St. Nick, demons and 'Star Wars' dominate upcoming local movie events
The 1946 classic holiday fantasy “It's a Wonderful Life” will be screened at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4 at the Cutting Hall Performing Arts Center, 150 E. Wood St., Palatine. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. for seating and raffle ticket sales to benefit the Susannah's Gift Scholarship Fund.
The scholarship was established in memory of Susannah Kist, a Palatine Park District theater and music teacher who died of cancer in 2009. Raffle prizes have been donated by local businesses. A handmade quilt created by the district's quilting class will also be a raffle prize. Contact Assistant Superintendent of Recreation Donelda Danz at (847) 496-6203 or at danz@palatineparks.org for details.
'Florence' returns
If you missed this delightful bit of Oscar bait on the silver screen, here it comes one more time: “Florence Foster Jenkins” returns to select theaters this Friday, Dec. 2. Locally, it will play at Yorktown's Dine-In Theatres and Chicago's River East 21.
“FFJ” will likely net Meryl Streep her 20th Academy Award nomination as a real-life 1940s socialite whose dream was to become an opera singer - but without talent.
Co-stars Hugh Grant and Simon Helberg have outside chances to pick up Oscar nominations as well.
'Miracle' at the Catlow
It's Christmas Classics time at Barrington's historic Catlow Theater!
The original 1947 version of “Miracle on 34th Street” (starring Edmund Gwenn and an adorable Natalie Wood) will be shown at noon on Saturday, Dec. 2, at the Catlow, 116 W. Main St., Barrington. Tickets cost $6 ($5 for kids 11 and younger) and will be sold starting at 11 a.m.
Gwenn won the Oscar for his portrait of Kris Kringle, and has remained the silver screen's definitive incarnation of lovable St. Nick. Go to thecatlow.com for information.
Demonic confluence
The After Hours Film Society presents Marcin Wrona's unnerving Polish horror tale “Demon,” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5, at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove. Tickets cost $10 with discounts for society members.
A man (Itay Tiran) plans to marry his Jewish fiancee (Agnieszka Zulewska), but he goes totally Linda Blair after he discovers human remains under the spot where he wants to build a swimming pool.
“Demon” locally debuted in May at the Chicago Critics Film Festival at the Music Box Theatre. Go to afterhoursfilmsociety.com.
Call it 'the BMA bash'
The year's best works shown at the Midwest Independent Film Festival will be celebrated at the annual BMA (Best of the Midwest Awards) at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 6, at Rockit, 22 W. Hubbard St., Chicago. Cocktail reception begins at 7 p.m. followed by a party at 9 p.m. A $50 donation includes admission, a hosted bar and appetizers. midwestfilm.com.
'Star Wars' we do!
Pick up your blasters and light sabers then join me and film historian Raymond Benson when Dann & Raymond's Movie Club presents “A Long Time Ago in a Galaxy Far, Far Away: The Star Wars Story” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 N. Dunton Ave., Arlington Heights.
We'll show clips from all the “Star Wars” features, including a preview of “Rogue One,” the new stand-alone spinoff in theaters Dec. 16. Go to ahml.info for details.
Daily Herald film critic Dann Gire's column runs Friday in Time out!