Friday 10/31 – Thursday 11/6
It’s not exactly The Devil’s Advocate, but the plot of the new indie flick Night of the Lawyers also tells a story of lawyers and their struggles with evil. Shot here in 23 days, it stars Tom Towles (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) in a dual role as a “good” alien and as the most corrupt partner at Moriarty & Company, an ambulance-chasing law firm that plans to take over the world. Director Phillip Koch, producer Sally Marschall, and other members of the cast and crew will be at tonight’s premiere, and costume designer Kaye Nottbusch will judge an informal Halloween costume contest at the end of each screening. It plays at 6 and 8 at the Film Center at the School of the Art Institute, Columbus and Jackson. Tickets are $6; call 312-443-3733 for more.
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4 TUESDAY After spending 25 years studying the most violent criminals, psychiatrist and author James Gilligan has concluded that the prevailing theory of “rational self-interest”–which says violent people act out of common sense and don’t want to go to prison or die–is wrong. In fact, his new book, Violence: Our Deadly Epidemic and Its Causes, claims our society’s idea of punishment and retribution actually contributes to violent crime: once incarcerated, criminals are dehumanized and often assaulted, which makes them much more likely to abuse others. “The people I’ve seen who are the most incurably violent are those whose self-esteem has been so totally destroyed as to undergo the death of themselves,” Gilligan says. Today he’ll discuss How Punishment Stimulates Violence and Why We Keep Using It at 1 PM in the Georgetown Room of Loyola University’s Marquette Center, Pearson and Rush; admission is free. Call 312-915-7760.
