Holiday movie recommendations part 2
Monday, December 27, 2010
To read the story, click here. Read more...
CineVerse has a lot of fun, absorbing and insightful flicks on the calendar for the new year. Click here to read, download and/or print out the January/February 2011 schedule.
Read more...CineVerse has been playing a bit of musical chairs with the calendar lately.
At first, we were told that we would need to move our Dec. 22 and 29 meetings to a day earlier (Tuesday, Dec. 21 and Tuesday, Dec. 29). Now, we've been assured that we can move those dates back to their original slots on the calendar.
So that means we will meet for "White Christmas" on Wednesday, Dec. 22, and "Adaptation" on Wednesday, Dec. 29, both nights from 7-10 p.m., as originally scheduled. Sorry for all the confusion, but the good news is that we won't have to shift or cancel these events. Hope to see you over the next few Wednesdays!
The Oak Lawn Library will be presenting the following film free of charge in its lower level meeting room:
Mother and Child (2009) -- Wednesday, December 15 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. -- A touching drama centered around three women: A 50-year-old woman, the daughter she gave up for adoption 35 years ago, and a woman looking to adopt a child of her own. Starring Annette Bening, Samuel L. Jackson, Naomi Watts, Kerry Washington and Jimmy Smits. Rated: R for brief nudity. 125 min.
The Oak Lawn Library will be presenting the following film free of charge in its lower level meeting room:
From Here to Eternity (1953) -- Tuesday, December 7 at 10 a.m. -- This Academy Award winning film takes place in the days prior to the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor. A private is cruelly punished for not boxing on his unit's team, while his captain's wife and second in command are falling in love. Starring Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Deborah Kerr, Donna Reed and Frank Sinatra. Rated: PG. 118 min.
Craving a good thriller? Join CineVerse on December 1 to check out "Se7en" (1995; 127 minutes), directed by the David Fincher and starring Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman. But be prepared to give your nerves a serious workout!
Read more...The Oak Lawn Library will be presenting the following film free of charge in its lower level meeting room:
Eat Pray Love (2010) -- Tuesday, November 23 at 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. -- Julia Roberts plays a woman who leaves an unhappy marriage and takes a round-the-world journey to "find herself." Also starring Billy Crudup and Javier Bardem. Rated: PG-13. 133 min.
Please be aware that CineVerse will not meet on Wednesday, Nov. 24, due to the Oak View Center building closing early. The film slated for that evening, "Lilies of the Field," will be rescheduled for sometime in January (the January/February 2011 CineVerse schedule will be released in mid December).
Additionally, please note that our Dec. 22 and 29 CineVerse dates will also need to be moved due to early building closings on those dates; we will now meet to screen and discuss "White Christmas" on Tuesday, Dec. 21 from 7-10 p.m., and "Adaptation" has been rescheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 28 from 7-10 p.m.
To view an updated Nov/Dec 2010 schedule, click here.
Everyone have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we will reconvene on Dec. 1 for "Se7en". Hope to see you then!
You won't want to miss one of Hitchcock's very best on November 17: "Notorious" (1946; 101 minutes) will be CineVerse's main attraction, featuring standout performances by Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman.
Read more...The Oak Lawn Library will be presenting the following film free of charge in its lower level meeting room:
Please Give (2010) -- Friday, November 12 at 10 a.m. -- In this quirky comedy, a New York City husband and wife butt heads with the granddaughters of a woman who lives in an apartment that they own. Starring Catherine Keener, Oliver Platt, Rebecca Hall, Amanda Peet and Ann Morgan Guilbert. Rated: R for brief nudity. 90 min.
The Beverly Arts Center in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago presents a Polish Film Festival, Nov. 10-19. Explore six different films from 2009-2010. Sreenings are $13, students, $12 (with ID) and seniors, $9. Festival passes available at www.pffamerica.com.
Established in 1989, the Polish Film Festival in America (PFFA) promotes Polish cinema, screening features, documentaries and shorts to Chicagoland venues.
For more info, visit http://www.beverlyartcenter.org/calendar.php#bacinema.
The new November/December 2010 CineVerse calendar is ready for you to access.
