Movie Roundup: Hit Men, Vampires, Other Unusual Beings

By Rob Christopher in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 30, 2009 7:30PM

Spring is here. So no more excuses! Movies a-plenty out there, so get off the sofa and go watch some.

• Ex-Dark Knight Michael Keaton makes his directorial debut with the Chicago-produced The Merry Gentleman. Keaton stars as a suicidal hit man who strikes up a friendship with a woman fleeing an abusive relationship, played by Kelly McDonald. It previously screened at Sundance and next Tuesday, April 7, will have its Chicago premiere at the Landmark Century as part of the Midwest Independent Film Festival. Tickets are going fast (a second theater has already been added), so you best get one now. A Q & A session with the film's producers will follow the movie.
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  Robert Pattinson in How to Be
  Speaking of the Landmark Century, Mass Romantic had a sold-out screening there around this time last year and is holding an encore presentation to launch the movie's DVD release. It's Thursday, April 30. There's a Meet & Greet with the filmmakers and cast at 6:30 followed by the movie at 7:30. Check out their MySpace page.
• Proving again that great films, no matter how challenging, can still find an audience, experimental cinema program The Nightingale is celebrating its first anniversary with a special screening. The program will feature over a dozen works on both video and film. Curator Patrick Friel: "Most of these have only shown once in town, so here is a rare opportunity to catch up with or re-see an eclectic selection of some strange and wonderful films and videos made over the last twenty years or so." It's April 4 at 1084 N. Milwaukee; doors open at 7. Tickets are $10.
• In 2007, before Robert Pattinson was a brooding, hunky vampire, he acted in a little indie film called How to Be, playing an angsty musician going through a quarter-life crisis. A screening was held as part of CIMMfest last month and sold out almost immediately. So here's some advance notice: the Music Box is holding a special screening Wednesday, April 22 at 8:00pm. Afterwards there'll be a Q & A with writer-director Oliver Irving, composer Joe Hastings and a few of the actors. But not, alas, Mr. Pattinson; so no mob scenes, please.
• May 8 seems awfully far away, but this year's edition of the Sci-Fi Spectacular, also at the Music Box, is going to be fantastic. The headliner is 2001: A Space Odyssey, with special guest Keir Dullea live and in-person. Among the other seven movies are The Incredible Shrinking Man, the original versions of both The War of the Worlds and The Planet of the Apes, and David Cronenberg's remake of The Fly. $20 advance tickets are on sale now.