Jeremy and Paco are joined by Cullen Atchley and Emilio Diaz of Cannes I Kick It to talk about the Chicago International Film Festival. We also announce the winners of the coveted Four Stars Golden Beef and Silver Bean prizes recognizing the best of the festival.

Several writers, critics and film lovers from Chicago called-in and gave us their thoughts on some underrated movies from the festival:

- Isaac Feldberg, film critic (22:45)

- Kyle Logan, film critic for the Chicago Reader (26:20)

- Daniella Mazzio, writer and Hand Me the Mike host (41:50)

- Brennan McMahon, Gene Siskel Film Center assistant technical coordinator (46:55)

- Shaun Huhn, writer (1:24:49)

- Zachary Lee, journalist (1:29:45)

- Steve Prokopy, film critic and Music Box Public Relations (1:32:30)

Films we talked about:

• Is This Thing On? (again) (dir. Bradley Cooper)
• Kontinental ‘25 (dir. Radu Jude)
• What does that nature say to you? (dir. Hong Sang-Soo)
• Miroirs no 3 (dir. Christian Petzold)

• Jay Kelly (dir. Noah Baumbach)
• The Mastermind (dir. Kelly Reichardt)
• Sentimental Value (dir. Joachim Trier)
• Bouchra (dir. Orian Barki, Meriem Bennani)
• Animation Shorts

• Paradaïz (dir. Matea Radic)
• This is not your Garden (dir. Carlos Velandia, Angélica Restrepo)
• Retirement Plan (dir. John Kelly)
• Dollhouse Elephant (dir. Jenny Jokela)
• Dog Alone (dir. Marta Reis Andrade)
• dipolar bipolar (dir. Li Quankai)
• Autokar (dir. Sylwia Szkiłądź)
• Ordinary Life (dir. Yoriko Mizushiri)

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On our final dispatch out of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, we talked about:

• Anything that Moves (dir. Alex Philips)
• Before the Call (dir. James Choi, World Premiere)
• Only Heaven Knows  (dir. Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva, World Premiere)
• New Group (dir. Yûta Shimotsu)
• Young Mothers (dir. Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardennes)
• Palestine 36 (dir. Annemarie Jacir – U.S. Premiere)
• Is This Thing On? (dir. Bradley Cooper)

• Blue Violet (dir. Josie Charles)
• Coyotes (dir. Said Zagha)
• Dummy! (dir. Francesca Pazniokas)
• Earworm (dir. Patrik Eklund)
• Pinpoint (dir. Michael Merlino)
• Hotel Acropole (dir. Sarah Lasry)

• Tsuna the empty can – Meatball and Spaghetti (dir. Iku Ogawa)
• Pow! (dir. Joey Clift)
• On the Mat Outside my Door (dir. Antje Heyn)
• Yore Gramps and the Whale (dir. Mariana Elisabetsky)
• Snow Bear (dir. Aaron Blaise)
• Are We There Yet? (dir. Sven Kristlbauer, Raul Bison, Marion Zeder)
• Lily (dir. Kate Siegel)

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On the second dispatch out of the Chicago International Film Festival, Jeremy and Paco are joined by film writer Cortlyn Kelly to discuss the City & State Shorts program, as well as other films she's seen during the festival. Check out Cortlyn's Substack The Art Idiot, as well as her podcast Kaveh and CK's Screening Room.

On this episode we talked about:

- The City & State Shorts program, featuring short films by Shiloh Tumo Washington, Missy Hernandez, Alex Heller, Fernando Saldivia Yáñez, Jessie Komitor, Josh Brainin, Camille Bacon, Youssef Boucetta, and Texas Smith.

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Suggestions, comments, complaints, hate mail, and all other correspondence can be sent to [email protected].

Jeremy interviews Kevin Shaw, director of One Golden Summer, which had its world premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival and opened the festival.

You can catch the movie on Sunday, October 26 at the Logan Center for the Arts.

"In 2014, Chicago’s Jackie Robinson West Little League became the first all-Black team to win the Little League U.S. Baseball Championship. Along the way, 13 twelve-year-old athletes from the South Side turned into media superstars—their faces were splashed across magazine covers and major TV networks, garnering them millions of fans around the country. They were even invited to the White House to meet President and Mrs. Obama. But it all came crashing down after a rival coach accused the team of breaking residential boundary rules.

Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Shaw (Let the Little Light Shine, America to Me) deftly investigates the story behind the headlines, shattering stereotypes and reframing the narrative. Through conversations with the charismatic young athletes, now adults, as well as reporters, coaches, and parents, One Golden Summer shines a vivid spotlight on the complex issues of race, power, and money all too prevalent in youth sports. Above all, Shaw’s sensitive film is a universal story about personal resilience, the strength of family, and what it means to be a true champion."