We've got a wide variety of films to explore over the next nine weeks, including westerns, thrillers, foreign favorites, holiday classics and more. To view, download or print out our new schedule, click here.
The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit
http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
North by Northwest (1951) -- Thursday, October 28 at 2 p.m. & 6:30 p.m. -- In this Alfred Hitchcock thriller of mistaken identity, Cary Grant plays a hapless New York advertising executive who is chased across the country by foreign spies. Also starring Eva Marie Saint and James Mason. Rated: PG. 101 min.
If you've got young'ns, make plans to bring them to Spookview, Oak View Center's annual Halloween event for families, on Saturday, Oct. 23.
As is his annual tradition, CineVerse moderator Erik Martin will be present at the festivities showing classic cartoons and entertaining shorts themed around Halloween, projected on a big screen in one of the classrooms. Other events include hobbies/crafts, specially themed rooms, games and more.
For more details on Spookview, click here or phone (708) 857-2222.
Two years ago this week, one of the most influential and unforgettable films in cinema history was explored by our CineVerse group: The Battleship Potemkin by Sergei Eisenstein, featuring the amazing Odessa steps sequence that changed film editing forever.
To hear that insightful discussion again, click here for the podcast.
The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit
http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) -- Monday, October 11 at 2 p.m. -- In this stop-action animated film, an urbane fox cannot resist returning to his farm raiding ways and then must help his community survive the farmers' retaliation. Featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep and Bill Murray. Rated: PG. 87 min.
The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit
http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
Babies (2010) -- Monday, October 11 at 10 a.m. -- A visually-stunning documentary that takes a look at the first year of four babies living in Mongolia, Namibia, San Francisco and Tokyo. Rated: PG. 79 min.
Enjoy fresh films from around the world? You don't have to go globetrotting to catch them--they'll come to your neck of the woods starting Thursday.
The 46th Chicago International Film Festival is right around the corner. This year's festival runs October 7-21. For more details, visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com.
The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit
http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
The Young Victoria (2009) -- Wednesday, September 29 at 2 p.m. & 7 p.m. -- A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. Starring Emily Blunt and Rupert Friend. Rated: PG. 100 min.
by Erik J. Martin
While 3-D theatrical films are making a bigger splash lately, 3-D isn't the only hot technology wave that's grabbing the attention of viewers. Digital movie projection could change the way movies are made and viewed.
Three years ago this week CineVerse dissected the great political thriller "All the President's Men," starring Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford.
This riveting group discussion was captured on tape and can be enjoyed again by clicking here.
The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit
http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
In America (2002) -- Friday, September 17 at 10 a.m. -- A touching, modern story of a young Irish immigrant family adjusting to life in New York City. Rated: PG-13. 105 min.
Enjoy reading about movies? Appreciate perspectives from other film fanatics? Here are a few recommended blogs and sites you can visit for further reading on film:
Join CineVerse on Wed., Sept. 1 for Louis Malle's bittersweet ode to the loss of childhood innocence, "A Revoir Les Enfants" (1987; 104 minutes), a French film with English subtitles, hailed as one of the best movies of the eighties.
The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) -- Wednesday, August 25 at 2 p.m. -- A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all. Starring George Sanders, Hurd Hatfield, Donna Reed and Angela Lansbury. Based on a novel by Oscar Wilde. Rated: PG. 110 min.
Fall is not quite here yet, but the new CineVerse schedule for September and October is!
Click here (or click on the "Current schedule" link at the top of our Web page) to view the calendar for the next two months, which features quite an eclectic mix of new, old, American and foreign films. We hope to see lots of you over the next several Wednesdays!
The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
Dr. Zhivago (1965) -- Friday, August 20 at 10 a.m. -- The epic story of the life of a Russian doctor/poet who, although married, falls for a political activist's wife and experiences hardships during the Bolshevik Revolution. Starring Omar Sharif, Julie Christie and Rod Steiger. Based on a novel by Boris Pasternak. Rated: PG-13. 197 min. Snacks at intermission.
by Erik J. Martin
Recently, I was challenged to name my favorite comedies of all time. After much deliberation, the top choice was obvious: "Duck Soup" starring the Marx Brothers. But the silver and bronze winners and other follow-ups were not so easy to rank. When in doubt, they say it's best to trust your heart--or, in this case, your funnybone. And the movie that consistently makes me laugh more than few others has got to be "National Lampoon's Animal House."
by Erik J. Martin
(Note: This is part 2 of a 2-part article that first published last week.)
