Yes, Virginia, you can find a commercial-free movie theater
No-commercial Catlow
I couldn't believe my eyeballs, but there it was in the Daily Herald movie ads buried in fine print: "No commercial ads shown before feature."
What? The Catlow Theater in Barrington doesn't show commercials before movies as other suburban movie houses do?
This I had to check out.
I got on the phone and asked for a quote from Catlow co-owner Roberta Rapata about why her theater doesn't show commercials. Her response was blunt:
"If you want to see commercials, stay at home."
Gee, that pretty much covers it.
I've always been mystified by theaters playing commercials (not counting coming attractions) for two reasons:
1) Why would exhibitors diminish the moviegoing experience by replicating what it feels like to watch commercial TV at home? Aren't the tinier screens and smaller auditoriums in multiplexes already doing that?
2) Why would banks, shoe manufacturers, car companies, soda pop distributors and other merchants want their products associated with the dismal, retina-wrecking video quality of most of these big-screen TV commercials?
I guess our choice is clear. We can watch TV at home. Or go to the Catlow.
'Bled White' tonight!
It took Geneva filmmaker Jose Gomez and his crew 20 days to shoot his new zombie horror movie "Bled White" all over Kane County, mostly in St. Charles, Hampshire and Maple Park.
Tonight, on Halloween Eve, Gomez presents his first viewing of the movie to his cast and crew, and for $8 admission, you can see it, too.
It'll be screened once at 8 p.m. at the Clearwater Theater, 96 W. Main St., West Dundee. (Adults only!)
"The story is nonlinear," Gomez told me this week. "Six people are living in a post-apocalyptic nightmare. They have no support, no government, and they are just as hungry as the zombies. The movie asks the question, 'At what point do humans and zombies become indistinguishable from each other?'"
Gomez shot "Bled White" only on weekends during the winter of 2007-08. By day, he works in the civil division of the Kane County Sheriff's Office. At 36, Gomez has won two Audience Choice awards at the Geneva Film Festival.
For details on "Bled White," go to clearwatertheater.com.
More scares!
Were you a bit disappointed by the horror movie "Quarantine" when it came out last year? Now you can see the original 2007 Spanish version "[•Rec]" - that's the real title - tonight at midnight at Facets Multimedia, 1517 W. Fullerton Ave., Chicago.
On Halloween night, Facets presents "Haxan," a 1922 Swedish silent film about witchcraft trials, with an original heavy-metal score played live! It starts at midnight, too.
Both films feature discussions by Facets experts. Go to facets.org for details.
All M*A*S*H-ed up
"21 and a Wake-Up," the first American-made Vietnam War movie shot where the conflict happened, could pass as an ambitious, rookie student film with its amateurish performances, cornball dialogue and possibly the worst editing job outside of an old Albert Pyun action movie.
Fittingly released on Halloween weekend, "21" offers a truly scary performance by 68-year-old Faye Dunaway as Major Thorn, a by-the-book commander who locks horns with Captain Murphy (Amy Acker), an "undisciplined" female Hawkeye Pierce at the U.S. 24th Evac Hospital during the final days of the war.
"21" was written and directed by Chris McIntyre, who served as a Marine stationed in Vietnam during the war. He based his film on real events, which, ironically, come off here as Hollywood creations, especially when Murphy travels into Cambodia on a secret mission to retrieve a Vietnamese-American girl, the daughter of an Army surgeon killed during a blatantly telegraphed "surprise" explosion.
A lot of name actors phone in their performances during "21," among them Tom Sizemore, Ed Begley Jr., Ben Vereen, Tim Thomerson and Lance Guest. Wes Studi, as General Gleason, plays his mercifully short scene as if he's double-parked his car.
"21 and a Wake-Up" opens today at local theaters. Rated R for language, nudity and violence. 120 minutes. .
ARTimation winners
Four Northwest suburban artists were named winners in the annual ARTimation contest at the Illinois Institute of Art in Schaumburg.
Gene Goldstein of Schaumburg won for best animated character design and humorous animation for "Squeak."
Jake Infusino of Elgin won best video editing and graphics for his Show Reel '08.
Joe Martin of Elk Grove Village won best interactive visual design for his portfolio.
Jacob Lignon of Addison won for best game demo reel.
Winning works were shown Wednesday night at the AMC South Barrington 30 Theaters.
Reeling '09 for real
Thirty-three features, lots of docs, shorts and discussions will highlight Reeling: The 28th annual Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival, running from Thursday, Nov. 5, through Nov. 15 at four Chicago locations. Go to reelingfilmfestival.org for schedules and tickets.