chicagocinema.net

You may have noticed that my posting has dropped precipitously in the past couple months. This has been due to the fact that in November of 2009, Lake Claremont Press “indefinitely delayed” the release of Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition.

Since the main point of this blog is to publicize the book, I’ve decided to suspend posting on this site until further notice.

I’ll be flying to China in February for a long Asian travel sojourn and will be back in early May. Perhaps by then there will be something definite on the book release.

I will resume the blog and start posting again once there is a firm release date from the publisher.

Thank you to everyone who helped in the creation of the book and in the launch of this site, plus those of you who’ve been stopping by.

See You All Soon!!!

There's great fun to be had for the whole family at the Chicago Film Archives' Home Movie Day!

One of the newer film-related organizations in the city, the Chicago Film Archives has quickly grown into an important resource for all of the Midwest. Like many worthwhile non-profit endeavors, the Chicago Film Archives was created for a specific purpose, and then expanded its mission in order to fill a larger need. Started at the end of 2003 to save and preserve approximately 5,000 16 MM films that the Chicago Public Library was letting go, they originally set up shop in a donated space on LaSalle Street, but soon grew out of it. After a long search, they found their current home in a renovated industrial warehouse right on the river at 329 W 18th Street.

With climate controlled storage facilities, roomy freight elevators, and plenty of room to grow; the CFA almost immediately began looking to collect and preserve as many other old films as possible. Executive Director Nancy Watrous elaborates, “We started talking about the mission of the organization and what we should be doing, aside from just taking care of this collection from the CPL, and it quickly became clear to all of us that this part of the country needed a regional film archive. There simply was no existing place to take in, track, and try to save the films that represent [the heritage of] the Midwest. So slowly but surely we morphed into a regional film archive.” They worked out an expanded mission, “We take in films that either reflect in their content the Midwest, or that are made by Midwest filmmakers,” and other donated films began pouring in, expanding the collection to over 7,000 items.

A major part of the CFA’s mission is to select the rarest and/or most important films and submit grants on their behalf to the National Film Preservation Foundation for preservation as part of our national cultural heritage. Those films which receive grants are then sent to labs which specialize in restoration and preservation of old films.

One of the most fascinating and unexpected aspects of the CFA’s mission is the collecting of home movies, which are considered by film archivists and a growing segment of the public to be an important part of our shared cultural heritage. This has led to a fascinating outreach activity known as “Home Movie Day”, where CFA technicians and archivists set up inside a location (such as the Chicago Cultural Center) for a day long celebration of home movies. During the afternoon, interested persons may bring in their old home movies for inspection and evaluation by professionals and/or to donate films to the archive (they can also arrange to make use of the CFA’s transfer and repair services, which are done for a fee). Then later that night, the movies that are most interesting or in the best condition are then shown to large crowds which gather for a taste of Midwestern home (movie) cooking.

Which brings us to the fact that the CFA is sponsoring another Home Movie Day on Saturday, October 17 at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington Street (Michigan Avenue between Washington and Randolph across from Millennium Park).

3:00pm to 6:00pm:
Interested persons can check in their films and make an appointment to meet with a CFA archivist who will inspect their film and talk about home movie care.

6:00pm to 9:00pm
Those who brought in films can see their home movies up on the big screen in front of a live audience!  David Drazin (a noted silent film musical accompanist who is also interviewed in Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition) will be playing piano behind the films for the full “movie palace effect.” (Which will really provide a dramatic context for that footage of Uncle Morty passing out in his mashed potatoes during Thanksgiving Dinner in 1961).

From those who bring in their footage, to the curators and experts who evaluate it, to the folks who just come to enjoy the screening in the evening; Home Movie Day is great fun for all involved. And it’s completely free!!! [although people can arrange for paid services to restore their damaged treasures]

For more information or to schedule an appointment with a CFA archivist call 773-478-3799 or 312-243-1808.  Ask for Anne or Nancy.

Special Effects Coordinator John Milinac's face may not be familiar, but if you are a moviegoer, you've seen and enjoyed his work many times. (Photo by Michele Wiesler.)

When I began my research for Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition and was looking for local industry people to interview, one of my biggest priorities was to find a special effects person to speak with. Lucky for me, I was able to find one of the best in the business, John Milinac.

Born and raised in rural McHenry county in Northeastern Illinois, John was always interested in making home movies and “little story lines” with the neighborhood kids using his parent’s 8mm camera. He got super 8 sound camera when he graduated from High School in 1978 and “it ratcheted up a little more.” All the while, he was trying to figure out an entree to the real film industry.

He and his brother tracked down the production crew of the Blues Brothers (1980), which was filming a stunt scene in Wauconda, and visited the set. “We managed to infiltrate the set close enough to start talking to people and figure out how to approach getting into the film industry, and it seemed like a pretty big task at the time.” Milinac never gave up on his dream, however, and the itch to make movies just grew too intense. This led to him moving out to Los Angeles several years later, “I knew there was a ‘Stunts Unlimited’ company and just guessing I thought there’d be a ‘Special Effects Unlimited’ Company and there was. That turned out to be owned by legendary Hollywood effects man Joe Lombardi (Apocalypse Now, The Godfather).

“I started making a contact with that company and talking to their general manager and over the next few years just became one of their nuisance phone calls.” They finally relented and hired John as an entry level employee and he moved out to Los Angeles in 1985. He worked for Special Effects Unlimited until his son was born in 1989. John and his wife decided that LA wouldn’t be the best place to raise a family, so they moved back to Northern Illinois and bought a home. Illinois was still an infrequent site for movie making, however, and John had resigned himself to the fact that his career in film production might be coming to an end.

That all changed when Ron Howard’s multi-million dollar special effects laden production, Backdraft (1991), started filming in several locations around Chicago. Milinac knew the special effects crew, and was hired immediately. Backdraft was the first of a new wave of films to be shot in Chicago, and John soon realized he might be able to return home to his rural roots, yet still work in the movie business. “I just had to approach the industry a little bit differently than if we’d stayed in Los Angeles.”

