. No liquor in Chicago's parks.
Ø Items to pass the time: card games, book.
Ø Napkins or Paper Towels
Ø Plates and Utensils
Ø Bug Spray (just in case!)
Ø Hand Sanitizer
Ø Trash Bag
Ø Jacket or Sweatshirt

Films will be shown in rainy weather as long as lightning, strong winds or other severe conditions are not present.

No Pets Allowed!

Umbrellas and grilling are prohibited in the festival area.

Where to sit:
Ø Just like a traditional theatre, don't sit too close to the front
Ø Watch out for dog droppings!
Ø Sit behind people who have a blanket down and ask if they will be getting chairs later
Ø Don't sit down with blank grass in front of you. People with chairs might arrive and block your view
Ø If you bring chairs with you, try to sit in front of people with chairs. It's just common courtesy.
Price: Free.

Parking: http://millenniumgarages.com/garages/grant-park-south/

In Bruges


Bruges, Belgium is not a city that has gotten a lot of attention over the years. To be honest, I hardly had ever heard of Bruges before this movie. Now, after seeing this film, not only have I heard of it, but I want to go there. BADLY! The PLOT of the movie is not what made me crave to travel to Bruges. Actually, the plot would be a hindrance. (I’m sure Bruges is not too happy having the image that people rampantly are getting shot throughout their town -- that's not really what a city wants on their tourism brochures.) In the beginning of the film, it’s like a travelogue…the city becomes one of the characters in the film. We go along with the two hit men as they spend the first part of the film sightseeing in Bruges. We wish we were there with them…tasting the beer and smelling the chocolates and sailing on the canals. Then, as the movie takes its turn toward the bloody and violent, we begin to forget about the chocolate and canals and the beer. We focus, rather, on how sorry we feel for all of these flawed, troubled and doomed characters. Sure, they are all bad men. But, in strange ways, all are likeable. Really! Hit men with hearts of gold…I know – mighty corny. But, it’s true. So, what have we learned here? Bruges is a beautiful, picturesque city. And not all hit men are bad people. Two excellent life lessons that I know will help me plenty in years to come. I’ll send you a postcard from Bruges and let you know if I've put my life lessons to use yet.

Ghost Town


I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. I mean...deep, hearty laughs. Maybe it's Ricky Gervais...who I like a lot from The Office (The "Brit" version) and HBO's Extras. Maybe it's Greg Kinnear, who I also love and find very funny, though here he's playing straight man to Gervais' comic persona. The story, like most comedies, in simple...Gervais undergoes a near-death experience while under anesthesia, which in turn gives him the ability to see dead people...all of whom want him to help them with their problems. But, the core of the film provide the audience with original, witty dialogue, great humorous moments and strong comic performances by all...including Tea Leoni, who always has a good knack for sharp comic timing. Like I said, the ending is nothing special...so clichéd it's lame. But, I think the beginning and middle of the film make up for its lackluster ending. Basically, this is an intelligent comedy I think you'll enjoy.

Frozen River


Dark, very well-acted film that stays realistic up to the end. An excellent performance by Melissa Leo (who was nominated for an Oscar for her role) only increases the power of this film. And, when I say DARK, I mean it is not the happiest film ever...but it is a strong, powerful film about a subject that really doesn’t get a lot of attention…at least not at the Canadian border. At times a real nail-biter, but a great film right until the very end!

Definitely, Maybe


This film is an interesting twist on the often mundane genre of romantic comedies. Ryan Reynolds, who has successfully gone beyond his previous role as teen movie heartthrob, is very appealing here. He plays it serious when needed, always charming and never too over the top. The story has Reynolds talking with his daughter, Maya, about why he’s divorcing her mother. Maya wants to know details about his past relationships, hoping it will help her see what might have gone wrong with her parents’ marriage. Reynolds confesses to having three serious relationships in his life, one of whom is Maya’s mother…but Maya is just going to have to guess which story is the one about her parents. Yes, it’s overly cutesy at times (I mean it IS a romantic comedy), but never too much. And unlike almost all “rom coms” of today, it is not entirely predictable. Sure, we know it will end happy but with whom will it end happy???? Watch and find out!

