Staff Picks #3: Sweet Home Chicago
This July, FACETS is as active as ever as we head on the road towards the 39th annual Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, running November 4-20, 2022 and continue screening the best new independent and international films in our cinema. To celebrate the greatness that is Chicago in the summer, we asked the FACETS staff what some of their favorite films with connections to Chicago are. Whether it’s directed by a filmmaker from the Chicago area or shot/set here, we offer this curated list from our staff with a little bit about why it stands among their favorites of the films set in the city we call home.
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LOUDER THAN A BOMB
Selected by Maya Lori, FACETS Customer Service Representative
Film directed by Greg Jacobs & Jon Siskel
Louder Than A Bomb is a documentary about a slam poetry competition of the same name held in Chicago each year, following the lives of teens from different schools, as they prepare for the annual event when it was held in 2008. Poetry Slams themselves are an art form born in Chicago, dating back to 1984 where Chicago native Marc Smith started an open mic night in the city’s Get Me High Lounge.
Lori writes about her experience with the film:
“I first saw this film on a field trip during my senior year of high school; among my classmates, I was surprised (and a bit embarrassed) to have cried throughout the screening. Looking back, I know that I was just deeply connected to the stories being told from the unfiltered subjects whose plight was very similar to mine. It was cathartic and inspiring to see other young people, in the same city as me, navigating poverty, neighborhood violence, family struggles, cultural heritage, identity or creative obstacles as well as experiencing personal triumphs through friendships, solidarity and dedication to their artistry. To me, it remains a rarely authentic depiction of the place I call home – this film isn’t just set in Chicago, it is Chicago.”
Rent Louder Than a Bomb from FACETS
THIEF
Selected by Matt Silcock, Director of Operations
Film directed by Michael Mann
Matt wisely beat others to the punch with picking this sharp crime film; though it had a soft initial reception, it has with time been reclaimed as a striking classic in its genre. Even as Mann stands as one the most recognizable filmmakers from Chicago, his debut feature remains a crackling depiction of “blue collar” criminals just trying to get paid for the deals they’ve agreed to. James Caan plays Frank, a convict and professional safecracker who’s had enough of the criminal life and just wants to settle down with Jessie (Tuesday Weld) so they can have a family and a quieter life. But new associates refuse to let the diamond heist Frank just pulled for them be his “one last job” and the resulting strain complicates the simple life he’s reaching for. Thief has been reclaimed in recent years not just as a crime classic but as film which speaks to its location and time period in a unique way.
Matt describes his personal connections with the film:
“Not only is this just a great Michael Mann crime film — with great performances by James Caan and Tuesday Weld (not to mention Jim Belushi and Willie Nelson!), a superb Tangerine Dream score, and tense safe-cracking scenes worthy of Jean-Pierre Melville — but it’s a great Chicago film, with actual cops and thieves in the cast (the acting debut of ex-cop and Chicago legend Dennis Farina, for example), and a shakedown scene filmed on the Ashland bridge right around the corner from FACETS! And, my son graduated from the same high school that Michael Mann did (Amundsen at Foster & Damen, go Vikings).”
Rent Thief from FACETS
LOVE JONES
Selected by Zero Broucek, Assistant Front of House Manager
Film directed by Theodore Witcher
A snapshot of Chicago’s bohemian art culture, Love Jones has become a cult classic for its distinct portrayal of romance that departs from the normal romantic structure of Hollywood film. It remains director Theodore Witcher’s only film and represents an important moment in Black romance on film as it shifted throughout the 1990’s.
Zero has a really unique reason for why he picked the film and how it endures as a personal favorite:
“Love Jones is an atypical love story full of romance and friendship. Set in Chicago, Love Jones tells the story of a poet (Larenz Tate) and photographer (Nia Long) slowly embarking on a new relationship while the ashes of their previous one still smouldered. My fiancé and I have a special connection to this film: we had our own meet-cute in the wake of our previous relationships (both break-ups on the exact same day); we didn’t use apps to find each other, it happened serendipitously and blossomed from mutual understanding — a romance that turned to true love!”
CHILD’S PLAY
Selected by John McDevitt, Community Engagement Coordinator
Film directed by Tom Holland
John’s pick is an inspired one since the location of the Child’s Play films can almost get overlooked in how the franchise has headed in so many different directions since it started in 1988. But it’s true, Charles Lee Ray (Brad Dourif), the serial killer who would become Chucky after transferring his soul into a “Good Guy” doll is chased through the streets of Chicago. Filmed during our infamous Chicago winters, the film features the Brewster Apartments as a key exterior.
