Was 'Avatar' dissed? No, just a little late
The National Board of Review announced its movie awards for 2009 last week, but no where in the list of winners is a single mention of what could be a critical triumph and the biggest box office smash of the year, James Cameron's long-awaited science-fiction thriller "Avatar."
Why the rejection?
No rejection. Cameron didn't have the lavishly expensive "Avatar" (Time reports it cost $300 million) finished before the National Board announced its awards Dec. 3. So, "Avatar" was out of the running, as was any other December release not ready for public viewing by the Board's early cutoff.
So, in the interests of honesty, wouldn't it be more accurate for the National Board of Review to subtitle their awards "The Best of 2009: January Through November"? (Kind of makes you wonder what would have happened if Cameron's last feature, "Titanic," had been released in late 1997, doesn't it?)
"Avatar" opens in both 2-D and 3-D versions Dec. 18.
Can't avoid Lloyd
Lloyd Kaufman, the most notorious exploitation filmmaker since Roger Corman, will appear in person at showings of his new horror comedy "Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead," screening at midnight Friday and Saturday at the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport, Chicago.
Billed as "cinema's first chicken-zombie horror-comedy - with musical numbers!," Kaufman's movie gleefully advertises tasteless humor, gratuitous nudity and cultural insensitivity. What else would you expect from a guy who backed the "Toxic Avenger" movies and "Tromeo & Juliette"? Advance tickets cost $10 on brownpapertickets.com, $12 at the door.
Tivoli's holiday festival
Five holiday movies will be screened today through next week at the historic Tivoli Theater, 5021 Highland, Downers Grove: "Miracle on 34th Street", "Christmas Story", "Three Godfathers," "White Christmas" and "National Lampoon's "Christmas Vacation" will be shown in the restored 1928 theater. Go to classiccinemas.com for a schedule or call (630) 968-0219.
'Make No Little Plans'
A new documentary on visionary architect and Chicago city planner Daniel Burnham, "Make No Little Plans: Daniel Burnham and the American City," will be shown at 3 p.m. Sunday and 6 p.m. Monday at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State St., Chicago. Each screening will be followed by a discussion with the film producers, journalists, architects and academics. General admission costs $10. If you can't make the Film Center, WTTW will broadcast the movie on Dec. 17. Go to siskelfilmcenter.org for details.