Widescreen: Forget the 'Die Hard' debate. Is 'Eyes Wide Shut' a Christmas movie?
Let's end a tired, silly debate that has been raging every holiday season for at least two decades: Yes, of course, "Die Hard" is a Christmas movie.
But what about a movie that begins at a holiday party, ends in a toy store, and has multiple sets covered in wall-to-wall Christmas lights?
It's time to ask a new question: Is Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut" a Christmas movie? Programmers at two area theaters seem to think so.
You can see the "2001" legend's final film - a nightmarish clash of sex, class and power starring the most famous celebrity couple of the '90s, Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, and featuring at least one scene scarier than anything in "The Shining" - on the big screen in the suburbs and the city.
The Elk Grove Theatre, 1050 Elk Grove Town Center, Elk Grove Village, will screen "Eyes Wide Shut" at 1 and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. Tickets range from $5 to $8.50 and are available online at classiccinemas.com.
On the following Tuesday, Dec. 13, the movie will screen on 35 mm at Chicago's grandest movie house, the Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago. Tickets for the 4 and 7:30 p.m. shows cost $11 at musicboxtheatre.com.
Wear your best Venetian mask and remember this word: Fidelio. (Oh, and please, leave the kids at home!)
Streaming standup
Arlington Heights native and standup superstar Sebastian Maniscalco's new comedy special "Is It Me?" premieres Tuesday, Dec. 6, on Netflix.
Filmed in September during his residency at the Wynn Las Vegas' Encore Theater, "Is It Me?" features Maniscalco giving "a little nod to the Rat Pack" by sporting a sharp tux in front of a golden curtain. Netflix promises a one-hour set that tackles "life's little agonies, from school drop-offs to off-leash dogs to date nights with his wife."
"Is It Me?" is Maniscalco's fourth Netflix comedy special; all three previous hours are still available on the streaming platform. (He also appears in one of the most shocking scenes of Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman," a Netflix exclusive.)
Maniscalco has eight performances on his Vegas schedule in January and May. Go to sebastianlive.com for details.
• Sean Stangland is an assistant news editor who saw "Eyes Wide Shut" at both the Randhurst General Cinemas and the AMC South Barrington on opening weekend in 1999.