William Friedkin's THE BOYS IN THE BAND (American Revival)

Gene Siskel Film Center — Friday and Tuesday, 6pm
Making a feature film about gay men in 1970 was a bold move. THE BOYS IN THE BAND is often cited as being the first Hollywood narrative to put queer men front and center, and that meant it was going to be judged more for its politics than its content. It generally received tepidly positive reviews from critics, but at the same time some major newspapers refused to run its ads. Released less than a year's remove from the Stonewall Riots, the Boys in this Band were not the cheerleaders for gay pride that some would hope for. Based on an off-Broadway play by Mart Crowley and featuring the same cast, it has aged well, in most ways. Accused of trafficking in negativity by some in the gay community because of the self-hatred that is so apparent in most of the characters, it gives its gay-stereotyped ensemble the three-dimensionality they deserve. We're not supposed to love or hate these men; we just drop in on an emotional evening that ends with a lot of hurt feelings. Despite some unevenness in the dialog and over-reliance on the close-up, the film is essential viewing because of the topic it chose to address. Sometimes, a period piece that is the first of its kind is more important than repeatable one-liners and intricate plot twists. The Boys aren't likable movie icons, but they are real, and necessary. Pamela Robertson Wojcik lectures at the Tuesday screening. (1970, 119 min, 35mm) JH - Cine-File.info

Arthur Penn's ALICE'S RESTAURANT (American Revival)

Music Box — Friday, Midnight and Saturday and Sunday, 11:30am
A quirky little movie, loosely based on a quirky song. As the 1960's were coming to a close, Arlo Guthrie and Arthur Penn had their collaborative fingers on the pulse of the counterculture. For both men this was also the height of their popularity, with Penn fresh off of 1967's taboo breaking BONNIE AND CLYDE, and Guthrie's 1967 song and album with the same title as the movie having become a defining symbol of the anti-Vietnam war movement. But where that song had a catchy ragtime backbeat to make tuning in and dropping out seem like a whole lot of fun, the movie catches the darker side of the alternative lifestyle. Not without its moments of joy, the multiple, mostly fictional plot lines include a 13 year-old runaway groupie who hits on Arlo so she can add him to her collection, the death of a talented young artist named Shelly from drug addiction, and the emotional breakdown of a battered wife. Sure, we get the silly play about how an arrest for littering ends up saving Guthrie from being drafted (this part of the story is true), but the power of this film lies in its depiction of tragedies. In one scene, the wintertime funeral of the young Shelly is accompanied only by the sound of a song by Joni Mitchell, who also appears on-screen. As it begins, the camera slowly tracks past the cemetery, shaking slightly as if we are watching from a car driving on the other side of the fence, at a remove from the characters that are spread throughout the cemetery as snow falls. As we travel downhill to catch a glimpse of the grave and casket, the camera lifts higher as if we're just passing them by, keeping our distance. We do get a series of close-ups to end the scene, but these only reveal a numb makeshift family, watching as one of their own is buried. No one talks, and no one touches; all are left as singular people, separately pondering whether their carefree existence has been a terrible mistake. The sadness in this scene is echoed in the film's final shot, when the camera drives away again. The titular Alice is standing alone on the porch of the church where she and her husband have played parents to ragtag love children, staring blankly towards a future that could have been. Penn understood that the Summer of Love was already a memory, and the revolution had not been a success. (1969, 111 min, 35mm) JH - Cine-File.info

John Hughes' SIXTEEN CANDLES, WEIRD SCIENCE, and FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (Contemporary American Revivals)

Music Box — Showtimes noted below
On a hot streak after penning the screen gems that were NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION and MR. MOM, John Hughes started a three year directorial run that would redefine the Teen Movie, and made a splash with his 1984 debut, SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984, 93 min, DVD Projection; Thursday, 7pm). A romantic comedy with a heavy dose of slapstick, it is best remembered for two things: making the 15 year old stars of the film, Molly Ringwald and Anthony Michael Hall, into overnight sensations, and featuring Gedde Wantanabe as Japanese foreign exchange student Long Duk Dong. As far as Ringwald and Hall are concerned, this was their first major step in becoming teen idols of the 80s. Both turned in great performances in what would turn out to be the first of a multi-movie partnership with Hughes, and made this teen oriented movie funnier, if not smarter, than it deserved to be. Ringwald is the awkward sophomore who is madly in love with a popular senior, and Hall is "the Geek." Despite having lengthy, and still active, careers, the characters they played here have cast a long shadow over the two, pigeonholing them for years to come. Wantanabe has carved out a living through bit and supporting parts (most notably on the TV series ER), but he too is irrevocably tied to his role here—he is still being accosted by strangers for his over-the-top portrayal of "the Donger." There is a thin line between funny and offensive when depicting a racial stereotype and, almost 30 years later, it's still not clear where his portrayal lands. Despite this ongoing controversy (NPR did a 2008 story on the cultural reaction to the character), Hughes' knack for crafting memorable comic sidebars was on full display here, as it would be in his 1985 effort, WEIRD SCIENCE (1985, 94 min, DVD Projection; Thursday, 9:30pm). Again casting Hall as the geek, this lighthearted tale is to computer pornography as TRON was to computer gaming. Taking creative license from the Frankenstein films (which the boys watch in the movie), Hall and his nerdy cohort use a computer to create the perfect woman. Through the power of a military mainframe and the perfect timing of a lightning bolt, these two uptight virgins accidentally spawn Kelly LeBrock, and comedy ensues. Though not featuring the most sophisticated of storylines (basically, nerds use virtual woman to gain popularity and meet girls), the film is noteworthy as the further development of Hughes' career and commercial success. Beyond that, its focus on two insecure high-school outcasts who learn to be comfortable in their own skin is a theme that Hughes would return to time and again. The appeal of both these films lies in their relatable teenage heroes, at once shy and smart, just waiting to grow up. In contrast, there is the picaresque tale of FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF (1986, 103 min, 35mm; Friday and Saturday, Midnight), about a confident young man doing what he can to postpone adulthood. In a performance that made him a bonafide leading man at the age of 23, Matthew Broderick creates a character so clever and charming that you can't help but root for him. Beginning with a little white lie about a serious illness to get a final day off before going to college, Ferris schemes to cheer up his best friend Cameron with a VIP tour of the city. Wrigley Field, the Art Institute, Michigan Avenue, and the Sears Tower ("I think I see my dad") are the backdrop for the greatest senior ditch day ever put on film. Its enduring appeal lies in the subplot, however, in which the evil dean of students, Edward Rooney (Jeffery Jones), vows to catch Ferris in the act and force him to repeat his senior year. In the film that not only taught countless youngsters how to properly play sick, but also showcased our city as the playground for Broderick's under stimulated Northshore slacker, there are moments of cinematic greatness. Along with 1985's THE BREAKFAST CLUB, these films mark the high point of Hughes' career as a director, and the popularity of the teen movie. SIXTEEN CANDLES and WEIRD SCIENCE show as part of the Chicago United Film Festival. JH - Cine-File.info