The experience that he gained working out west proved invaluable to Milinac as he was able to work his way into the local film unions and become a mainstay of the Chicago/Midwest crew scene. He’s now a top tier special effects coordinator, having worked in various capacities on over 50 films in the last 25 plus years; including Next Of Kin (1989), Dennis The Menace (1993), The Relic (1997), I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997), The Negotiator (1998), A Simple Plan (1998), Stir Of Echoes (1999), Road To Perdition (2002), 8 Mile (2002), The Last Samurai (2003), The Weather Man (2005), The Break Up (2006), The Lake House (2006), The Express (2008), Wanted (2008), and The Unborn (2009). He also worked on several television shows, including Prison Break (1994) and The Beast (2009).

The fluttering feathers at the end of Stir of Echoes, the frosty with the spoon on Nicholas Cage’s jacket in The Weatherman, the intense battle scenes in The Last Samurai (he assisted on that film), the driving rainstorm during the climactic shootout in Road To Perdition, the big cemetery shootout in Next Of Kin, and untold scenes of terror and mayhem in a slew of horror pictures; John’s work (both big and subtle effects) has been an integral part of many of the coolest films of the last three decades.

He graciously has given several hours of his time to discuss his work and career with me over the last year, but you’ll have to get a copy of Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition to find out more! We’re only here to talk about his most recent work, particularly on The Unborn. [Yeah, I know I'm a tease. But I've got to move some units and I can't be giving it all away.]

Much of the work of a mechanical special effects coordinator is preparation for contingencies that never occur; certain effects may be called for in the script that turn out to be too expensive for the budget, or the script changes and the effect is eliminated, or the effect itself is changed. On the other hand, John always has to be prepared to efficiently, safely, and inexpensively create effects on the fly which were never discussed. Perhaps the location where the scene occurs changes and they have to scramble to replicate the original effect under totally new conditions, or a new scene is written that calls for something completely different, or one of the other departments needs a rig made for one of their effects (John’s department also functions as the on set mechanics for anything that breaks down and “R and D” for any new devices or rigging needed by the lighting, electrical or any other crew on set). It is a constant process of improvisation and creative problem solving.

For The Unborn there was much preparation for more slime effects in an attempt to create an otherworldly feeling,  “We had spent a lot of our earliest pre-production time coming up with a lot of interesting slime effects- oozing from the floor, coming up from the toilet, or cracks in the walls– there were several pages in the script where it was a torrent of this stuff coming down stairwells, going backwards up walls-things of that nature. We did a lot of test shooting, some of it worked well, some of it didn’t.” Unfortunately, all of the nightmarish scenes featuring Odette Yustman (who played the protagonist of the film) wandering endless hallways oozing with slime “like the bowels of hell” had to be cut for budgetary reasons and the slime was really only brought out in one scene.

It boiled down to where the most economical place to use the “ectoplasmic” effects was in the scene in the nightclub bathroom. That’s where a full onslaught of slime and bugs and creatures coming through the walls occurred. John and cohorts designed and created a special set which contained breakaway walls and hidden slime faucets and drains. “That was a pretty interactive set for a couple days; with sliming, and oozing, and mopping it up, and resetting it, recovering it. It [the slime] was basically just water and Methocel (a food additive used in shakes and a disturbing array of other food products) and caramel color, just trying to go for a putrid look, but something we could create a lot of. We probably had about 50 or 60 gallons and we just pumped it wherever we needed it.”

Some Other Effects On The Unborn:

Upside-Down-Headed Crab Crawling Guy- John and the mechanical effects department were able to sit this one out. They had made tentative preparations for a trolley rig in case the person hired for the effect needed the support, but he was a professional contortionist and proved to be so talented that nothing was needed. Just a mask made to give the upside down head illusion and him crab crawling in various ways- reversed and speed altered. Turned out to be a very creepy effect for little money. “The less you see it the more upsetting it is, because you don’t really know what is up with that guy.”

Demon Possessed Kid Gets Thwunked By Car: Was staged in reverse order, “with the car and the kid right next to each other” and then the film was run backwards with an immediate cut to a stunt player (with a very slight build) bouncing off the breakaway glass windshield. Ended up looking very realistic and really gave a nice quick scare.

Demon Boy In The Medicine Cabinet Effect- It’s a staple of horror films, but is always effective if done properly (as it was here). A special medicine cabinet was made and fitted with the twisted writhing limbs and other creepy stuff, along with a small place for the kid who plays the demon boy to put his face, “kind of like those placards where you stick your face through the cardboard and have your picture taken.” Odette opens the cabinet, and PRESTO!!! Mutilated demon boy! Now where did those Band Aids get to?

Bug In The Egg Effect: This was perhaps my favorite effect in the film (it made me jump out of my skin) although it was very quick and kind of low key for a horror film. Odette is cooking breakfast and cracks an egg into a skillet when a large and creepy bug emerges from the burbling egg and races away. “I had a lot of fun with that trick,” recalls Milinac. Basically, he took an egg, drilled a hole in it and blew it out so it was hollow, “like you did in grade school,” then carefully cracked it open, inserted the bug with a bit of egg white, and sealed it up with a temporary patch and a little bit of wax. The actress was then instructed how to hold and crack the egg into the pan for maximum effect.

For the “cooking” part, he got a skillet and modified it by drilling tiny invisible holes in it, then ran air through those holes to give the illusion of cooking when the egg hits it. They did several takes with the egg being cracked into the pan and the bug scurrying around. Then the insect wrangler would grab the bug and clean it off (with the ever-present Humane Society observer to make sure the bug wasn’t mistreated) and they would start again with a new egg.

The bug itself was called a Potato Bug. “It didn’t bite, but was very obnoxious, thorny and prickly and difficult to handle, kind of like an aggressive grasshopper.” There is an entire industry of people who provide various critters for movie scenes. Since bugs can’t really be trained, the wrangler will have an entire array of various insects for each task required “this one’s a good runner, this one likes to stay still, this one crawls real slow” and use them accordingly.

