I'm about to do those of you in the Chicago area a huge favor, only you won't realize it until the favor has already been granted, which means you have to trust me. It's one of the most important jobs of a film critic (some would say THE most important) to not just steer folks in the direction of good movie, but to introduce them to great films they might not otherwise see. Sometimes they don't see these smaller films with less-established actors made my relatively unknown filmmakers because they've never heard of them (you won't have that excuse for this film if you're reading this), or people very eager to see an indie work simply might not have access to an art house willing to play it (people in or around Chicago won't have that excuse either).
The film I want to talk to you about is writer-director Jeremy Saulnier's BLUE RUIN, a festival favorite since it premiered at Cannes last year. It's a remarkably simple, yet unpredictable story of a man released from prison, seeking revenge, a prospect that turns him into the world's least likely assassin. It has mystery, action, violence and some truly great performances, particularly by lead actor Macon Blair. The film is finally making its way around the country, and this Friday it's landing in Chicago, and Saulnier is stopping by on opening day for a Q&A with yours truly. And I have a bunch of free tickets to share with the fine folks of Chicagoland or wherever you're willing to drive in from.
The Chicago Q&A screening of BLUE RUIN with writer-director Jeremy Saulnier is happening on Friday, May 2 after the 7pm screening at the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport Ave., Chicago). Following the Q&A, there will be a reception at Cullen’s Bar and Grill (just a couple doors north of the theater) sponsored by Fandor. I'm not going to make you jump through hoops for this one, but many of the same rules apply if you enter and win. Here's how to get your free tickets…
To win a pair of seats (or just one, if that's all you want), send me an email at BlueRuinChicago@aintitcoolmail.com (please note the new email address) with the subject line "Blue Ruin tickets" (exactly like that). In the body of the email, I need your full Name, whether or not you're bringing a Guest (each winner may bring ONE confirmed guest, and that's it. This will be a first-come, first-served situation, and you'll hear from me VERY SOON if you won, so check your email frequently! And if you don't win, you should come anyway; the film is awesome. You can pre-order tickets here: Music Box Theatre--BLUE RUIN tickets
And the only rule is that if you win and don't show up, the Black List to my future screenings (and I've got some big ones on the horizon) is your new best friend.
Good luck, everyone! And thanks to the Radius for giving us these tickets and bringing Jeremy Saultier to Chicago.
