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Kubrick, CUFF And More: 5 Movie Musts For This Week

By Joel Wicklund in Arts & Entertainment on May 11, 2015 8:00PM

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“Airplane!” (Photo: © Paramount Pictures)

It's another solid week for moviegoing in Chicago, whether you'e in the mood for cutting-edge experimental work or old favorites returning to the big screen. These are just a few choice picks, by no means the only ones. Also worth noting are some longer runs starting Friday: I Am Big Bird (Siskel Center) about legendary Sesame Street puppeteer Caroll Spinney; Iris (Music Box), the last movie from legendary documentarian Albert Maysles; and Lambert & Stamp (Landmark's Century Centre and AMC's River East 21), about the innovative managing and producing team behind The Who. But for this space we'll put the focus on shorter runs or special events highlighting the week.

Airplane! - Classic Cinemas Elk Grove Theatre, Tuesday, May 12, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.
You know it by heart and it still makes you laugh. So why not see the 1980 spoof comedy that still tops them all (admittedly, an often low bar) with a likeminded crowd? The Chicago Film Critics Association's Patrick McDonald will introduce the 7 p.m. screening and host a Q&A afterward.

The Chicago Underground Film Festival - Logan Theatre, Wednesday, May13 - Sunday, May 17
Read our preview here.

The Shining - Block Cinema (Block Museum of Art, Evanston), Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m.
Great as it is, The Shining gets shown theatrically around town at least once or twice a year. So why is this screening a must? Here's why: it's free! And this is no cheap DVD projection showing at the local library or pub, but a 35mm print at quality-conscious Block Cinema, so you know it will look good. Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of the Stephen King chiller holds up to endless re-watching. And did I mention it's free? Better get there early though, as seating is limited.

Barry Lyndon - Doc Films (University of Chicago), Friday, May 15, 6 p.m and 9:30 p.m..; Saturday, May 16, 1 p.m.; Sunday, May 17, 1:30 p.m.
More Kubrick? You bet. Long before HBO's Boardwalk Empire made viewers wonder if their TV set's brightness levels were off with the authentic, dimly lit 1920s period lighting, Kubrick and cinematographer John Alcott used special lenses to show 18th century rooms illuminated only by candlelight. That kind of devotion to historical realism defines every scene in this 1975 drama of an ambitious Irishman's rise to aristocracy. Barry Lyndon has a reputation for being dull, but I think it's an unfair knock. It is long, deliberately paced and emotionally remote (well, it's Kubrick, right?), but there's a quiet intensity that makes this more than a showcase for its knockout production design.

Bert Williams, Rediscovered - Logan Center for the Arts (University of Chicago), Friday, May 15, 7 p.m.
Black filmmakers were working almost as soon as the medium was born, but with limited distribution options, a segregated audience and little thought of preservation, few of those early works survive. Lime Kiln Club Field Day, a 1913 musical comedy, was shelved even before it was edited for a release. But more than an hour of footage was shot starring popular Vaudeville-era comedian Bert Williams and other performers—making it what might have been the earliest feature-length movie with an all-black cast. The Museum of Modern Art had the footage in its archives for decades, but after years of painstaking research and preparation, an assemblage of the footage has been showing at museums and other venues. As the event title suggests, this shouldn't be viewed as a complete film, as multiple takes of the same scenes are included in the assemblage.

Despite its historical importance to black film, viewers should also be ready for plenty of stereotypes (including the weirdness of black performers in blackface makeup). But there is sure to be plenty of interest for this rare screening with live musical accompaniment and an introduction to provide historical background. Tickets are free, but should be reserved online, as seating is limited. More details here.