Siskel & Ebert at 50: LONE STAR (1996) with Filmspotting (Adam Kempenaar & Michael Phillips)
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Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert changed the way we watched movies forever. Their show and their style encouraged engagement and discussion about the films we watched, they used their influence to champion films of all sizes and genres, and their magnetic, approachable personalities put Chicago on the map forever as a city for film lovers. In honor of the 50th Anniversary of their groundbreaking show, DCASE and the Chicago Film Office present a FREE weekly screening series in November celebrating and revisiting some of their favorite films from their time together. Each film was hand-selected by a colleague or contemporary of Gene & Roger’s, with a focus on the “hidden gems” that they held in just as high regard as the more canonized classics of the era. We hope you’ll find a new favorite film in the bunch – or at least one that sparks some lively debate.
LONE STAR (1996, dir. John Sayles, 135min. DCP)
Tuesday, 11/25 at 7:00 P.M.
Selected by Filmspotting co-founder and co-host Adam Kempenaar, in attendance for a live podcast episode recording with Michael Phillips after the film.
When a skeleton is discovered buried in the desert at a Texas border town, a 40-year-old cold case is reopened that triggers a reckoning of the county’s history of racial violence, as well as the family history of investigator Sam Deeds (Chris Cooper). One of the crowning achievements of legendary American storyteller John Sayles; and bolstered by a sterling ensemble cast including Kris Kristofferson, Matthew McConaughey, Frances McDormand and a career-best Elizabeth Peña; this novelistic murder mystery breaks open the American myth in ways that reflect our current political moment, and made both Siskel & Ebert’s top 10 lists of 1996.
NOTE: Your RSVP does not guarantee entry. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, subject to availability.
For more information about the Chicago Cultural Center, including directions and accessibility resources, visit https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/depts/dca/supp_info/ccc.html