2011 Part 2 Previous Offerings
Tuesday, 17 January 2012 20:17
Ali Lexa
EAMES: THE ARCHITECT AND THE PAINTER, narrated by James Franco, is the first film about Charles and Ray Eames since their deaths, drawing extensively from a cache of archival material, visually stunning films, love letters, photographs and artifacts produced in mind-boggling volume during the 40-yr. epoch of the Eames office, unrivaled in its impact on American design. With family interviews, clips from exhibitions for clients like IBM, Westinghouse, Polaroid and the US government, they pushed the envelope for communicating ideas to the masses with "information overload."
TOMBOY brings a light and charming touch to childhood gender confusion, parent-child relationships and the even more complicated one between one's heart and body. When a French family moves to a new neighborhood, one of the daughters is mistaken for a boy by the local kids. With her Jean Seberg haircut and tomboy ways, she decides to pass herself off as Mikael, finding resourceful ways to hide her true self and take advantage of her new identity. Opens Nov. 25th at Laemmle's Royal, Playhouse 7 and Town Center 5.
GARBO, THE SPY is a documentary thriller about Juan Pujol Garcia, a double agent, who fed false information to the Nazis about the Normany invasion, saving thousands of lives while fabricating a network of phantom agents across Europe. Interweaving propaganda footage, interviews with the man himself, along with key players in Garbo's life, including novelist and intelligence expert Nigel West, who tracked him down in Venezuela when everyone thought he'd died thirty years before. Opens Nov. 25th at Laemmle's Music Hall 3.
INCENDIARY: THE WILLINGHAM CASE is an enigmatic, haunting documentary which investigates a 26-yr. old Texas murder mystery, full of scientific twists and political turns, ultimately ending with the execution of Cameron Todd Willingham for the murdes of his daughters who died in an arson fire. In a case which became a rallying cry for forensics reform and the anti-death penalty movement, Texas Governor Rick Perry ignored the science that could have saved Willingham's life in a battle between science and speculation. Currently plaing at the Nuart in West LA.
ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN takes place in the dangerous sprawling slum that surrounds Rio de Janeiro. When the head of Rio's Police Operations Battalion is accused of a massacre when a mission to quell a jail riot ends in the violent death of a gang leader, the citizens of Rio embrace him as a hero. With impending elections, he attempts to bring the gangs to their knees only to find he's making it easier for dirty cops and corrupt politicians. Currently playing at Laemmle's Sunset 5 and Playhouse 7.
THE HEIR APPARENT: LARGO WINCH, based on the Belgian comic book, stars Kristin Scott Thomas and French action film sensation Tomer Sisley. When billionaire financier Nerio Winch and the head of the W Group is murdered, his second in command must locate his only heir, an unknown adopted son wo must overcome drug traffickers, assassins, corporate raiders and double-dealing insiders. Currently playing at Laemmle Monica 4-Plex.
STEVE JOBS: THE LOST INTERVIEW, is the original, unedited interview by Robert Cringley of Steve Jobs, Apple's design icon and cranky genius who revolutionized the computer industry and the way we process information and the world around us. The highlight of the epic 1995 mini-series, "Triumph of the Nerds" was less than 10 minutes of this historic interview, in which Jobs sorely criticized Microsoft for making bad products, but the master tapes disappeared. The entire interview surfaced recently in London. Restored and improved, this unique in-theatre experience played two nights only at Landmark's Regent Theatre in Westwood.
THE 5th ANNUAL LA SKINS FEST at the Autry National Museum near Griffith Park, celebrates the creative talents of various American Indian tribes and Canadian First Nations. A 4-day event which spotlights dramas, docs, shorts, and animation films with Native American themes, produced by indigenous people. In addition to workshops and musical events, highlights include: "The Dome of Heaven" about a mixed-blood Cherokee girl who, with the help of ancient Indian myth discovers the significance of having a voice; "California Indian," about an LA radio host returning to the reservation he grew up on; and "The Dead Can't Dance" a horror spoof complete with a zombie-creating plague. KPFK was a Media Sponsor on this event.
UNDERFIRE: JOURNALISTS IN COMBAT delves into the experiences of top-tier correspondents from AP, NY Times, the BBC, LA Times and others to bring a deeper understanding into the psychological cost of covering war. Documentary filmmaker Martyn Burke and Anthony Feinstein, a psychiatrist who treats journalists in healing the trauma of war, piece together combat footage and first-hand accounts to reveal what they see, think and feel as they confront an ever-increasing savagery in war.
THE CONQUEST chronicles the volatile, right-leaning Nicolas Sarkozy's startling rise to the French presidency and the emotional, psychological stakes involved in the conquest of power, complete with in-party backstabbing, media manipulation, riots and extra-marital affairs. Even as he is achieving his ultimate ambition, he is despondent and alone as his wife, who for 20 yrs., struggled to pull the man she loved from the shadows to the light, walks out on him for another man.
NOTHING SPECIAL, writer/director Angela Garcia Combs' feature film debut, spins a dark, but witty tale of Louise (played by the director's daughter, Julia), an ambitious young insurance underwriter at a crucial turning point in both her career and her relationship with her bi-polar mother (played by Karen Black). Louise become a surrogate daughter for her trailblazing, encouraging boss (played by Barbara Bain), who is fighting for her own health and family issues. A coming-of-age story of mothers and daughters and three women living in the shadow of the Hollywood sign.
KILLING BONO, based on real life events, tells the story of young Irish rocker Neil McCormick and his younger brother Ivan, who attempt to become rock stars, but can only look on as their school friends form U2, going on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Directed by Nick Hamm and based on Neil McCormick's memoir.
AN AFRICAN ELECTION charts the anatomy of the 2009 presidential elections in Ghana. In a world plagued by stolen elections, secret government agendas and exploitation of African natural resources, what value does democracy offer? For Ghana, it could be the difference between peace and prosperity or murderous chaos under a military coup. Director Jarreth Merz captures the intrigue of electioneering, the intensity of vote-counting, as well as the emotions and ethical decisions that either threaten or maintain the integrity of the democratic process.
A JOURNEY IN MY MOTHER'S FOOTSTEPS retraces the life and inspirational journey of Jessie, a 75-yr. old housewife who dedicated her life to education, safety, and the quality of life for thousands of children working with Mother Theresa and other visionaries, herself becoming the recipient of numerous prestigious awards and international recognition. She also happens to be the filmmaker, Dina Rosenheimer's mother.
THE MAN NOBODY KNEW is a powerful look about CIA spymaster and former CIA head, William Colby, told by his son, Carl, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, with rare archival footage, never-before-seen photos and an extensive array of interviews with a "Who's Who" of American intelligence. Offering a probing history of the CIA, it is also a personal memoir of a family living in a highly secretive world, a mysterious father and a son desperate for his love, as well as a look at the costs of a nation's most clandestine actions.
YOUNG GOETHE IN LOVE is a tale of beguiling innocence and romantice love, following the young and tumultuous Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as he aspires to be a poet, but after failing his law exams, he is sent by his father to a sleepy provincial court to mend his ways. Eager to prove himself, he soon wins the praise of his superior, but when Lotte enters his life, nothing is the same, with the lovers unaware that her father has already promised her to another.
THE OTHER "F" WORD is a revealing, funny, touching film which asks what happens when a generation of punk rock's leading anti-authoritarians become dads. THE OTHER "F" WORD follows Jim Lindberg, a 20-yr. veteran of the skate punk band Pennywise on his hysterical and moving journey to the ultimate authority role, fatherhood. Featuring fellow fathers, Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo, Art Alexakis of Everclear, skateboarder Tony Hawke.
PIANOMANIA take us to a place where passion and the pursuit of perfection collide with artistic obsession and a little madness. No detail is too inconsequential for Steinway & Sons chief technician and Master Tuner. Juggling the demands of the pianist, instrument, and the piece to find the perfect match, PIANOMANIA reveals the commitment and understanding of sound as powerful as the musician's. Winner of the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco Film Fest.
BEING ELMO chronicles the life story of Kevin Clash, multiple award-winning genius and master Muppeteer behind the beloved furry red monster we know and love from Sesame Street. With teenage aspirations to become a puppeteer, striving to be a part of Jim Henson's renowned team, Kevin's supportive family and relentless quest to perfect his art, made his dreams come true. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, BEING ELMO combines archival footage with interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O'Donnell, Cheryl Henson and others, to create a moving and rare behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and Jim Henson's beloved legacy.
2011 25th ANNUAL AFI FEST, celebrated its quarter-century anniversary as a program of the American Film Institute, kicking off with "J. Edgar" starring Leonardo DiCaprio, followed by centerpiece films such as Luc Besson's extraordinary story of Aung San Suu Kyi, starring Michelle Yeoh and David Thewlis; Roman Polanski's "Carnage" and Michelle Williams in "My Week With Marilyn." Other highlights included an evening of conversation and film with Guest Artistic Director Pedro Almodovar.
OKA! is a fascinating journey into a disappearing culture. Directed by Lavinia Currier, OKA! is based on the Louis Sarno memoir, "Last Thoughts Before Vanishing from the Face of the Earth." Starring Kris Marshall and a magnificent ensemble cast, OKA! follows an ethnomusicologist who travels from New Jersey to the forests of Central Africa to record the music of the Bayaka Pygmies. Falling in love with a Bayaka girl and her forest lifestyle, he decided to stay. Journeying into the heart of the forest, Larry sees them maintaining a tenuous balance between their traditional forest existence and an increasing dependence on the Bantu villagers.
MY REINCARNATION chronicles the epic story of a Tibetan Buddhist Master and his western-born son, Yeshi, recognized at birth as the reincarnation of a famous spiritual master. Breaking away frm his father's tradition to embrace the modern world, he faces the challenge of keeping the family's threatened spiritual legacy alive. With complete access to their private lives, the filmmaker expertly distills a decades-long drama into a universal story about love, transformation, and destiny between a father and a son.
15th ANNUAL ARAB FILM FESTIVAL, ran Oct. 21st through 23rd at the Writers Guild in Beverly Hills, featuring works from both emerging and established directors, including comedies, family films, epics, political bio-pics and thrillers. The opener, "Egyptian Maidens" is set against a backdrop fo Egypt on the brink of revolution, following two unmarried women as they navigate the clash of traditional values and their emerging sense of independence. Other highlights included the award-winning "Hawi" and "Majid" a coming-of-age story by Moroccan filmmaker Nassim Abassi.
REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR brings the electric car back with a vengeance. In 2006, 5,000 modern electric cars were destroyed by the major car companies that built them. With REVENGE OF THE ELECTRIC CAR, director Chris Paine takes his film crew behind the doors of Nissan, GM and Tesla to find the story of the global resurgence of electric cars. Without a drop of foreign oil, this new generation of cars is America's future: fast, furious, and cleaner than ever.
KLITSCHKO tells the captivating story of the boxing world's most famous brothers, Vladmir and Vitali Klitschko, from the socialist drill of their childhood in the Ukraine, their initial amateur successes to their subsequent rise as international stars on the verge of holding championship titles of all five boxing federations. With never-before-seen footage of the draining fight preparations to conversations with companions, opponents, and family, KLITSCHKO is a fascinating portrait of two exceptional athletes who are, above all else, brothers.
EVERYDAY SUNSHINE: THE STORY OF FISHBONE enters the personal lives of this unique, fiercely individual band as they strive to overcome money woes, family strife, and the strain of being aging punk rockers on the road in a quest to preserve their musical legacy, debunking the myths of young black men from urban America.
BOMBAY BEACH is a cinematic glimpse into a ghostlike community on the edge of the Salton Sea, a barren landscape in the middle of the Colorado Desert, a rusting relic of a failed 1950's development boom. Filmmaker Alma Har'el crafts an adamantly atypical and artistically innovative metaphor for the failure of the American Dream by following the quirky lives of three inhabitants of BOMBAY BEACH, captured in a dreamlike poem of personal stories melded with documentary observations. With an original score by Zach Condon of the music group Beirut, along with the music of Bob Dylan, BOMBAY BEACH was the winner of the Tribeca Film Fest.
TEACH YOUR CHILDREN WELL, part of Kat Kramer's series of "Films That Change The World" addresses homophobia, bullying and school violence. Narrated by Lily Tomlin, this powerful film enjoyed a world premier at the Sunset Gower Studios followed by a topical and provocative panel discussion, including Ms. Tomlin and the filmmakers on October 16th. An exclusive invite-only event.
BLOWFLY follows 72-yr.-old musician Clarence Reid, who could be your cranky grandfather until he puts on his gold-spangled superhero costume and becomes his alter-ego, "Blowfly," singing some of the raunchiest tunes you've ever heard. A major force in the Miami soul scene of the 60's and 70's, writing top 10 tunes for such R&B acts as Sam & Daev, Betty Wright, and KC & the Sunshine Band, his songs are currently sampled by acts from Ice Cube to Wu Tang Clan and Beyonce, but having sold his royalties for next to nothing, he takes his show on the road to small clubs and questionable bookings. With newfound popularity, he recently released the first single under his own name in more than 25 yrs.
TEXAS KILLING FIELDS is a tense, haunting thriller which follows a homicide detective in a small Texas town who, along with his partner, track a sadistic serial killer. Though the swampland crime scenes were outside of their jurisdiction, he ignores his partner's warnings, unable to turn his back on solving the gruesome murders. With the killer always one step ahead, the detectives find themselves racing against time to catch the killer and save a young girl's life. Produced by Michael Mann, TEXAS KILLING FIELDS stars Jessica Chastain, Jason Clarke and Stephen Graham.
HELL AND BACK AGAIN reveals the devastating impact of a Taliban machine-gun bullet on the life of a 25-yr. old sergeant. Transitioning from stunning war reportage to a visceral, intimate portrait of one man's struggle at home to confront the physical and emotional difficulties of re-adjusting to civilian life. HELL AND BACK AGAIN comes full circle as it lays bare the true cost of war. Entertainment Weekly calls "HELL AND BACK AGAIN" a vivic and moving testament to what is really going on in Afghanistan and in the hearts and minds of the soldiers fighting there."
