CIFF Mini-Reviews: Batch #1
The 62nd Chicago International Film Festival is underway, and, as usual, it's been a terrific time!
There's something really special about this festival, and it's not just the movies. It's the excitement in the air, the packed theaters, the people waiting in line, striking up conversations with complete strangers, and talking about the films they've seen, the ones they're looking forward to, and the ones they absolutely hated. I love that stuff.
For a couple of weeks, theaters and venues all over Chicago are taken over by movie lovers, filmmakers, actors, and people who genuinely care about cinema. It's one of my favorite times of the year.
I've been seeing a bunch of movies, and I'll be posting several batches of mini-reviews throughout the festival, giving you my thoughts on what I've seen, what's worth your time, and what you might want to avoid. These are quick, two-or-three-paragraph reviews, along with screening dates, times, and locations, so you can still catch these films while they're playing.
So, here we go with my first seven reviews from the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival!
WILD HORSE NINE
Writer-director Martin McDonagh is back with another wonderfully dark, funny, strange, and surprisingly touching movie. John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell play two CIA agents who are sent from Santiago to Easter Island by their bureau chief, played by Steve Buscemi.
If you're a fan of McDonagh's work, particularly Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and The Banshees of Inisherin, you're going to love this. It's filled with the kind of razor-sharp dialogue, twisted humor, unexpected emotional moments, and wonderfully odd characters that make McDonagh's movies so distinctive.
Rockwell is fantastic, as usual, but Malkovich gives one of the best performances of his career, and I wouldn't be surprised if he winds up with an Oscar nomination. The chemistry between these two actors is terrific, and McDonagh gives them plenty of great material to work with.
It's wildly entertaining, genuinely funny, occasionally very moving, and exactly the kind of movie I want from this filmmaker. I highly recommend it! - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SCREENING: Saturday, October 17th at 11:30 a.m. — AMC NEWCITY.
INK
Danny Boyle's latest takes us back to 1969, as media tycoon Rupert Murdoch, played by Guy Pearce, and editor Larry Lamb, played by Jack O'Connell, attempt to transform the British newspaper The Sun into a tabloid powerhouse. It's an energetic, sharply directed, beautifully acted movie about the corruption of journalism, the sensationalizing of news, and the beginnings of the tabloid culture that would eventually infect just about every aspect of modern media.
You can tell almost immediately that Danny Boyle directed this thing. The frantic editing, the imaginative visuals, the terrific use of music, and the sheer energy of the filmmaking recall some of his best work, particularly Trainspotting.
The movie gets a little heavy-handed in its final third, but it's anchored by some outstanding performances, especially Jack O'Connell, who delivers one of the best performances of the year. This guy can do anything. He's one of the most versatile actors working today, and he's absolutely terrific here. Despite a few flaws, Ink is smart, entertaining, and definitely worth seeing. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
SCREENINGS: Monday, October 19th at 5:00 p.m. and Thursday, October 22nd at 5:30 p.m. — both at AMC NEWCITY.
ALL OF A SUDDEN
Here's one of the very best movies I've seen all year. Ryusuke Hamaguchi, the extraordinary Japanese filmmaker responsible for Drive My Car, has made another profoundly moving, contemplative, and beautifully observed drama about life, death, art, and human connection.
The story involves a woman who runs a care facility near Paris and her relationship with a terminally ill Japanese theater director. Through their conversations about illness, morality, creativity, and the meaning of life, the film explores the complicated ways we care for one another, particularly the elderly and people with disabilities.
This is a very long movie, and it requires patience, but it's absolutely worth it. Hamaguchi is one of the finest directors working anywhere in the world, and nobody makes movies quite like his. He has an extraordinary ability to take extended conversations about seemingly ordinary things and turn them into something deeply emotional and almost overwhelming.
His understanding of human behavior, and his fascination with theater and the creative process, are remarkable. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, intelligent, and genuinely profound. It will make you cry. One of the best films of the year, without question, and I can't recommend it highly enough. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
SCREENING: Saturday, October 17th at 7:15 p.m. — AMC NEWCITY.
BEHEMOTH!
Writer-director Tony Gilroy's latest stars Pedro Pascal as a gifted cellist who returns to Los Angeles after spending 20 years on the road and begins working on film scores. The cast includes the always annoying Olivia Wilde, Eva Victor, Will Arnett, and appearances by Matthew Lillard and Hank Azaria.
There's certainly some talent involved here, and Pascal does a nice job with what he's given, but I found this movie exceedingly annoying. It's populated by a collection of self-involved, unlikable, and frankly uninteresting characters who spend an awful lot of time dealing with situations we've seen in countless other movies. And I didn't care about any of them.
