Gorton Center

ELVIS
2023-11-02 19:00 - 21:30 (America/Chicago) | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
This biographic film follows the life of American music icon Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Stars: Tom Hanks, Austin Butler, Olivia DeJonge
Our First Thursday Film Series is sponsored by The Sheffield Foundation

Lake County Film Festival - Selected Shorts Program
2023-11-04 14:00 - 15:30 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Come check out an exciting program of 10 short films from the Lake County Film Festival, specifically selected for Gorton Center!
The Selected Shorts Program at Gorton Includes:
Shadow Brother Sunday – 14:30
A Hand to Hold – 2:15
Photo of the Day – 12:00
My Eyes are Up Here – 13:48
Island – 7:38
Luke and Emma – 13:00
A Perfect Day for a Walk – 4:10
Crack Shot – 14:30
Food That Saves You – 3:30
Non-Negotiable – 8:40
The complete film guide is at our 2023 Lake County Film Festival sub-site. You can also view or download the complete schedule as a pdf here.
The 13th Lake County Film Festival will be held November 3-5 & November 10-12, with a special secret screening on Halloween Night. All selected films will be shown in person at The College Of Lake County in Grayslake, rooms A011, C105, D100, B222, and T332.

GATHER
2023-11-06 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
An intimate portrait of a growing movement amongst Indigenous Americans to reclaim their spiritual and cultural identities through food sovereignty.
Director: Sanjay Rawal
Stars: Kris Bergen, Chucky Carpenter, Twila Cassadore

Post-show Discussion Sponsored by Trickster Cultural Center Led by Executive Director Gina Roxas!
This film is screening in collaboration with Elawa Farms’ first-ever collaborative farm dinner on Friday, November 10th @ 6 PM, centered around themes of food sovereignty, education, and preserving Indigenous foodways. Join participating guests – Executive Chef Jessica Walks First of Ketapanen Kitchen and Executive Director Gina Roxas of Trickster Cultural Center, as you learn how Native leaders are restoring health and well-being in local communities by broadening access to healthy Indigenous foods, traditions, and lifeways. Tickets for the dinner are limited so purchase while you can!
This film is part of Native Voices, the community-wide initiative to illuminate the historic legacy, current lives, and ongoing contributions of Native Americans in Lake Forest and Lake County. For all events, visit the community calendar.

PUSS IN BOOTS: The Last Wish
2023-11-10 10:00 - 11:45, 2023-11-10 15:00 - 17:45 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
When Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll and he has burned through eight of his nine lives, he launches an epic journey to restore them by finding the mythical Last Wish.
Directors: Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado
Stars: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén

Lake County Film Festival - Ellis
2023-11-11 12:00 - 13:30 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Come see a special screening as part of the Lake County Film Festival at the John & Nancy Hughes Theater at Gorton Center!
ELLIS is the first feature-length documentary about Ellis Marsalis Jr. and the Marsalis Music Family, often called the First Family of Jazz.
The film chronicles the life of this exceptional New Orleans composer, performer, and educator, the profound influence that the city had on him — and that he had on the jazz that came out of New Orleans. It is also a story of how one man transcended racial injustices he faced from his birth during segregation to his death from COVID 19.
Made with the full cooperation of Ellis, his family and everyone around him, ELLIS is told from an insider perspective with never-before-seen footage. For three years until his passing in April 2020, I worked closely with Ellis Marsalis on this film about his life. He tells it in his own words and he guides us through the events of his life in his own way: With his music. We filmed Ellis’ last concerts at Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York and Snug Harbor Jazz Bistro in New Orleans, and a solo concert at the Marsalis Center for Music performed exclusively for the film.
These concerts are interlaced with verité scenes that place Ellis in his city and with interviews with his sons Wynton, Branford, Delfeayo, Ellis III., and Jason, and colleagues, and disciples. Archival footage and photos take us back to New Orleans of the early twentieth century, to California of the fifties where Ellis served in the Marines and played with modernist giant Ornette Coleman, to New York of the seventies where he toured, and to his classrooms throughout the years.
The result is more than a biography of one of jazz’s heroes. The film interweaves Ellis’ accomplishments with key threads of American cultural history, placing him in historical context as someone who was both deeply affected the by world around him, and who, by responding to it helped to shape that world.