John describes their fondness for the film, and the series in general, in-depth as something really special to them on a personal level:
“Of all the major horror franchises, Child’s Play is my one true friend to the end. As a youngster, I was most riveted by horror films with kids in lead roles, and Child’s Play resonated especially well because of Andy, a feeble shy guy who has an active imagination and lives in Chicago…just like me! As I grew older, it was a joy to discover the writer of the original film, Don Mancini, and all its sequels is queer (also like me!) and to see the later films become outwardly queer, which started with supporting characters and culminated in the first queer lead, who’s introduced in the recent television series and who’s also the first young lead since Andy. It’s a full-circle moment for the series and this adoring fan!”
HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER
Selected by Sam Lounsbury, Customer Service Representative
Film directed by John McNaughton
This psychological thriller is actor Michael Rooker’s debut performance, playing Henry, a murderous drifter passing through the country until he lands in Chicago where he stays with Otis, a former prison friend. Henry and Otis are at odds when Otis’ sister Becky comes to visit, though they eventually bond over a shared taste for violence. Filming their crimes with a camcorder, the film explores themes of abuse and voyeurism in equal measure. John McNaughton directed the film as his first feature after being hired away from his delivery boy job by executive producers at Malijack Productions. Its reputation as a harrowing experience is earned: it debuted at the Chicago International Film Festival in 1986 though it traveled the festival circuit without a distributor until 1990. An unnerving film, it was shot on 16mm across Chicago in only 28 days and its location work sprang from pulling favors with family and friends.
Sam’s reasoning behind picking the film comes from a few avenues but one that stands out is its usage of one of Chicago’s culinary landmarks:
“The most appropriate cameo of Wolfy’s you’ll ever see on celluloid.”
Locals who’ve seen the film know but for those curious what Sam means, you’ll have to check out the film itself to understand.
Rent Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer at FACETS
MARQUETTE PARK PARTS I & II
Selected by Raphael Jose Martinez, Customer Service Representative & Film Trivia host
Films directed by Tom Palazzolo
If you’ve attended one of our FACETS film trivia events, then you’ll know Raphael; the last Thursday of each month, they host a trivia session in the FACETS cafe along with Mike Vanderbilt.
As for their selection, the Marquette Park shorts are Tom Palazzolo’s cinema verite depictions of Neo-Nazi activity happening in the Chicago area. Released four years apart in 1976 and 1980, the first installment shows one of several conflicts between Black civil rights activists marching in the Marquette Park neighborhood and local white supremacist groups trying to prevent Black residents from moving into the area. Marquette Park II shifts that focus to the media as they cover a march held by the Chicago-based Nazi Party. Palazzo’s wandering camera captures how the stream-of-consciousness reporting from the media gave the ridiculous display a veneer of import it otherwise lacked. Palazzo was a Chicago institution and his of-the-moment documents of the city still speak to many things we see today.
Raphael’s selection of the films speaks to their relevance as historical objects and to our present day: “It’s kinda cheating, I know, but they’re kinda two parts of the same film.”
Rent the Marquette Park films from FACETS
COOLEY HIGH
Selected by Deidre Searcy, Festival Programmer at FACETS
Film directed by Michael Schultz
Deidre picked a striking film with Cooley High, the hit 1975 film whose success and acclaim earned it admirers ranging from Spike Lee to John Singleton. Boyz II Men even named their debut album after the film, Cooleyhighharmony, and it features a cover from a song on the soundtrack.
The story of four high school seniors living in Chicago’s North Side, this dramedy is a seminal snapshot of Chicago’s Black youth culture during the 1960’s. Shot in and around Chicago, including locations like the Lincoln Park Zoo and drive to Gold Coast, the film is acclaimed for its natural depiction of young friendship and its earnestness in dispelling myths about life in projects like Cabrini-Green.
The film’s deep connection to Black culture in Chicago, both as something seen and something remembered, is recalled by Deidre: “I like that it represents youth culture and youth less seldom seen. We were so hungry for images of ourselves and still are. There are iconic moments that many particularly Black Chicagoans can recall and recite.”