All-in-all the effects went extremely well on The Unborn and the movie was well received by audiences. There has been no official talk of a sequel to the film, but as John mentions “it does have the classic ending that could move into a sequel.” If the amount of searches I see on my web stats for this site that ask “will there be an Unborn 2?” (not to mention all the searches for “Odette Yustman in her underwear”) are any indication, we should definitely be seeing a sequel in the near future.

While I had John on the line, I questioned him about a few other things; the first one being his thoughts on the remake of Nightmare On Elm Street which had recently wrapped shooting. There wasn’t a lot he could say about it, there being a rather strict understanding of confidentiality about unreleased films in the FX code of ethics (often enforced by legal documents signed by the crew beforehand); but he did volunteer that, from his perspective, this re-imagining of the Freddy Krueger mythos will be much more dark and serious than the original franchise, without the tongue-in-cheek campyness that Robert Englund brought to the role. This darker version has apparently gone over quite well in some early tests and the filmmakers are “very excited” about its prospects.

I also asked John about any memories or impressions of the recently and untimely departed John Hughes, since Milinac had worked on several films that Hughes had produced and/or written (Baby’s Day Out, Dennis The Menace, Miracle On 34th Street, Home Alone 3). While Milinac had very little personal interaction with Hughes, the impression that he got from the reclusive producer was that his favorite thing in the world was to be on a movie set (which makes his retreat from directing even more curious).

John and I discussed a few other items, but this post just passed 2000 words and needs to be brought to a merciful end. Look for other posts about him in the future, as he is very forthcoming about his craft and is generous with his time (when he has any, that is).

Learn more about John Milinac (and several other Chicago film production luminaries) in Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition, which is now available for preorder on Amazon.com and is slated for a November release (just in time for Holiday giving!).

Those among you who have followed the site from the beginning (both of you) may remember that I promised to get veteran special effects coordinator John Milinac to dish on how he and his crew achieved some of the creepy effects in The Unborn, as well as imparting his knowledge on some other matters.

Well, I was finally able to connect with the (incredibly busy) man and will be transcribing our talk and putting together a post in a few weeks. So this is your last chance to run down a copy of the film and give it a look see before I spoil everything by revealing “the tricks behind the tricks.”

Things Falling Apart (a full Arkestra for this one night). Photo by Miranda Barnes.

Please join me for a Pompous, Long Winded Digression:

I’ve seen many things in my day… ATTACK SHIPS ON FIRE OFF THE SHOULDER OF ORION!

Oops, sorry. Just a brief, “Rutger Hauer in Blade Runner” moment there.

What I meant is that I have seen many live concerts, shows and performances of all types, genres, subgenres, and subgenretypes (yes the Word Collider is up and running) in my many years of seeking out new and bizarre forms of expression (pretty much since birth).

From shows in people’s garages and basements to the arenas, concert halls, gin joints, art galleries, theaters and outdoor music sheds of the Midwest; I’ve wandered, searched and even lurked in order satisfy my jones for those events which blur the boundaries created by all these illusory and arbitrary distinctions placed between forms of artistic expression and provide a transcendent improvised live experience.

Gil-Scott Heron in a tiny elementary school auditorium, the Art Ensemble of Chicago at the UW-M Student Union, a collective from Kansas City called BCR (formed many years ago by a bunch of brilliant music students who hung out with Sun Ra and Arkestra for a life changing week) at some KC art gallery, Magic Slim and the Teardrops at a club in Madison whose name escapes me, Tom Waits at the Chicago Theater, Johnny Griffin at the Jazz Showcase; I could name check/drop forever about all the performances I’ve seen (not that I’m alone in this sort of thing, I’m just giving you a baseline here) where, for a brief moment, a level of perceptive transcendence was achieved by all parties (audience and performers alike) and time seemed to stop as everyone was inexorably drawn into the moment.

I’ve also spent much effort throughout my life seeking out musical groups who do not concern themselves with adhering to conventions about genre or style; any musical instrument may be used and any musical style can be employed to achieve the specific sonic landscape desired. If that means mixing electronic samples with doumbek, tabla, cello, bassoon, and slide guitar (or some other equally unconventional assemblage) in a stylistic bouillabaisse, so be it.

It used to be much harder for me to find bands like that (at least ones that were really excellent). But with the continued globalization of musical styles, plus a few generations who were raised on the infinite cultural/musical/artistic buffet that is the internet and trained in the myriad of art and music schools and conservatories throughout the land; eclectic and well executed improvised music is almost ridiculously simple to find. Especially in Chicago, which has become a global hotbed of it in recent years.

It’s gotten so easy, in fact, that one can find three incredibly adept improvised avant garde music ensembles in one place on the same night; not to mention two ass kicking art rock bands.

Now I’ll admit that I’m hardly coming from an objective place, having been a participant in the proceedings and counting several of the musicians as my friend, but I would never give praise I felt wasn’t deserved.

So with that caveat, I’ll just come out and say it: I saw the future of music on that Saturday night (during the anniversary of Woodstock, no less), and the future is in great hands. I also saw that the true values of Woodstock (peace, love, community, and infinite creativity) are still alive and well and being advanced with much greater care and understanding than they were by the original Woodstock Generation. [OH, shut your overbearing whiny pie holes, you smug self-satisfied Baby Boomers!!! I'm not saying that anyone played geetar as great as Hendrix or was as groovy as Country Joe and the Fish or anything like that, I'm just saying that these kids are more committed to the actual values (in a "how you live your life" kind of way) espoused during the Almighty 60's, and are also conducting themselves in a slightly more sensible fashion. OK? Now take your Cialis and get back in the bathtubs!]

Now that I’ve gone on a self-aggrandizing tangent, thrown down a generational gauntlet, and hyped things up to a fever pitch; let us return to my account of the proceedings (the lineup was slightly different than the poster due to cancellations and replacements), since in 20 years you’re all going to pretend you were there anyway (Yeah, I said it!):

I really wish I’d been able to see more of the set by Origin of Animal, a constantly fluctuating collective of musicians dedicated to unique sound craft. Unfortunately, I was getting wound up for my own show and couldn’t allow myself to get sucked into their performance, as much as I would have liked to. The small portion viewed (with the rest heard through open windows) was astounding, a large group of musicians with a dazzling variety of instruments artfully improvising to create a unique musical experience, and succeeding extremely well. Just the sort of thing that gets my mojo flowing. I need to see them again real soon in a situation where I can really let go and lose myself in their music.

I also missed much of the set of my good friends Cousin Bones, a crazy blues poetry roadhouse punk ensemble, who were bringing it in a way that I hadn’t seen before. Dropping the ironic distance that occasionally hampers their work and kicking out the jams in a fierce fashion, front man Wes Heine and his posse blew the roof off the joint and brought the already overheated crowd to a fever pitch. So much so that I was wondering how the hell I was going to follow that rock and roll asswhuppin’ with my puny little words.

But I did my thing and folks seemed to dig it (see previous posting).

Then it was time for Things Falling Apart. First, some background info generously provided to me by the band’s founder, Bob Aspatore. Things Falling Apart began about 7 years ago as Bob’s solo project, for which he brought in Brandon Welch as a collaborator. Things went very well and the duo expanded the lineup to six musicians and began in earnest as a musical assemblage. The lineup changed a little over the next several years, but they remained a six piece until last November, when a bit of “intraband turmoil” resulted in the number dropping to a core of four musicians.

Further turmoil at a show later that month caused the remaining members to go on “indefinite hiatus,” and the future of Things Falling Apart looked dim [In Bob's words, "I say 'indefinite hiatus' because we were all too passive-aggressive to say 'the band broke up'."].

The quartet resumed communication early this summer, however, and began to mend some fences all around. “Then this show was offered to us and we decided to say yes. It felt right.” Bob and company then sent out an invitation to all the members who had ever played with the group to join them for this show, plus some invitations to several people who had become “honorary members” over the years. This brought the lineup for the August 15, 2009 show to a whopping nine musicians, all in the mood for reconciliation and reunion, and with the goal of creating a one time only musical event.

And what an event it was. Concerned mainly with their own artistic goals, the musicians took up residence on the stage (which had seemed pretty big until that point) in a configuration which almost resembled that of a traditional Irish séssion (where the players all sit facing each other in a circle with their backs to the audience) and settled in.

If you’ve never experienced improvised instrumental music of this strain (bands like Tortoise, La Makita Soma, Mono, Explosions In The Sky, Electralane, Canyon, etc. etc.– there are several who till this fertile soil); it usually starts a bit soft and mellow as a few players begin to play a simple melody and/or chord progression, then gets more complex and involved as more of the musicians weave their way into the tapestry, eventually building to a series of crescendos which can last for an extremely long time, depending on the inventiveness of the ensemble.

This particular conglomeration of players was particularly inventive and in an especially intense place, so the audience was taken on an incredible ride. This trip was made even more surreal by an atmospheric fog machine and the mind blowing graphic designs of video artist Matt Jensen, which were being projected onto various surfaces throughout the space. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as the nonet of improvisers brought everyone along with them into a sublime state of sonic inundation, one as powerful as any I have ever experienced (not like the Art Ensemble of Chicago show at UW-M, where I started hallucinating when I wasn’t even on anything, but even they were never able to do that again for me).

Yes, I was very receptive to a musical epiphany, having just had my own great performance experience and being more than a little bit buzzed by that point; but I could have walked into that room off the street sober as a judge and still been blown away by the improvisational skills and musicianship of that particular aggregation of troubadours. Things Falling Apart rocked my world that evening. I also got a copy of their 2005 album, As Above-So Below, which I’ve been listening to constantly for the past several days, so it wasn’t just a one time thing. [It's almost embarrassing to rave about something this much, but I've got to call it like I feel it.]

Fortunately, the End of Times show felt so good for them that Things Falling Apart will be returning to regular playing/recording as a four piece, with an open invitation to the rest of the former and honorary members who can make it for live shows. “Thus, a new line-up with every show, a unique performance of every song. All the wonderful sweaty nervous moments that come with the unpredictability of live shows and not really knowing how to get to the end, just that you need to get to the end.”

Hooray, Hooray.

Matrameru was more than up to the task of following Things Fall Apart, being of the same eclectic improvisational ilk with the added aspects of intense visionary spoken word coupled with electronic/hip hop influences. Leader Georg Garret really knows how to bring the shamanism and the lilting cadence of his powerful voice glides above the mellifluous roar of the instrumental/electronic soundscapes created by his talented cohorts, most notably multi-instrumentalist Luc Sequiera, who at one point even hopped over to the enormous pipe organ and started working it like Sun Ra meets Captain Nemo, the whole ensemble incorporating it into the piece as if they always dragged a two ton Christ Calliope around with them to gigs.

The night was closed out by Donoma, who I’d seen before and are one of my favorite young bands (and not just because I know and really dig them all). If I were going to glibly describe them as a drink (which it seems that I am), the recipe would be- One Part Flaming Lips, One Part PJ Harvey, with a splash of Portishead and a twist of Cocteau Twins. They are still growing and gelling as a creative unit, and I really like the brand of shamanistic swampfunk progpunk (there goes that Word Collider again!) that these kids are brewing. They had been busting their asses all night making the event flow smoothly and still managed to summon up the mojo to bring the rock and roll with authority, overcoming distractions and technical difficulties to kick out some serious jams and end the night with a bang.

The show was followed by an open jam that was extremely freewheeling and fun; there was even a point where Wes dragged me up to the mic just as the musicians were launching into an intense bluesy jam. Several sheets to the wind, I started some improvised growling which quickly evolved into this Memphis style song cycle featuring some concepts that had been bouncing around my head for several years as a sort of philosophical treatise, but were now flowing out in a Tom Waits meets Thomas Berry meets David Bohm meets Arthur Conley torrent. At least that’s what it felt like to me, other people may have just seen a weird drunken old guy barking out a bunch of crazy crap. Although a few folks seemed to dig it, perhaps even the two slightly sarcastic Chicago Police officers who rolled in a few minutes later to shut things down for the night (my apologies to the good citizens of Wicker Park if I disturbed their slumber).

So there it was, all over but for the tear down and clean up. A wonderful night of artistic rebirth and musical enjoyment for me, one I’m still a bit jazzed by (if you couldn’t tell that already by my rhetorical “flights of frenzy”). I met scads of talented artists and musicians whom I hope to be privileged enough to work with again in the future, perhaps even collaborate on some sound/word fusion pieces.

Wes and Israel (who I’ll be eternally grateful to for the opportunity to return to spoken word) are already working on putting together another event, so keep an eye on this site for more info on that and several other endeavors that will be coming to fruition in the coming months.

Particularly the launch party for Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition; which could turn out to be a pretty big shindig. [That's all I can say for now.]

Donoma closed the show with authority.

Of all the Chicagoland shot films that I was hoping to see before handing in the manuscript for Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition, Were The World Mine was probably the one that I was most sad to have missed out on. I had heard great things about this empowering gay musical made on a shoestring budget, and how the film’s makers were desperately trying to get it a mainstream theatrical release.

Unfortunately, that mainstream release never materialized, and I was forced to wait until it was recently released on DVD. While the film was definitely worth the wait, viewing it made it painfully clear what a travesty of cinematic justice it was that this delightful little picture never received the exposure it deserved. Hopefully, the DVD release will bring it some wider recognition.

Were The World Mine is an enjoyable film on several levels; an exuberant and charming musical, a touching and tender coming of age story, a meditation on the nature of love and acceptance, and a wacky, surreal and sometimes campy comedy.

The project grew from a short musical screenplay, written in 2003 by Tom Gustafson, about a young gay teen who finds solace and strength in the words of Shakespeare (the piece was inspired by his experiences growing up gay in a small Illinois town). Gustafson’s partner, Cory James Krueckeberg, was impressed by the script and they both embarked on an attempt to actualize the work.

Gustafson, a graduate of Northwestern University, used contacts developed from working as a casting assistant on Road To Perdition and Master And Commander: The Far Side of The World to marshal resources and assemble a devoted team of collaborators and crew members. Krueckeberg, an accomplished actor, designer, and director; also drew upon his tenure in the Chicago theater community to assist the cause.

The result was Fairies, a short musical film. Fairies received a rave response at a screening in a Boystown venue, and they were quickly able to raise money for festival submissions. The film ended up appearing at over 75 festivals around the world. A year later, during a flight from LA to New York, they decided to expand Fairies into a full length feature. By the time the plane landed, Gustafson and Krueckeberg had already sketched out the framework for the picture.

After the pair completed the script (working in conjunction with talented Chicago composer Jessica Fogle on the songs), Gustafson and Krueckeberg then methodically set out to acquire financing for the feature film. Their efforts were a primer on the right way to fund and create a low budget independent movie; using staged readings of the script to garner interest in the project from potential investors, presenting a well constructed business plan to those investors, and doing research to locate all other possible funding sources. Meanwhile, they were also working hard on a production schedule so as to be able to hit the ground running when the financing came through, and searching the country for the talent to perform the various roles in the film.

Although many big name actors who expressed interest early on disappeared once the extent of the film’s gay content became apparent to them, casting people Carrie Barden, Mickie Paskal and Jennifer S. Rudnicke were able to assemble an amazing group of performers, the proverbial mix of seasoned veterans and talented newcomers.

Big name actors (and/or their agents) weren’t the only ones afflicted by uneasiness over the film’s gay content, investors were shying away as well, and for a while it looked as if financing would not materialize. But Gustafson, Krueckeberg and producer Peter Sterling were able to secure the final funds required. Pre-production reached a fever pitch in preparation for the shooting of the film, which was done in the Chicago area and took an amazingly short 4 weeks (it almost seems impossible when you watch the movie).

Were The World Mine is the story of Timothy, a shy and creative gay teen who often retreats into his musical daydreams in order to endure life in a private boys school and a stultifying small town. When he is cast as Puck in a school production of Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, he becomes more aware of his talents and starts to blossom under the tutelage of his arty English teacher.

This process reaches full flower (pun mandatory) when he discovers a love potion recipe for Puck’s purple pansy secretly encoded in Shakespeare’s text (the pansy causes those sprayed by it to fall for the first person they see). Timothy creates the potion, then uses this magical flower to turn his whole town gay, most notably the hunky rugby player for whom he has been pining.

Tanner Cohen, who plays Timothy, was really quite a find for the production; possessing strong acting skills and an incredible voice (not to mention an uncanny resemblance to Nick Stahl). Cohen deftly captures the nervous insecurity of Timothy, but also really brings it in the musical numbers.

Nathaniel David Becker, who makes his film debut as Jonathan (the rugby playing love interest), has an excellent voice, handsome looks and solid acting chops. He should be able to write his own ticket in the musical film/theater world; in fact he already seems to be a bit of a gay heartthrob.

The supporting cast is unbelievably strong: the devilishly quirky Wendy Robie (Nadine from Twin Peaks) plays the English/Theater instructor (in a role she reprised from Fairies), revered Broadway stage performer Judy McLane shines in her first film work as Timothy’s mother, Daytime Television fixture Jill Larson (Opal on All My Children) is an absolute hoot as McLane’s eccentric employer, veteran Chicago character actors Christian Stolte and David Darlow do their usual brilliant jobs, and newcomers Zelda Williams and Ricky Goldman are adorable as Timothy’s best friends and confidantes.

In addition to the fine acting performances, the musical numbers really knocked my socks off (and I’m not generally a fan of contemporary musicals). Cory Krueckeberg seamlessly melded Shakespeare’s words with his own clever lyrics, Jessica Fogle’s melodies were excellent (catchy without being cloying or fluffy), and Tim Sandusky’s work on the score, arrangements and production was absolutely first rate (of course, he has a reputation for that in Chicago). Todd Underwood’s choreography was joyously kinetic but not too busy or cliched, Elizabeth Powell Wislar’s costumes were fab, and Director of Photography Kira Kelly was able to achieve a beautiful look with limited resources.

