Chicago Film Discussion Group

Like THE SHINING and DAWN OF THE DEAD, PHANTASM (1979) is a cerebral nightmare that we never want to end. Written, produced, directed, shot, and edited by Don Coscarelli when he was only 23-years-old, the movie follows a group of small-town friends as they battle the "Tall Man"—a mysterious force of cosmic horror who wields flying silver murderballs. This Lovecraftian vortex deftly combines gothic horror, surrealism, and a killer prog rock score into a concoction that horror fans have never stopped worshipping. Thanks to a stunning restoration and 5.1 surround sound mix produced by J.J. Abrams's Bad Robot and Coscarelli, PHANTASM has never looked or sounded better.

Director Don Coscarelli and producer/special effects designer Paul Pepperman in attendance for a post-film Q&A

In Robert Altman’s exhilarating masterwork, the lives of two dozen individuals in politics and the music industry intersect and collide over the hectic days leading up to a political fundraising concert in Nashville, Tennessee. From a country music star (Ronee Blakley) to a teenage groupie (Shelley Duvall), Altman crisscrosses storylines to create a rich, complex portrait of the American Dream. Of the film, Roger Ebert wrote, “After I saw it, I felt more alive, I felt I understood more about people, I felt somehow wiser.” Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, NASHVILLE is a profoundly prescient film, astonishingly relevant to current events regardless of when you view it.

Also, your Meetup organizer's favorite film, so expect some spirited discussion afterwards. See it before our late July Meetup on the films of 1975.

Thanks to the Siskel Film Center, we now get a chance to view "Caught By The Tides", directed by the great Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke ("A Touch of Sin", "Mountains May Depart") and one of 2024's most remarkable films! Ironically, one of the reasons it's so remarkable is Zhang-ke didn't just film it that year but used footage he had made over the past 24 years, since 2001. This gives a "Boyhood" like trek through the decades for the central relationship as the couple navigate the dramatic changes in both their union and in the country's changes on the global stage (a key moment is its selection to host the 2008 Olympics). Featuring another stunning performance from longtime partner actress Zhao Tao, the film's range of scenes and styles acts as a summation statement from an artist about the country he calls home and the travails of the people within it.

After the movie we'll head to a nearby place, most likely the Emerald on 216 N. Wabash, to talk the many details the movie aims to express, as well as how it fits with his other work and with other notable films of 2024. Tickets are $15 and you can pick them up in advance from: https://www.siskelfilmcenter.org/caught-tides

This July, The Chicago Film Discussion Group continues our tradition of looking back 50 years, which means it's time to talk about the films of 1975! At the midpoint of movies' most creative and adventurous decade, we got unique takes on science fiction, sports movie, film noir, period romance, spy thriller, and especially the musical. Plus several superlative entries from the New Film Waves here (Hal Ashby, Robert Altman, Arthur Penn) and abroad (Milos Forman, Rainer Fassbinder). And let's not forget the film focusing on facing off against a deadly animal threat - the killer rabbit from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".

There's such an overabundance of cinematic gold in this year that though we'll provide a list of some of the more notable ones below we want to emphasize that in no way are we going to go through all of them nor are there expectations people have seen a particular one. It will be a more free-form discussion where people bring up the films of 1975 that most interest them, and the list below serves as an inspiration for the variety and quality of films from that remarkable movie year!

Notable 1975 films:

· Barry Lyndon (Stanley Kubrick)
· A Boy and His Dog (L.Q. Jones)
· Dersu Uzala (Akira Kurosawa)
· Dog Day Afternoon (Sidney Lumet)
· The Eiger Sanction (Clint Eastwood)
· Fox and His Friends (Rainer Fassbinder)
· Jaws (Steven Spielberg)
· The Man Who Would be King (John Huston)
· Monty Python and the Holy Grail (Terry Jones / Terry Gilliam)
· Nashville (Robert Altman)
· Night Moves (Arthur Penn)
· One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Miloš Forman)
· The Return of the Pink Panther (Blake Edwards)
· The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman)
· Rollerball (Norman Jewison)
· Shampoo (Hal Ashby)
· Smile (Michael Ritchie)
· Three Days of the Condor (Sydney Pollack)
· Tommy (Ken Russell)