4th ANNUAL BEL AIR FILM FESTIVAL, running Oct. 12th through 17th, seeks to recognize the most creative films and individuals in the industry today, inspiring and educating filmmakers with panels, musical performances and networking opportunities. Featuring 23 world premiers, this year's honorees include legendary screenwriters Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz. Opening night gala at the Skirball Center, with subsequent screenings at UCLA's James Bridges Theatre. Highlights include "The Italian Key" a modern day fairy tale in which a 19-yr.-old orphan gets, as her sole inheritance, an antique key which unlocks both an old villa in Italy and the mysteries of her family's past. KPFK is a proud Media Sponsor. Full roster of films and panels at kpfk.org
FIREFLIES IN THE GARDEN explores the complexities of life and commitment in a family torn apart when faced with unexpected tragedy. The Taylors seems the picture of a successful American family, but when a serious accident interrupts a family celebration, the reality of this Midwestern family's history and relationships come to light. All-star cast includes Willem Dafoe, Ryan Reynolds and Julia Roberts.
WHERE SOLDIERS COME FROM follows the four-year odyssey of childhood friends, forever changed by a faraway war. From a small town in Michigan to the mountains of Afghanistan, it is an intimate look at the young men who fight our wars, their families and the town they come from. From restless teenagers enticed by signing bonuses and college tuitiion, to 23-yr. old veterans who spent their days sweeping for roadside bombs, subsequently dealing with disillusionment and the struggles of fitting in back home.
BENDA BILILI ("Look Beyond Appearances") follows an extraordinary group of paraplegic musicians from the streets of Kinsasha to the concert halls of Europe. Struggling to survive amidst extreme poverty in a volatile city they play on homemade instruments, getting around on customized tricyles, exerting a profound influence on the young street people they take under their wing with wisdom and love.
TOAST is the hilarious and touching memoir of food writer Nigel Slater's childhood, set to the songs of Dusty Springfield. It is a delicious love letter to the tastes and smells that turned a young boy into a lifelong foodie. Devastated by the loss of his mother, a new housekeeper makes an indelible impression on young Nigel as they each vie for his father's affections in a competitive cooking duel. Starring Helena Bonham Carter, Oscar Kennedy and Freddie Highmore.
WEEKEND, winner of the Audience Award at SXSW, OutFest Intl. Jury Award, is a delicate and daring exploration of how two people come together only briefly, yet affect each other in profound ways. When Russell randomly picks up an artist at a gay nightclub, they share stories, sex and snippets of their lives, revealing a connection which will resonate throughout their lives.
EL BULLI: COOKING IN PROGRESS is a tasty peek at some of the world's most innovative and exciting cooking. For six months each year, renowned Spanish chef Ferran Adria, closes his restaurant, El Bulli, and works with his culinary team to prepare next season's menu. An elegant, detailed study of food as avante-garde art, as Adria himself says, "The more bewilderment, the better."
THE MILL AND THE CROSS is an unforgettable synthesis of life and art, focussing on a dozen characters populating the masterpiece, "The Way to Calvary," which depicts the story of Christ's Passion, set in Flanders under the brutal Spanish occupation of 1564, when the painting was created. Among them are the painter himself (played by Rutger Hauer), his friend and art collector, played by Michael York) and the Virgin Mary (played by Charlotte Rampling). As their lives unfold and intertwine, the viewer is drawn inside the aesthetic universe of the painting as we watch it being created.
SILENT SOULS is a road trip to the corners of the human soul, a requiem to love, an homage to women, a journey during which melancholy and tenderness fuse together. When Miron's beloved wife passes away, he asks his best friend to help him say goodbye according to the rituals of the Merja culture of West-Central Russia. Sharing intimate memories with his friend, he comes to realize that he wasn't the only one in love with her.
FINDING JOE is rooted in personal accounts and timeless stories of how Joseph Campbell's work is relevant and essential in today's world, providing a narrative for how to live a fully realized life in "following your bliss." Featuring interviews with notables from a variety of fields, including Deepak Chopra, Mick Fleetwood, Tony Hawk, Catherine Hardwick, Sir Ken Robinson, it traces Joseph Campbell's work as a professor at Sarah Lawrence College to his seminal work "Hero With A Thousand Faces" which greatly influenced artists and writers from Bob Dylan to Stanley Kubrick.
THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE, 1967-1975, is a revelatory audiovisual collage combining the treasure trove of recently discovered footage of the black power movement. When numerous Swedish journalists came to the US, drawn by revolution and urban unrest in the 60's, they gained the trust of movement leaders such as Angela Davis, Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seal, Stokely Carmichael, and others capturing them in intimate moments and unguarded interviews. With penetrating commentary by contemporary artists and activists influenced by the struggle, it features a soundtrack by Questlove.
GRANITO: HOW TO NAIL A DICTATOR is part political thriller, part memoir, taking us through a riveting, haunting tale of genocide and justice which spans four decades. Filmmaker Paula Yates' 1982 film, "When Mountains Tremble" introduced the world to the tragedy of the genocide against the Mayan people by the Guatemalan government, as well as the activist who fought against it. Twenty-five years later, outtakes and footage from that film became evidence in an international war crimes case against the former commander of the army, reuniting the filmmaker with those who contribute their "tiny grain of sand" to a continuing quest for the truth.
PROGRAMMING THE NATION asks the question, "Are we all brainwashed, or have we just lost our minds?" PROGRAMMING THE NATION takes an all-encompassing look at the history of subliminal messaging in America. In media, politics and pop-culture, since the late 1950's, subliminal content has been tested and delivered through all forms of mass-media, including Hollywood filmmakers Alfred Hitchcock and William Friedkin. Director Jeff Warrick leads this journey through the subconscious mind while examining the reported history, scientific research and potential effects of such techniques on society.
BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD follows the 1972 chess match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky, exploring not only the politically charged period of the early '70s, but also the nature of genius, madness and the game of chess itself. Director of Academy Award nominee and Emmy winner, Liz Garbus, traces the life of the troubled chess genius from his brilliant opening to his shocking endgame.
JANE'S JOURNEY is a portrait of the private person behind the world-renowned icon. Intimate conversations alternating with spectacular footage of her beloved chimpanzees, plus revealing interviews with her son, her colleagues and even Hollywood celebrities. Traveling the globe over 300 days a year, devoting her time and energy to saving our endangered planet, this remarkable documentary of the exceptional primatologist takes us across several continents from her childhood home in England to Tanzania where she began her groundbreaking research.
BERLIN '36 is based on the true story of Gretel Bergmann, one of Germany's best Gold Medal contenders in the 1936 Olympics, who unwittingly became a threat to the Nazis when, as a Jew, her skill and ethnicity undermined the Nazi belief that Aryans were the superior race.
THE WAY is a modern-day odyssey - the soulful journey of a man rocked by personal crisis who sets off on an epic mountain trek on the 500-miles Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimmage made by millions for more than a thousand years to search for adventure and answers, thinking he is utterly lost, only to keep bumping into surprise moments of community, companionship and inspiration that begin to steer his way. This spirited road-movie-on-foot crosses territory that is alternately comic, adventurous, and keenly moving, as the journey becomes an unforeseen gift from a son to his father. Directed by Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen, it is filled with joy, wonder, and breathtaking landscapes.
SLOVENIA BEGS TO DIFFER, presented by the Southeast European Film Fest in conjunction with UCLA Film and Television Archives, a selection of some of the most influential and fascinating Slovenian films from mid-century forward, screened at the Billy Wilder Theatre at the Hammer Museum, Sept 9th through 26th. Included are: "Dance in the Rain", an elegant and enigmatic love story; "Paper Planes", an unlikely love story from 1967 between a photographer and a young ballerina; "Raft of the Medusa" a cinematic homage to the 1920's Dada-inspired avante-garde movement in pre-WWII Yugoslavia; "Gravehopping", a deft, ironic comedy of graveside humor and closing with "9:06" a film noir, psychological drama where a police inspector investigates an unusual suicide.
SINGAFEST ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL, ran Sept 29th through Oct. 2nd at the Bigfoot Crest Theater in Westwood is a cinematic melting pot merging Eastern and Western cultures and genres to showcase the best of Asian cinema. From Kung Fu to anime, murder mysteries, romantic comedies and shorts, along with industry panels, luncheons, and mixers. The closing night feature, "The Girl With No Number," tackles the topic of human trafficking with a benefit screening for APEX and the Center for the Pacific Asian Family.
WE WERE HERE illuminates the profound personal and community issues raised by the AIDS epidemic, as well as the broad political and social upheavals. Focussing on five individuals in San Francisco whose lives were changed unimaginably when their beloved city morphed from being a hotbed of sexual freedom and experimentation to the epicenter of a terrible sexually-transmitted plague.
CIRCUMSTANCE, written and directed by Maryam Keshavarz, is set in contemporary Iran in the unseen world of the Iranian youth culture of underground parties, sex, drug, and defiance. Two vivacious young girls, one from a wealthy family and one an orphan of little means, discover their burgeoning sexuality, struggle with desires, boundaries, and the Morality Police in a repressive regime. Winner of the Sundance Audience Award.
GAINSBOURG: A HEROIC LIFE is a surrealistic treatment for graphic novelist Joann Sfar of the life of the legendary French singer-songwriter-provocateur who has influenced musicians around the world. Known as much for his decadent lifestyle and cynical wit as for his relationship with some of the world's most beautiful women, from Brigitte Bardot to Juliet Greco and Jane Birkin, his roots stemmed from a precocious childhood growing up in Nazi-occupied Paris as the son of Russian-Jewish parents. His transition from painter to jazz musician to pop-superstar is brilliantly portrayed by Eric Elmosnino in a Cesar-Award winning performance.
SPECIAL TREATMENT stars Isabelle Huppert as a high-class prostitute serving up sexual fantasies for her clientele, fed up with the underbelly of French masculinity. When she crosses paths with a neurotic psychoanalyst facing a marriage crisis, the two quickly realize a commonality in their chosen professions, finding that psychoanalysis is to life what prostitution is to love and how the appointment with one's self, via another person, can become an addiction.
LOVE CRIME stars Kristin Scott-Thomas in a remorseless tale of extreme office politics. A psychological "cat and mouse" game between a senior executive of a multinational corporation and her young assistant. Alain Corneau's last film is a complex and mischievous look at the corporate world.
LIVE FROM JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER presents an extraordinary one-night only event "Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton Play the Blues" to be broadcast to nearly 550 movie theatres nationawide on Wednesday, Sept. 7th at 7:30 pm. songs selected by 9-time Grammy Award winner, Marsalis, and 19-time Grammy recipient, Eric Clapton, will be brought to life by these musical virtuosos, along with members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra in an unprecedented integration of New Orleans jazz, Delta blues, Caribbean sounds and beyond. Says Marsalis, "We wanted these concerts to sound like people playing music they know and love, not like a Project." Further info and venues at www.fathomevents.com.
NEW FILMMAKERS LOS ANGELES continues its monthly screening series on Sept. 23 at Sunset Gower Studios, 1438 N. Gower St. in Hollywood. The Shorts Program begins at 6:00 pm, followed by Documentary Programs at 7:45 pm and Features at 9:30 pm, which includes FRAMILY about a group of 30-somethings who decide to form a "framily" as a quick-fix to their relationship ills.
HAPPY, HAPPY, winner of the World Cinema Jury Prize at Sundance, is a warm comedy which tells the story of Kaia, an insistently happy person who uses joy as a survival technique. When the "perfect couple" moves in next door, her world opens up and both families are shaken. The Norwegian entry for Best Foreign Language Film for the Academy Awards.
MACHINE GUN PREACHER, special sneak preview of the true inspriational story of Sam Childers, former biker, drug dealer, and criminal who undergoes an astonishing transformation, finding an unexpected calling saving hundreds of kidnapped and orphaned children in East Africa. Outraged by the unspeakable horrors of starvation, disease, and enslavement, he ignores the warnings of more experienced aid workers and takes on the renegade militia which forces youngsters to become soldiers. Starring Gerard Butler.
MR. NICE is the remarkable true story of a legendary pothead and polymath. 43 aliases, 4 kids, 89 phone lines, 25 companies worldwide and over one million books sold. Rhys Ifans stars as Howard Marks, whose associates include the Mafia, CIA, IRA, and MI6. Nuclear physicist, school teacher, money launderer, fugitive and spy, MR. NICE follows his prodigious rise from a small town in South Wales to Oxford University and around the world. Sad and surreal, MR. NICE also stars David Thewlis in a hilarious turn as a beserk IRA terrorist, Chloe Sevigny and Crispin Glover.
SEMPER FI: ALWAYS FAITHFUL reveals the shocking Marine Corps cover-up of one of hte largest water contamination incidents in US history, at North Carolina's Camp Lejeune, which exposed nearly one million Marines and their families to high levels of carcinogens over the course of 30 years. SEMPER FI: ALWAYS FAITHFUL is a timely and sobering story of the betrayal of US soldiers focussing on the larger issue of the Dept of Defense as the nationa's largest polluter and raising questions about environmental conditions at other bases around the country.
15th ANNUAL DOCUWEEKS FESTIVAL presents an exceptional lineup of documentary films about the world, building awareness on vital and pressing global issues. The festival runs through September 8th and highlights include: "The Boy Mir," which follows a young boy growing up in Afghanistant from age 8 through 18; "A Bitter Taste of Freedom: about investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya who consciously gave her life for her convictions; "Miss Representation" which uncovers the glaring reality of objectivification of women in media and "The Carrier" a powerful and moving portrait of an unconventional family amidst a backdrop of the AIDS epidemic in Zambia.
THE FAMILY TREE reveals that life in suburban Serenity, Ohio is never quite as serene as it appears. The dysfunctional Burnett family - Bunnie, Jack, their twin 17-yr. olds and Kelly seems like a lost cause. When a freak accident leaves Bunnie with a case of amnesia, the Burnetts get a second chance at happiness. An affair with a neighbor, kids with guns, a suicidal teacher, a zealous religious club and one fateful squirrel combine to create mayhem as they try to survive the suburban jungle.
SILENT RIVER FILM FEST, running Sept 9th - 16th in Irvine, celebrates both the city's 40th anniversary and the spirit of the independent filmmaker. With a theme of "East Meets West" building a bridge through cinematic art. It also highlights Cinecause, which brings together celebrities with charitable causes. Opening Night kicks off with "The Highest Pass" and "I Am Kalam." Other highlights include the world premiere of "Goodbye, My Friend," and "Tareq Aziz: The Other Truth". For further info, go to www.silentriverfilmfestival.com, KPFK is a proud Media Sponsor.
5 DAYS OF WAR is an international action-packed thriller from director Renny Harlin, which sheds light on the complicated politics and dangers in exposing truth during wartime. Based on real events during the Russia-Georgian war in 2008. 5 DAYS OF WAR follows an American journalist, his cameraman and a young Georgian schoolteacher caught in the combat zone, desperately attempting to escape so they can live to broadcast their devastating footage. A special sneak preview on Thursday, September 1 screens at Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex, 1332 2nd St. in Santa Monica.