Rent Cooley High from FACETS
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
Selected by Karen Cardarelli, FACETS Executive Director
Film directed by Penny Marshall
This sports dramedy stands tall within multiple genres as one of the cinematic titans of the 90’s. The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League was a real organization and director Penny Marshall uses its moment in history to great effect for a memorable film. Baseball is one of the most cinematic sports and A League of Their Own stands the test of time as proof of that, with a cast of breakout comedic performances backing up stars Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, and Madonna.
Karen, our Executive Director at FACETS, touches on why this film has a special personal connection for her:
“It’s summer and Baseball season – which always makes me think of this film! My husband and I were newly married and newly living in Chicago when this film was shot in the early 90s. We lived a few blocks from Wrigley and were caught up in the magic of Penny Marshall, Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Madonna all being in town to shoot this movie. Sightings happened daily at restaurants and stores. I love how funny and brilliant this story is about women in baseball. “There is NO crying in baseball”!”
Rent A League of Their Own from FACETS.
NIGHTS AND WEEKENDS
Selected by Emma Greenleaf, FACETS Marketing Manager
Film directed by Joe Swanberg
Local filmmaker Joe Swanberg made a name for himself in the micro-budget indie scene of the early to mid 2000’s and was one of the founding members of the short lived, but memorable “mumblecore” era. Nights and Weekends marks Swanberg’s 5th collaboration with Oscar nominee Greta Gerwig over the course of just two years from 2006-2008, and stars the pair as a couple struggling to maintain their long-distance relationship while traveling between Chicago and New York.
Emma describes the film’s subtle effectiveness and why it stands out in Swanberg’s filmography:
Written off by many as “films about nothing,” the mumblecore style of filmmaking aimed to replicate something as close to a realistic human experience as possible. Made for only $15,000 and co-directed by Gerwig, the film naturally captures the dissolution of a relationship strained by distance both physically and emotionally in an intimate, heartbreakingly subtle way.
Rent Nights and Weekends from FACETS.
MEDIUM COOL
Selected by Jake Laystrom, FACETS Youth Program Coordinator
Film directed by Haskell Wexler
Medium Cool is one of the defining films of the 1960’s, and one of the landmark examples of cinema-verite filmmaking. Haskell Wexler was renowned for his cinematography but his directorial work here is the subject of innumerable film studies courses. It uses genuine footage from real Chicago history, including material at the now-demolished Chicago International Amphitheatre, and continues to have a sense of urgency in its commentary on the public’s relationship with media.
The film can be difficult to describe without diluting its impact but Jake nails it in describing why he selected it:
“Medium Cool is an essential piece of not only film history, but Chicago history. A docu-fiction hybrid that climaxes at the fateful 1968 Democratic Convention, Wexler studies not only how film and television shape our perspectives, but distance us from the realities that surround us.”
Rent Medium Cool from FACETS
THE FUGITIVE
Selected by Matthew Flores, Customer Service Representative
Film directed by Andrew Davis
Harrison Ford starred in this film adapted from a popular 1960’s TV series, becoming one of his signature roles in the 90’s category of iconic roles. The premise is as simple as it is easily referenced: Dr. Richard Kimble didn’t kill his wife. Falsely accused, Kimble flees custody, setting off a nationwide manhunt led by US Marshal Sam Gerard (Tommy Lee Jones, who won best supporting actor for his performance). A crowd-pleasing favorite and a massive hit, the film is also full of Chicago locales used in memorable setpieces.
The film was part of a renaissance of Hollywood films shooting on location in Chicago, something which Matthew touches on: “Its action-packed goodness and its incredible use of Chicago locations, including the CTA train line, is nothing short of brilliant. Harrison Ford’s take on the Richard Kimble character you know and love from the TV series, is fun to watch. Most notably, it’s a great time capsule of Chicago from the past. (RIP Cook County Hospital, now Stroger Hospital).”
Rent The Fugitive from FACETS
Richard Hooper is an Editorial Assistant Intern at FACETS. His favorite film by a Chicago filmmaker is the Wachowski Sister’s Speed Racer, which you could argue is set in an entirely separate reality rather than anywhere on earth. He has an MA in the Humanities from the University of Chicago, writing his thesis on intermediality in animated film. He’s worked with film practically and critically, and a piece of his heart will always belong with 35mm projection.