Hell, there wasn’t much about this film that I didn’t like. I know this big of a rave about a picture of this sort from a big butch breeder like me might seem incongruous, but hey, sue me. I call ‘em like I see ‘em.

Gustafson and cohorts worked hard for a wider mainstream release for the film and it’s a shame that they weren’t successful, because Were The World Mine is truly “The Gay Teen Musical For The Whole Family.” Seriously. Although there’s a certain intensity in the romantic moments that generates a bit more heat than the hook up scenes in your average WB-style teen dramedy (which comes more from having better actors being directed well); WTWM is much less salacious than the teen centered offerings on any network. The most graphic action in any of the love scenes is a chaste kiss and warm caress, which is positively Disney-esque compared to the bump and grind explicitness in standard teen fare (actually, WTWM has been likened by many to Disney’s High School High). And I think we can all agree that young dudes with their shirts off isn’t exactly pornographic (those who don’t agree probably wouldn’t have read this far anyway).

Of course it’s two guys doing the kissing, so the knee jerk reaction from mainstream execs (particularly gay mainstream execs) when confronted by a film that forthrightly portrays romantic affection between two males is to pronounce it “too gay.” Those two words are the bane of the existences of all gay filmmakers/artists/musicians/etc. seeking to expose their work to a wider audience.

The fact that this cowardly mantra is so often recited by corporate cultural gatekeepers who are themselves gay is especially puzzling. Particularly about something as heartfelt and wholesome as Were The World Mine. In a interview included in the WTWM press kit, Gustafson wonders:

Maybe it’s really that purity and innocence that scares people into saying the film is too gay? I think to some people, this innocence is even more dangerous than films that portray gay characters in very crude and sexual ways. Historically, ‘gay’ has been more prominent, and as a result more accepted in a way, as a dirty little secret involving bathroom stalls or sex clubs than when it involves real love, religion and the long term commitment of a marriage like institution. Regardless, it’s a strange irony to say that an incredibly innocent film is too gay. In some way I think it comes from a shameful place, and I think some of the non-straight people in the industry react this way to things as a defense mechanism. The same way our main character escapes an unsavory reality with daydreams, these people escape reality by saying it’s ‘too gay’ instead of putting support behind it and risking ridicule.

Whatever the true motivations of those who denied this film its due, the fact remains that it was a poor decision. With both filmed and live musicals pulling in the public in droves in recent years, Were The World Mine could have really made a splash had it been given a chance.

Hopefully, the recent DVD release will at least help get this picture seen by some of the legions of people, gay and straight, who would enjoy it.

Which is the really crux of the matter at hand, not to mention one of the most frustrating things about the capricious and arbitrary way that films are distributed by Hollywood, the fact that so many great pictures never get brought to the attention of the people who would most enjoy them.

Aside from the sheer injustice of it, it’s just bad business.

Tanner Cohen and Nathanial David Becker bring the sexy in Were The World Mine.

This poster, used for the international theatrical release of The Unborn, illustrates how integral to the plot it was for Odette Yustman to be in her underwear.

Some salient info that I didn’t want to bury at the end of the previous manifesto (things got very bloggy there, please pardon me):

Veteran Chicago Special Effects Coordinator John Milinac, who I interviewed and featured in Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition, encouraged me to catch The Unborn when it was in theaters last Winter. John was the SE Coordinator on the film, and he discussed how intense and freaky some of the effects were, and that it really should be seen on the big screen. Unfortunately, I was too busy finishing the manuscript to spare the time.

After catching it on DVD last week, I contacted John to discuss how he and his crew pulled off some of the effects, but he was too busy to chat, as he is finishing up work on the remake of Nightmare On Elm Street (which wraps next week). So we made arrangements to talk about The Unborn (and the various tricks and illusions he employed) once he has a bit of time. [I'll also see what he can tell us about Nightmare On Elm Street.]

So here is what I propose, Gentle Reader: If you wish, you can rent The Unborn and view it sometime in the next week or so; then come back here and discover how the major mechanical effects were actualized by John and his crew.

Keep in mind that the Special Effects Coordinator is in charge of the physical effects that happen in front of the camera, so he won’t have much insight into any CGI or other visual effects done in post-production. He’s also responsible for general physical effects like running water, fireplaces, appliances and the like; so on the off chance you have any questions about how he made the shower run or anything exciting like that…feel free to leave your query in the comments section. [Oh the wonders of Internet 2.0!!!].

BTW- The Unborn was shot mostly in Lake Forest and the northern ‘burbs; although there is one brief exterior scene Downtown on Wacker Drive (across from the Christian Science Temple), another interior scene in what looks to be the Aon Tower, and the Harlo Grill in Melrose Park also has a brief cameo (looking absolutely gorgeous). And (of course) the mandatory awe inspiring overhead shots of the lakefront and the Chicago river.

I ended up watching both the theatrical version and the “unrated” version, and the only “extra” footage seemed to be about 2.5 seconds of relatively chaste (albeit well executed) simulated sex betwixt the protaganist and her hunky beau. Apparently by “unrated” they mean “not quite PG-13 anymore.” So don’t be expecting some bonus Veerhoevenesqe (Veerhoevian? Veerhoevarian?) orgy of demonic lust and violence.

I kind of stopped watching horror pictures at some point in the mid-1980’s, mostly because they became so different from the horror movies I loved as a kid.

Having cut my teeth on the Hammer Studio films of the Christopher Lee/Peter Cushing Era and the Shock Theater oeuvre of 50’s and 60’s chillers, I spent many a late night cringing in terror at those gruesome Gothic-tinged offerings in front of a old black and white set in my room.

