Tickets So Hot They Melt You

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Jan 24, 2007 4:31PM

Oscar fever has got us doing cartwheels all over the Chicagoist offices, as well as placing more than a few friendly wagers over who will be taking home those expensive doorstops come February 25th. But that’s not the only thing going down in the film world at the moment. A little gathering in Park City, Utah called the Sundance Film Festival has been underway since last week. And lest you shrug your shoulders indifferently just remember that Little Miss Sunshine, which was just nominated for four Oscars including Best Picture, premiered at last year’s Sundance.

But after the premieres comes the down-and-dirty dealing -- backroom bargaining that makes the Daley administration look like a wet noodle on a white dish. The festival’s opener Chicago 10, which we told you about recently, has garnered some very positive reviews and looks headed for theatrical distribution this summer (although we haven't heard whether it's been picked up yet). A Best Documentary nomination for it next year wouldn't seem out of place. John Cusack’s film Grace Is Gone has also done well, triggering a $4 million bidding war. It was eventually picked up by the Weinstein Bros. Co. The drama tracks the anguish of a man who must tell his children that their mother, a solider, has been killed in Iraq. Incidentally Mr. Cusack has also been helping out the Illinois Film Office at the festival, trying to talk up the benefits of shooting in our lovely state.

You don't have to leave Chicago to find a hot ticket, because this weekend's screenings of David Lynch's INLAND EMPIRE at the Music Box are smokin.' The Saturday evening screenings, when Lynch himself will be on hand for a Q &A, and perhaps a sample of his new coffee and some cello music, have long since sold out and tickets are going on eBay for big bucks. Not too shabby for a wacked-out, three-hour puzzler shot on low-fi digital video. Don't worry though: there are still tickets available for later in the week.