Most Anticipated Movies of the 2023 Chicago Critics Film Festival

The Chicago Critics Film Festival celebrates its 10^th anniversary from May 5th through May 11th at Music Box Theater in Chicago. This is an excellent film festival that offers up some of the best and most exciting movies that have been making their way around the film festival circuit, as well as some classics. This year’s festival is loaded with great titles and here are a few that I am most excited about.

 

A Disturbance in the Force (Jeremy Coon, Steve Kozak)

What It’s About: Investigating the infamous The Star Wars Holiday Special (1978) with the behind-the-scenes story of how it got made.

Why I’m Excited: As a huge Star Wars fan, I cannot tell you how intrigued I am to see how the legendarily bad The Star War Holiday Special came to be and became an infamous bomb.

 

Afire (Christian Petzold)

What It’s About: A group of friends in a holiday home by the Baltic Sea where emotions run high as the parched forest around them catches fire.

Why I’m Excited: Following films like Phoenix, Transit, and Undine, director Christian Petzold has quietly become one of the best directors working today. I’m excited to see what Petzold has in store for his latest film.

 

BlackBerry (Matt Johnson)

What It’s About: The story of the meteoric rise and catastrophic demise of the world’s first smartphone.

Why I’m Excited: Starring Glen Howerton and Jay Baruchel, the opening night film of this year’s Chicago Critics Film Festival looks like a kinetic tech biopic reminiscent of The Social Network and Steve Jobs.

 

Brother (Clement Virgo)

What It’s About: Propelled by the pulsing beats of Toronto’s early hip-hop scene, BROTHER is the story of Francis and Michael, sons of Caribbean immigrants maturing into young men. Exploring themes of masculinity, identity, and family, a mystery unfolds during the sweltering summer of 1991, and escalating tensions set off a series of events that change the course of the brothers’ lives forever.

Why I’m Excited: Brother is a film that I have kept on my radar since it made its premiere at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews. I’m glad I finally get to check it out and see what all the buzz is about.

 

Dark City (Alex Proyas) [25^th Anniversary Screening]

What It’s About: A man struggles with memories of his past, which include a wife he cannot remember and a nightmarish world no one else ever seems to wake up from.

Why I’m Excited: Notably Roger Ebert’s favorite movies of 1998, Alex Proyas’ 1998 sci-fi thriller is getting a special 25th-anniversary screening on beautiful 35mm.

 

Master Gardener (Paul Schrader)

What It’s About: A meticulous horticulturist who is devoted to tending the grounds of a beautiful estate and pandering to his employer, the wealthy dowager.

Why I’m Excited: Paul Schrader seems to be hitting a late-career peak following First Reformed and The Card Counter and Master Gardener looks like another Schrader hit about tortured men struggling with a dark past.

 

Past Lives (Celine Strong)

What It’s About: Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. 20 years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.

Why I’m Excited: The most talked about movie coming out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival was Celine Strong’s stunning directorial debut which has had critics and audiences swooning at every screening. This is my most anticipated movie of the festival.

 

Theater Camp (Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman)

What It’s About: The eccentric staff of a rundown theater camp in upstate New York, as they band together with the beloved founder’s bro-y son to keep the camp afloat when she falls into a coma right before the summer session is set to begin.

Why I’m Excited: Another film that gained a ton of buzz out of Sundance was Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman’s feature directorial debut. The early word is that it is a very funny and sweet mockumentary.

 

 

 

 

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