Untitled Document
Roger Ebert is set to host his 10th annual film
festival. Among the subjects to be screened at Champaign’s Virginia
Theater are a big green monster, a serial killer, underworld thugs, and a
mad housewife. At first glance, one might think that the renowned critic is
focusing on B-movies or pulp-fiction fodder. However, closer inspection
reveals that the slate of films to be shown is, as usual, an eclectic
collection covering a variety of genres and formats that are often
neglected by the average filmgoer and movie exhibitors.
Having heard complaints in recent years that many of
his selections were far too mainstream, Ebert has dropped the word
“overlooked” from the festival title. Ironically, the
collection of films to be shown this year consists of the most obscure
selections in the festival’s history. Tom DiCillo’s Delirious, starring Steve
Buscemi as a paparazzo intent on getting that one big picture that will
change his career; Sally Potter’s unconventional love story, Yes, with Joan Allen; and
Joseph Greco’s Canvas, about a family dealing with the curse of schizophrenia, made
nary a ripple at the box office when they were all in limited release, but
their inclusion in Ebertfest fulfills one of the intents of the festival,
which is to shine a light on films that have been unjustly relegated to
obscurity.
Of course, that description does not apply to all the
features to be screened. Ang Lee’s Hulk was heralded by a major publicity campaign when it was
released in 2003, yet it had the temerity to be a thinking person’s
superhero movie and grossed “only” $150 million at the box
office before being saddled with the reputation of being too slow and talky
for the teen crowd it was aimed at. The film’s reception will surely
be one of the topics for discussion when Lee takes the stage after the
screening for a question-and-answer session. Tarsem Singh’s The Cell, an inventive and
harrowing journey into the mind of a serial killer by a psychotherapist who
hopes to uncover clues to the whereabouts of a girl whom the killer has
kidnapped, created a stir when it hit screens in 2000. Another movie that
got its fair share of press was Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet (1996), the only film
version of the play to present Shakespeare’s classic in its entirety.
The movie was the last feature film to be shot in 70mm, and it will be
presented in this widescreen format to kick off the festival, a nod to an
overlooked technique that the critic draws attention to each year.
In addition to starting the celebration with a 70mm
film, Ebertfest 2008 continues two other traditions. This year’s
silent feature is Josef von Sternberg’s Underworld, a gangster flick that revolves around a love triangle.
It’s always a treat to see a silent film on the big screen, but what
makes the Ebertfest silent-film screenings special is that they’re
accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra, a trio of musicians who compose
original scores for movies from the medium’s early years. In the
final tradition, the festival is ended each year with a musical. This
year’s selection is Romance and
Cigarettes, a modern tale about a man (James
Gandolfini) who cheats on his long-suffering wife (Susan Sarandon) with a
young homewrecker (Kate Winslet) and pays the price.
Rounding out the festival this year are Shotgun Stories, a tale about
a modern feud between two dysfunctional families; the documentary The Real Dirt on Farmer John,
about an organic farmer who struggles to make it in a world from which
family farms are disappearing; Paul Schrader’s Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, an
unconventional biography of the famous Japanese author; The Band’s Visit, a 2007
comedy about an Israeli band that’s forced to stay in a remote
Egyptian village; and Housekeeping, about an eccentric housewife who may or may not be losing
her mind.
Not only will you see these films in the grandeur of
the Virginia Theater; you’ll also find yourself among true film fans.
You’ll hear no cell phones ringing, see no text messages being typed
while these treasures unspool. The only thing you’ll witness are
cinephiles drinking in classic and offbeat films in the perfect setting,
eager to meet and question the guests on hand after each screening. For any
true film fan, Ebertfest is the one and only Midwestern movie destination.
For screening times, directions to the Virginia Theater and a list of expected guests, go to www.ebertfest.com.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at koplinski1@comcast.net
For screening times, directions to the Virginia Theater and a list of expected guests, go to www.ebertfest.com.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at koplinski1@comcast.net