Lake County Film Festival - Join or Die
2023-11-11 14:30 - 16:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Come see a special screening as part of the Lake County Film Festival at the John & Nancy Hughes Theater at Gorton Center!
Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it. In this feature documentary, follow the half-century story of America’s civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Robert Putnam, whose groundbreaking “Bowling Alone” research into America’s decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy’s present crisis. Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg, and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Bob as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly… What can we do about it?

FANTASIA
2023-11-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Being the first of is kind, Fantasia is a cinematic musical experience that combines Western classical music with stunning visual animation from Walt Disney and his team of animators. Segments include “Ave Maria,” “The Nutcracker Suite,” “Night on Bald Mountain, and “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” with an appearance by Mickey Mouse. Conducted by Leopold Stokowski with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Directors: James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, Ford Beebe Jr.
Stars: Leopold Stokowski, Deems Taylor, The Philadelphia Orchestra Stars

HOME ALONE
2023-11-24 13:00 - 15:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
It is Christmas time and the McCallister family is preparing for a vacation in Paris, France. But the youngest in the family, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin), got into a scuffle with his older brother Buzz (Devin Ratray) and was sent to his room, which is on the third floor of his house. Then, the next morning, while the rest of the family was in a rush to make it to the airport on time, they completely forgot about Kevin, who now has the house all to himself. Being home alone was fun for Kevin, having a pizza all to himself, jumping on his parents’ bed, and making a mess. Then, Kevin discovers about two burglars, Harry (Joe Pesci) and Marv (Daniel Stern), about to rob his house on Christmas Eve. Kevin acts quickly by wiring his own house with makeshift booby traps to stop the burglars and to bring them to justice.
Director: Chris Columbus
Stars: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern

NORTH BY NORTHWEST
2023-11-26 15:00 - 17:00, 2023-11-26 19:00 - 21:30 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
A New York City advertising executive goes on the run after being mistaken for a government agent by a group of foreign spies, and falls for a woman whose loyalties he begins to doubt.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Stars: Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, James Mason

BEGIN AGAIN
2023-12-07 15:00 - 17:00, 2023-12-07 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Gretta (Keira Knightley) and her long-time boyfriend Dave (Adam Levine) are college sweethearts and songwriting partners who decamp for New York when he lands a deal with a major label. But the trappings of his new-found fame soon tempt Dave to stray, and a reeling, lovelorn Gretta is left on her own. Her world takes a turn for the better when Dan (Mark Ruffalo), a disgraced record-label exec, stumbles upon her performing on an East Village stage and is immediately captivated by her raw talent. From this chance encounter emerges an enchanting portrait of a mutually transformative collaboration, set to the soundtrack of a summer in New York City.
Director: John Carney
Stars: Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam Levine

DIE HARD
2023-12-09 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
NYPD cop John McClane goes on a Christmas vacation to visit his wife Holly in Los Angeles where she works for the Nakatomi Corporation. While they are at the Nakatomi headquarters for a Christmas party, a group of robbers led by Hans Gruber take control of the building and hold everyone hostage, with the exception of John, while they plan to perform a lucrative heist. Unable to escape and with no immediate police response, John is forced to take matters into his own hands.
Director: John McTiernan
Stars: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind
2023-12-13 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a medical procedure to have each other erased from their memories for ever.
Director: Michel Gondry
Stars: Jim Carrey, Kate Winslet, Tom Wilkinson, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo
POST-SHOW DISCUSSION MODERATED BY JOSH WOLFF – DIRECTOR OF FILM PROGRAMS

ELF
2023-12-17 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Buddy was a baby in an orphanage who stowed away in Santa’s sack and ended up at the North Pole. Later, as an adult who happened to be raised by elves, Santa allows him to go to New York City to find his birth father, Walter Hobbs. He, who is on Santa’s naughty list for being a heartless jerk, had no idea that Buddy was even born. Buddy, meanwhile, experiences the delights of New York City (and human culture) as only an elf can. When Walter’s relationship with him interferes with his job, he is forced to reevaluate his priorities.
Director: Jon Favreau
Stars: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Bob Newhart

