Beyond Fest is launching a Beyond Chicago spin-off.
Movies including ‘Obsession’ and the new ‘Faces of Death’ will screen.
It’ll run between April 2-5 at the Music Box Theatre.
While we more commonly associate Beyond Fest with its annual fall screening in Los Angeles, the team is looking to take the show on the road.
A new regional spin-off, Beyond Chicago, is planned to happen in the Music Box Theatre venue next month, promising the likes of new Bob Odenkirk-starrer ‘Normal’ and a special 35mm screening of the Shaw Brothers classic, ‘The Kid with the Golden Arm.’
Bob Odenkirk in ‘Normal’. Photo: Magnolia Pictures.
Tied to ‘Normal,’ Odenkirk will be introducing a print of 1974’s original ‘The Taking of Pelham One Two Three’, while the action madness continues via stunt icon k bringing his instantly infamous epic-fight-fest, ‘The Furious’ to Chicago.
In addition to brand new movies, there will also be screenings of restorations, including a 4K version of ‘Speed Racer’ introduced by co-director Lilly Wachowski in person, while a late night screening of 1973’s ‘Flesh for Frankenstein’ in 3D is planned as a tribute to the late Udo Kier.
How can I get tickets for Beyond Chicago?
Emile Hirsch in 2008’s ‘Speed Racer.’
The event runs between April 2-5 at the Music Box.
Tickets are on sale to members on March 5 and general public on March 6. Free tickets for Screen 2 will be available to Music Box members on Wednesday 1 April and general public on Thursday 2 April.
Roundtree’s final film is the action-comedy ‘Thelma,’ which also stars Oscar-nominee June Squibb and opens in theaters on June 21st. Roundtree’s final performance is already earning the late actor some of the best reviews of his long career.
In honor of ‘Thelma’s release, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best movies of Richard Roundtree’s legendary career, including his last.
(L to R) Peter Berg, Chris Penn and Chris Kattan in ‘Corky Romano’. Photo: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
Corky Romano (Chris Kattan) is a bumbling, simpleton, veterinarian and the youngest, outcast son of an aging gangster, named Pops Romano (Peter Falk), who calls upon Corky to infiltrate the local FBI and retrieve and destroy evidence being used to incriminate Pops for racketeering charges.
When a renegade military reject puts new superweapons in dangerous hands, John Henry Irons (Shaquille O’Neal) becomes Steel. Wearing body armor, wielding a fearsome electrohammer and riding a gadget-packed motorcycle, he’s ready to wage war… if he can fix the untimely glitches in his untested gear.
Englishman Robinson Crusoe (Peter O’Toole), stranded alone on an island for years, is overjoyed to find a fellow man, a black islander whom he names Friday (Roundtree). But Crusoe cannot overcome the shackles of his own heritage and upbringing and is incapable of seeing Friday as anything other than a savage who needs Crusoe’s brand of cultural and religious enlightenment. Friday attempts to share his own more generous and unashamed culture, but ultimately realizes that Crusoe can never see him as anything but an inferior being. With that awareness, Friday sets out to turn the tables on Crusoe.
Deep in the African jungle, a baby named George (Brendan Fraser), the sole survivor of a plane crash, is raised by gorillas. George grows up to be a buff and lovable klutz who has a rain forest full of animal friends: Tookie, his big-beaked toucan messenger; Ape, a witty talking gorilla; and Shep, a peanut-loving pooch of an elephant. But when poachers mess with George’s pals, the King Of Swing swings into action.
During the World War II, the prisoners of a German camp in a Greek island are trying to escape. They not only want their freedom, but also seek an ineffable treasure hidden in a monastery at the summit of the island’s mountain.
(L to R) Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree in 2019’s ‘Shaft’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
JJ, aka John Shaft Jr. (Jessie T. Usher), may be a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s untimely death, he needs an education only his dad can provide. Absent throughout JJ’s youth, the legendary locked-and-loaded John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) agrees to help his progeny navigate Harlem’s heroin-infested underbelly.
Magically able to hear what men are thinking, a sports agent (Taraji P. Henson) uses her newfound ability to turn the tables on her overbearing male colleagues.
The South African businessman David Swansey (Richard Harris) is delivering illegal German helicopters to Rhodesia That makes the patriot Gideon Marunga (Roundtree) an angry man.
Innocent people are brutally killed on the streets of New York by a uniformed police officer. A young cop, Jack Forrest (Bruce Campbell), finds himself marked as the chief suspect after his wife is murdered.
(L to R) Burt Reynolds and Clint Eastwood in ‘City Heat’. Photo: Warner Bros.
Set in Kansas City in 1933, Clint Eastwood plays a police lieutenant known simply by his last name, Speer. Burt Reynolds plays a former cop turned private eye named Mike Murphy. Both Speer and Murphy served on the force together and were once good friends, but are now bitter enemies. When Murphy’s partner is slain they team up again to fight the mob.
(L to R) Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda star in director Paul Weitz’s ‘Moving On.’
Two old friends (Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin) reconnect at their friend’s funeral, and decide to exact revenge on the widower who wronged all three of them decades earlier.
(L to R) Christina Ricci, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, Kick Gurry and Emile Hirsch in ‘Speed Racer’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Speed Racer (Emile Hirsch) is a young and brilliant racing driver. When corruption in the racing leagues costs his brother his life, Speed must team up with the police and the mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) to bring an end to the corruption and criminal activities.
(L to R) Samuel L. Jackson and Jeffrey Wright in 2000’s ‘Shaft’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
New York police detective John Shaft (Samuel L. Jackson) arrests Walter Wade Jr. (Christian Bale) for a racially motivated slaying. But the only eyewitness disappears, and Wade jumps bail for Switzerland. Two years later Wade returns to face trial, confident his money and influence will get him acquitted — especially since he’s paid a drug kingpin (Jeffrey Wright) to kill the witness.
(Left) Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Brick’. Photo: Focus Features.
After a phone call from his ex-girlfriend (Emilie de Ravin), teenage loner Brendan Frye (Joseph Godron-Levitt) learns that her dead body was found. Vowing to solve her murder himself, he must infiltrate high-school cliques that he previously avoided. His search for the truth brings him before some of the school’s roughest characters.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in ‘Se7en’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
Two homicide detectives are on a desperate hunt for a serial killer whose crimes are based on the “seven deadly sins” in this dark and haunting film that takes viewers from the tortured remains of one victim to the next. The seasoned Det. Sommerset (Morgan Freeman) researches each sin in an effort to get inside the killer’s mind, while his novice partner, Mills (Brad Pitt), scoffs at his efforts to unravel the case.
(L to R) ‘Shaft’s Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher and Richard Roundtree.
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Actor Richard Roundtree, best remembered for playing detective John Shaft, has died.
Roundtree was 81 and had been suffering from pancreatic cancer.
Co-stars and those influenced by him have paid tribute to his memorable work.
Actor Richard Roundtree, who will be forever linked to cult movie detective John Shaft from 1971’s ‘Shaft,’ has died. He was 81.
Roundtree, a famous breast cancer survivor, was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and died surrounded by family at his bedside.
His agency, and manager Patrick McMinn, released a statement about his death:
“Artists & Representatives Agency mourns the loss of our friend and client Richard Roundtree. His trailblazing career changed the face of entertainment around the globe and his enduring legacy will be felt for generations to come. Our hearts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.”
“Trailblazing” is as good a term as any for Roundtree, who portrayed the first Black private detective on screen. Yet while he’ll most closely be identified with his Blaxploitation career and particularly the iconic Shaft character, the actor enjoyed a long run of work on screens big and small.
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Early life
Richard Roundtree as John Shaft in 1971’s ‘Shaft.’ Photo: MGM.
Richard Roundtree was born in New Rochelle, New York, played football for Southern Illinois University and did some modeling before the acting bug bit.
He was drawn to theater and joined New York’s acclaimed Negro Ensemble Company, then starred as Jack Johnson in ‘The Great White Hope’ off-Broadway before the role of John Shaft presented itself –– a lucky break secured after Sidney Poitier refused to screen test for the role, leading director Gordon Parks to cast Roundtree instead.
