Widescreen tidbits: 'The Fog,' Rockford skaters and hidden horror gems
Everyone has John Carpenter and Jamie Lee Curtis on the brain this year thanks to the “Halloween” revival, including the Music Box Theatre — but they're shunning Michael Myers in favor of “The Fog.”
The iconic Chicago theater at 3733 N. Southport Ave. will present a new 4K digital restoration of Carpenter's 1980 thriller about a mysterious, cursed fog overtaking a seaside town tonight through Wednesday, Oct. 31. Curtis stars alongside her mother, Janet Leigh, in a film that has been out of theatrical circulation for years “due to faded, unplayable prints,” according to a Music Box news release.
Visit musicboxtheatre.com for tickets and showtimes.
Documentary discussion
“Minding the Gap,” an acclaimed documentary from Chicago-based filmmaker Bing Liu that follows three skateboarders from Rockford, will be presented Monday, Oct. 29, at the Tivoli Theatre, 5021 Highland Ave., Downers Grove, by the After Hours Film Society. Tickets are $6 for members, $10 for nonmembers; a discussion follows the film.
The winner of the 2018 Sundance Film Festival's Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Filmmaking, “Minding the Gap” also is available for streaming via Hulu. See the trailer at mindingthegapfilm.com.
Hidden horror gems
Need some spooky recommendations for your weekend watching? I joined WDCB 90.9-FM host Gary Zidek last weekend to talk about some of our favorite lesser-known horror films. You can hear the full segment — and previous episodes of Zidek's “The Arts Section” show — online at theartssection.org. What's on the docket? Teen werewolves, Wes Craven and a wacky riff on “Frankenstein,” for starters.
• Sean Stangland is a Daily Herald multiplatform editor. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanStanglandDH.