By Gregg Shapiro

Contributing writer

In theaters:

“Michael Clayton” (Warner Brothers)—Best known as the screenwriter of the three “Bourne” flicks, Tony Gilroy steps into the director’s chair for “Michael Clayton” and emerges a success.

Clayton (George Clooney) is a man who has made a name for himself as the “fixer” at a prestigious Manhattan law firm. He cleans up messes and makes things look all shiny and new. Unfortunately, he’s unable to do the same in his own life. A restaurant venture in which he partnered with his brother Timmy (David Lansbury) went belly-up and he must find the means to make it go away in the same way he deals with problems at the firm.

At the same time, he is faced with perhaps his greatest challenge to date. Old friend Arthur (Tom Wilkinson), is one of the law firm’s most ruthless lawyers, but a class action lawsuit brought against a heartless agricultural chemical company that the firm represents has driven him to distraction—so much so that he has fallen in love with one of the young women suing the chemical giant, leading to erratic and unpredictable behavior on his part that threatens to destroy the case. When Karen (Tilda Swinton) the head lawyer at the corporation, steps in, her involvement, which also includes hiring a couple of henchmen to do some very dirty work, signals that events are about to take a much darker and more ominous turn. The pacing and dramatic tension, in combination with the first-rate acting and writing, makes “Michael Clayton” both an admirable directorial debut and one of the more compelling legal thrillers in recent memory.

 

Limited runs:

The 43rd Chicago International Film Festival runs through Oct. 17. Titles of GLBT interest include “Before I Forget” Oct. 10, “The Witnesses” Oct. 13, “Men in the Nude” Oct. 15-16 and “Surveillance” Oct. 10-16. For a complete schedule, including venues and times, visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com.

“Sea Monsters 3D: A Prehistoric Adventure” continues at Navy Pier IMAX Theatre, 700 E. Grand. Call (312) 595-5MAX.

A screening of “Las Mujeres de la Caucus Chicana,” produced and directed by Linda Garcia Merchant and featuring Margaret Cruz, Andrea Rivera Cano, Ruth ‘Rhea’ Mojica Hammer, Martha Cotera, Pauline Martinez and Lupe Anguiano, takes place Oct. 10 at 6 p.m. in the Rafael Cintron Ortiz Latino Cultural Center/UIC, Lecture Center B2 803 S. Halsted M/C 218. Call (312) 996-3095.

The 2007 French film “Moliere” is screened Oct. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Beverly Arts Center, 2407 W. 111th. Call (773) 445-3838.

“Mapping Stem Cell Research: Terra Incognita,” Evanston filmmaker Maria Finitzo’s new documentary, puts a human face on stem cell research through the story of Northwestern University’s Dr. Jack Kessler and his daughter Allison. It’s screened at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10 in the Block Cinema in the Pick-Laudati Auditorium at the Mary and  Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, on Northwestern’s Evanston campus.

Through Oct. 11, Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, shows the critically acclaimed documentary “Shadow Company,” centering on mercenaries, private military companies employed by the U.S. in Iraq, which in the wake of Blackwater makes this documentary screening very timely indeed.

The Institute for the Study of Women and Gender in the Arts and Media presents a sneak preview of the in-process documentary film “Enough is Enough,” co-produced by the Wonda Women Project, Oct. 11, 6–8 p.m., at Columbia College Chicago’s Film Row Cinema, 1104 S. Wabash.

A free screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1942 film “Saboteur,” is shown at 8 p.m. Oct. 11 in the Block Cinema in the Pick-Laudati Auditorium at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, on Northwestern’s Evanston campus.

A film festival honoring the late Ingmar Bergman continues at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, with screenings of “Autumn Sonata (Hostsonaten),” starring Ingrid Bergman and Liv Ullmann, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m. and Oct. 15 at 6 p.m., and “Cries and Whispers  (Viskningar Och Rop),” starring Harriet Andersson and Liv Ullmann, Oct. 13 at 3:15 p.m. and Oct. 16 at 6 p.m.

A screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1964, film “Marnie,” starring Tippi Hedren, is shown at 8 p.m. Oct. 12 in the Block Cinema in the Pick-Laudati Auditorium at the Mary and Leigh Block Museum of Art, 40 Arts Circle Drive, on Northwestern’s Evanston campus.

Filmmaker Carolyn Stanek is scheduled to be at the screening of her 2007 doc “Found in China,” which follows six Midwestern families who’ve adopted Chinese babies, Oct. 14 at 6:30 p.m. at Chicago Filmmakers, 5243 N. Clark.