World Party

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 13, 2006 3:42PM

This weekend’s cineplex offerings seem a little TOO domestic so why not take in the cinematic sights of a foreign land?

Facets will participate in an intercontinental premiere of the Japanese film Runin (Banished) this weekend. The 2004 film takes place in an island penal colony where anyone who tries to escape is pushed off a cliff in a wicker ball (which is probably a horrible thing to witness and experience but the word “wicker” always makes us giggle). The island’s inhabitants are reduced to their most base desires as they pursue survival, freedom and (of course) love. Check the Facets website for showtimes Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Cache (Hidden) also premieres this weekend at the Music Box. The film was recently named best foreign film by the Chicago Film Critics and will likely be a nominee come Oscar time. It stars two of France’s most compelling actors and recalls the mind-fuckery of Memento.

Also at Music Box this weekend is Jean Renoir’s The Golden Coach. The music is Vivaldi, the cinematography is lush, and the performance Anna Magnani as the star of a commedia dell’arte touring company is captivating. More Renoir films arrive in the coming weeks at Music Box so check out this essay from local film historian James Leahy and you’ll be picking up hot film students in no time.

More after the jump...

Ziyi Zhang (or Zhang Ziyi if you prefer) is everywhere we look these days. We can’t open a magazine without seeing her on a Most-something-or-other list. The Wong Kar Wai film 2046 gives you an idea why. Continuing the story of Chow Mo Wan (from his previous work In The Mood For Love), he mixes elements of sci-fi with romance, a tricky proposition but one skillfully met through deft camerawork and intimate performances from its leads. It screens at 6:15, 9:00, and 11:45 at Doc Films tonight.

The Gene Siskel Film Center has two foreign series running this month with the films of Japanese filmmaker Mikio Naruse and France’s Isabelle Huppert. Check their website for films and screening times.

Lastly, it’s outside the theme but we’d be remiss if we didn’t tell you where The Clitoris is…screening this weekend. Chicago Filmmakers kicks off their Dyke Delicious series this weekend with The Clitoris - Forbidden Pleasure, a film that examines the history and psychology of female sexual response along with society’s perceptions of the little man in the boat. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at Women and Children First.