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Jeremy interviews Curtis Miller, the director of A Brief History of Chasing Storms, which is screening as a part of the Chicago International Film Festival. "A Brief History of Chasing Storms presents a history of the tornado as both a destructive weather event and an American icon. Local monuments to past tornadoes intertwine with mythologies of settlement and displacement. An amateur storm chaser questions his own agency and fate. The CEO of a Wizard of Oz-themed storm shelter company describes a growing market in a world of increasing weather uncertainty. Unfolding episodically, questions of memory, inequality, colonization, climate change, and disaster capitalism arise as the film examines legacies of weather within the region colloquially known as “tornado alley.”

You can catch A Brief History of Chasing Storms on Saturday, October 25 at 12pm at the Gene Siskel Film Center.

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Suggestions, comments, complaints, hate mail, and all other correspondence can be sent to [email protected].

On our first dispatch out of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival, we talked about:

- the world premiere of One Golden Summer (dir. Kevin Shaw)

- A Useful Ghost (dir. Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke)

- Arco (dir. Ugo Bienvenue)

- Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (dir. Tatsuya Yoshihara)

- The Helsinki Effect (dir. Arthur Franck) (North American premiere)

- Train Dreams (dir. Clint Bentley)

- The Secret Agent (dir. Kleber Mendonça Filho)

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Suggestions, comments, complaints, hate mail, and all other correspondence can be sent to [email protected]

Jeremy and Paco will be covering the 61st Chicago International Film Festival! Our next few episodes will be dispatches from the festival, including mini-reviews, interviews, and catchups with film critics.

If you have any suggestions of movies we have to see, you can reach us at [email protected].

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Jeremy and Paco are joined by the Modern Yentas, Natalie Jacobson and Naomi Borowsky, to talk about 2002's My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

The Modern Yentas are a personalized match-making service based in Chicago. You can join their pool of people looking for love here.

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Further reading and sources

• 20 Years Married: How ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ Became a Smash Hit | Alison Herman, The Ringer
• Greek girl meets boy in realistic romance | Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times
• Toronto's just a poser in movies 'set' here. | Richard Roeper, The Chicago Sun-Times
• Chicago: Greeks of the ‘Second City’ | Alexander Billinis, Neo Kosmos
• Cruel Irony: TV, Movie Versions of Chicago Supplant the Real Place | Mike Dorning and Terry Armour, Chicago Tribune
• Nia Vardalos' `Big Fat' Movie Hits the Screen | Terry Armour, Chicago Tribune
• Chicago Hit Hard by Movie Exodus | Terry Armour, Chicago Tribune
• Greek Odyssey ; how Nia Vardalos Turned a One-Woman Stage show into a Big, Fat $216 Million Gold Mine | Robert K. Elder, Chicago Tribune
• Chicago' made in . . . Canada | Chicago Tribune
• MOB LURKS ON CITY'S FILM SCENE INSIDERS TELL TALES OF STRONG-ARM TACTICS | Peter Kendall and John O'Brien, Chicago Tribune
• Blagojevich's secret weapon - Downstate congressman Costello made the difference in primary | Steve Neal, Chicago Sun-Times
• Candlemaking a Way of Faith, Life for Family ; Greektown Shop Changes with Times and its Neighbors | Shia Kapos, Chicago Tribune

Jeremy and Paco interview film programmer Will Morris. Will is part of the team that programs the Music Box of Horrors series throughout the month of October, as well as the 24 hour horror movie marathon.

Will talks about how he got his start in film programming, the process the Music Box of Horrors team goes through to program the series, and gives us a preview of some of the movies to watch out for.

The 24 hour Music Box of Horrors marathon will be on October 18. Buy your tickets today!

Get tickets to some of the movies we talked about:

- In My Skin on October 1st

- Alice on October 2nd

- Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight on October 3rd

- Wake in Fright on October 5th

- Marley's Revenge: The Monster Movie on October 8th

- Last House on Dead End Street on October 10th

- Mr. K on October 22nd

- Anyab on October 23rd

- Cure on October 31st

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Suggestions, comments, complaints, hate mail, and all other correspondence can be sent to [email protected].

Jeremy and Paco talk about Fixed, directed by Genndy Tartakovsky.

First Impressions is an episode format where we talk about recently released Chicago movies. Let us know any that are coming up!

You can watch Fixed on Netflix but we would suggest skipping it.

Suggestions, comments, complaints, hate mail, and all other correspondence can be sent to [email protected]

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Further reading and sources:

• Lane Tech grad behind ‘Fixed’ from Netflix drew inspiration from high school pals | Mitch Dudek
• An ideal day in Chicago with Genndy Tartakovsky | Monica Eng
• Hotel Transylvania - Genndy Blur Shot Build