The role of John Shaft, the “hotter than Bond, cooler than Bullitt” private detective, changed Roundtree’s life and the course of Hollywood by introducing him as an unapologetic protagonist and subterranean fighter of crime.
He went on to play the role in the sequels ‘Shaft’s Big Score!’ and ‘Shaft in Africa’ as well as the short-lived 1973 ‘Shaft’ TV series.
(L to R) Leslie Uggams and Richard Roundtree in ‘Roots.’ Photo: Warner Bros Television.
On the small screen, Roundtree had one of his best opportunities in the breakthrough miniseries ‘Roots’, playing a handsome, well-groomed carriage driver with whom Kizzy (Leslie Uggams) falls in love until she sees that when the master (George Hamilton) calls, Roundtree grovels.
Roundtree starred in the miniseries ‘AD’ and had a supporting role in the series ‘Outlaws’ (CBS, 1986-1987) as Ice McAdams. He was part of the cast of the short-lived multi-racial NBC daytime drama ‘Generations,’ playing a doctor forced to live in hiding for 15 years for a murder he did not commit. He also appeared in a number of sitcoms and other series, including ‘Being Mary Jane’.
Gabrielle Union, who worked with Roundtree in ‘Being Mary Jane’, tweeted her own tribute:
Working with Richard Roundtree was a dream. Getting to hang with him & our Being Mary Jane family was always a good ass time with the best stories & laughs. He was ALWAYS the coolest man in the room with the BEST vibes & ppl would literally run over to come see him. He was simply… pic.twitter.com/1N8fHVDsA6
To watch our exclusive interviews with Samuel L. Jackson, Jessie T. Usher and Richard Roundtree about 2019’s ‘Shaft,’ please click on the video player below.
It certainly has its fans, but the Wachowskis’ 2008 take on anime series ‘Speed Racer’ didn’t exactly cross the finish line when it comes to box office profitability. It’s a curio these days, lauded for its audacious style, but also critiqued for its indulgences. It’s perhaps most telling that Warner Bros. hasn’t looked to do anything else with it the way the studio has pumped out ‘Matrix’ movies.
Still, that’s not to say that no one is interested, and indeed J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot company now has a high-profile ‘Speed Racer’ live-action series in development alongside Warner Bros. TV and a garage already picked out at Apple TV+.
‘Speed Racer’ became a sensation in Japan after first launching as a manga series titled ‘Mach GoGoGo’ created by Tatsuo Yoshida in 1966. Trans-Lux acquired syndication rights and Speed Racer was adapted into anime by Tatsunoko Productions, which aired on Japan’s Fuji TV from 1967-1968 and aired in the U.S. in syndication at about the same time.
From there, it drove sales through a variety of comics, video games, TV series, and, of course, the movie.
Plot details for the new series are, of course being kept under the car’s hood for now, but it’ll likely focus on some version of young driver Speed Racer, who aspires to be champion of the racing world with the help of his family and his high-tech Mach 5 automobile.
Emile Hirsch in 2008’s ‘Speed Racer.’ Photo by Snap Stills/REX/Shutterstock.
Hiram Martinez, a veteran of ‘Snowpiercer’ and Ron Fitzgerald (who has worked on another Bad Robot production, ‘Westworld’ are busy hiring writers to figure out the show and will run it if it makes it to production.
Abrams could use the good news – another of his series, and one he’s more personally involved with, is having some issues. ‘Demimonde’, the first show that Abrams has directly created for TV in years, was set up at Warner Bros. for HBO has hit the early pre-production stage but is now facing a potential budget crunch.
Following the merger between Warner Bros. and Discovery, the new bosses are looking at the price tag of every show in its portfolio, and even a producer as powerful Abrams is hearing calls to cut costs.
Though Bad Robot has so far stood firm on a proposed $200 million budget, the post-merger WB is aiming to slice $3 billion from its bottom line and expensive TV is one area where the microscope is out on the accounts. According to Deadline, both sides are still talking about the issue.
