Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Last week, I saw a remarkable coming-of-age film from the UK called SUBMARINE directed and written by Richard Ayoade, based on the novel from Joe Dunthorne. Ayoade might be better know to lovers of British TV from his roles on "Garth Marenghi's Darkplace," "The Mighty Boosh," and "The IT Crowd," but he's also been writing and directing for such shows as "Darkplace" and "Man to Man with Dean Lerner"; he even directed an episode of "Community" this season. SUBMARINE marks his feature debut, executive produced by Ben Stiller.
The film follows the awkward life of 15-year-old Oliver Tate (Craig Roberts) who is madly in love with Jordana (Yasmin Paige). Oliver's parents are played by the great Sally Hawkins and Noah Taylor, while Hawkins ex-boyfriend who moves in across the street is portrayed by the ferociously funny Paddy Considine. While Oliver pursues Jordana, his own parents' marriage is rapidly deteriorating, and Oliver feels obliged to save that relationship while he's attempting to create his own. The film is darkly funny, and somehow manages to feel both modern and wonderfully time stamped, although I'm not sure what era it is exactly. This is most definitely not a film for kids.
SUBMARINE is a subtle comedy of manners, but it also reminds us that children are too often forced to grow up a little faster than they are ever ready for, and sometimes the results can be quite painful. I have no idea if this film will catch on with general audiences, but it sure as hell caught on withe me, and I've got 70 seats to an early Chicago screening of SUBMARINE, taking place Tuesday, May 17 at 7:00pm. As a wonderful bonus, we will have writer-director Richard Ayoade on hand for a post-screening Q&A. Here's how to win tickets for you and a guest:
Send me an email at SubmarineChicago@aintitcoolmail.com (please note the new email address) with the subject line "HIS TINY HEART IS BROKEN". In the body of the email, I need your Name, whether or not you're bringing a Guest (guests' names are not required), and the answer to the following question (read carefully): "What is your favorite coming-of-age movie and why?" Keep your responses BRIEF--limit it to 50 words for each answer (no matter how tempted you are to go over the limit). People with the most interesting and original answers win, and will hear from me over the weekend.
Please keep in mind that this is not an exclusive AICN event, and as a result, it will be slightly overbooked to make sure there is a full house for our guest. So you should still arrive early to make sure you get in and get a good seat. If you can't early, don't enter this contest. If there's even the slightest chance you or your guest will have to back out of attending if you do win, don't enter. If you have a job that might make you late or unable to attend, or an ill/pregnant relative, or a temperamental significant other, or a scratchy throat, do not enter. Bad weather is not an excuse to not come to the screening.
Anyone not showing up without informing me 24 hours ahead of time so I can fill their seats runs the risk of being no longer eligible for future screening contests.
Good luck, everyone! And thanks to The Weinstein Company for letting us have these seats and for bringing Richard Ayoade to Chicago.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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