Repertory screenings may not be as abundant in Chicago as they are in LA/NY but when you look around, there are many theatergoing delights. The Chicago Rep-port is a weekly(ish) series highlighting the best and most compelling repertory screenings in the Second City.Music Box Theatre, 3733 N Southport Ave
In their partnership with the Chicago Film Society, the Music Box presents The Heartbreak Kid (Elaine May, 1972, 35mm) on Tuesday, January 9. A bleak dark comedy, the film is the perfect antidote to the saccharine romantic comedy genre. Starring Charles Grodin as a newly married man (to May’s real-life daughter Jeannie Berlin) who falls hard for another woman (Cybill Shepherd) while on his honeymoon, The Heartbreak Kid is at times cringe-inducing, but consistently funny.
Have you seen The Disaster Artist yet? (If you haven’t it runs all week) What if I told you that it is based on a true-but-unbelievable production of an actual film? If you haven’t seen The Room (Tommy Wiseau, 2003, 35mm), you have two more opportunities to do so at midnight on Friday this weekend. Playing midnight on Saturday is the Music Box’s other monthly mainstay, The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman, 1975, 35mm). Seriously, though, if you haven’t seen either film at the Music Box, the time is always right.
Saturday silent cinema returns to the Music Box this weekend with Behind the Door (Irvin Willat, 1919, 35mm), a WWI-set film that is sure to be a discovery for even big silent films fans. In their write-up, the Music Box calls the film “perverse and unpredictable” while highlighting silent star Wallace Beery’s performance as the U-boat captain villain. Behind the Door plays on Saturday at noon with live musical accompaniment from Chicago organist Dennis Scott.
Wrapping up the Music Box’s rep screenings is the next in their “Is It Still Funny?” series, looking back at a classic comedy to see how it holds up. On Wednesday, January 10, you can see Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959, DCP), which both the AFI and the BBC have deemed the greatest comedy film of all time.
Doc Films, 1212 E 59th St # 3
With the new year, a new batch of fantastic film series is on tap at Doc Films. Over the next few months, you can check out great classic and genre films on bad marriages, feminist horror films, African American visions of the future, and retrospectives on Seijun Suzuki and Alain Delon.
Fridays, Marriage on the Verge of Collapse: Don’t Look Now (Nicolas Roeg, 1973, 35mm), an insanely creepy horror film with an ending you won’t want spoiled.
Sundays, Phantom Rides: Trains & Cinema: Once Upon a Time in the West (Sergio Leone, 1968, DCP), one of the greatest westerns ever made.
Tuesdays, Deep Seijun: Rare Films of Suzuki Seijun: Tokyo Drifter (Seijun Suzuki, 1966, DCP), probably Suzuki’s most known work, a neon-splashed yakuza film with an unforgettable performance by Tetsuya Watari.
Wednesdays, Le Samouraï: An Alain Delon Retrospective: Purple Noon (René Clément, 1960, 35mm), the original adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Thursdays, A Dish Best Served Hot: Feminist Revenge Fantasies: Teeth (Mitchell Lichtenstein, 2007, 35mm), a disturbing coming-of-age horror where a young woman finds out she has teeth in the least opportune place.
As we’ve turned the page on 2017, the Logan Theatre’s late night lineup in January is preparing for a better year with Jolly January, spotlighting purely enjoyable cinema. This week includes two totally awesome historical comedies: Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones, 1975, format unknown) on January 5-8 and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (Stephen Herek, 1989, format unknown) on January 9-11. Definitely not bogus.