Here's the timetable of events for an average Hollywood film bound for the CTA: The film's director contacts a Chicago-based location manager, who then gets in touch with the Illinois Film Office and the Chicago Film Office. The director of the latter sets up shots and locations within the city, and helps to get clearance from the CTA.
Movie companies are required to provide the CTA with a script or story line in advance to be reviewed for content and approval. Producers can then meet with CTA officials from Insurance, Service Delivery, Finance and External Affairs Departments to negotiate feasibility, schedules and cost. Script approval and other agreements must be OK'd by the CTA Law Department, and, ultimately, the CTA President.
Former transportation manager of CTA rail service Sidney Edwards warned that all productions, whether Hollywood, student or independent, have to follow the same routing policy, although student requests may be treated somewhat differently depending on intent and use of the film.
"The CTA is in the business of transporting passengers from point A to B, but we do try to accommodate the film industry the best we can," Edwards said. "They do spend a lot of money in Chicago, and it is good public relations for the city and the CTA."
The CTA is the only transit system in the country that's elevated in the downtown area, Edwards noted, adding that that distinction, with its built-in scenery of abundant skyscrapers and citizens, makes Chicago' transit system tops for Tinseltown train shoots.
To maintain a positive image of the CTA on the big or small screen, Edwards said he put the kibosh on graffiti and violence in and around a scene shot on the city's commuter rail system.
Don't forget that we will not have a CineVerse group meeting on Wednesday, August 4. CineVerse will reconvene the following week on Aug. 11. Remember--there's more to life than movies, so get out and enjoy the summer!
Read more...The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
The Notebook (2004) -- Wednesday, August 4 at 2 p.m. -- A poor and passionate young man falls in love with a rich young woman and gives her a sense of freedom. Separated by their social class differences, this couple must fight for their future lives together. Starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. Based on a novel by Nicholas Sparks. Rated: PG-13. 123 min.
by Erik J. Martin
(Note: This is part 1 of a 2-part article that will conclude next week.)
Ever wonder what’s involved in shooting a film a Chicago CTA train? Former transportation manager of CTA rail service Sidney Edwards can tell you.
For years, Edwards coordinated film and video shoots that took place on CTA cars, rails and platforms--telling a film crew where to go, what to do and when to do it. In fact, whenever Hollywood passed through a CTA turnstile in the seventies, eighties or nineties, Edwards came along for the ride.
Consider Edwards' celluloid CV since 1975, the year he first stepped in to supervise TV and movie shoots for the CTA: "Code of Silence;" "The Hunter;" "The Blues Brothers;" "Risky Business;" "Running Scared;" "Next of Kin;" "Planes, Trains and Automobiles;" "Above the Law;" "Midnight Run;" "Adventures in Babysitting;" "Blankman;" "Richie Rich;" "The Fugitive;" and “While You Were Sleeping.”
Edwards also logged a lot of TV memories--from his first production assignment, "The Million Dollar Ripoff," a TV pilot shot in 1975 starring Freddy Prince, to one of the most harrowing, an episode of the mid-'80s TV series "Lady Blue" in which a stunt person was hanging from the side of a running train.
The film "Next of Kin was really challenging, Edwards told me in a 1995 interview, "because you had a stunt man trying to jump from one train to another going in the opposite direction. The time and speed of the jump had to be calibrated exactly. That was real nerve racking."
The Oak Lawn Library will be showing the upcoming following film in its lower level meeting room (for more details visit http://www.lib.oak-lawn.il.us/upcomingevents.shtml):
How Green Was My Valley (1941) -- Monday, July 26 at 10 a.m. -- At the turn of the 20th-century in a Welsh mining village, the Morgans raise coal-mining sons and hope that their youngest will find a better life. Starring Walter Pidgeon and Maureen O'Hara. Based on a novel by Richard Llewellyn. Rated: G. 118 min.
© Blogger template Cumulus by Ourblogtemplates.com 2008
Back to TOP