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.
Udo Kier, the German-born actor whose singular screen presence transformed arthouse and genre cinema for more than five decades, died on Sunday morning in Palm Springs, according to his partner, artist Delbert McBride. He was 81.
(L to R): Arno Jürging and Udo Kier in ‘Flesh for Frankenstein.’
Born October 14, 1944, in Cologne, Germany, Kier entered the world amid the wreckage of World War II — a beginning he later described as “a life shaped by shadows, and a career chasing the light they throw.”
He moved to London in the 1960s, where his striking looks and enigmatic aura caught the attention of European filmmakers. His breakout came with Andy Warhol and Paul Morrissey’s ‘Flesh for Frankenstein’ and ‘Blood for Dracula,’ performances that fused grotesque theatricality with irresistible charm.
From there, Kier became a cinematic nomad. He was as comfortable in horror as in comedy, in experimental art films as in Hollywood blockbusters. He amassed a cult following not only for his icy blue eyes and baroque expressiveness, but for his fearless embrace of odd, unsettling, or deeply eccentric roles.
His performances in films such as ‘Dogville,’‘Melancholia’ and ‘The Forbidden Room’ showcased a performer who could vacillate between menace and vulnerability with breathtaking ease.
In his later years, Kier reached new artistic heights. His acclaimed lead role in ‘Swan Song’ revealed a softer, more introspective side, proving he was not just a cult icon but a deeply nuanced actor capable of anchoring a film with wit, melancholy, and grace.
Udo Kier: legacy
Udo Kier in ‘Swan Song.’
Though he never aligned himself with mainstream stardom, Kier became one of cinema’s most recognizable and beloved character actors. His work earned him lifetime achievement honors at numerous film festivals, celebrating a career built on risk, originality, and devotion to the craft.
He was a fixture in LGBTQ+ cinema and culture, an artist who defied convention and embraced queerness, eccentricity, and vulnerability long before they were celebrated.
Udo Kier’s death marks the passing of one of the screen’s great chameleons — a performer who turned strangeness into beauty, darkness into art, and every role into an unforgettable dreamscape.
Udo Kier as Mr. Pat and director Todd Stephens on the set of ‘Swan Song’
Udo Kier is a veteran character actor that’s been working for half a century. His latest film, ‘Swan Song,’ finds him collaborating with director Todd Stephens and playing an elderly former hairdresser known as Mr. Pat. Kier recently talked to us about his work on the movie.
Moviefone: Could you talk about how you became Mr. Pat for this movie?
Udo Kier: I got a script from Todd Stephens, and I liked the script very much. And then I said, “Okay, I want to meet you” because I wanted to see if we had the same ideas. And he came and it was a nice afternoon. I live in Palm Springs. So he came to Palm Springs. And so I liked it. And he agreed on certain terms that I am not going to be over the top and I don’t want to act. I mean, an actor is an actor, but I didn’t want that people feel that I’m “acting.” And then I went to Sandusky and I wanted to live two days in my retirement room with no camera before the film started, because I wanted to feel everything and stand by the window, look up, but before somebody tells me what to do.
And that was good. Then we started shooting, and I said, “Please, I would like to shoot chronologically as much as we can,” which we did. And I was sitting there folding my napkins to get to time go by. And then my only friend was a woman in a wheelchair, who doesn’t talk at all. And that’s the first time when I touch her hair and give her a cigarette. And then I went out to Sandusky and I said, “I don’t want to see the graveyard. I don’t want to see the stone, with my name on it,” before the camera ran. I was looking at other people’s name, and then I saw Todd making a little wave. And I came in, and I saw the stone, the gravestone, for the first time. And also my name and that was what we would call it and my feelings, because of what you saw and that.
I’ve worked for years with Lars Von Trier and his favorite line is, “Don’t act.” And he says that even when we made ‘Dogville‘ with Lauren Bacall, Ben Gazzara, James Caan, Nicole Kidman, he told all of us, “Don’t act”. And he is a friend of mine, of course because we made 10 films together. And so I didn’t want to “act” in a story.
I had a good time, and I don’t know if you’ve been to Sandusky, it’s one street, at the end is the water where people take the ferry boat to the amusement park. And the whole street became the set. There was on the right-hand side, was the woman who gave me the suit, on the left side, was the theater where I opened the film, Pat is back.
But there was no star system. There was people in 18 days making a movie, which was, of course, the dream of Todd Stephens because he lived there, and he had known of Mr. Pat. And I talked to his friends, and they told me how he smoked with the hand like that. How he walk, how he did little movements. And I said, “Really? Wow!” and I did it.
And then of course the music, My God, that scene in the wheelchair, all the cars behind me and the music, “I did it my way” I mean what can be better? But Todd didn’t tell me that a chandelier on my head will be lit up. And then when we did the scene it was all of a sudden lit and I said, “Wow, all the electricity around my neck and everywhere. It’s that, that’s why it’s called ‘Swan Song’?” And it fell down, of course. And of course in the hospital, the first thing I do is look that my green suit is there. And I like that line in the elevator, “I’m late for my funeral.”
MF: Over the years that you’ve worked as a film actor, as the technology has changed and as the business has changed, how has that affected what you do and your work?
Kier: Well, I adapt myself. I mean, it was when I made films 50 years ago, there wasn’t a monitor, there weren’t actors looking at what they just did, which I don’t do, even today.
MF: Did you have other choices for that pantsuit, or did you have to go with the one that really brought out your eyes?
Kier: No, the costume woman, she’s very good. And I am in every film, I work very, very close to the costume because I have to wear it. And then it’s my character and my person. And for me, it was basically clear that I said, when I saw the green suit, that I’ll wear that, and it did fit. And I said, “That’s the only costume I want to wear until I die.” And I did.
MF: There’s a moment right at the beginning of the film, we see Mr. Pat onstage in the fur coat, says “I’m back.” And then he wakes up, and am I misinterpreting that there’s almost a look of disappointment on his face to wake up in the retirement home?
Kier: No, the scene in this theater was not in the script. And I wanted it because I remember that I had seen many years ago, Liberace in Las Vegas, and Liberace came to the audience and holds out all of his rings, diamonds, and he went to the audience like that, [holding his hands out] and then he said, “You paid for it!” I’ll never forget that. So I said to Todd, because this theater where that happened was actually our costume place. So I said, “I want to come out that curtain and say, ‘Hi, I’m back. I’m Mr. Pat.’” So we did it. And I said, “You know,if you don’t like it, you can throw it away.” But the editors liked it and just thought it was a great opening moment before I opened my eyes. Because I remember the theater and Mr. Pat.
MF: How heavy was the chandelier on your head?
Kier: Not heavy. And I was concentrating, singing, “I’m in the corner, seeing you kiss her. No, no, no.” It was the kind of, if you concentrate, you can have much more weight on your head than when you would have normally said, “Oh no, that’s too heavy.”
Udo Kier as Mr. Pat and director Todd Stephens on the set of ‘Swan Song’
Todd Stephens’ new movie ‘Swan Song’ tells the story of Mr. Pat, a retired hairdresser in the small town of Sandusky, Ohio. This is the third movie that Phillips has set in his hometown of Sandusky, and veteran German actor Udo Kier plays Mr. Pat. Phillips talked to us about his new movie.
Moviefone: There was a real Mr. Pat, right?
Todd Stephens: Oh yeah. I mean, he was a legendary figure in my hometown. Just like he is in the film, he did all the fabulous women in town in the 60s, 70s, and 80s. He did the hair for this one person who is still alive, named Jackie Mayer, who became Miss America. And Pat helped create her for the Miss Ohio pageant. But he was really different. He looked like an alien almost being down into Sandusky, Ohio, which is where I grew up. And he always had the courage to be pretty outrageous. He was a pretty, he was like a rock star in a way, downtown. And so I would ride my bike down there when I was a kid. And I would always get excited when I would see him. It was like seeing a celebrity.
And it was my first exposure to queerness growing up. And so he always was like an idol to me. And when I got up the nerve to go to the Fruit and Nut Company, which was our actual gay bar. First time I went, he was there, and I felt like it all made sense and that I was home, and that I had found my tribe. So even though I never really knew Mr. Pat very well, but he really, like Michael Urie says in the film, he really did have a huge impact on my life.
MF: There is a moment Mr. Pat and Eunice talk about how different the world is versus when they grew up. And I know you’re of a different age, but I have to imagine you’ve seen a bit of that yourself.
Stephens: Yeah. I mean, back when I was that age too, or back when I was younger, I couldn’t hold my boyfriend’s hand on the street or kiss him, or… I actually met my husband in that gay bar, and we’re still together centuries later. But Tim and I couldn’t have been outward gay in public. So we needed those safe spaces, like the Fruit and Nut Company. And those places are almost endangered or disappearing. I guess because younger generations don’t need the same space in the way that we did. And so I was trying to spark a conversation about that because I think it’s amazing that we can be ourselves, even in a small town like Sandusky, on the street now. But there’s a loss of this secret world that was fabulous.
And it was fun to be other and different. I mean, in a way maybe it was hard too, but it was like you felt like you were part of a family, a chosen family that not everybody knew about. And that family was so tight. You know what I mean? Because we had to be. And that family is gone now, in my town anyway. There’s still kind of a gay bar. It’s mostly not even gay anymore. They have drag shows. But the gay community has melted away and dissolved into the rest of society. And it’s amazing and sad at the same time.
MF: It almost feels like there needs to be, like we have in LA where an organization will mark buildings or spots of cultural significance, something specifically for the queer community to landmark buildings that otherwise nobody would necessarily pay attention to.
Stephens: Yeah, exactly. I mean, exactly. We need to start making some plaques and shit!