MIDNIGHT IN PARIS is Woody Allen's love letter to Paris, examining the fanciful illusion of a life better than one's own. His latest romantic cmoedy follows an engaged couple who has experience there that will change their lives. The Opening Film at Cannes, with an all-star cast, including Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Michael Sheen and Carla Bruni, MIDNIGHT IN PARIS continues its hit run at Landmark's Westside Pavilion, 10850 W. Pico at Westwood Blvd.
WARRIOR is a tale of two brothers facing the fight of a lifetime and the possible wreckage of their family, within the brutal, high takes world of Mixed Martial Arts. Haunted by the past and heading toward a collision course, they must confront the forces which tored them apart while waging the most intense battle of their lives. Starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton, Lionsgate pictures presents a special sneak preview at AMC Century City on Wed., August 31st at 7:30 pm.
SENNA is the story of Brazilian Formula One racing legend Ayrton Senna, whose remarkable achievements both on and off the track gave him mythical status. His quest for perfection, compassion, and integrity touched the hearts of Brazilians and race fans all over the world. Eschewing many standard documentary techniques in favor of a more cinematic approach, it draws from previously unseen archives of astounding F1 footage. SENNA opens August 12th at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.
DARWIN is an insightful and moving documentary about an isolated community in Death Valley. A near ghost-town with no government, churches, jobs, or children, the residents depend on a fragile, gravity-fed waterline that descends from the mountains where top-secret weapons are being tested. DARWIN played as part of Docuweeks at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
MOZART'S SISTER, directed by Rene Feret, is a fictionalized account of the early life of Maria Anna Mozart, 5 yrs. older than her sibling Wolfgang and a musical prodigy in her own right. Approaching marriageable age, limited by gender and forbidden from composing or playing the violin, a friendship with the son & daughter of Louis XV offers her ways to challenge the sexual morays and social order of her time. MOZART'S SISTER plays at Laemmle's Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd in West Los Angeles.
BATTLE FOR BROOKLYN is a critically acclaimed, controverial verite documentary about one man and one neighborhood's enduring battle against corporate developers, asking the question none of us should ever have to face, "What would you do if they wanted to take your home?" Playing at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211.
THE NEW FILMMAKERS LOS ANGELES continues its monthly screening series with an LA premier and selected shorts. "Heaven Strewn" involves a botched counterfeiting transaction, a pregnant girlfriend and a job in periol, as a hapless duo stumbles upons a dangerous discovery which threatens a radical transformation of their friendship. Screenings at Sunset Gower Studios. Further info available at www.nfmla.org.
RAPT is Lucas Belvaux's thriller, inspired by the 1978 kidnapping of a French industrialist. Featuring Yvan Attal in a career-defining performance at the millionaire playboy who is abducted and brutally held for 60 days. RAPT was nominated for four Cesar Awards, including Best Film, Actor, and Director. RAPT opens Friday, August 12th at Laemmle's Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills.
THE WHISTLEBLOWER, stars Oscar winner Rachel Weisz, based on the true story of Kathy Bolkovac, a policewoman from Nebraska who takes a job with a private US contractor as part of the UN peacekeeping force in post-war Bosnia. When she uncovers a sex trafficking ring, the corruption goes all the way to the top of the UN High Commission and US State Department. An edge-of-your-seat thriller with an all-star cast including Vanessa Redgrave and David Straithairn, THE WHISTLEBLOWER is a powerful, indictment of governmental complicity in an immoral world where nothing is more dangerous than the truth. An important, and must-see film, THE WHISTLEBLOWER opens August 5th at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd., in Los Angeles.
8th ANNUAL ARTIVIST FILM FESTIVAL, running Thurs. August 18th through Sat. August 20th at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Where art meets activism with a global roster of films dedicated to raising awareness on vital issues such as international human rights, children's advocacy, environmental preservation, the humane treatment of animals and social justice through the universal medium of movies. Further info available at www.festival.artivist.com.
THE FEEL GOOD FILM FESTIVAL, running August 12th through 14th at Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, proves there is such a thing as a happy ending. Featuring life-affirming films to make you laugh while capturing the beauty of life, it features optimistic, humorous shorts and features to leave audiences feeling good. Opening night kicks off with "The Italian Key," a romantic fairytale in which a young woman's inheritance of an antique key unlocks an Italian village and the mysteries of her past. KFPK is a Media Sponsor, full roster of films available at www.fgff.org.
LIFE IN A DAY uniquely brings together the most compelling YouTube footage submitted from over 80,000 videos and 4,500 hours of deeply personal, powerful films reflecting life on planet Earth on a single day - July 24, 2010. With contributors from Australia to Zambia, from the heart of bustling cities to the most remote landscapes, LIFE IN A DAY, is produced by Ridley Scott and directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin MacDonald (of "Last King of Scotland," and "A Day in September") who, with editor Joe Walker, present our lives in a microcosm of banality and profundity in an ordinary extraordinary day. At Laemmle Theatres.
THE FUTURE, written and directed by Miranda July, an examination and rumination on the tribulations of modern life, seen through the eyes of a talking cat. A thirty-something L.A. couple desperate to climb out of their rut and into their destinies, adopt a cat, literally altering the course of time and testing their faith in each other and themselves. Original, insightful and wildly inventive, THE FUTURE also stars Hamish Linklater (of "New Adventures of Old Christine"), opening August 5th at Laemmle Theatres.
SHOLEM ALEICHEM: LAUGHING IN THE DARKNESS is a riveting portrait of the great writer whose stories formed the basis for Broadway musical "Fiddler on the Roof," a rebellious genius who created an entirely new literature helping to shape a modern Jewish identity amidst anti-Semitic violence in 19th century Eastern Europe, capturing that world with brilliant humor. With rarely seen photographs and archival footage, voiced by Peter Riegert and Rachel Dratch, SHOLEM ALEICHEM opens on Friday, August 5th and 6th at Laemmle Theatres.
THE HARVEST follows three immigrant child farm workers as they journey from the scorching heat of Texas onion fields to winter snows of Michigan apple orchards and the tomato fields of southern Florida, sacrificing their childhoods to help their families survive. Each year, more than 400,000 American children are torn away from friends, schools, and homes to pick the food we eat. From executive producer Eva Longoria and Oscar-nominated director of WAR/DANCE, U. Roberto Romano, it reveals the true cost of the produce on our grocery shelves. THE HARVEST opens August 5th at Laemmle's Music Hall 3.
SALVATION BOULEVARD takes a wickedly funny look at the world of evangelical Christians and a not-so-holy preacher, played with gusto by Pierce Brosnan. Re-teaming with his "Matador" co-star, Greg Kinnear as a former Deadhead who finds love and salvation only to discover that God has another plan in store for him. SALVATION BOULEVARD is an adaptation of Larry Beinhart's hysterical novel examining our need to believe and belong, sometimes at the expense of reality, as well as our own goodness. With an all-star cast, including Jennifer Connelly, Marisa Tomei and Ed Harris, SALVATION BOULEVARD opens on Friday, July 15th at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
BUCK follows real life "horse whisperer" Buck Brannaman as he teaches people to communicate with their horses through instinct, not punishment. Possessing near magical abilities, he transforms horses and people with understanding, compassion and respect, while healingh is own abusive childhood. Through this unsung hero, cowboy and sage on horseback, the animal-human relationship becomes a metaphor for facing life's challenges. BUCK opens on Friday, June 17th at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.
PROJECT NIM, from the Oscar-winning director of "Man on Wire," a documentary about Nim Chimpsky who, in the 1970's, became the focus of a landmark experiment studying an ape's ability to communicate with language if raised and nurtured like a human. PROJECT NIM follows his heartbreaking journey through animal experimentation, human society, in an unflinching and unsentimental biography revealing more about the humans than the animals. Playing at Laemmle Theatres.
TABLOID from acclaimed documentarian, Errol Morris, follows the stranger-than-fiction adeventures of Joyce McKinney, a former Miss Wyoming whose single-minded pursuit of the man of her dreams, a Mormon missionary, catapults her into British tabloid press, scandal sheet notoriety, gunpoint abductions, bondage, magic underwear and dreams of celestial union. At Laemmle theatres.
BELLFLOWER follows best friends Woodrow and Aiden, who spend their free time building Mad Max-inspired flamethrowers and cars in preparation for a global apocalypse, until Woodrow falls in low and they are forced to integrate into a new group of friends, setting off a journey of love and hate, betrayal, infidelity and violence more extreme than even their apocalyptic fantasies. Written and directed by first time director Evan Glodell. At the New Beverly Theatre, 7165 W. Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles.
WHERE THE ROAD MEETS THE SUN is a moving story of four men whose lives briefly intersect in Los Angeles. A Japanese hitman who wakes up from a coma and befriends a hotal manager mourning the loss of his wife, as an illegal immigrant working in an Indian restaurant befriends a young British backpacker whose tourist visa has expired. WHERE THE ROAD MEETS THE SUN follows their gut-wrenching adventures as they try to survive emotionally and physically. Starring Eric Mabius of "Ugly Betty" and Will Yun Lee of "Hawaii Five-O." At Laemmle Theatres.
POINT BLANK is a taut, gritty French suspense thriller in which a happily married nurse and his pregnant wife become pawns between rival gang. When the wife is kidnapped, not knowing whom to trust, he has three hours to get a man under police surveillance out of the hospital. At Laemmle Theatres.
MYTH OF THE AMERICAN SLEEPOVER was inspired by first-time director, David Robert Mitchell's experiences growing up in Michigan. A poignant, tender coming-of-age drama which follows four young people on the last night of summer before a new school year begins. Lost and confused, they explore the suburban landscape in search of love and adventure - first kisses, elusive crushes, popularity and parties - in search of human connection. At the Nuart.
NINE NATION ANIMATION features award-winning shorts from world-renowned Film Festivals, proving there's a lot more in the animator's toolbox than Pixar and "The Simpsons." From stop-motion to CGI, with stunning visuals and a provocative, amusing variety of inventiveness, with topics ranging from a cat & mouse tale in a futuristic landscape; a Chinese monk traveling with a tiger during the Tang dynasty, to blue collar working dissecting the meaning of "normal" as the world fall arounds them. At Laemmle Theatres.
SINGAFEST ASIAN NIGHTS at the Bigfoot Majestic Crest Theatre, one-night only special preview of SHAOLIN, starring Hong Kong superstar Andy Lau in a high-octane martial arts spectacular as a callous, cold-hearted warlord in China, circa 1912, whose troops desicrate a Shaolin temple in an act that will come back to haunt him, forcing him to seek spiritual guidance and redemption. In Mandarin with substitles and a cameo by Jackie Chan. Followed by a rare screening of LOVEDEATH, a Bonnie & Clyde yakuza epic, a must-see for Japanese film genre buffs. A comicbook style mixing romance & mayhem. In person tribut to the director Ryuhei Kitamura.
TOPANGA FILM FEST features a unique roster of socially conscious films in a perfect marraige of science and spirituality with salon discussions on the neuroscience of creativity, what makes us laugh and music in the movies. Opening night feature, presented by KPFK, "The Highest Pass" about a motorcycle-riding guru and a group of spiritual seekers on a trek 18,000 ft. in the Himalayas. Other highlights were "Bag It," "Regneration," and "Happiness." A preview look at films sure to be released in theatres.
NEW FILMMAKERS LA continues its monthly screening with three great shorts programs on topics ranging from animation, fighting wildfires, the history of hot tubs, and battling demons on the dark side, also a short comedy by Kirsten Nelson of TV's "Psych"; at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood.
THE TREE stars Charlotte Gainsbourg in Julie Bertuccelli's mystical drama of loss and rebirth in the Australian countryside. Blind-sided by the sudden death of her husband, a woman and her four children struggle tomake sense of life without him. Selected as the Closing Night film at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, THE TREE utilizes the harshly gorgeous landscape as a lyrical, yet foreboding metaphor for grief and coming-of-age. THE TREE opens on Friday, July 22nd at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., in West L.A.
WINNIE THE POOH sets out to find some honey, as he always does each day, but misinterpreting a note from Christopher Robin, he convinces Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Owl, Kanga, Roo, and Eeyore that their young friend has been captured by a create named "Backson" and they set out to save him. With voices by Craig Fergusson, John Cleese, Jim Cummings, and even Huell Howser, WINNIE THE POOH opens on Friday, July 15th at the Bigfoot Majestic Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd., in Los Angeles.
BRIDE FLIGHT, based on a bestselling Dutch novel, follows three young women who emigrate from post-WWII Holland to New Zealand looking for a better life. En route to waiting fiances in Christchurch, they meet a dashing young man who comes to play a significant role in their lives. Through chance meetings, lvoe, betrayal and impenetrable bonds, they reunite 50 years later. BRIDE FLIGHT opens on June 10th at Laemmle's Royal, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, and Town Center 5 in Encino.
THE FIRST GRADER is based on the true story of an 84-year old Kenyan villager, an ex-Mau Mau freedom fighter who fights for the right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford and overcome the burdens of his past. Desperate to learn to read, even if it means sitting next to a six-year old, his passionate plea is supported by the head teacher despite opposition from parents and officials who don't want to waste precious school space on an old man. From the director of "The Other Boleyn Girl," "Justin Chadwick, with a script by Ann Peacock (of "Chronicles of Narnia" and "Nights in Rodanthe," fame) THE FIRST GRADER is a triumphant testimony to the transforming force of eduction and the shocking, untold story of British colonial rule 50 years early and the harsh condition of the British detention camps. THE FIRST GRADER opens on Friday, May 13th at the Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd., in Los Angeles.
ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT is the poignant, compelling saga of Flora, an orphaned baby African elephant who, sixteen years after being adopted by a circus producer, faces retirement from performing, a difficult and emotional journey which tests the bonds of man and elephant with feelings of loyalty, sorrow, admiration and joy. Eschewing sentimentality, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT examines the problems andmysteries posed by keeping wild animals in captivity. Presented with the support of the Humane Society and recipient of an ACE Award grant, ONE LUCKY ELEPHANT opens June 24th at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills.
TERRI is a funny, compassionate, poignant portrait of a sensitive young outsider, played by Jacob Wysocki. Abandoned by his parents and forced to care for an ailing uncle, he is mercilessly teased at school, but learns to reach outside of his insular world with the help of some unusual friends and a tough-talking principal,played by John C. Reilly. With wry humor and originality, for anyone who has ever felt alone or misunderstood, TERRI is about the courage it takes to build relationships and the rewards of taking that terrifying leap toward human connection. TERRI opens at Laemmle's Playhouse 7 in Pasadena on July 5th.
IF A TREE FALLS: A STORY OF THE EARTH LIBERATION FRONT charts the rise and fall of an organization the FBI has called "America's numer one domestic terrorism threat. Part coming-of-age tale, part cops-and-robbers thriller, IF A TREE FALLS chronicles the transformation and radicalization of one of its members, Daniel McGowan. Oscar-nominated director Marshall Curry uses never before seen archival footage and interviews with cell members, as well as the prosecutor and detective who were chasing them. IF A TREE FALLS asks hard questions about environmentalism, activism, and the way we define terrorism. IF A TREE FALLS opens on Friday, July 15th at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd. in West LA.
REJOICE AND SHOUT is Don McGlynn's inspiring documentary on the history of gospel music and its evolution from slavery through the Depression, WWII, the civil rights and empowerment movements, influencing Blues, R & B, hip-hop and rap. Featuring Smokey Robinson, Andrea Crouch, Mavis Staples, along with rare archival footage and recordings of Sister Rosetta Tharp, Blind Boys of Alabama, The Clara Ward Singers, and many more, REJOICE AND SHOUT raises the rafters with moving testimonials, sermonizing, hootin' and hollerin'. REJOICE AND SHOUT opens on Friday, June 24th at Laemmle's Royal at 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West LA.
A LOVE AFFAIR OF SORTS is a modern twist on a love affair in the digital age, blurring the edges between reality and fiction. Shot entirely on a flip camera, it chronicles two lonely strangers, a painter, and a Hungarian nanny, and their desire to be constantly filmed during Christmastime in L.A. A LOVE AFFAIR OF SORTS takes a wry look at the way technology brings us together while simultaneously creating distance and how it may have changed what it is to love and be loved. A LOVE AFFAIR OF SORTS opens on Friday, June 24th at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
THE LAST MOUNTAIN, award-winning documentarian Bill Haney's urgent new film, celebrates people heroically working together to stop a giant corporation from destroying their community's environment and economy. A true David and Goliath story, it features veteran environmentalist Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., along with West Virginia activists whose efforts to stop continuing mountain top removal and its inherent health and environmental hazards, reveals a fight for our current and future well being. THE LAST MOUNTAIN opens June 15th at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.
THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH, the iconic Nicholas Roeg film, stars David Bowie in his cinematic debut as a space oddity who lands on earth from a drought-stricken planet, seeking water and help for his civilization, but finds American decadence has a powerful gravitational pull. Also starring Buck Henry, Candy Clark and Rip Torn, this dazzling, visionary sci-fi allegory celebrates its 35th anniversary release with a new, uncut 35 mm print. THE MAN WHO FELL TO EARTH opens on Friday, July 8th at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd. in West L.A.
CARS 2 stars Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy in this sequel to the animated hit, CARS. Who will have what it takes to be the fastest car on the planet? Lightning McQueen gets ready to take part in the first-ever World Grand Prix, but his trusty sidekick, Mater, gets sidetracked on a top-secret spy mission which takes him from Japan to Europe and everyone shifts into high gear to help an old friend. CARS 2 is currently playing through July 14th at the Bigfoot Majestic Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd., in Los Angeles.
CHILDREN OF PARADISE continues Laemmle Theatres extraordinary cinematic classical ballet series. Inspired by Jacque Prevert's scenario for Marcel Carne's masterpiece of the ill-fated love of Baptiste and Garance, Jose Martinez' choreography brings to life 19th century Paris, revealing a magical, mysterious world. CHILDREN OF PARADISE screens one time ONLY in a live broadcast, Saturday, July 9th at 10:30 a.m. at Laemmle theatres throughout the Los Angeles area.
VINCENT WANTS TO SEA is a heartfelt and hilarious German road trip film about a Tourette's sufferer who is institutionalized by his father after his mother's death. To honor her memory, Vincent and two fellow patients escape from the hospital and travel to Italy to spread his mother's ashes at sea. Winner of two LOLA Awards, VINCENT WANTS TO SEA opens on Friday, July 1st at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., in West LA.
JIG is the remarkable story of the 40th Annual Irish Dancing World Championships. Thousands of dancers, teachers, and families descend on Glasgow, Scotland for a drama-filled week of rigorous dedication, elaborate costumes, wigs, makeup and, above all, passion for the dance. JIG opens on Friday, June 17th at Laemmle's Sunset 5.
L' AMOUR FOU follows the 50-yr. love affair between French-Algerian couturier Yves St. Laurent and industrialist/patron Pierre Berge, through extraordinary success, emotional turbulence and lingering devotion. when Ysves St. Laurent died in 2008, Berge auctioned off the art collection that was the result of their decades-spanning union and mutual passion for beauty. L' AMOUR FOU documents Berge's personal coming-to-terms with the death of his lifelong partner through the objects they shared in life, exploring the question, "Do we shape the things that surround us, or do those things shape us?" With guest appearances by Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger, L' AMOUR FOU is a must-see for fans of fashion, art, and Sixties, opens at Laemmle's Royal, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Town Center 5 in Encino on May 20th.
LA SKINS FEST celebrates Women's Night with a special screening of "Kissed by Lightning" on Thursday, May 19th at the Autry Museum, Wells Fargo Theatre, 4700 Western Heritage Way. KISSED BY LIGHTNING follows a Mohawk painter living in Canada, who must face the challenge of moving on with her life while dealing with the memory of her late husband, whose stories of the Iroquoiis Peacemaker inspired her popular paintings. Followed by discussion with filmmaker.
QUEEN OF THE SUN: WHAT ARE THE BEES TELLING US? is the award-winning documentary by Taggart Siegel (director of "The Real Dirt on Farmer John"), a profound, alternative look at the global bee crisis. From the catastrophic disappearance of bees and the mysterious world of the beehive, QUEEN OF THE SUN examines Rudolph Steiner's prediction of the collapse of the bee population. An ultimately uplifting look at the heartfelt struggles of beekeepers, scientists, and philosophers from around the world, including Michael Pollan, Gunther Hauk, and Vandana Shiva, it reveals both the problems and solutions in restoring humanity's historic and sacred relationship with bees, the engines that keep the earth in bloom. QUEEN OF THE SUN opens on June 17th at Laemmle's Monica 4-plex and Fallbrook 7 in West Hills.
CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS is a breathtaking documentary from master filmmaker Werner Herzog. Given rare access to the Chauvet Cave in France, this masterpiece is a glimpse into extraordinary 35,000 year old rock drawings, along with interviews with archeological and anthropological teams trying to unravel our most ancient mysteries and impulses. With Herzog's incomparable ruminations on mankind's impulses toward creative expression and the lives and stories behind them, CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS is a must-see into the heart of the origins of our artistic impulses. CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS opens on Friday, June 3 at Laemmle's Fallbrook in West Hills.
THE LA FILM FESTIVAL, in conjunction with the THE FORD AMPHITHEATRE Summer Series, presents three nights of outdoor screenings in a great summer setting located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, including:
DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, an epic adaptation of the Judge Dee mystery series; BEATS, RHYMES, AND LIFE: THE TRAVELS OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, Michael Rappaport's exuberant exploration of the turmoil and joy driving these pioneers of Bohemian hip hop; THE SEDUCTION OF INGMAR BERGMAN, a special theatrical presentation featuring LA Band Sparks and Guy Maddin in this live, musical world premiere of a fantasy about Ingmar Bergman, art, and temptation in 1950's Hollywood.
SINGAFEST ASIAN FILM NIGHTS is an amazing triple bill including the world premiere of the legendary short-film project THE GOD OF CLAY, adapted from an anti-war children’s book with some of Japan’s best known FX artists, followed by the feature film GODZILLA VS. THE SEA MONSTER (with discussion with Godzilla expert Steve Ryfle and film restoration expert Oki Miyano and producer Norihiko Iawasaki. Closing the evening is John Carpenter’s bleak, brilliant 1982 remake of THE THING, followed by a discussion with actor David Clennon and the producers and cinematographer. SINGAFEST ASIAN FILM NIGHTS screens on Thursday, June 23rd only, at the Bigfoot Majestic Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd.
Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 20:19
2011 Previous Offerings
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:35
Ali Lexa
CON ARTIST is a punk-fueled docu-comedy which follows the superstar of the frantic 1980's New York art world. Mark Kostabi, who unapologetically signed and sold thousands of paintings made by painters and laborers who hadn't seen Kostabi himself paint in years. A shrewd critique of valuation and the question for "cash and glory," CON ARTIST contains interviews with art world figures and vintage clips of Kostabi's TV appearances. Director Michael Sladek's camera candidly captures the man who h as been called, "the black hole of irony." CON ARTIST opens at Laemmle's Sunset 5 on Friday, April l.
ORGASM, INC. is filmmaker Liz Canner's shocking, yet entertaining documentary which explores the strange science of female pleasure revealing, in the process, the often-warped mentality of the pharmaceutical and medical industries. Hired to edit an erotic video for promotion of the first female "Viagra," she discovers that, far from treating a 'disease' the motivation is to exploit women and potentially endanger their health. ORGASM, INC. is a nine-year odyssey into the world of big Pharma and medical device manufacturers the promice of "normal" sexual function is superceded by the quest for billions of dollars in profits. With wry humor, interviews with activists, doctors and medical experts, ORGASM, INC. is a powerful, timely, and enlightening take on how we view sexuality. ORGASM, INC. opens at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood on Friday, April 1st.
BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK follows famed Schwinn bike-riding cultural anthropologist and chronicler of fashion trends and high society soirees, NY Times fashion photographer, Bill Cunningham. Featuring comments from uptown fixtures Tom Wolfe, Brooke Astor, David Rockefeller, and Anna Wintour, to downtown eccentrics, BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK is a delicate, funny, poignant portrait of a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace. BILL CUNNINGHAM NEW YORK opens, Friday, April 1st at Landmark's Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., in West LA.
SUPER is filmmaker James Gunn's definitive tale of self-reflexive superheroes. An outlandishly dark comedy about sad-sack, Frank, (played by Rainn Wilson), who loses his ex-addict wife (Liv Tyler) to a drug dealer. Under the guise of "The Crimson Bolt," he takes his fight to the streets, complete with a handmade suit, a wrench and a sidekick named Boltie (played by Ellen Page). SUPER opens on Friday, April 1st at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.
THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER is a gripping, gorgeous, romantic period drama from veteran filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier. Based on Madame de Lafayette's 1622 novella, it is set during the reign of Charles IX in France as Catholoic/Protestant religious wars rage and passionate rivals vie for the heiress to one of the kingdom's greatest fortunes. Forced into the isolation of an arranged marriage, she is left in the care of an aging nobleman who disdains warfare, but finds his own desires awakened. THE PRINCESS OF MONTPENSIER opens Friday, April 15th at Laemmle's Royal Theatre, 1523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West L.A.
MY PERESTROIKA is an intimate and lovingly-crafted documentary following five classmates from the last generation of Soviet children brought up behind the Iron Curtain. Witnessing the joy and confusion of Glasnost, they reach adulthood as the world changes around them. Through verite footage, vintage home movies and candid, first-person testimony, MY PERESTROIKA reveals a Russia rarely seen. Honest and person, it transcends ideology as history progresses one day at a time. MY PERESTROIKA opens on Friday, April 15th at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
THE 15th ANNUAL CITY OF LIGHTS, CITY OF ANGELS FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL (COLCOA) runs April 11th through 17th at the Directors Guild, 7920 W. Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood. Offering over 34 features, 26 shorts, as well as World and US premiers. KPFK Film Club members can choose from one of the following highlights:
The 317th PLATOON which follows a French unit trapped behind enemy lines during the French IndoChina War. Digitally restored, this winner of Best Screenplay at Cannes in 1965, it was one of the first realistic depictions of the Vietnam War. Shot by iconic cinematographer Raoul Coutard, it provides an intimate look at the daily agony of the men involved. Screens on Friday, 4/15 at 1;30 pm.
JO'S BOY follows a former rugby champion who mourns the loss of his wife while raising his son alone and introducing him to the family profession. Screens on Saturday, 4/16 at 1:15 pm.
THE CLINK OF ICE is a daring Black comedy about the triumph of love over death. Charles, an award-winning writer, separated from his wife and son, attempts to drinks his life away, but finds his bleak existence interrupted by a disturbing stranger who introduces himself as Charles' cnacer, proceeding to follow him like a shadow. Screening is followed by a discussion with the film's directors. Screens on Thursday, April 14th at 8:30 pm.
WHAT LOVE MAY BRING is filmmaker Claude LeLoch's sweeping drama in which the stepdaughter of a film projectionist who is involved with the Resistance during WWII, sets aside her father's politics and follows her own passions and the men she loves unconditionally, suffering betrayal and hardship.
LE QUATTRO VOLTE traces the cycle of life beginning with the daily rituals of an old shepherd in the hills of Calabria in Southern Italy. Inspired by Pythagoras' belief in the four-fold transmigration of the soul, passed from human to animal to vegetable to mineral. Michelangelo Frammartino's wondrous documentary is a poetic vision of nature which tells the story of one soul that moves through four successive lives. A.O. Scott of the NY times says LE QUATTRO VOLTE has an eye for comedy and mystery which produces compositions so strange and memorable that they seem to reinvent the very act of perception." LE QUATTRO VOLTE opens on Friday, April 15th for a one-week engagement at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd. in West LA.
CIRCO, Aaron Shock’s acclaimed documentary, follows the family-run “Circo Mexico” as they struggle to stay together despite mounting debt, dwindling audience and a simmering family conflict. Performing on the back roads of Mexico since the 19th century, the Ponce family is lead by Tino, the ringmaster, who is driven by his dream to lead his parents’ circus to greater success. With a troubled marriage and a century-old family tradition hanging in the balance, CIRCO bringing the viewer into the luminous world of a traveling circus while examining universal themes of family bonds, filial responsibility, and the weight of cultural inheritance. With a musical score by Calexico, CIRCO opens on Friday, April 8th for a limited engagement at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd, in West LA.
FOOTPRINTS, the feature film debut of award-winning writer Steven Peros, follows a young woman who wakes up in the footprints at Grauman's Chinese Theatre with no idea who she is or how she got there. Her dream-like journey of self-discovery through Hollywood spans one day from sunrise to sunset, through the celebrity impersonators, Scientologists, tour-guides, shopowners, and the local eccentrics. Featuring poignant performances from Hollywood veterans Pippa Scott and H.M. Wynant, FOOTPRINTS open on Friday, 4/15 at Laemmle's Sunset 5, Film Club members are invited to an exclusive premier at noon on Wednesday, April 13th at Graumann's Chinese Theatre, 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
AMERICAN: THE BILL HICKS STORY utilizes archival footage, digital animation and candid interviews to capture the rebellious, outrageous spirit of the late comedian, Bill Hicks, whose uncompromising approach challenged injustice, meeting with controversy and resistance while opening minds and inspiring millions. In 1993, on the verge of breaking through to the mainstream audience, he was diagnosed with terminal cancer, which eventually took his life, but his timeless material is still revered by fans and fellow comedians. Opening on Friday, April 15th at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
9th Annual Indian Film Festival (IFFLA), running April 12-17th at the Arclight in Hollywood, 6360 W. Sunset Blvd, is the pre-eminent, longest running showcase of contemporary Indian cinema in the country, from Bollywood to documentaries and shorts, the fest celebrates, captivates, and connects, featuring panels, opening and closing night galas, singers, dancers, as well as delicious food. Film club members can call the front desk for a pair of tickets to one of the following films:
PEEPLI LIVE, from first-time filmmaker Anusha Rizvi, giving a satirical spin on the tragic farmer-suicide epidemic plaguing Indian villages for the past decade.
THE BENGALI DETECTIVE, a documentary about an unforgettable detective who faces the tragic circumstances of his wife's illness with perseverance and some great dance moves.
GANESH WONDER BOY, in which a young boy who looks like the elephant-headed god he is named after longs to lead the normal life of his dreams.
VIRGIN GOAT, in which a farmer, having lost most of his ancestral land and livestock finds salvation in the last remaining goat in his possession.
COPPELIA (lived broadcast on 3/28 and rebroadcast on 4/2) continues the extraordinary classical ballet cinema series, performed by the Paris Opera Ballet. With choreography by Patrice Bart, this mythic tale fo the doll who comes to life is imbued wtih fantasy, doubles, illusions and the superlative artistic vision of the Paris Opera Ballet. COPPELIA plays at Laemmle theatres throughout the Los Angeles area.
MARS NEEDS MOMS tells the tale of Milo, who gains a new appreciation for his mother when aliens arrive on Earth and whisk her away. Directed by Simon Wells ("Prince of Egypt") and starring Seth Green and Joan Cusack, from the team who brought you Polar Express, comes another animation triumph in 3D, playing at the Majestic Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd. MARS NEEDS MOMS opens Friday, March 11th.
REDLAND is writer/director Asiel Norton’s story of the eternal laws of survival and existence, how one act can begin the dissolution and rebirth of a family. As a backhills rural family struggles to survive during the Depression, their daughter’s secret affair begins a journey into the unknown. REDLAND was a 2010 Spirit Award Nominee and Asiel Norton has been deemed one of 25 new faces to watch by Filmmaker magazine. Jane Campion calls REDLAND, “harsh, poetic, and shockingly beautiful,” while the Montreal Gazette says REDLAND is “visually and sonically ravishing, awful in the Biblical sense and flat-out unforgettable.” REDLAND opens at Laemmle Sunset 5 in West Hollywood on Friday, March 11th.
THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER, is Director Eran Riklis' much-lauded dramedy. Jerusalem's largest bakery is accused of indifference when an employee is killed in a suicide bombing. Separated from his wife and distanced from his daughter, he is sent to the victim's hometown in romania to make amends. On a mission to honor a woman he didn't even know, but has somehow grown to admire, he discovers his own humanity and ability to truly care for human resources. The winner of 5 Israeli Academy Awards and featuring fearless performances by a comedic ensemble. THE HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER opens Friday, March 11th at Landmark's Regent Theatre, 1045 Broxton Avenue, in LA
OF GODS AND MEN explores the deepest questions of spiritual existence in the midst of a violent world. It recounts the true story of French monks who find their bucolic existence threatened when faced with Islamic extremists and a pressuring military regime during the Algerian Civil War in the 1990s. Their harmonious relationship with their Muslim neighbors forces them to face a harrowing decision: flee or stand their ground and fulfill their spiritual and humanist mission. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize, OF GODS AND MEN was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award and was also France's official selection for Best Foreign Lanaguage Film for the Oscars. OF GODS AND MEN plays at Laemmle Theatres.
BATTLESHIP POTEMKIN is Sergei Eisenstein's indisputable Silent Soviet masterpiece. Widely considered one of the most influential films ever made, it is set in 1905 in Odessa, as the crew of the armored cruiser "Potemkin" consider mutiny. Raising the red flag of revolution, the sailors' revolt becomes the rallying cry for a Russian populace ground under the bootheels of the Czar's cossacks. This all-new restoration is the result of a 20-yr. project. Long subject to censorship and re-cutting, film historian and collector, Enno Patalas, restores dozens of missing shots, returning the definitive 1926 score and the bold vision of its creator. BATTLESHIP POTEMKIM screened at the Nuart in West LA.
THE LAST LIONS is a stirring, suspense-filled tale of a determined lioness risking everything to save her cubs from enemies and rivals to become a leader of a powerful new pride. Fleeing a raging fire and a rival pride, she and her cubs make their periolous escape by swimming a crocodile-infested river in Botswana's Okavango Delta. Written and directed by Dereck and Beverly Joubert and narrated by Jeremy Irons, THE LAST LIONS is an epic cinematic adventure of wonder, a personal love letter to a legendary pride of lions they've come to feel a part of. THE LAST LIONS screened at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
EVEN THE RAIN stars Gael Garcia Bernal as an idealistic film director who comes to Bolivia with his Spanish film crew and his cynical producer, Cost, (played Luis Rosar) to make a revisionist epic about the conquest of Latin America. In this film-within-a-film, a local, cast as a 16th century native, protests his community's deprivation of water at the hands of mutli-national corporations. Michael Moore has called EVEN THE RAIN a brilliant, moving, enthralling movie. "Variety" called it "a powerful, richly layered indictment of the plight of Latin America's dispossessed." EVEN THE RAIN is currently playing at Laemmle Theatres.
16TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL FAMILY FILM FESTIVAL, running March 16th through March 20th at Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose avenue in Hollywood, will screen more than 85 films from around the world. Opening with "Cafe", starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, the festival focusses on family and childrens' films from around the globe. This year, the festival honors the legendary voiceover artist Bill Farmer, who gave life to Disney's beloved Goofy, as well as Warner Brothers' cartoon favorites like Yosemite Sam and Foghorn Leghorn. For further info and a full roster of films, go to iffilmfest.org.
SAINT MISBEHAVIN’: THE WAVY GRAVY MOVIE, chronicles the amazing life story of supreme clown, philanthropist, poet, artist and activist for peace, Hugh Nanton Romney, aka Wavy Gravy. Celebrating his 75th year on planet Earth, this pop culture icon and founder of such organizations of Winnarainbow, the Seva foundation and the Hog Farm commune, Wavy Gravy is a one-of-a-kind servant to humanity. Director Michelle Esrick has spent ten years documenting his adventures and stories from California to the Himalayas with an extraordinary array of fellow travelers, revealing that he is much more than a Ben & Jerry’s flavor, the man Paul Krasner describes as “The illegitimate son of Harp Marx and Mother Theresa, conceived one starry night on a spiritual whoopee cushion.” Featuring Buffy Sainte-Marie, Odetta, Steve Earle, the Grateful Dead, Ramblin’ Jack Eliot and many more, SAINT MISBEHAVIN’ opens at Laemmle’s Monica-4 Plex on Friday, March 11th.
THE DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART tells the incredible story of a treasure trove of banned Soviet art worth millions of dollars stashed in a far-off desert of Uzbekistan, and how art survives in times of oppression. A small group of artists remaining true to their vision despite threats of torture, imprisonment and death inspires a young painter named Igor Savitsky to rescue 40,000 forbidden fellow artists' works creating a museum in the desert far from the watchful eye of the KGB. Ben Kingsley, Sally Field, and Ed Asner voice the diaries and letters of Savitsky and the artists, intercut with archival footage and recollections. THE DESERT OF FORBIDDEN ART opens Friday, March 18th at Laemmle's Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.
THE POWER OF THE POWERLESS, narrated by Jeremy Irons and featuring form Czech President Vaclav Havel, dramatically portrays 1989's "Velvet Revolution" in Czechslovakia. Ten days of street protests toppled the Communist regime without the loss of a single life. Havel's leadership and his uncompromising advocacy for human rights through non-violence and willingness to go to prison for his beliefs, have particular resonance today. Distributed by People in Need to encourage dissidents seeking freedom through nonviolent means, THE POWER OF THE POWERLESS has been called by director Rod Lurie, "a calamity of emotion that will anybody watching it shaken," while the film's director calls it a cautionary tale of what can happen when we let our fears immobilize us." THE POWER OF THE POWERLESS opens Friday, March 11th at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills.
NOW AND LATER, a new indie feature directed by Cinema Libre's Philippe Diaz, mixes sex, politics and American culture into a combustible combination. Angelia is an undocumented Latina living in LA, who takes in a disgraced banker on the run. Through passionate sex, soul-searching conversations ranging from politics to philosophy, Angela introduces him to another worldview, causing his life to take an abrupt and unexpected turn. NOW AND LATER challenges America's neo-puritanical relationship with sexuality on the screen, especially when juxtaposed against the violence so prevalent throughout media and society. The New York Times says, "Liberally sprinkled with gleaming, groovy, graphic sex, NOW AND LATER exudes an amiably accessible vibe that softens the edges of its freewheeling explicitness. NOW AND LATER plays at Laemmle Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
OSCAR NOMINATED ANIMATED SHORTS, and LIVE ACTION SHORTS features animated shorts from Germany, Australia, France and the US, along with live action shorts about a boy making his first confession, a schoolboy in love, civil war in Burundi, and a fifteen year old with one last wish before facing death. Playing at Laemmle Theatres.
OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT DOCUMENTARIES features a rich and compelling range of topics including the true cost of terrorism, to an apple-pie cheerleader turned Iraqi War machine gunner, the relocation of environmental refugees, a school in Tel Aviv where no child is a stranger and a remote village in China fights the poisoning of their water and air by a chemical company. Playing at Laemmle Theatres.
TRANSCENDANT MAN is a film about humans merging with our machines within the next 35 years. Chronicling the life and ideas of Ray Jurzweil, an inventor and futurist who has been called the rightful heir to Thomas Edison, it presents his bold vision of the Singularity, a point when technology will be changing so rapidly that we will have to enhance ourselves with artificial intelligence to keep up. Bill Gates call him "the best person I know at predicting the future." and Time Magazine's recent cover story on him is entitled "2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal." Deemed "one of the top ten documentaries of the Year" by the Intl. Documentary Association and Aint' it Cool News says, "Not only is TRANSCENDENT MAN the must-see film of 2011, it might just change your life forever." Powerfully directed by Barry Ptolemy, with a mesmerizing score by Philip Glass, TRANSCENDENT MAN screened in LA for two nights only Feb. 16th and 17th at Laemmle's Royal.
GNOMEO AND JULIET, is Shakespeare's tale of woe retold of star-cross garden gnomes (voiced by Emily Blunt and James McAvoy) caught in the classic feud between neighbors, amidst pink flamingos and lawnmower races. Michael Caine, Maggie Smith, Ozzy Osbourne, Dolly Parton and Patrick Stewart (as Bill Shakespeare himself) lend their voices to this CGI animated film from Touchstone Pictures, featuring songs performed by Elton John and Lady Gaga. GNOMEO AND JULIET opens Friday, February 11 at the Crest Majestive Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd. in Los Angeles.
TROUBADOURS interweaves the intriguing story of the historic LA club, which was the performance epicenter for the folk movement in the 60's and '70s and the singer/songwriters who were a part of it. Run by a mercurial impresario, Doug Weston, the Troubadour launched the careers of Carole King, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, David Crosby, Joni Mitchell, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt and so many others. As turbulent times gave rise to a new style marked by vulnerable introspection, raw emotion and intimate personal reflection, backed by little more than an acoustic guitar or piano, these talents reflected the voice of a generation. Inspired by a series of landmark reunion concerts, TROUBADOURS traces the enduring spirit, camaraderie and creativity of a remarkable group of artists. TROUBADOURS is currently playing at Laemmle Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
TRUE GRIT, a mythic western based on Charles Portis' classic novel, is given the inimitable Coen Brothers treatment in a stirring adaptation (nominated for 10 Academy Awards) which captures the plain-spoken humor, bold storytelling, and rough beauty of this tale of vengeance and valor. Fourteen year-old Mattie Ross, played by Oscar-nominee Hailee Steinfeld, enlists the help of a Texas Ranger, played by Matt Damon, and a hard drinking, trigger-happy, ruthless U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn played by Jeff Bridges in an Oscar-nominated performance. With a stellar class that also includes Josh Brolin and Barry Pepper, TRUE GRIT runs Feb. 4th through 10th at the Crest Majestic Theatre at 1262 Westwood Blvd.
CITIZEN RUTH and FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, part of Cinefamily's "When Indies Rocked" series features (schedules permitting) in person appearances by two of our finest filmmakers today, Alexander Payne ("Sideways") and David O. Russell ("The Fighter"). Alexander Payne's provocative ensemble comedy about abortion, CITIZEN RUTH, stars Laura Dern as the not particularly likeable pregnant mother who doesn't quite fit into the prescribed "family values" framework. Skewering sacred cows on both sides of the pro-choice, pro-life debate, Payne elucidates cutting edge subject matter through hilarious, intelligent storytelling. FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, written and directed by David O. Russell stars Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Mary Tyle Moore, George Segal and LilyTomlin in a comedy about a young father's search for his biological parents. CITIZEN RUTH and FLIRTING WITH DISASTER screen on Friday, Feburary 4th ONLY at 7:30 pm at the Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., in Hollywood.
THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, part of Cinefamily's "Vive L'Amour" series, is Director Jaques Demy's 1964 luminous classic, starring a beautifully angelic Catherin Deneuve. The story of a thwarted and unfortunate love between a car mechanic and a shopgirl, all set to Michel Legrand's masterful music, it is a shower of visual design and poignant romanticism. THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG screens Thursday, February 3 ONLY at 8:00 pm at the Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax, in Hollywood.
