Father Geek here with an uber COOL movie going freebie for all our loyal readers in the Chi-town area from the man who runs it... CAPONE... annnnnd its just down the street from that world famous Valentine's Day party he is rumored to have setup a while back...
Hey, Guys.
Capone in Chicago here with a bit of exciting news for readers in the Chicago area who don’t have any plans over the Thanksgiving weekend.
One of my greatest film passions in recent years has been a director who has to be the most prolific fillmmaker in the universe working today, Takashi Miike. I am slowly starting to worship his works, and fortunately so are many of the people who own art houses in Chicago. In about a two-year period, I’ve seen films like DEAD OR ALIVE, VISITOR Q, ICHI THE KILLER, CITY OF LOST SOULS, FAMILY, and perhaps the film of his that has gotten the most attention in the U.S., AUDITION. In December, film lovers in Chicago will get to see two more Miike films: the 1996 classic FUDOH: THE NEW GENERATION (at Facets) and the one of his more recent works, THE HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS (at the Landmark Century Centre Theatres beginning December 6). Now you have to understand that this guy puts out a half-dozen pieces out in a year sometimes. He does films for Japanese television, video games, everything. And he has turned frenzy, gore, excess, and absurdity into an entertaining art form. And his following is growing, especially in Chicago, where we’re lucky enough to get a steady stream of his films in a given year.
Now to the fun part...the fine folks at the Landmark theatre (2828 N. Clark St.) have asked ME to host a "FREE" advanced screening of THE HAPPINESS OF THE KATAKURIS on Saturday, November 30 at 11 a.m. There’s only one small, painless catch: you have to cough up your e-mail address ASAP. Go to This Web Site (www.landmarktheatres.com/MailBag/MailIndex.asp), fill in your name and e-mail address, and make certain you select Chicago as your region of choice, and your name will be added to Landmark’s mailing list and become a member of their Film Club, where you can find out about current and upcoming films at the theatre and get invited to other free advanced screenings like this every so often.
For those of you who want to attend, sign up right away. You’ll get an e-mail early next week (probably Tuesday) with the final details and that e-mail will act as your ticket. Seating is limited, arrive EARLY, no guaranteed entry, etc. You know the drill.
I’ll talk about Miike a little bit before the movie, we’ll meet THE KATAKURIS family, and I’ll lead a discussion after the screening. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of this during the most recent Chicago Film Festival, and I can tell you that this is one of Miike’s greatest movies. Part horror film, part family drama, and all musical. I kid you not. This puts LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS to shame.
The film is true to Miike’s over-the-top, high body count style, but with a lot less gangsters and gore. Oh, and did I mention the Claymation demon?
Give the Landmark your e-mail and come say “Hi” next week.
See you there, fellow Chicagoans. We’ll swap SPIDER-MAN 2 stories.
