Six Chicago-Based Films To Ring In 2013
By Chuck Sudo in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 31, 2012 7:40PM
Patrick Swayze in Next of Kin.
In a few hours people across Chicago will dress in their best clothes and head out to ring in 2013 at places with all-inclusive bar packages.
Or maybe you’re like us and have a bottle of sparkling wine already chilled, your most comfortable set of pajamas set aside and a Netflix Instant or Hulu Plus queue 50 films deep waiting to have a mudhole stomped into it and walked dry.
Watching movies at home on New Year’s Eve has come a long way since Billy Crystal ate Malomars and imagined helping the Knicks win their first title since 1973 in When Harry Met Sally. Although DVD and Blu-ray rentals still dominate the market, streaming films online is becoming more popular. Netflix has become the streaming media service people love to hate, accounting for 33 percent of prime-time Internet traffic in September even as users complain about the lack of new releases available. (Netflix’s recent actions like its exclusive deal with Disney and the debut later this year of new Arrested Development episodes go a long way toward rectifying this.)
For those of us who look at Netflix and other streaming media services as a glass half-full proposition, it’s an opportunity to find some hidden gems; it could be an indie classic that flew under your nose or some so-bad-it’s-good dreck that qualifies as a guilty pleasure. For Chicagophiles it’s also a great opportunity to view films that captured the city in grittier times, complete with neon marquees downtown, train stations that matched the toughness of their neighborhood locations and dark corridors that held untold surprises.
Following are some film suggestions for New Year’s Eve viewing with Chicago connections that can have you awake until sunrise tomorrow—Malomars are optional.
Chicago: You’re probably thinking this is an obvious choice. This isn’t the 2002 film based on the musical, however. This 1927 Cecil B. DeMille-produced silent, based on the original 1927 play, has some slight differences to both the play and later renditions; Roxie Hart does get away with murder here, but her ultimate fate makes one wish she didn’t. This version of Chicago has been a rarity for viewing for decades before the UCLA Film and Television Archive released a restored print. You can stream the 1927 version of Chicago on Fandor, which offers free monthly trials worth taking advantage.
The Hunter: Steve McQueen’s last film wasn’t his best, but this tale of an aging bounty hunter, based on the real-life exploits of bounty hunter Ralph “Big Papa” Thorson, features man’s man McQueen tracking a bounty while riding atop an “L” train and the best car chase scene involving Marina Towers’ parking structures ever. (Available for purchase via Amazon Instant for $9.99.)
Next of Kin: Patrick Swayze made a bunch of cheesy films before and after his breakthrough in Dirty Dancing. 1989’s Next of Kin would be considered a camp classic if it wasn’t released the same year as Swayze’s magnum opus, Road House. Swayze plays a Kentucky-born Chicago cop whose brother is murdered by the Mob and becomes conflicted between his oath to Protect and Serve and his family’s wish to avenge the murder by shedding Outfit blood. This film also features Helen Hunt as Swayze’s wife, Adam Baldwin as the mob hothead who murders Swayze’s brother and Liam Neeson delivering the first of many unconvincing American accents as the brother who demands an eye for an eye. (Amazon Instant has Next of Kin available as a $2.99 rental or a $5.99 purchase.)
Stony Island: Local music writer Althea Lagaspi tweeted this film was available on Hulu Plus and, after watching, we realized what a treat it is to see Chicago in 1978. Stony Island is one of Andrew Davis’ early directorial efforts and stars his brother Richard as a white jazz musician living on Stony island Avenue on the South side who decides to put a band together with his best friend and an aging local sax legend. Davis’ eye for Chicago settings was already well-formed and the “L” and Metra systems play supporting roles in the film. Look for the late singer Oscar Brown Jr. as an alderman and Bangles frontwoman Susanna Hoffs as Richard Davis’ girlfriend.
Thief: This underrated Michael Mann classic stars James Caan as a professional safecracker longing to retire from his trade and live quietly while tending his legitimate businesses in Chicago. This is one of Caan’s more understated performances and also marks one of the early film roles for Jim Belushi, while Mann exhibits the stylistic tics that would later inform Miami Vice. (Available on Netflix Instant.)
When Harry Met Sally: Sure, most of the film is set in New York City, but the journey of Harry Burns and Sally Albright from bitter opposites to husband and wife began with a road trip from Chicago to New York after they graduated the University of Chicago. (Available for purchase and rental on Amazon Instant.)