Chicago Film Lover Exchange

In September the Gene Siskel dedicates a retrospective to Abbas Kiarostami, the great Iranian filmmaker (author of some of the most profound films of our time: "Taste of Cherry," "Close-up," "Certified Copy"). As he did in previous films, in "And Life goes on" Kiarostami blends reality and fiction with stunning and poetic results. In the aftermath of the 1990 earthquake in Iran that left fifty thousand dead, Kiarostami returned to Koker, where his camera surveys not only devastation but also the teeming life in its wake. "And Life Goes On" follows a film director who, along with his son, makes the trek to the region in hopes of finding out if the young boys who acted in "Where Is the Friend’s House?" are among the survivors, and discovers a resilient community pressing on in the face of tragedy. Finding beauty in the bleakest of circumstances, Kiarostami crafts a quietly majestic ode to the best of the human spirit. You may purchase your ticket on line or at the theater. After the show we will go for dinner and discussion as usual. The film is 96 mins long. Hope to see you then! Further details to follow.

"Joker," the Golden-Lion winner at the Venice Film Festival, the oldest film festival in the world, is bold, devastating and utterly beautiful. Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix have not just reimagined one of the most iconic villains in cinema history, but reimagined the comic book movie itself. "Joker" gives its infamous central character a chillingly plausible origin story that serves as a brilliant showcase for its star -- and a dark evolution for comics-inspired cinema. This is the chilling trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t433PEQGErc WE'LL GO FOR DINNER/DISCUSSION AFTER THE SHOW. MORE INFO TO FOLLOW (EXACT SHOW TIME, ETC.)

Bong Joon Ho, the Korean director of "The Host" and "Snow Piercer," won the Palme d'or at Cannes with "Parasite," a brilliant tragicomedy that has already been called a "modern classic." According to the Guardian, "It is almost a supernatural or sci-fi story; an invasion of the lifestyle snatchers. Parasite gets its tendrils into you." An American remake is already in the making. Living in a sub-basement, leeching off the neighbor’s WiFi and clinging to employment opportunities like the mass folding of pizza boxes, the Kim family struggles to get by at even a subsistence level. Bending the truth, exaggerating, and outright lying are the available tools to get ahead, bolstered with some nifty internet cafe digital forgery when college-aged Ki-woo is handed the opportunity to be an English tutor by a friend. The family turns out to be wealthy, they want bona fides (even if they don’t check them), and Ki-woo quickly sees the opportunity to turn a little lie into a series of them, gradually getting the other members of his family employed in a range of service positions. The catch being, the four Kims can’t let on they know one another—and then there’s another catch, then another… The trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLIIxDQmjyg YOU CAN BUY YOUR TICKET AT THE THEATER OR ONLINE. WE'LL GO FOR DINNER/DRINKS AFTER THE SHOW. MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW.

Scary, exciting, heartbreaking, "Stranger Things," one of the most popular TV shows ever, acts as an addictive homage to Spielberg films and vintage 1980s television. It set in 1983 Indiana, where a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top-secret government experiments, terrifying supernatural forces and one very strange little girl. JOIN US FOR DINNER/DRINKS AND CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS CULTURAL PHENOMENON NOW IN ITS THIRD SEASON ON NETFLIX.