As I mentioned last night, I’m one of the programmers of the Chicago Critics Film Festival, which is taking place at Chicago’s legendary Music Box Theatre, May 20-26. And I’m so happy and proud of the lineup of films and guests that my fellow critics and I have put together this year, that I want to make sure those of you in and around Chicago see as many of these films as possible. Of course, we’d love for you to buy a few tickets to some of the more than 25 features and two shorts programs we’re offering, but as an added incentive, I’m giving away seats to a select few screenings (one per day, as a matter of fact).
And not only do we have more features than ever before, but we have more guests, including Craig Robinson, Michael Peña, Martin Starr, Adam Pally, Dylan Gelula, Ti West, Ira Sachs, Patricia Rozema and many more. The full schedule and all additional information about the Chicago Critics Film Festival can be found at the Official Website.
If you’d like to win tickets to any of the below features (most of which include Q&As), email me at: CCFFcontest@aintitcoolmail.com. READ THIS CAREFULLY: The Subject Line of your email should be simply the name of the film you are trying to win tickets to (each winner can have one CONFIRMED guest), and each film must have a separate email entry. In other words, if you want to try and win tickets to all seven films, I need seven separate emails from you, each with the name of the film in the Subject Line. So if you want tickets to JOSHY, the subject line should read: “JOSHY” and so on.
In the body of your email, I need the winner’s full name and whether or not you’re bringing a guest (I don’t need the guest’s name). If you ask for two tickets, and you show up only needing one, you will be chastised by a panel of experts. The winners’ names WILL NOT be posted on Ain’t It Cool News, but you will receive an email from me once the winners have been selected, before Friday. Tickets can be picked up at the Chicago Critics Film Festival table at the Music Box Theatre on the day of the screening only. No tickets for future screenings will be given out in advance.
Also, there are no Ain’t It Cool News reserved rows for these tickets, so get to the Music Box Theatre early for good seats. If there's even the slightest chance you or your guest will have to back out of attending or arrive late if you do win, don't enter. If you have a job that might make you late or unable to attend, or an ill/pregnant relative, or a temperamental significant other, or a scratchy throat, do not enter. If you win and don't show up, the Black List will be your new best friend. No exceptions or excuses.
Here are the list of films for which we’re giving away a limited number of seats. Good luck, everyone!
7pm MORRIS FROM AMERICA Writer-director Chad Hartigan (In Person). With Craig Robinson (In Person). Crowd-pleasing comedy follows the adolescent misadventures of a 13-year-old American boy (Markees Christmas) growing up in Germany while living with his father (Robinson). The film was a hit at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and a Special Jury Award for Individual Performance for Robinson.
5pm JOSHY Writer and director Jeff Baen. With Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally (In Person), Alex Ross Perry, Nick Kroll, Brett Gelman, Jenny Slate, Lauren Graham, Aubrey Plaza, Joe Swanberg, Kris Swanberg, Alison Brie, and Jake Johnson Josh treats what would have been his bachelor party as an opportunity to reconnect with his friends.
8pm LITTLE MEN Writer and Director Ira Sachs (In Person). With Theo Taplitz, Michael Barbieri, Jennifer Ehle, Paulina Garcia, Greg Kinnear, and Alfred Molina A new pair of best friends have their bond tested by their parents’ battle over a dress shop lease.
9:45pm DEMON Writers Pawel Maslona & Marcin Wrona; Director Marcin Wrona. With Itay Tiran, Agnieska Zulewska, and Andrzej Grabowski A bridegroom is possessed by an unquiet spirit in the midst of his own wedding celebration, in this clever take on the Jewish legend of the dybbuk.
7:30pm THE OTHER HALF Writer and director Joey Klein. With Tatiana Maslany, Tom Cullen, Henry Czerny, Suzanne Clement, and Mark Rendall A bipolar woman and a grief-stricken man struggle to forge a simple life.
7:30pm IN A VALLEY OF VIOLENCE Writer-director Ti West (In Person). With Ethan Hawke, John Travolta, Karen Gillan, Taissa Farmiga, Burn Gorman, James Ransone, Toby Huss, and Larry Fessenden A mysterious stranger and a random act of violence drag a town of misfits and nitwits into the bloody crosshairs of revenge.
6pm FIRST GIRL I LOVED Writer and director by Kerem Sanga. With Dylan Gelula (In Person), Brianna Hildebrand, Cameron Esposito, Tim Heidecker, Mateo Arias, and Pamela Adlon Seventeen-year-old Anne just fell in love with Sasha, the most popular girl at her LA public high school. But when Anne tells her best friend Clifton – who has always harbored a secret crush – he does his best to get in the way.
Hope to see you there. And movies you don’t win tickets for, you can buy at the Music Box Theatre’s site, along with tickets for a host of other great films.
