ACTOR DENNIS FARINA, a former Chicago cop who has appeared in 71 films and TV episodes since his first gig in Michael Mann’s 1981 “Thief,” was seen scouting locations in Lincoln Park and the Pilsen neighborhood for a movie called “The Last Rites of Joe May,” the Sun-Times’ Michael Sneed reported.
If all goes well, a source told Sneed, “filming could begin by the end of summer.”
THERE’S MORE. According to the Sun-Times’ Bill Zwecker, there’s a possibility that Sean Penn might shoot in Chicago next year.
He will play a retired rock star in Italian director
Paolo Sorrentino’s first English language film, “This Must Be the Place.” He is obsessed with finding a former Nazi commandant of a concentration camp where is father was killed. The Nazi is found quietly running a convenience store on the Northwest Side.
Meanwhile, the Illinois Film Office is busily scouting for unrevealed Hollywood films, suggesting a Chicago film stimulus might be in the offing.
MIKE HOULIHAN’S INDIE FEATURE “TAPIOCA” starring Ben Vereen and Tim Kazurinsky headlining a Chicago cast of comic characters, screens Friday, May 22 at the Beverly Arts Center.
Second City veterans Greg Hollimon, Jimmy Carrane, David Pasquesi, and the entire Houlihan family are featured.
The Friday night screening will be a reunion for many of the cast members. In March, 2004 the Houlihans presented their “sketch comedy experiment” at the Beverly Arts Center. Out of that idea grew Houlihan’s indie feature.
Houlihan plays a bigoted blowhard who makes the mistake of abusing a Streetwise vendor named Nuts (Vereen), who puts a hex on him and renders him homeless. (Tapioca is Chicago slang for being broke.)
Vanguard Cinema released “Tapioca” on DVD in March for worldwide DVD distribution.
THE ROSCOR 09 SHOW attracted a good-sized crowd who came to RDS Wednesday to see what’s new from 40 some equipment and technology makers. The show and seminars continue through Thursday. Free valet parking and downtown shuttle service make it easy to get to.
MORE 2016 OLYMPIC FILMS? No confirmation, but some local crew members had been told during the March Olympic presenttion film shoots that new films would be produced before the search committee meets in October to announce their 2016 Olympics city choice.