Sure, they were cheesy, and most of them don’t hold up today. But they were perfect for the sensibilities of a kid; with their overblown acting, simply drawn characters and ponderous plot machinations. The low budgets, stodgy public mores and the primitive state of special effects at the time kept them from being too graphic or showing a lot of the various monsters, so the filmmakers learned to do without all the intense visuals contemporary horror films rely on. It was all about what you didn’t see with those movies that made them so chilling, the idea of the monster. This was also perfect for the fertile mind and ability to suspend disbelief of a child. The details you filled in with your imagination were scarier that any amount of fake blood or monster costume could possibly be.

The more existentialist horror films of the late 60’s and early 70’s also understood the “less is more” concept. Films like Rosemary’s Baby (1968) and Burnt Offerings (1976) spared the gore and effects, but laid on the atmosphere and the feeling of imminent doom. Even The Exorcist (1973), lauded (and condemned) at the time for its intense and graphic special effects, was mostly about the build-up.

But the success of Friday The 13th (1980) (and the boatloads of cash the sequels pulled in) resulted in a new formula and paradigm in horror films:  A bunch of obnoxious stupid people (often teens) are rapidly killed off in gruesome and graphic fashion by a vicious and sadistic (yet often oddly charismatic) character who has supernatural powers and/or inhuman strength and abilities. The “Slasher Film” became the norm, and this paradigm shift caused me to bail out of the horror genre. I didn’t stop watching horror films altogether, but I definitely backed off and let the genre “see other people.”

Now, I’m a huge fan of clueless people being killed (I’d like the idea to become public policy, in fact), but when everyone in the entire film is annoying and stupid it really destroys the drama. You can’t buy into the movie if you don’t really care if anybody lives. I’m also not afraid of a little gore, but once the buckets of blood start flowing there’s really nowhere else to go and the movie can’t build any suspense. And since you know the least abrasive and dim witted people are going to be the last ones killed or will vanquish the homicidal slasherbeing (at least until they churn out the next one)– Why bother to stick around?

It isn’t like the earlier movies didn’t follow formulas or have repugnant characters or let the blood flow on occasion; but they didn’t always use the same formula or make everyone odious, and they at least attempted to build some sort of suspense before hauling out the red corn syrup.

This brings me to The Unborn, which was just released on DVD. [Good Lord. Over 500 words before I even mention the movie at hand! I'm already turning into Jonathan Rosenbaum. Somebody stab me with a giant knife or something!]

The Unborn definitely isn’t bereft of formula or cliche (especially the “preternaturally hot female protagonist who spends inordinate amounts of time in her underwear”), it has its moments of semi-graphic violence (especially towards the end), and it certainly throws down a fancy visual effect or two; but I found myself buying into the movie in a way that I haven’t since I was a little sprout all huddled in front of the TV in my room.

The main thing that made The Unborn remind me of those bygone days was that it attempted to create a little drama before trotting out the sound and fury. Although it turns on the trippy suspense at the get go with a creepy dream sequence, it gives the audience time to get acquainted with the characters and generates some dread and anticipation before totally going for the throat.

What’s more, the aforementioned characters aren’t completely shallow, brain dead idiots. Not that they’re little Mother Theresas or extremely deep, but they seem to possess a thought or two, and (most important) you aren’t rooting for them to all die 10 minutes into the film.

The film was written and directed by David S. Goyer, who is most known for writing the scripts for Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, as well as the three Blade films. Jane Alderman [featured in Hollywood On Lake Michigan], who helped cast the film, told me that Goyer did not like to even use the term “horror movie.”

I don’t want to give too much of the plot away, so I’ll merely say that it involves a young woman (actress/model Odette Yustman) who battles against an evil spirit who wishes to possess her. A few of the plot elements are lifted from other horror films, but they’re reassembled very well, and the acting is as good as you’ll find in this genre; especially the cameos from James Remar (as the girl’s father), Idris Elba (who played Stringer Bell on the unfreakingbelievably excellent HBO Series, The Wire), and Gary Oldman (yes, the Gary Oldman) as a helpful Rabbi.

Which leads me to another aspect I enjoyed about The Unborn; the fact that the main character and her family are Jewish (albeit non-practicing) and the central “myth” (for want of a better word) of the film is based around the Kaballa and Hebrew mysticism. That’s right, a Jewish exorcism movie. Now this hardly constitutes some sort of B’nai B’rith cultural watershed moment, but it was a nice change of pace not to have to hear all the shopworn Book of Revelations-type cliches for once. Plus, why should us goyim always have all the fun battling insensate supernatural evil? There’s an interesting moment where Yustman’s character mentions that she doesn’t want “a Christian exorcism,” only to be reminded that “this sort of being predates Christianity or Judaism, perhaps even humanity.”

Of course, all of the things that I liked about the film (its leisurely pacing, the relative lack of graphic violence and tons of over the top special effects) are anathema to youngsters who cut their teeth on post-Friday The 13th fare. Therefore, although The Unborn did pretty well at the box office, if you go to any of the online reviewing sites (such as Rotten Tomatoes or the IMDB) you’ll find post after post about how completely awful this film is (many “real” critics dumped on it as well).

And I will grant you, this isn’t a piece of great cinema; but if you’re yearning for something slightly reminiscent of the kind of horror film they made back before the dawn of the Slasher Era, something that will give you some plot development along with your minimum RDA of gore and mayhem, then definitely rent The Unborn.

I had been waiting a long time for the release of Public Enemies, and I wasn’t disappointed. It is a dark and riveting roller coaster of a film that held my (and the audience’s) attention throughout, despite the fact that we all knew how it was going to end. (At least I hope we all did.)

My pining to see Public Enemies began last summer, after I interviewed the film’s Production Designer, Nathan Crowley, just after principal photography had wrapped in Chicago.

Nathan described the effort he (and many others) put into creating a vision of mid-1930’s Chicago that would satisfy the exacting standards of Michael Mann, a director known for being a bit of a stickler on period (and overall) details. “I think it’s the most work I’ve ever had to do in a period film in terms of having to alter locations,” Crowley told me.

