Not-so-funny bunnies: 'Watership Down' among films in 'Not Quite for Kids' fest
'Not Quite for Kids:' a grown-up film fest
Chicago's Music Box Theatre presents a special film festival designed for more mature children, the “Not Quite For Kids” fest running Saturday, April 15, through Sunday, May 28, at the Music Box, 3733 N. Southport St., Chicago. The line-up:
“Forbidden Planet” (1956): The science-fiction classic inspired by Shakespeare's “The Tempest,” starring Robbie the Robot in his first silver screen appearance.
“The Point” (1971): Fred Wolf's fantasy about a round-headed person trapped in a pointy-headed world, narrated by Dustin Hoffman.
“Alice in Wonderland” (1933): The Lewis Carroll classic with Cary Grant, Gary Cooper and W.C. Fields.
“Watership Down” (1978): Martin Rosen's extremely violent, hand-drawn, animated bunny tale scared the carrots out of unsuspecting families used to Disney releases.
“The Great Muppet Caper” (1981): The only Muppet movie directed by Jim Henson, with cameos by John Cleese, Peter Falk, Peter Ustinov and Oscar the Grouch.
Visit musicboxtheatre.com/events/not-quite-for-kids-a-music-box-matinee-series.
Music Box extra: Gene Wilder's “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory” will screen at 2 p.m. Saturday, April 15. Wonka Goodie Bags provided for patrons.
Suburbs rule in 'Vacation on Location'
Wanna know where your favorite movies were filmed in the suburbs? Joey Green's new book “Vacation on Location: Midwest” explores the sites where movies were shot in 11 Midwest states. Illinois leads the pack with 11 movies, most of them using sites in Chicago's suburbs.
The list includes Woodstock, the true star of Harold Ramis' “Groundhog Day”; Des Plaines and Northbrook locations for John Hughes' “The Breakfast Club”; Wauconda and West Chicago locations for “The Blues Brothers”; and many others. Green's impressively detailed book ($16.99) will be out on May 1, but it might be at some stores and online services early.
Elgin preps for fifth Latino Film Festival
Mark your calendars for the fifth annual Latino Film Festival Elgin April 21 through 23 with movies from Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.
Opening night starts at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, April 21, at the Spartan Auditorium, Elgin Community College. Argentina's romantic comedy “One Night of Love” will be followed by a reception. The fest moves to the Marcus Elgin Cinema, 111 S. Randall Road, on Saturday, April 22, and Sunday, April 23. Go to LatinoFilmFestivalElgin.com for schedules and tickets, or call (630) 335 5229.
10th Geneva Film Fest wants your film best
The 10th annual Geneva Film Festival won't take place until March 8, 2018. But the early-bird deadline for submissions is May 10. Go to genevafilmfestival.org to submit films in the categories Narrative Short or Feature, Documentary Short or Feature, Animated Short, Musical Short, and two divisions of Student Shorts.
Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Friday in Time out!