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One of the most significant annual events for Chicago-area film lovers, by which I mean those local fans who care the most about seeing great movies on the big screen with the best possible image and sound quality, is the Music Box Theatre’s 70mm Film Festival. The 2016 edition runs from February 19 through March 10 and is being billed as “The Ultimate Edition," utilizing the new 41-foot screen and 7.1-channel surround sound system that were recently installed by the theater for its massively successful 70mm screenings of The Hateful Eight, while showcasing an eclectic lineup of both classic and important contemporary films.
Among the highlights: Vertigo (1958), Lawrence of Arabia (1962), 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), Ghostbusters (1984), Starman (1984), The Master (2012) and Interstellar (2014). Of particular interest is the most recent film of the bunch: Paul Thomas Anderson’s Inherent Vice (2014), and not only because the 70mm version has only ever screened in Los Angeles and Austin. The film itself, a comedic adaptation of Thomas Pynchon’s labyrinthine novel about a stoner detective (Joaquin Phoenix) investigating a series of interrelated cases in early 1970s Los Angeles, boasts shots that are jam-packed with visual interest—including tiny details in the clever production design that should come through better than ever in the breathtaking clarity of 70mm.
Festival passes are already sold out, but tickets for individual showings are on sale for $13. Here's the festival's complete schedule.
Friday, February 19
7:00pm: Vertigo
11:00pm: Ghostbusters
Saturday, February 20
11:30am: Vertigo
7:00pm: The Master
10:30pm: Inherent Vice
Sunday, February 21
12:00pm: Ghostbusters
7:30pm: The Wild Bunch
Monday, February 22
7:30pm Vertigo
Wednesday, February 24th
7:30pm: Inherent Vice
Thursday, February 25
6:30pm: Ghostbusters
9:30pm: The Master
Friday, February 26
1:30pm: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
7:00pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey
11:00pm: Brainstorm
Saturday, February 27
12:00pm: Krull
3:30pm: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
9:00pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Sunday, February 28
12:00pm: Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines
4:00pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey
8:00pm: Krull
Monday, February 29
7:30pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Tuesday, March 1
7:30pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Wednesday, March 2
7:00pm: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World
Thursday, March 3
6:30pm: Brainstorm
9:45pm: 2001: A Space Odyssey
Friday, March 4
7:00pm: Interstellar
11:30pm: Starman
Saturday, March 5
12:00pm: 70MM Shorts Program
3:00pm: Cleopatra
8:00pm: Lawrence of Arabia
Sunday, March 6
11:30am: West Side Story
4:00pm: Lawrence of Arabia
9:15pm: Starman
Monday, March 7
7:30pm: West Side Story
Tuesday, March 8
7:00pm: Lawrence of Arabia
Wednesday, March 9
7:00pm: Cleopatra
Thursday, March 10th
2:00pm: Lawrence of Arabia
8:00pm: Interstellar