1 Pioneers of Queer Cinema (Siskel, August) The Siskel presents a dozen films in association with the UCLA Film & Television Archive, including Bill Sherwood’s brilliant, bittersweet comedy “Parting Glances,” featuring a winning early lead role by Steve Buscemi; “Desert Hearts”; “Coming Out Under Fire”; “Tongues Untied”; “Nitrate Kisses”; “Paris Is Burning”; “The Living End”; “Word Is Out”: “The Watermelon Woman”; and “The Times Of Harvey Milk.”
2 Big Night (Music Box, Tuesday, August 9) Tender to the bone: Stanley Tucci and Campbell Scott’s debut feature is toothsome greatness with one of the great concluding passages in movies; shown in 35mm. Part of the four-film “Good Taste Tastes Good” series which includes “Tampopo,” (August 2); “Ratatouille” (August 16) and “Chef” (August 23).
3 Three Thousand Years of Longing (Opens Friday, August 26) George Miller retires to a hotel room in Istanbul and pokes mythology scholar Tilda Swinton and elfin-eared Djinn Idris Elba into storytelling life across millennia. The cast, the title, a good start, plus Dr. Miller, right?
4 Beast (Opens Friday, August 19) Idris Elba plays a father who must protect his teenage daughters from a lion on the savanna for Icelandic action ace Baltasar Kormákur (“Everest”). From producer Will Packer (the 2022 Oscars).
5 City Of God (Siskel, Monday, August 8) Loved, loathed, Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s heart-pounder set in the favelas of 1970s Rio de Janeiro startled in 2002; how will it look on a big, wide screen today? Part of the Siskel’s golden anniversary 50/50 series.
Ray Pride is Newcity’s film critic and a contributing editor to Filmmaker magazine.
His multimedia history of Chicago “Ghost Signs” will be published soon. Previews of the project are on Twitter and on Instagram as Ghost Signs Chicago. More photography on Instagram.