Then there’s Abrams rich overall deal with Warner Bros., which comes with a hefty budget itself for a variety of TV, movie, game, and digital projects. No update has been offered on that front, so expect negotiations to continue – though given the solid relationship between Warner Bros. and Abrams (and the incoming Discovery people), it’ll probably all get figured out before too long.
Opening in select theaters and On Demand beginning February 18th is the new action movie ‘Pursuit,’ from director Brian Skiba (‘Flowers and Honey’).
The film stars Emile Hirsch (‘Speed Racer’ and ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’) as Rick Calloway, a ruthless hacker who’s trying to save his kidnapped wife from a drug cartel. Pursued by the police, Rick must put his trust in his estranged gangster father, Jack Calloway, played by John Cusack (‘Grosse Pointe Blank’ and ‘Being John Malkovich’). Now the two must work together to elude the police and the drug cartel, if Rick has any hope of ever seeing his wife alive again.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Emile Hirsch about his work on ‘Pursuit.’ The actor discussed his new movie, how he got involved with the project, reuniting with actor John Cusack, how his performance was inspired by Elon Musk, face tattoos, stunts, and working with Quentin Tarantino on the Oscar-winning ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’
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You can read the full transcript of our interview with Emile Hirsch about ‘Pursuit’ below, or you can watch a video of the interview in the player above.
Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about how you got involved in this project?
Emile Hirsch: So originally, I got involved with the film when they sent me the script and I found out that John Cusack was attached. I had worked with John Cusack on this film, ‘Never Grow Old.’ I just had an amazing experience with him. He’s such a great actor and he was so good in ‘Never Grow Old.’ But this was a change of pace for us. This was making an action film, where it was more of a potboiler, kind of pulpy action genre film. I just thought we could have fun with it.
I wanted to bring a sense of humor and a sense of lightness to the character, and a goofiness. Because whenever I watch these action films, I like at least one of the characters to be the comic relief in a way. I think that Rick turns into that at a certain point. At first, you think he’s this normal guy. Then you realize just how demented he really is. He has no morals. He’s a cold-blooded killer. He’s not a very good guy. I think when you realize just how off-the-reservation he is, it’s a lot more fun. I knew that it would be a good experience working again with John.
MF: What do you like about working with John Cusack, and what have you learned about acting from working with him over the years?
EH: One of the things that John is great at, is he’s very experimental when he does scenes. He’s constantly willing to try new things and to go down a way in a scene, and just sort of explore that and then try something totally different. He likes to try different beats until he finds one that he really likes, which is great. It’s like mining for gold. You can stumble upon greatness.
He also has a really good logic to the way he breaks down scenes. He understands script analysis really well. It’s one of those innate things. He’s just a talented actor. Sometimes you can’t even necessarily describe what that is, but when you’re in the scene with someone that’s like that, you just know it.
John Cusack in Lionsgate’s ‘Pursuit.’
MF: Do you like working like that? Do you enjoy having a lot of takes, as you put it, “to mine for gold?”
EH: I’ve been doing it so long now to where I find every different way of working, and there’s something fun about it. So, I’ll work with a director who only wants to do two takes. That will become exciting. That will become, “Oh, my gosh, we got to get it,” or, “What is it going to be?” There’s a certain pressure and a thrill to it. I’ll work with directors who want to do twenty takes. Then the excitement is, “Okay, we are going to master this. We’re going to try it so many different ways. We are going to find the exact, perfect, weird, most nuanced take we can think of.” So, I think it’s more about having a positive attitude to where you’re able to enjoy whatever process comes at you.
There’s a lot of actors out there that if it’s not the process and the way that they exactly want to work, then maybe they have an issue or they’re not as happy. But my philosophy has always been embracing the process that the project is going to be done under, whether it’s from the schedule, the time you have, or the director, or the producers, or whatever, and you have the most fun with it in the way that you can. Don’t go on the Goliath rollercoaster, expecting it to be the Mad Tea Party ride and vice versa. Have a good time on whatever ride you’re on.