MF: It sounds like it was a really collaborative effort between you and Udo. With somebody who’s got a career like his, who’s been around for so long, what’s on your mind collaborating with someone who’s literally been doing this for decades?
Stephens: Yeah, exactly. You know what? I didn’t think too much about that because I would get freaked out if I did. You know what I’m saying? And the other thing was that he and I just connected so well and just became, just had this natural rapport, or we’re on the same page about everything that I just didn’t allow myself to get too psyched out. If you really think about all the amazing directors that he’s worked with and amazing films, you could get in your head and be like, “Aah!” But I just try to keep it cool. And I also knew that I was giving Udo a real opportunity in a way that was different than other things that he had done. And to finally really let him show the full range of what he can do and show how he’s, in my opinion, one of the best actors on the planet. And the performance that he gives in the film is so natural and so real that I’m just so proud that it happened.
And it was a little bit of a risky casting move because he wasn’t the first person that I thought of because he’s got a German accent, and he’s so often a killer, evil or whatever. And so it was a bit of a leap of faith that, once I met him, I knew when I saw the real Udo. And his dog’s named Liza Minnelli, and he’s a gardener. You know what I mean? I knew that it was perfect, but still, sometimes you overthink things. It’s like, “Well, why does he have a German accent and stuff?” Who cares. You know what I mean?
MF: This movie gives us little hints into a world that straight people might not know about you these little hints, like the discussion about the safe spaces, or whatever hair product Mr. Pat was mixing up, using-
Stephens: Crown Royal and cigarette ashes.
MF: Is that a real thing?
Stephens: I just made it up! (Laughing) Maybe it will work. I don’t know. I mean, we should try it. But no, I just made it up. I don’t know how I came up with that, but…
MF: See, now I’m disappointed. I’m assumed it was, “Oh yeah, every old-school drag queen knows this trick!”
Stephens: Exactly. It’s like Dippity-Do.
MF: Udo has said that he insisted as much as possible you shot this chronologically. Does that present a challenge for you? Or is that difficult?
Stephens: Normally, it’s just impossible. Because let’s say you have a bar scene that takes place at the beginning, middle and end. You have to shoot all of that in one day. You just have to. But it just so happened that with this movie, because he goes from one place to the other and never comes back to anything, that it was possible to shoot it in sequence. So he kept saying that to me every time I talked to him. It’s like, “We’ve got to shoot in sequence and start at the nursing home. Can we start at the nursing home?” And I told my AD and stuff, that that was very important, and it worked pretty naturally. And I really do think that that helped both of us to make everything more real. Udo says, “Had we shot the chandelier scene at the beginning of the movie, it just wouldn’t have worked. It wouldn’t have been the same.” So he really was on that journey throughout the shoot. And that’s part of why I think it works so well.
MF: You bring in Jennifer Coolidge, but you don’t do what everybody else does with her, which is to bring her in for a couple of scenes that she totally steals, leaving a mark on the movie. Instead, she’s a real person in this town. How did you work with her on this role?
Stephens: Exactly. She was actually, she loved the script so much, and it really touched her, but she actually wanted to play a different part in the script. And because she’s not used to being the bad guy or the heavy. And I think, she’s always like, “I’m always the girl, the woman that everybody loves.” And so I think it took her a little while to wrap her brain around it. But I was like, “Come on, let’s do something different. Let’s push it. Let’s show another side of you.” And ultimately, she fully embraced that. And I mean, I’m just so proud of what she did in the film because she’s still funny, but there’s also a sadness or just another dimension that I’ve never really seen from her. Although now I’m watching ‘White Lotus,’ and she’s so brilliant in that.
But I just feel like there’s so much that woman can do that we haven’t even fully seen yet. So I’m really proud. I mean, and I have been obsessed with her ever since I saw ‘American Pie.’ It’s like, if there’s one person I would want to work with, who would it be? Jennifer Coolidge. And so it was a dream come true to have her shooting a movie in my hometown with her.
MF: There’s a great warmth to this, where we get to laugh with Mr. Pat, for instance, when he’s at the other salon and gets the hat. And yet there’s a real emotion, too. By the time we get to the end of the movie, as an audience member, I feel like I am losing someone that I have real affection for. As a writer, how do you balance putting the laughs in versus keeping the emotion real? And is that a fine line to walk, or is it just this is the story, and you let it take you where you go?
Stephens: Let it take you where you go. I mean, I never, when I was in film school, I thought I was going to make horror movies. So then I wrote ‘Edge of Seventeen,’ my first movie, and people were laughing at certain things in it. It also was touching, but there were funny things. And I don’t know. It just seems to come through. I don’t try too hard to do shtick or anything. But somehow, I guess I find humor in things. But also keep it balanced. I like this happy, sad kind of vibe, almost like a Robyn song, Dancing On My Own. It’s like, you feel joyous and so happy, but there’s something… It’s almost like you’re on the dance floor dancing, but tears are coming down your face. And I don’t know. That combination, it’s just, that’s what I love. So yeah, I try not to overthink it, though.