Ironically, most of this “alteration work” involved the locations where pivotal events in the Dillinger story actually happened. The tasks included prepping the Little Bohemia Lodge up in Northern Wisconsin (the site of a furious shootout between bank robbers and G-men) for a fake Hollywood gunfight, including all the requisite bullet holes and broken glass. “There were still bullet holes in the walls there [from the the 1930's].”

Clearing out and restoring the decrepit and abandoned old Lake County, Indiana jail was another big endeavor, but it was the block of Lincoln Avenue outside of the Biograph Theater in Chicago that provided his biggest challenge.

Basically, what he (and Set Decorator Rosemary Brandenburg) did was completely roll back the clock on the entire block to how it looked the night Dillinger was gunned down. “So we had to facade up all the buildings around the alley where he was shot, had to change the exterior of the Biograph and the interior lobby. We put cobblestones down, we put the tram lines in, we had to take out the lamp posts; we had to do all this stuff; the traffic lights, there was a McDonald’s there and we had to cover that up.”

Keep in mind that this is smack dab in the middle of Lincoln Park, one of the original  “overgentrified” (to put it politely) North Side Neighborhoods, and the businesses involved were mostly high end (or at least high volume) stores, bars and restaurants. Crowley himself was rather amazed, “I’m astonished that everyone went along with it. I guess people who work on that street really understood where we were trying to go with it, but it was definitely an inconvenience. And the traffic flow down that street is horrendous. But you know the city really worked with us and somehow we managed to do it.”

Not that there was a choice in Crowley’s mind that the job needed to be done, “We looked at options like faking it in Milwaukee, but it’s an injustice to the Dillinger story to start faking stuff like the Biograph, if you do you’ve kind of sold out at that point.”

Colleen Mastony of the Tribune has a very nice rundown of the major locations used by the film here, but one that wasn’t mentioned is Union Station, whose Art Deco style offices upstairs from the station (left abandoned by Amtrak several years ago) filled in as J. Edgar Hoover’s offices in Washington, DC (it was refreshing to see a film portray Hoover more like the evil, power mad S.O.B. that he was-BTW).

The most dramatic use of the station, however, was for the scene where the Texas Rangers arrive in Chicago. Nathan elaborates, “There’s a scene where Melvin Purvis, the lead agent, brings in some help from the Texas Rangers because to fight Dillinger they need some men who understand how to gunfight, not like the young FBI guys… To me it was like the cavalry arriving. In Union Station there are certain platforms that still have the old Victorian arches on them, the big steel glazed arches and they still have the steam openings, the little slits, in the ceiling. So we found the largest still running steam engine in the world and it just fit into Union Station, so we brought it in and the Texans get off this enourmous steam engine and march across the grand hall of Union Station [MC-the site of the famous "baby carriage scene" in the The Untouchables].”

The thankless job of Production Designer on a period picture:

The train sequence was very dramatic, and Nathan and company endeavored throughout the film to be as accurate as possible, but no matter how hard you try; this site and this other railfan discussion forum illustrate how you can never satisfy those in the know.

Public Enemies was actually the 4th film in a row that Crowley had done in the city, so he was used to facing big challenges in Chicago; since he had already created the look of Gotham City for Batman Begins, designed and overseen the construction of a modernistic glass house on stilts in a forest preserve lake for The Lake House, and been in charge of Production Design for The Dark Knight (he also designed the Batmobile and the futuristic BatPod).

Check out Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition for more about Nathan Crowley and his amazing 4 year tenure in Chicago! Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition is now available for pre-order.

Join me on a journey through Chicago film!

Welcome to Chicagocinema.net!

It shall be a companion website for Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition; but more importantly a place for lovers of Chicago and Chicago Film.

Hollywood On Lake Michigan, 2nd Edition is scheduled for an Autumn release, but is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

In the weeks leading up to the release, I’ll be spotlighting certain aspects of the book and also discussing and reviewing Chicago related films that either were released after I handed in the manuscript or that I just did not have the time or space to get to in the book itself.

The topic at hand was way too large to cover in a single volume, so much of this site will be dedicated to filling in the blanks and discussing the films that fell through the cracks. I conducted several interviews with some very fascinating people and not all of the content of those interviews made it in the book, so I’ll also be throwing in outtakes from interviews, as well as “teasers” for segments that are in the book.

Hopefully, some of these interview subjects (and others in the Chicago film community) will occasionally show up and comment on the postings, and submit to some followup interviews on new projects. I’ll start pursuing some new folks for fresh interviews once I get my “sea legs.”

I also hope to persuade my coauthor, Arnie Bernstein, to periodically check in with more delicious tidbits about Chicago’s rich and varied film history, or whatever strikes his fancy. He’s pretty busy these days promoting his excellent, poignant and heartbreaking new historical tome, Bath Massacre: America’s First School Bombing (highly recommended), so unfortunately don’t expect that too often.

Other features will include reviews and info about older “classic” Chicago films, as well as some that people may not be aware of. I will also attempt to more fully explore the local independent film scene, especially ethnic and LGBT films. Once the site starts to get some traffic and regular commenters; I’ll begin to pose some “thread” questions about types of favorite scenes in Chicago films and other matters (you’ll see what I mean when It starts happening). There will also be other cool features that I have neglected to mention, plus ones that will occur to me as we go along and that readers will suggest.*

The scope of the site will undoubtedly grow and evolve as time passes, but for now I’m going to try and focus on Chicago related items as much as possible. I will go wherever my curiosity and interests lead me, however, so don’t be surprised if a few non-Chicago related items appear on occasion. I’ll also be straying into the realm of local live theater, music, spoken word and performance art.

So there we have it. This site is going to be eclectic, wide ranging, constantly evolving, and (if you haven’t already noticed) probably a bit long-winded. I’m new to blogging so that should lessen a bit as we proceed (or not, I won’t make any promises that way).

But it should be a very fun and interesting ride. I hope you’ll come along.

Regards,

Michael Corcoran

*Have an idea for something you’d like to see on this site? Just let me know and I’ll try to oblige. Either send me an email: michael@chicagocinema.net or post a suggestion in the comments. (See my comments policy.)