MF: I understand that you pulled inspiration for your character Rick Calloway, from CEO of Tesla Motors Elon Musk. Can you talk about how that inspiration helped you to create the character?
EH: I had read the script. It was a little bit of deadpan humor, kind of an offbeat character, a nerdy hacker guy. I was watching that famous Joe Rogan interview with Elon Musk. It was in the news and everything. I had never actually seen Elon Musk talk before. So, I’d always seen these very dapper, svelte pictures of him. Then when I actually saw him talk, I realized how intelligent he comes across. Nerd is probably not the right word, but something in that ballpark, where it’s like, “Okay, I can see this guy’s like a rocket scientist, very easily.” But I also really appreciated his deadpan sense of humor a lot.
So, I didn’t put a bunch of posters of Elon up in my bedroom and play the tapes back of how we talked between takes or anything like that. I just watched that one interview. Based off of that, I said, “That’s a direction. That’s a flavor that I want to try to capture a little bit.” But he was definitely the inspiration for it, which is kind of funny. It’s this crazy pulp action movie, ‘Pursuit’. It’s like, “Do you want to see this guy try to play Elon Musk? Then check this movie out!”
Emile Hirsch in Liongate’s ‘Pursuit.’
MF: Can you also talk about creating the specific look for your character?
EH: The character in the script comes across almost like ‘The Boy with the Dragon Tattoo,’ where he’s this hacker. He’s got all these tattoos. So, I said, “Well, we can’t just give him a bunch of tattoos or piercings, because that’s too much like Lisbeth Salander in those books. So, let’s give him some face tattoos. Let’s go full Mike Tyson and Post Malone, and make it kind of weird and shocking.”
There was something strange about a hacker with face tattoos. But there are a lot of these guys, now. I mean, face tattoos are more popular than ever. The kids these days are, if you haven’t noticed, out of their minds, and the face tattoos, a lot of them have them. So, I was like, “All right, let’s just give him some face tattoos.”
MF: You have a lot of action sequences and stunts in the film. Is that fun for you to do when you get an opportunity to do those types of scenes on a project?
EH: Getting to do stunts, it’s a challenge. You want to do it right, especially when you’re doing a lot of weapons work with Uzis and full blank rounds. With the Uzis, there’s an element of danger anytime you do these types of extended gun fight sequences with these really powerful weapons. But it’s also a lot of fun. It’s undeniably a blast. It’s a great time. I’m kind of a dude with a “capital D” in a sense, where I like watching an action movie. I like firing my crazy Uzi with my circle-framed sunglasses on in slow-mo. I’m like, “Yeah, that looks pretty cool!”
Emile Hirsch in Lionsgate’s ‘Pursuit.’
MF: Finally, what was it like for you to work with Quentin Tarantino on his masterpiece, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood?’
EH: I mean, working with Quentin was a lifelong dream of mine. I grew up watching his films, loving his films. I met him years and years before. I think I met him at the premiere of ‘The Green Mile,’ when I was 14 years old. He wouldn’t remember this. But he knew a woman that was there and said, “Hi.” I was with her daughter and I got to say hi. I said, “I love ‘Reservoir Dogs.’” He asked, “Who’s your favorite dog?” I didn’t understand what he meant. I said, “A Dalmatian.” He said, “No, no, no. Your favorite ‘Reservoir Dog.’” And I went, “Oh, oh, oh, Mr. Blonde.” Then he said, “Oh, yes, Mr. Blonde.”
Then years later, I get to know him. I think one of the reasons why Quentin and I originally got along is that he was the guy that always worked in the video store growing up and was the video store master. Growing up as a kid, I was always in the video store, renting every genre film and watching films. He’s a way bigger film nerd than me, but for an actor, I’m a film nerd, as far as that scale goes.
So, we always got along over the years based off of that similarity. Then when he gave me the role of playing Jay Sebring in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,’ every day I was pinching myself, because I was so grateful to be there. I knew what an amazing opportunity it was to get to be a part in his filmography, really. I mean, he doesn’t make very many films. So, that’s pretty cool.