HIS MAJESTY THE AMERICAN, stars silent movie superstar Douglas Fairbanks, in the first film under the United Artists banner. Famous for his boundless, swashbuckling energy and daring, Fairbanks plays a wealthy, bored young Manhattanite who, after trying his hand at amateur fighting and seeking adventure with Pancho Villa in Mexico, travels to a fictional European kingdom to single-handedly restore order to a riot-ridden landscape. One of the most rip-roaring romps ever created, it's Fairbanks at his manic, "fire-eating, speed-loving, space annihilating" bests. HIS MAJESTY THE AMERICAN is preceded by a screening of the 1916 drug comedy/detective spoof, "The Mystery of the Leaping Fish," with author/historian Jeffrey Vance offering opening remarks on Fairbanks' career. HIS MAJESTY THE AMERICAN screens on Wednesday, February 3 ONLY at 8:00 pm at the Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax, in Hollywood.
A THOUSAND CLOWNS, stars Jason Robards in one of his most beloved roles, as Murray, a former television writer who drops out of conventional society while struggling to come to terms with having to grow up in order to retain custody of his adopted son, Nick (played by a precociously talented Barry Gordon). Based on the Broadway hit by Herb Gardner, this comic jewel also features Martin Balsam in his best supporting actor turn as Robards' brother, and Barbara Harris as the social worker who falls for Murray's devil-may-care charm. A THOUSAND CLOWNS screens on Thursday, Jan. 27 ONLY at 8:00 pm, at the Silent Movie Theatre, with an in-person appearance by Barry Gordon.
GISELLE, the quintessential romantic ballet, recounts the moving story of a peasant girl whose everlasting love transcends death. With new choreography by Yuri Grigorovich and music by Adolph Adam, GISELLE, one of the most popular and enduring works in the dance canon, is presented in a special live broadcast by the Royal Ballet at Laemmle Theatres ONLY on Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 11:30 a.m.
VIVA RIVA follows the exploits of a small-time operator who returns to his hometown of Kinshasa with a fortune in hijacked gasoline after a decade of being away. With cash in-hand and out for a good time, he is entranced by Nora, a nightclub denizen and kept woman of a local gangster. Pursued by an Angolan crimelord seeking the return of his stolen shipment, his dream soon becomes a nightmare. VIVA RIVA opens on Friday, June 10th at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd. in West L.A.
LA SKINS FEST presents REEL INJUN and AMERICAN INDIAN ACTORS, a fascinating look at contemporary and traditional roles of American Indians in Hollywood film and TV from the perspective of American Indian actors and filmmakers. Presented in conjunction with SAG Affirmative Action and Diversity committees and Rezolution Pictures, this special program screens on June 23rd at the Wells Fargo Theatre at the Autry Museum, 4700 Western Heritage Way, near Griffith Park.
COMPANY, the brillliant Stephen Sondheim Broadway hit, was filmed last April as a part of the NY Philharmonic's Spring Gala. Neil Patrick Harris leads an all-star cast including Patti LuPone, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, Christina Hendricks, Craig Bierko and Martha Plimpton. Composed of a series of vignettes COMPANY revolves around Bobby (a single man unable to commit fully to a steady relationship, let along marriage), the five married couples who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends linked by a celebration of Bobby's 35th birthday. COMPANY screens four times only, opening June 15th at the Bigfoot Majestic Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd., in Los Angeles.
2011 GREEK FILM FESTIVAL celebrates its 5th year, June 9-12 at Laemmle Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd. in West Hollywood, wtih an amazing selection of films from Greece and Greek filmmakers, including features, documentaries and shorts, along with three world premiers. From the opening night documentary, "PELICAN'S WATCH," to closing night at the Writers' Guild with "BURNING HEADS", other highlights include:
DEATH I DREAMED OF, a horror tale based on a true story, follows a group of teenages as they encounter a mysterious stranger who gathers them in a celebration of the occult.
KNIFER, in this artful B & W account of a decaying middle class, Nikos moves in with his brutish uncle to guard his dogs, but soon finds out that he must pull himself together in order to set things right.
HARISMA. When an unsophisticated bus driver, Haris, thrusts himself into the seemingly controlled life of a young teacher, Ismini, both have to abandon their safety nets in order to find true love in this light-hearted comedy.
BILOBA, engineer Peter sets off to a build a power generator fueled by toxic waste on an uncharted island, but unexpectedly finds magic amongst the backward islanders and is faced with a difficult choice.
NUREMBERG: ITS LESSONS FOR TODAY was initially commissioned by the U.S. War Department. Written and directed by Stuart Schulberg, a veteran of the OSS Field Photogrpahic Branch/War Crimes Unit that was charged in 1945 with locating Nazi film evidence to be shown in the courtroom at Nuremberg, showing how international prosecutors built their case against top Nazi war criminals using the Nazis own films and records, it established the basis for all subsequent trials for war crimes and crimes against humanity, and was suppressed in the U.S. for political reasons. The film was shelved and the original picture elements lost or destroyed. In 2003, Schulberg's children discovered documents about the making of NUREMBERG and began a five-year effort to restore the film. Narrated by Liev Schreiber, the film ends with Justice Jackson's stirring words, "Let Nuremberg stand as a warning to all who plan and wage aggressive war." NUREMBERG: ITS LESSONS FOR TODAY [THE SCHULBERG/WALETZKY RESTORATION] played June 3 - 10 at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd. in West L.A.
THE BIG UNEASY is the first documentary from long-time "mockumentarian" and satirist Harry
Shearer, perhaps best known for "Spinal Tap" and voiceovers on "The Simpsons." THE BIG UNEASY hits close to home as he follows three remarkable people - the leaders of two scientific investigation teams and one whistleblower - as they reveal the true story of why New Orleans flooded and why it could happen again. THE BIG UNEASY opened on May 20th at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
THE ABDUCTION OF ZACK BUTTERFIELD, a beautiful, but disturbed young woman returns fromcombat as an American mercenary in Iraq and abducts a 14-year-old New York boy, holding him prisoner in her isolated country home as a bizarre romantic relationship develops. THE ABDUCTION OF ZACK BUTTERFIELD opens on May 27th at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES continues the saga of Captain Jack Sparrow as he crosses paths with a woman from his past. Unsure whether it's love or if she's a ruthless con artist, who is using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth, Jack finds himself in an unexpected adventure aboard the ship fo the formidable pirate, Blackbeard, not knowing whom to fear most Blackbeard or his long lost love. Starring Johnny Depp, Penelope Cruz and Ian McShane, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES plays at the Bigfoot Majestic Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd. in Los Angeles.
COPPELIA continues Laemmle's extraordinary classical ballet film series, with the tale of the doll come-to-life. Performed by the world renowned Bolshoi Ballet in a special one-time broadcast on Saturday June 4 at various Laemmle theatres throughout the Los Angeles area.
NEW FILMMAKERS OF LOS ANGELES launches a new monthly screening series with two great programs, screening at Sunset-Gower Studios, 6040 Sunset Blvd., in Los Angeles. On Saturday, May 21st, screening and celebration of the Best of the 2011 On Location: The Los Angeles Video Project, an insider's perspective into LA's diverse, cosmopolitan city and neighborhoods. On Friday, May 27th at 9:30 pm, a screening of "THE ITALIAN KEY" a romantic fairy tale of a 19-yr.-old orphan who gets, as her sole inheritance, an antique key that unlocks both an old villa in Italy and the mysteries of her family history. Further info available at www.nfmla.org.
DUMBSTRUCK is a humorous and heartfelt documentary about a group of ventriloquists, following them as they take their acts around the world. At the major annual ventriloquism convention in Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky, writer/director Mark goffman discovers five extraordinary characters straight out of a Christopher Guest film, but the characters are real and their stories deeply touching. Included are a beauty queen an introverted 13-yr.-old, a female 6 ft. 5 inch former security guiard who takes her dummmies into senior homes and Wal Marts, and Terry, who struggled for decades as a small-time performer who finally hit it big in America's Got Talent. DUMBSTRUCK opens on Friday, May 27th at the Regent, 1045 Broxton in Westwood.
BLOODWORTH (played by Kris Kristofferson), having abandoned his wife and sons for a life on the road, returns forty years later to face the aftermath of his departure. With his wife mentally destroyed and his three sons soured by years of anger, his only solace is a budding relationship with the grandson he never knew. With an all-star cast, including Frances Conroy, Val Kilmer, and Dwight Yokam, BLOODWORTH plays through Thursday, May 26th at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
HEY, BOO unravels some of the mystery surrounding its author Harper Lee, including why she never published again. Fifty years after "To Kill A Mockingbird" won the Pulitzer Prize, it remains a bestseller and beloved Oscar-winning film classic starring Gregory Peck in the performance of his life as Atticus Finch. HEY, BOO features rarely heard audio of Harper Lee herself, along with interviews with her sister and new biographical information, including her friendship with Truman Capote. Andrew Young, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Brokaw, Anna Quindlen and others reflect on the novel's powerful influence and popularity and how it shaped their lives, bringing to light the history and social changes of the Deep South. HEY, BOO opens May 13th at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., in Beverly Hills.
THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS is a hilarious, heartfelt documentary examining George Lucas and the "Star Wars" cultural legacy. The passion which the original Star Wars trilogy inspired in its fans is unparalleled, as is the complicated love-hate relationship they have wiht the filmmaker himself. With interviews and fan footage, stop-motion animation, Super 8 action figure films and puppet rants, THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS takes a hard look at the man behind the most popular franchise in film history. THE PEOPLE VS. GEORGE LUCAS played May 13 through 20th at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., in West LA.
THE ROBBER is a suspenseful, true story of Austria's most famous bank robber known as "pump-gun Ronnie" because of his weapon and the Ronald Reagan mask he slips on during stickups. An obsessive loner and a champion marathon runner leads a double-life as a serial bank robber in the 1980's, sprinting between heists (and away from police cars) as many as 3 times a day. Benjamin Heisenberg's thriller is a lean, visceral study of pathological compulsion, featuring a riveting performance by Andreaas Lust. THE ROBBER opened on Friday, May 6th, for a one-week engagement at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., in West LA.
POETRY tells the story of an elegrant, beautiful women in her 60's who moves gracefully through life caring for her ungrateful grandson and an elderly gentleman paralyzed by a stroke, who still responds to her charms. Enrolling in a poetry class to express her feelings, she struggles with the early onset of Alzheimer's and her reaction to the discovery of a monstrous crime. Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune calls POETRY one of the heartening glories of the film-going year. POETRY opens at Laemmle's Royal and Pasadena Playhouse on May 6th and at Town Center Encino on May 13th.
LA SKINS FEST "KISSED BY LIGHTENING", a special screening on May 19th at 7:00 pm at the Autry Museum in celebration of Women's Night, 4700 Western Heritage Way. KISSED BY LIGHTENING follows a Mohawk painter living in Canada, who must face the challenge of moving on with her life while dealing with the memory of her late husband whose stories of the Iroquois Peacemaker inspired her popular paintings. A discussion with the filmmaker and cast members follows the screening.
SOUTH EAST EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL (SEE FEST), ran April 28 through May 2nd at the Goethe Institut, 5750 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 100, in Los Angeles. Opening with a screening of "Shelter" a slice-of-life gem from Bulgaria and closing with "Gypsy Spirit" at UCLA James Bridges theatre, a musical journey following world gypsy virtuoso musicians to India explore their musical roots. Offering a wide variety of topical, quality films from Cyprus, Serbia, Turkey, Italy, Greece, Romani, Slovenia, and other countries throughout South Eastern Europe. The SEE Festival promotes diversity and fosters cultural exchange through its annual presentation of quality, politically topical and artistically challenging films.
FLAMES OF PARIS, part of Laemmle's cinematic ballet series of live broadcasts and classic ballets, is a stunning Soviet-era "revolutionary ballet" presented by the Bolshoi Ballet in a one-time screening on Saturday, May 7th at 10:30 a.m. at Laemmle theatres throughout the Los Angeles area.
THE SECOND ANNUAL TURNER CLASSIC MOVIES FILM FESTIVAL, April 28th through May 1st, and Graumann's historic Chinese Theatre, the Egyptian and other venues, celebrates Music and the Movies with an opening night screening of the 60th Anniversary restoration of "An American in Paris," with tributes to George & Ira Gershwin, Roy Rogers, Buster Keaton, Bernard Hermann and also honoring legendary actors Peter O' Toole (who will also have a ceremony putting his footprints in Graumann's Chinese) and Kirk Douglas (with a screening of "Sparatus.") Featuring over 70 films, including a 70th anniversary world premier restoration of "Citizen Kane", the festival offers guest appearances and panel discussions featuring Leslie Caron, Debbie Reynolds, Marnie Nixon, Angela Landsbury and many, many more, along with resident TCM hosts Robert Osborne and Ben Mankiewicz. Throughout various Hollywood venues, including Grauman's Chinese & Egyptian Theatres, the historic Roosevelt Hotel and Mann Cinemas, it is not to be missed. A limited number of passes were made availalbe to KPFK Film Club listeners.
NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT finds master director Patricio Guzman, famed for his political documentaries of Chile, travels 10,000 feet above sea level to the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert, where the sky is so translucent that astronomers from all over the world father to observe the stars, right to the boundaries of the universe. The harsh heat also preserves human remains: pre-Columbian mummies, 19th century explorers and miners and the remains of political prisoners who disappeared after the military coup of 1973. As astronomers examine the most distant galaxies, at the foot of the mountains surviving relatives search for the remains of their loved ones, melding a celestial quest with an earthly one. NOSTALGIA FOR THE LIGHT opened on Friday, April 22 for a one-week engagement at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd. in West L.A.
AN AFRICAN ELECTION charts the anatomy of the 2008 Presidential elections in Ghana. In a world plagued by stolen elections, secret government agendas and exploitation of African natural resources, what value does democracy offer? For Ghana, it could be the difference between peace and prosperity or murderous chaos under a military coup. Director Jarreth Merz captures the intrigue of electioneering, the intensity of vote-counting, as well as the emotions and ethical decisions that either threaten or maintain the integrity of the democratic process. The Paley Center for Media, located at 465 N. Beverly Dr., in Beverly Hills, presentws a special screening of AN AFRICAN ELECTION on Thursday, April 21st at 7:00 pm, with the filmmaker in attendance.
SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, THE MOVIE is bigger, better, and more absorbent than ever. Kids of all ages will enjoy this wild and wacky future classic in which Spongebob takes leave from the town of Bikini Bottom to track down King Neptune's stolen crown. A guaranteed good time for the whole family, SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS, THE MOVIE is part of the Bigfoot Majestic Crest Theatre's Saturday morning cartoon series, screened on Sautrday, May 7th at 1262 Westwood Blvd., in Los Angeles.
INSIDIOUS reinvents the haunted-house genre for a new generation, paying tribute to such horror classics as “The Exorcist” and “Poltergeist”. Starring Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson as a young couple who sense a sinister presence in their new home, which escalates into supernatural attacks. As their son slips into a mysterious coma, they abandon their ghost-ridden home, attempting to heal their broken family by turning to an unorthodox expert in supernatural occurrences, only to discover that it’s not the house that’s haunted. INSIDIOUS opens Friday, April 1st at the Majestic Crest Theatre, 1262 Westwood Blvd., in Los Angeles.
HEARTBEATS is a tough-minded, farcical exploration of the inherent insanity of love and desire. Centering on two close friends who meet a striking young man with irresistible mystique which leads to comic obsession. Xavier Dolan’s study of the descent into poetically passionate love received the Youth Prize at Cannes. Deemed a wildly talented, carelessly extravagant filmmaker whose film, according to Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal, couples high comedy with spiritual solitude. It’s a cockeyed triumph.” HEARTBEATS opens on Friday, March 4th at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 in West Hollywood.
GISELLE, presented by the Bolshoi Ballet, screened ONLY on Saturday, January 29 at 10:30 a.m. of LAEMMLE Theatres.
THE SON OF THE SHEIK stars the legendary Rudolph Valentino in his final performance in a dual role at the fiery, tempestuous Ahmed (and Ahmed, Jr.). This sequel to the original 1921 film, "The Sheik" finds Valentino gallivanting through desert disasters and delicious dilemmas, enamored of a beautiful dancer played by Vilma Bankey. Trading in his tango shoes and Latin lover image for flowing robes, THE SON OF THE SHEIK features the dangerous elegance that was Valentino's stock and trade, tempered by gentle humor and artful cinematography. THE SON OF THE SHEIK screen ONLY on Wednesday, January 19, at the Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax in Los Angeles.
DHOBI GHAT (MUMBAI DIARIES) is Kiran Rao's directorial debut set in the teeming metropolis of Mumbai where four people, separated by class and language, are drawn together in compelling relationships. The film stars Aamir Khan, one of India's most popular actors, as well as an award-winning director/producer. DHOBI GHAT (MUMBAI DIARIES) opens on Friday, January 21 at Laemmle's Fallbrook cinema in West Hills.
EVERYDAY, starring Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt and Brian Dennehy, is a story of a family struggling to survive life's curveballs. A TV writer finds his life is turned upside down when his wife's estranged father comes to live with their family. The film is an honest look at an ordinary family making it through life's challenges together. EVERYDAY opens Friday, January 14 at Laemmle Sunset Five in Hollywood.
BIUTIFUL stars Oscar-winner Javier Bardem in an extraordinary performance as a conflicted man who struggles to reconcile fatherhood, love, spirituality, crime, guilt, and mortality amidst the dangerous underworld of modern Barcelona. His livelihood is earned out of bounds while his sacrifices for his children know no bounds. Written and directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, in perhaps his most powerful film to date, BIUTIFUL examines social issues and personal challenges with rare insight. BIUTIFUL opens on February 7 at AMC Century City.
AN EVENING WITH BRUCE DERN. Over the course of his illustrious career, Bruce Dern has portrayed memorable movie villlains with complexity and sensitivity burning his way into our consciousness. Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre presents two unique evenings with Bruce Dern with in-person discussions and reminiscences with the man himself. On Saturday, January 14th, a screening of perhaps his most celebrate dramatic role, "The King of Marvin Gardens" following by the wickedly sordid "Tattoo." On Sunday afternoon a triple-feature of "Smile," "Silent Running," and "Diggstown."
AN EVENING WITH TOM NOONAN features a screening of his 1994 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, "What Happened Was..." followed by a discussion with the actor/director who is perhaps best known for his roles as TV and movie villains. An Obie award-winning playwright, teacher, and Yale Drama grad, Noonan has made his mark in the indie film world as both actor and director. "What Happened Was..." is a described as a "bleakly funny and raw portrait of two lonely, frightened adults that is likely the most nuanced 'first date' on film."
COUNTRY STRONG stars Gwyneth Paltrow as a country music superstar on the comeback trail battling her demons, the bottle, and old ghosts amidst romantic entanglements with a promising young singer/songwriter. Further complicating things is her husband's promotion of an up and coming beauty queen turned singer. COUNTRY STRONG also stars Tim McGraw, Garrett Hedlund, and Leighton Meester. Currently playing at Regal Theaters throughout Los Angeles.
QUEEN OF THE LOT, written and directed by Indie icon, Henry Jaglom, follows the further adventures of B-list action-star actress Maggie Chase (first introduced in Jaglom's "Hollywood Dreams") in her desperate attempt to claw her way to the top, obsessively monitoring her Google points and spinning her DUI's into tabloid gold with bad-boy movie star boyfriend Dov Lambert (played by Chris Rydell) on her arm. In her quest for the two things she craves most, real fame and true love, she encounters Hollywood royalty and comlications when her boyfriend's brother, a failed screenwriter with dark secrets of his own, sees behind her ingenue facade. Starring Tanna Frederick and Noah Wylie and other Jaglom perennial favorites, QUEEN OF THE LOT is currently playing at Laemmle Theatres.
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2010 Film Club Offerings
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:31
Ali Lexa
Here is a list of some of the films KPFK Film Club members were able to see in 2010
WARD NO. 6 updates Anton Chekhov's short story to the present day following one man's descent into madness. Based on a real life incident, a doctor ends up as a patient in the asylum he once ran. Starring Vladmir Ilyin, winner of Best Actor at the Moscow Intl. Film Festival, it was shot in a mental institution on the outskirts of Moscow with roles played by actual patients.
THE TEMPEST, Academy Award-nominated director Julie Taymor's gender-changing adaptation of William Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST, stars Helen Mirren as the sorceress "Prospera". Supported by an all-star cast that includes Russell Brand, Alfred Molina, Chris Cooper, Tom Conti and Alan Cumming, Prospera's journey spirals through vengeance to forgiveness as she reigns over a magical island, cares for her young daughter, Miranda, and unleashes her powers against shipwrecked enemies in this exiciting mix of romance, tragicomedy, and the supernatural. A special preview screening on Tuesday, December 7th at 7:30 pm the Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd in LA.
RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE is a re-imagining of the most classic of all childhood fantasies. a visit from Santa, and a darkly comic gem destined for cult status. On Christmas Eve in Finland, an archeological dig unearthes Santa Claus. In a wildly humorous nightmare, the town's children go missing and a group of hunters attempt to sell Santa back to the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig. A fantastically bizarre polemic on modern morality.
GUY AND MADELINE ON A PARK BENCH is a charming, highly original full-fledged song and dance musical telling the story of two separated lovers, a young jazz trumpeter and an introverted young woman, who slowly wind their way back into each other's lives through a series of romances punctuated by song in a gritty, near-documentary style, the film features all original songs recorded by the Bratislava Orchestra.
WHITE MATERIAL stars Isabelle Huppert as a woman fighting to save her family coffee plantation and her way of life in the face of rising civil unrest in an African country in the midst of violent rebellion and regime change. Twenty-two years after "Chocolat", veteran filmmaker Claire Denis reutnrs with a visceral, potent, and personal rumination on a society turned upside down. The Village Voice calls WHITE MATERIAL, "A stunning, rhythmic slow-burner about sociopolitical unrest, dehumanizing savagery and how both can ultimately lead to hubristic madness." Also starring Christopher Lambert, WHITE MATERIAL is currently playing at Laemmle Theatres.
UNDERTOW is a unique gay romance and love story set on the Peruvian coast. Miguel, a young married fisherman and father struggles to reconcile his devotion to his male lover within his world's rigid traditions. When his lover, Santiago, accidentally drowns, his spirit returns, forcing Miguel to choose between sentencing his lover to eternal torment or burying him according to the town's rituals, so he can find peace. UNDERTOW is currently playing at Laemmle Sunset 5 in Hollywood.
JEWS IN BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY, Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, portrays the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. More than a sports film, it is a story of immigration, assimilation, bigotry, heroism, passing on of traditions and the shattering of stereotypes. Brought to life through interviews with dozens of passionate fans, writers, executives and ball players, including Al Rosen, Shawn Green, Bob Feller, Yogi Berra and a rare interview with Hall of Fame pitcher, Sandy Koufax, fans including Larry Kind and ron Howard connect the stories of baseball to their own lives and the turbulent history of the past century. With never-before-seen footage and photos of great players, unforgettable games, JEWS AND BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY is currently playing at Laemmle Theatres.
NORA'S WILL - Mariana Chenillo's feature film debut, NORA'S WILL (CINCO DIAS SIN NORA) involves a woman's suicide just before Passover, creating complications for her loved ones. Deemed a "deft blend of comedy and tragedy, "warm and entertaining" NORA'S WILL, is the winner of seven Mexican Academy Awards, including Best Picture. A non-sentimental film about love and mortality, NORA'S WILL has been called "a true find, a strikingly good literate, emotionally engaging movie that will leave you wanting to see it again." Exclusive LA engagement at Laemmle's Royal in West LA and Town Center 5 in Encino.
TINY FURNITURE, written and directed by Lena Dunham, follows 22 year-old Aura's return to her artist-mother's TriBeCa loft with a dying hamster, a useless film degree, 357 hits on her Youtube page and a boyfriend who has left her to find himself at Burning Man. Surrounded by what she could become, Aura just wants someone to tell her who she is. TINY FURNITURE explores the depths of romantic humiliation and the heights of post-collage confusion, the darkest parts of the big city bright lights and the newest ways to tell the oldest story in the book. A family affair, TINY FURNITURE stars Dunham, her real-life mother, photographer Laurie Simmons and her precocious sister, Grace. It opens on Nov. 26th for a limited engagement at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., in West LA.
WASTELAND - Director Lucy Walker’s inspiring documentary WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. His collaboration with the garbage pickers inspired his photographic images, revealing the dignity and despair of the “catadores” as they begin to re-imagine their lives through recyclables and the transforming power of art. WASTE LAND opens on Friday, November 5th for a limited engagement at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd, in West LA.
CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER charts the meteoric rise and infamous downfall of former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, once deemed "the Sheriff of Wall Street," in a tale of hubris, sex, and power run amok. From the Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney (of "Taxi to the Dark Side" and "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room"), CLIENT 9 debunks the myths and gets to the heart of the story thorugh candid interviews with Spitzer, his powerful enemies on Wall Street and a wild cast of characters from the world of escorts. CLIENT 9: THE RISE AND FALL OF ELIOT SPITZER is currently playing at Laemmle Theatres.
BOXING GYM is documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman’s portrait of a boxing gym dwelling on the discipline of training people from all walks of life – men, women, children, doctors, lawyers, judges, immigrants, teenagers trying to develop strength and assertiveness, professional boxers, alongside amateurs where the gym is a classic melting pot where people meet, talk and train. Says Peter Rainer of the Christian Science Monitor, “We are so used to boxing movies that heighten the violence that “Boxing Gym” comes across as restorative. It’s a boxing movie minus all the bull that usually goes with it.” The Boston Globe calls it Wiseman’s most hypnotic, rhythmically assembled observation of corporeal expression.” BOXING GYM opens on November 5th at Laemmle’s Sunset, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, and Town Center in Encino.
AFI FILM FESTIVAL - Experience a world class film festival for free. Go to www.afifest.com for a full schedule and roster of film. Two special screenings offered to KPFK Film Club members:
ERASERHEAD - David Lynch's startling black and white dreamscape deemed one of the creepiest films ever made, seething with bodily fluids and mutant hypnotic beauty. ERASERHEAD screens on Saturday, November 6th at 3:30 pm at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. (on a double-bill with the classic SUNSET BOULEVARD.)
AMIGO - John Sayles' compelling drama about the moral quandaries facing US soliders and local cooperators a century ago in the Phillipine-American war, with strong parallels to current events. AMIGO screens on Saturday, November 6th at 9:45 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
THE TWO ESCOBARS, says Documentary magazine, deftly weaves together the precariously and tragically entwined stories of Andres and Pablo, and how the dreams of elevating a nation's hope through the exploits of its national sport were both fueled and shattered by the dark elements that defined a nation's identity." Fest 21 calls "The Two Escobars" a compelling profile that will make you never watch the World Cup in the same way again. "The Two Escobars" opens at Laemmle's Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills on Friday, Oct. 29th.
GHETTO PHYSICS: WILL THE REAL PIMPS AND HOS PLEASE STAND UP! – From the filmmakers of “What the Bleep Do We Know?!” this underground sensation is part documentary, part Saturday Night Live satire, part narrative. With exclusive interviews with notable entertainers and thinkers, from Dr. Cornel West to Ice-T to Norman Lear it begins by looking at the evocative world of the Pimp and Ho and how it translates to the entire social power game around us and finally bringing that awareness to its impact on a student’s life. Rather than right/wrong, good vs. bad, Ghetto Physics focuses on Empowerment and hope through speaking truth to power and choosing the role one wishes to play in every situation. GHETTO PHYSICS opens October 22 at the RAVE 18 at the Howard Hughes Center, 6081 Center Drive, #201, in Los Angeles.
HOWL is the story of how the young Alan Ginsberg broke down societal barriers in the face of an infamous public obscenity trial. In his famously confessional style, Ginsberg, poet, counter-culture icon, and chronicler of the Beat Generation recounts the road trips, the love affairs, and the search for personal liberation that led to his timeless epic poem, HOWL. James Franco stars as Ginsberg in a career-defining performance, leading an all-star casting including, Jeff Daniels, David Strathairn, John Hamm, Treat Williams, and Mary Louise Parker. HOWL opens October 1st at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Town Center, Encino and October 8th at Monica-4 Plex.
INHALE is a moral thriller in which a rising Santa Fe District Attorney and his wife await an organ donor for their daughter, who is on a waiting list for a lung transplant. As desperation leads them into the world of black market organ trafficking, they are forced to decide what is right when career, family, and innocent lives hang in the balance. Starring Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger, Sam Shepard and Vincent Perez, INHALE was selected as the closing night gala screening for the Anaheim Film Festival. INHALE opens at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 in Hollywood on October 22nd.
