Capone here again. As I'd predicted, in just a few short hours we've already got three times the number of entries as we do seats to fill for this contest. I'll spend the next couple of days sifting through the entries and post a list of winners soon. Thanks for entering!!



Hey everyone. Capone in Chicago here.

We've had a rare and spectacular summer here in Chicago. I set myself a mission to bring a little taste of what I love about my frequent trips to Austin (and specifically the "event" quality that the Alamo Drafthouse and Harry bring to each and every AICN premiere) to the Windy City. The sad fact is there is no place like the Drafthouse in Chicago or in most other cities in the country. So my secondary mission was to provide Chicago with events that would give the film geek community a place to congregate and socialize at semi-regular intervals throughout the summer. I've actually been hosting screenings and moderating Q&As in Chicago for a few years now (and will continue to do so in the months to come), but this summer's mission for me was to bring the biggest and most geek-friendly films to film lovers. I came up with a wishlist of key summer movies back in May and then I set about bombarding the studios (and Harry) to not just give us a handful of tickets to already-scheduled screenings, but to give us an entire theater to fill with readers.

With the exception of THE DARK KNIGHT and INDIANA JONES--both of which I knew far in advance wasn't going to happen for me or anyone else--all of the films I truly wanted for AICN events in Chicago I got, beginning with IRON MAN in May and continuing with such films as AMERICAN TEEN, THE PROMOTION, THE INCREDIBLE HULK (we didn't get the whole theater on this one, but we got a lot of seats), WALL*E, WANTED, HELLBOY 2, HAMLET 2, and PINEAPPLE EXPRESS. Not a huge list of films, but these are the films I chose to pursue. Sorry, no HANCOCK, SEX AND THE CITY, or MAMMA MIA. You can find tune into your local terrestrial radio stations for advanced tickets to stuff like that.

So today I announce a contest for what I believe will be AICN's last summer screening, and we're going to go out with a motherfucking bang, more like a BA-BOOM! The film is called TROPIC THUNDER, and it will be screening on Monday, August 11 at the AMC River East 21 in Chicago theater at 8:00 p.m. In just about every way, it was my desire to show TROPIC THUNDER to an audience of AICN readers that set me down my path for these summer screenings to begin with. I'll be happy to explain why at the screening.

To enter, send me an email at --Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com with the subject line "I Feel the THUNDER Down Under!" And I truly mean it when I say don't stray from that subject line, or I'll toss your entry into the garbage heap. In the body of your email, I need your name (I don't need your guest's name for this; you are allowed ONE GUEST) and an answer to the following question (which was inspired by my question for the IRON MAN screening): "Why do I deserve to attend a screening of the funniest movie of the year, TROPIC THUNDER?" I need convincing arguments, folks, and I need them in 75 words or less. This contest is only going to take a couple of hours to fill up, so keep an eye on the site later today for word when it closes. I'll try to have the list of winners up by Friday.

If you aren't 100 percent sure you can make this screening, do not enter. If you have a pregnant wife or sick grandmother on the verge of death or a job that sometimes requires you to work late, do not enter. We'll probably have a stand-by line for this movie, so if you don't win, you can try your luck getting in that way.

You will be allowed to bring one guest only. You'll receive a confirmation email from me if you win, and your name will be posted on the site in a list of winners. When you get to the theater, your name will be verified with a photo ID, and you'll be given a pass good for two. NO ONE UNDER 18 CAN ENTER THIS CONTEST. Good luck, everyone. Hope to see you Monday.

--Capone
capone@aintitcoolmail.com