Changeling


A fabulously acted movie that holds your attention all the way through. Based on a true crime from the 1920s, director Clint Eastwood takes what could have been a simple movie and makes it into a psychological, intense drama. After a mother’s son goes missing, corruption in the Los Angeles Police Department takes over and forces the mother to accept a child that is not her own. When the mother protests, she is called crazy and put in an asylum. Apparently, this real-life case began the fall of the corruption among L.A.’s finest. Regardless of the truth of this story, it is an enthralling film. Angelina Jolie is superb as the wronged mother. And Eastwood’s knack for storytelling has never been better. The story lags a little near the end but all in all, a great film.

82nd Academy Awards® to Feature 10 Best Picture Nominees


It looks like there will be more Best Picture nominees come Oscar time. That will change all the Oscar contests! See the Press Release from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences below.


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82nd Academy Awards® to Feature 10 Best Picture Nominees


Beverly Hills, CA (June 24, 2009) — The 82nd Academy Awards, which will be presented on March 7, 2010, will have 10 feature films vying in the Best Picture category, Academy Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis announced today (June 24) at a press conference in Beverly Hills.



“After more than six decades, the Academy is returning to some of its earlier roots, when a wider field competed for the top award of the year,” said Ganis. “The final outcome, of course, will be the same – one Best Picture winner – but the race to the finish line will feature 10, not just five, great movies from 2009.”



For more than a decade during the Academy’s earlier years, the Best Picture category welcomed more than five films; for nine years there were 10 nominees. The 16th Academy Awards (1943) was the last year to include a field of that size; “Casablanca” was named Best Picture. (In 1931/32, there were eight nominees and in 1934 and 1935 there were 12 nominees.)



Currently, the Academy is presenting a bicoastal screening series showcasing the 10 Best Picture nominees of 1939, arguably one of Hollywood’s greatest film years. Best Picture nominees of that year include such diverse classics as “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington,” “Stagecoach,” “The Wizard of Oz” and Best Picture winner “Gone with the Wind.”



“Having 10 Best Picture nominees is going allow Academy voters to recognize and include some of the fantastic movies that often show up in the other Oscar categories, but have been squeezed out of the race for the top prize,” commented Ganis. “I can’t wait to see what that list of ten looks like when the nominees are announced in February.”



The 82nd Academy Awards nominations will be announced on Tuesday, February 2. The Oscar® ceremony honoring films for 2009 will again take place at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network.

http://www.oscars.org/press/pressreleases/2009/20090624.html

Incendiary


Incendiary examines how a London terrorist attack forever destroys the life of a working-class mom. Michelle Williams, who was nominated for an Oscar for her supporting role in 2005’s Brokeback Mountain, plays a London mother and wife...the opening scenes capture her closeness with her 4-year-old son and the distance with her husband. She meets Jasper Black, played by Ewan McGregor and sees her chance to escape some of the dullness of her marriage. When her son and husband head to a local soccer match, she sees her chance to get together with Black. While she's with him, a terrorist bomb explodes at the soccer stadium and her son and husband are among the dead. She runs through the gambit of emotions...sadness, of course...relief, that her mundane marriage is over?...guilt, that she was betraying her husband at the very moment of his death?...hatred, for the terrorists responsible for the loss of her beloved son? She tries to find some understanding by befriending the suspected bomber’s son, but this just leaves her more disillusioned. Yes, Incendiary sounds like a bleak movie with little hope, and though at times it is, some optimism does manage to sneak in. Williams does a superb job of conveying all sorts of emotions. Her performance raises this movie from just another post-911 tale to a deeper, more powerful film on loss and redemption.

Happy-Go-Lucky

A perfectly charming film about a young woman who sees the world through her own kind of rose-colored glasses. No matter what, Poppy is optimistic, smiling and happy about life. It sounds like it might be too corny but somehow, it is not…mostly attributed to the performance of Sally Hawkins, who brings Poppy to life in an innocent and believable way. A great film for all!

Tell No One


An excellent thriller based on a Harlan Coben novel of the same title. A husband and wife are vacationing at their wooded cabin when the wife is mysteriously taken and murdered. The film begins years after the wife's murder, showing the husband as a man who has not been able to let go. This obsession with his wife's murder is increased considerably after he receives some video suggesting his wife might be alive. This is a strong film, but the ending really cinches this one as a excellent thriller. Most thrillers really do not know what to do with the ending. The ending of Coben's book was good. But, the filmmakers decided to try something different. And the ending surpasses the one Coben wrote for the book. So, they succeeded in accomplishing two coups...changing the ending of a novel for the better and writing a strong, definitive ending for a thriller.