Here's the thing: I would much rather have watched the movie that Pascal's character was scoring than the movie I was actually sitting through. That probably tells you everything you need to know.
There is, however, one absolutely terrific scene near the end involving Pascal and a young girl that is genuinely moving and beautifully performed. It's easily the best scene in the movie. Unfortunately, getting to that scene is a chore. A talented cast, an interesting premise, and one wonderful final moment aren't enough to save a movie filled with characters I couldn't stand. This one didn't work for me. - ⭐️⭐️
SCREENING: Sunday, October 25th at 5:00 p.m. — Music Box Theatre. The festival's Closing Night presentation.
FATHERLAND
Polish filmmaker Paweł Pawlikowski delivers a beautifully photographed, black-and-white historical drama about Nobel Prize-winning writer Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika as they take a road trip through a divided Germany in 1949. The cast includes Hanns Zischler, August Diehl, and the always extraordinary Sandra Hüller.
It's a relatively short, wonderfully controlled movie that uses this journey through postwar Germany to examine political division, national identity, the aftermath of fascism, and the complicated relationship between artists and the world around them.
Pawlikowski, who made the magnificent Ida and Cold War, has an incredible eye for composition, and this movie is visually stunning. But it's not just a gorgeous-looking history lesson. There's some really potent political material here, much of which feels disturbingly relevant today, and the performances are excellent across the board.
Sandra Hüller, one of the best actresses working today, is particularly impressive. Smart, thoughtful, beautifully made, and politically resonant, Fatherland is definitely recommended. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
SCREENING: Saturday, October 17th at 2:30 p.m. — AMC NEWCITY.
MOUSE
Chicago filmmakers Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson are back with another intimate, character-driven drama, this time featuring a terrific collection of Chicago actors. The story follows a young girl whose best friend dies and who subsequently develops an unexpected relationship with her late friend's mother.
It's a movie about grief, friendship, loneliness, and the strange connections people make when they're trying to deal with devastating loss. What makes it work is the natural, unforced way these characters interact, and the genuine affection the filmmakers have for them.
The performances are the real reason to see this one. Katherine Mallen Kupferer is absolutely wonderful, Chloe Coleman is very strong, and Sophie Okonedo is terrific. David Hyde Pierce also makes a welcome appearance. The movie runs a little longer than it probably should, but there's an appealing honesty to the writing and performances that keeps you invested.
These characters feel like real people, and you genuinely care about what happens to them. It's another impressive piece of work from two very talented Chicago filmmakers, and I'm happy to recommend it. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
SCREENING: Wednesday, October 21st at 6:00 p.m. — Music Box Theatre. Special presentation.
ELSINORE
Simon Stone directs this biographical drama, written by Steven Beresford, about the final months in the life of Scottish actor Ian Charleson, who was terminally ill with AIDS while preparing to play Hamlet at London's National Theatre in the late 1980s.
Andrew Scott plays Charleson, and the supporting cast includes Olivia Colman, Billie Piper, Peter Mullan, and some other terrific actors. It's an emotional story about theater, mortality, artistic commitment, and the determination to keep working even when facing the end of your life.
There are some very moving moments here, along with a fascinating reference to a legendary theatrical incident involving Daniel Day-Lewis.
The movie itself is good, but not great. It gets heavy-handed in spots, and the final ten minutes are so shamelessly manipulative that I found myself resisting what the filmmakers were trying to do. But Andrew Scott is absolutely outstanding. He's the reason to see this movie, delivering a beautifully detailed, heartbreaking performance that elevates material that occasionally feels a little too calculated.
And I'm going to make a prediction right now: Andrew Scott is going to win the Oscar for Best Actor for this performance. Whether the movie itself deserves that kind of attention is another matter entirely, but Scott is extraordinary. A flawed film with a truly great central performance. - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
SCREENINGS: Saturday, October 24th at 5:45 p.m. and Sunday, October 25th at 1:45 p.m. — both at AMC NEWCITY.
And there you have it! My first batch of seven mini-reviews from the 62nd Chicago International Film Festival. There are some genuinely terrific movies playing this year, and I strongly encourage you to get out there and experience as many of them as possible. Just make sure you get your tickets ahead of time, because screenings are filling up, crowds are big, and you don't want to get shut out of something special.
I'll be seeing more movies throughout the festival and posting additional mini-reviews right here on the website, so keep checking back. In the meantime, get out there, stand in line, talk to some fellow movie lovers, discover something unexpected, and enjoy one of the best cinematic events Chicago has to offer.
Enjoy the fest, everybody!
The 62nd Chicago International Film Festival runs October 14th through October 25th, and individual tickets are on sale now. Festival passes are available as well, and the Festival strongly recommends buying tickets online in advance.
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