It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie
2023-12-20 16:00 - 18:00, 2023-12-20 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
‘Twas the night before Christmas and the Muppet Theatre is in danger of being torn down, but with hilarious send-ups of just about every holiday movie ever made, the Muppets discover that what matters most is their love for each other.
Director: Kirk R. Thatcher
Stars: Steve Whitmire, Dave Goelz, Bill Barretta

It's a Wonderful Life
2023-12-21 15:00 - 17:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.
Director: Frank Capra
Stars: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore

ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE
2023-12-21 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States

ALL TIME: 74th Annual Warren Miller Entertainment
2023-12-29 15:00 - 17:00, 2023-12-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Get ready to go deep into the stuff of which snowy dreams are made with Warren Miller’s ALL TIME. Celebrate the birth of ski towns like Sun Valley and Aspen, icons and innovators like the original hotdoggers, and the most outlandish locations ever skied.

We Are As Gods
2024-01-04 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-01-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
“We are as gods and might as well get good at it,” Stewart Brand wrote in ’68. The pioneer of LSD, cyberspace, futurism, and modern environmentalism now urges people to use our god-like powers to fight extinction by reviving lost species.
Directors: David Alvarado, Jason Sussberg
Stars: Mike Brand, Stewart Brand, George Church
The First Thursday Series at Gorton is sponsored by the Sheffield Foundation

The Godfather Part II
2024-01-06 19:00 - 22:30 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
The compelling sequel to “The Godfather,” contrasts the life of Corleone’s father and son. Traces the problems of Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in 1958 and that of a young immigrant Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) in 1917’s Hell’s Kitchen. Michael survives many misfortunes and Vito is introduced to a life of crime.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall

Little Women - CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
2024-01-12 15:00 - 17:00, 2024-01-12 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
CANCELLED DUE TO WEATHER
Little Women is the seventh film adaptation of the 1868 novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott. In Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters – four young women each determined to live life on her own terms — is both timeless and timely. It stars an ensemble cast consisting of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garrel, and Chris Cooper.
Director: Greta Gerwig

The Super Mario Bros. Movie
2024-01-14 13:00 - 15:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
A plumber named Mario travels through an underground labyrinth with his brother Luigi, trying to save a captured princess.
Directors: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc
Stars: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day

Winterfest at Mountainfilm
2024-01-26 18:00 - 2024-01-27 19:00 | Gorton Center, 400 East Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045
Plan Ahead: Enjoy WINTERFEST as part of your ticket & get the full Mountainfilm on Tour – Après ski style!
In the Stuart Ski Lodge:
Friday 6:00-7:00
Saturday 5:00-7:00 (Food trucks on site)
As part of your Mountainfilm experience you have full access to our “Stuart Ski Lodge” where you’ll find a cozy ski-chic ambience, plenty of seating to enjoy food and drink, and live acoustic music by Dave Hiltebrand. Lake Bluff brewery will be on site both Friday and Saturday nights with craft brews, shot-“skis” and specialty “ski-style” cocktails. And enjoy the addition of food trucks on Saturday after the shorts and before the medley! So don your coolest après apparel and hang around and enjoy! Dinners done!
Food Saturday: stay after the matinee or come early before the 7 pm screening for food trucks and fun!

LaPlancha Loca Mexican
Left Bank -hot dogs, pulled pork, mac-n-cheese

January kicks off Gorton’s 50th and what better event than our beloved Mountainfilm out of Telluride to get the party started?!

Mountainfilm 2024: Deep Rising
2024-01-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Gorton Center – John & Nancy Hughes Theater, 400 E. Illinois Road, Lake Forest, IL, 60045, United States
Produced and narrated by Hollywood’s Aquaman Jason Momoa, Deep Rising illuminates the vital relationship between the deep ocean and sustaining life on Earth. Closely paralleled with the development of seabed mining startup The Metals Company, the film follows the organization in its early stages as it pursues funding, public favor and permission from the International Seabed Authority to mine wide swaths of the Pacific Ocean floor. The deep intonation of Momoa’s narration pulls us into the question of the hour: is opening up our earth’s last untouchable wilderness, the deep ocean, really the solution to our supply crisis, or is it yet another misplaced step on humanity’s unstoppable march toward self-destruction?
Mountainfilm is co-presented by the Gorton Center and Lake Forest Open Lands and sponsored by Butler Family Foundation and The Community Church of Lake Forest and Lake Bluff.