NOWHERE BOY captures the crucial formative years of John Lennon, as a smart and troubled young man hungry for experience and a desire to escape the complexities of his family life. Imagine, Liverpool 1955, the teenage years of John Lennon. Depicting the underlying currents that shaped the creative and inspirational qualities which lead to the formation of the Beatles and the lasting legacy which continues 30 years after his death. Coinciding with the birthday of John Lennon, NOWHERE BOY opens at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles on Friday, October 8th.
STONE involves a seasoned parole officer and a volatile inmate find their lives dangerously intertwined. Directed by John Curran and featuring powerful performances by Robert DeNiro, Ed Norton, Milla Jovovich, and Frances Conroy, STONE weaves together parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses. Set in the quiet desperation of economically ravaged Detroit and the stifling brutality of a maximum security prison, this tale of passion, betrayal and corruption examines the troubled past and an uncertain future. STONE opens at AMC Century City and the ArcLight in Hollywood on Friday, October 8th.
ALTIPLANO is a haunting, ravishingly beautiful film about our divided yet inextricably intertwined world. When deadly traces of mercury from silver-mining bring illness and death to a village in the Andes, the villagers seek retribution, mistakenly blaming the outbreak on Western doctors who work in the nearby mountain clinic. Two women – the fiancé of a villager killed by mercury poisoning and the wife of a doctor killed in the protest-turned-riot are brought together. Winner of the Grand Prize at both the Bankgok and Virton film festivals, an official selection at Cannes, ALTIPLANO opens on Friday, October 1st at Laemmle’s Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills.
KINGS OF PASTRY says the Herald Scotland is the culinary “Hurt Locker”. Forget Master Chef, in filming this funny documentary about a serious French pastry competition, filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, secured exclusive rights to shoot the prestigious Best Craftsman in France competition, the ultimate recognition for a pastry chef, through three intense days of mixing, piping, and sculpting desserts from delicate chocolates to 6 foot sugar sculptures. Working under the scrutiny of master judges and the critical palates of some of the world’s most renowned chefs, the film follows chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of Chicago’s French Pastry School, as he journeys back to his childhood home of Alsace to practice for the contest. Along with two other competitors, he vies, amidst passion, sacrifice, disappointment and joy, to become one of the Kings of Pastry. From the filmmakers of “The War Room” and “Don’t Look Back” this delicious celluloid experience opens October 8th at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills.
SECRETARIAT, screening Sept. 23 only at the Landmark (Westwood and Pico). Based on the remarkable true story, it chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Housewife and mother Penny Chenery, agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horseracing knowledge. Against all odds, with the help of veteran trainer, Lucien Laurin, she manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering perhaps the greatest living racehorse of all time. Starring Diane Lane, John Malkovich, and James Cromwell.
SOMETHING’S GONNA LIVE is an intimate portrait of life, death, friendship and the movies, as recalled by some of Hollywood’s greatest cinematic artists. Academy-Award nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim captures the late life coming together of renowned art directors Robert Boyle, Henry Bumstead and Albert Nozaki, along with legendary cinematographers Haskell Wexler and Conrad Hall. This deeply engaging, thought-provoking celebration of these octogenarian artists, responsible for some of the greatest films of Hollywood’s Golden Era, chronicles iconic scenes from our collective imaginations through snapshots, drawings, paintings, interviews, and vintage footage. Far more than mere nostalgia, SOMETHING’S GONNA LIVE explores the artist’s moral obligation to truthfully portray the human condition.
LOVELY, STILL is a mysterious and tender love story, starring Academy Award winners Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn. What begins as an awkward encounter quickly blossoms into a new chance for romance. This uncommonly lovely tale of an elderly couple’s affair takes us on a heartfelt and wonderful journey, revealing an unexpected twist. Skillfully and sensitively directed by Nik Fackler, with music by Conor Oberst.
GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD weaves together an unprecedented array of never-before-seen footage, photographs and excerpts from Gould’s private home recordings and diaries, along with personal interviews with his most intimate friends and lovers, reconstructing his thoughts on music, art, society, love and life. The enigmatic musical poet and world-renowned pianist continues to captivate 28 years after his untimely death. Variety calls “GENIUS WITHIN” a must-see for serious music fans.”
A MOTHER’S COURAGE is a new documentary which charts the journey of a mother trying to unlock the mind of her autistic son. Consumed by the search for treatments for her son, she travels from Iceland to the US and Europe meeting with top experts, advocates and other families touched by struggles with autism. From the challenges of doctor visits, experimental treatments, the inability to communicate and perform daily tasks, to the hope of innovative therapies, a mother’s pain and suffering is lifted by the hope that her son might be able to express himself on a level she never thought possible. Narrated by Kate Winslet and with music by Sigur Ros and Bjork, Variety calls A MOTHER’S COURAGE, “A mystery replete with miracles. Will leave audiences stunned and rethinking what has long been considered a disorder devoid of hope.”
ARPA FILM FESTIVAL, SEPT 21 - 26th, Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., LA, CA 90028, PH: 323-461-2021. Offering over 40 feature films, shorts, documentaries, videos and animated films, including the first Armenian feature, the restored 1926 silent film "Namous."
NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM tells the story of the Mississippi County still divided over the meaning of justice 40 yrs after the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. With unprecedented access to Edgar Ray Killen, the 80 yr. old Baptist preacher and notorious racist indicted in 2005 by the State, the award winning filmmakers take viewers on a journey into the mindset of a man who still feels that the murders were justified as “self defense” of a way of life and the rage and denial that still exist within the wildly disparate views within the community. NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM opens Sept. 10th at Laemmle’s Music Hall and Playhouse 7 in Pasadena.
TEZA (or MORNING DEW) is Haile Gerima’s tale of an idealistic young intellectual, from his origins in a small Ethiopian village, through his years as a med student in Europe, his return to Ethiopia, where he ends up a casualty of the Marxist military revolution that overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, and his exile to West Germany where he becomes a victim of racism. TEZA examines the displacement of African intellectuals at home and abroad and the internal struggle to stay true to one’s self and one’s homeland through memory and the right to own one’s past in the midst of powerlessness and the dissolution of humanity and social values.
SOUL KITCHEN, winner of the Special Jury Prize and Young Cinema Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, centers on a disorganized young German-Greek restauranteur and his motley assortment of patrons. Down on his luck and mending a broken heart, he leaves his Soul Kitchen in the hands of his ex-con brother, leading to disastrous results. With soul music at its core, SOUL KITCHEN features music by Kool and the Gang, Quincy Jones, Sam Cooke mixed with a Hamburg hip hop and Hans Albers. SOUL KITCHEN opens September 3rd at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre at 11523 Santa Monica Blvd.in West Los Angeles.
MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN, short-listed for the Academy Awards, is an acclaimed documentary that exposes the battle of one white farmer who refused to back down, against Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and his land reappropriation policy which ultimately became gifts to Mugabe’s supporters. Seeking to protect the family farm and the livelihoods of 500 black workers who live and work there, Mike Campbell, a 75-year old grandfather, took the unprecedented step of challenging Mugabe’s Land Reform in international court. Shot with the risk of imprisonment, MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN is the only documentary to come out of Zimbabwe in recent years, where a total press ban still exists, perhaps the only glimpse inside Mugabe’s modern-day Zimbabwe. MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN opens August 13th at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.
HENRI CLOUZOT'S INFERNO. In 1964, inspired by Felini’s 8-1/2, master filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot began L’ENFER, an obsessive tale of jealousy, suspicion, cruelty, madness and contaminated relationships. Starring Romy Schneider and Serge Reggiani, the calamitous project was riddled with problems - lack of discipline, out of control budgets and special effects, temperamental actors, as well as the filmmaker’s own collapse. Clouzot’s widow locked away the footage for decades, eventually turning the 185 cans of surviving material over to archivist Serge Bromberg. The result is an extraordinary documentary, HENRI CLOUZOT’S INFERNO. HENRI CLOUZOT’S INFERNO opens July 30th at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.
Latin-American Showcase presents 4 novel films from Argentina, Mexico and Columbia including: MUNDO ALAS, a concert/road film (featuring the music of Leon Gieco) about a group of musicians, singers, dancers and painters on a tour which culminates in a concert in Buenos Aires. Gieco, Argentina’s most important folk-rock singer/songwriter will perform a brief set before each nightly screening. CONOZCA LA CABEZA DE JUAN PEREZ, a comedy in which the head of a low-life circus magician recalls what led him to his decapitation. MUSICA EN ESPERA (MUSIC ON HOLD), an Argentinian romantic comedy about a music composer with writers’ block, and a bank assistant who inadvertently gives him just the melody he needs when she places him on hold. And EL VUELVO DEL CANGREJO, set in the Afro-Columbian community of La Barra on the Pacific Coast, CRAB TRAP depicts a young man trying to feel his past and the clash between a remote village and modernity.
2010 USA-Australia Film Showcase brings you a bit of “down under” with three award-winning, as yet unreleased films including: ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, a bittersweet comedy, starring Geena Davis, about a dysfunctional urban family coping with the consequences of a tragedy; THE WAITING CITY, directed by Claire McCarthy, starring Radha Mitchell. Most recently the closing gala film of the Indian Film Fest, an Australian couple travel to India to adopt a baby, but the overwhelming power of India pulls them in unexpected directions. And CHARLIE and BOOTS, which follows the efforts of a son to bring his grieving father out of depression by taking him on the fishing trip of a lifetime.
MESRINE, PART 2: PUBLIC ENEMY NO.1, directed by Jean-Francois Richet, continues the story of the legendary French gangster of the 60’s and 70’s, chronicling his incredible life of crime while manipulating the media, government and police. Planning his last and greatest escape from France, seeking to leave behind the iconic character he created and became, MESRINE, PART 2: PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1 stars the charismatic, award-winning Vincent Cassel, opens September 3rd at Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 in Pasadena.
HIGHWATER, Writer-Director Dana Brown follows in his famous father, Bruce Brown’s footsteps, with the surfing documentary HIGHWATER, which follows the men and women who gather each year for the “Seven Mile Miracle” on Oahu’s North Short, the ultimate big wave surfing challenge, the Triple Crown. This compelling look at the 55-day, 3-tiered granddaddy of surfing competitions, combines awesome footage, interviews and the North Shore zeitgeist. “If there’s such a thing as too much beauty in a film, the surfing documentary HIGHWATER is guilty of it. HIGHWATER opens Sept. 3 at Laemmle’s Monica-4 Plex, 1332 2nd Street, in Santa Monica.
GET LOW is a magical, moving blend of folk tale, fable and real-life legend from first time director Aaron Schneider.Starring Academy Award winner Robert Duvall in one of his finest performances as Felix Bush, a hermit who plans and attends his own funeral, revealing a shocking confession to the townspeople who have ostracized and demonized him. GET LOW costars Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, and Lucas Black in a remarkable tale of secrets, heartbreak and a desire for redemption. GET LOW is currently playing at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.
ANIMAL KINGDOM is the remarkable feature debut of Australian writer/director David Michod. Starring Guy Pierce in a tale from the underworld of a Melbourne crime family, in the tradition of the Krays and Ma Barker, you’ve never seen a matriarch quite like Smurf Cody, in a masterful performance byJackie Weaver. With the death of his troubled mother, Joshua Cody is reluctantly taken into the family gangster business amidst a minefield of witness protection, corrupt cops, slippery lawyers and a paranoid, vengeful relatives. He comes to realize in order to survive he must determine how the game is played and choose his place in the cunning and brutal animal kingdom. ANIMAL KINGDOM opens at AMC Century 15, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd.
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WTIH FIRE is the second film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's literary sensation, MILLENIUM TRILOGY. The unforgettable Lisbeth Salander, the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker returns, this time as a prime suspect in the murder of two journalists on the verge of exposing trafficking in Eastern Europe and Sweden. Alone in his belief of Lisbeth's innocence, publisher Mikael Blomkvist plunges into an examination of the slaying, implicating highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government. Meanwhile, Lisbeth is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she herself is the prey, compelling her to revisit her dark past. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WTIH FIRE opens at Laemmle's Fallbrook, Monica, 4-Plex, Playhouse 7, Town Center and Claremont on Friday, July 9th.
STAR TREK, the 2009 film directed by JJ Abrams which chronicles where it all began for the young Kirk and Spock, before they unite aboard the Enterprise to fight Nero, a Romulan who threatens the United Federation. STAR TREK, the 11th and most recent film in the franchise.
THE TILLMAN STORY is the true story behind the tragic death of NFL star Pat Tillman, and subsequent covered up by the military. This essential and infuriating documentary follows his family’s tireless efforts to penetrate the official lies. Directed by Amir Bar Lev. Playing at Laemmles.
TOPANGA FILM FESTIVAL, offers a socailly-conscious slate of films including KPFK favorites, “South of the Border, “Dirt,” “Save the Farm,” and “Blue Gold,” as well as “Lost Angels” about the marginalized on Skid Row, a Haiti Cine Institute student showcase and an international day with short films from India, Ireland, and Switzerland. The opening night’s screening of “Easy Rider” honors the late Dennis Hopper, while other honorees include David Lynch and Patricia Arquette. Go to topangafilmfestival.com for full roster of films, venues and directions.
STAR TREK: NEMESIS. In 2002’s NEMESIS, the 10th feature in the franchise series, a final generation’s journey begins, when the Federation is threatened by a Capt. Picard clone who takes control of the Romulan empire. With a special in-person appearance by Will Wheaton, this 70 mm galactic sized print landed at Laemmle's Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles.
STAR TREK: INSURRECTION. When the peaceful Ba’ku are threatened, Capt Picard and crew must defend their harmonious natural existence and the regenerative radiation that gives them to live long and prosper. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, 1998’s STAR TREK: INSURRECTION stars F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy and Anthony Zerbe. Also screening an extra added bonus, the short film parody “Brokeback Enterprise.”
THE FEEL GOOD FILM FESTIVAL, celebrates the happy ending with films that make audiences laugh and capture the beauty of our world.It promises to be entertaining, optimistic, humorous, heartwarming and leave the audience feeling good. Screenings offered to Film Club members include:
A MI ME GUSTA: How do you change a country and improve its conditions?After years of portraying Venezuela as a violent country, this is the first romantic comedy with no drugs, violence, prostitution or guns, answering the question, “Why do people stay?” Margarita Garcia has a dream to become a great chef in London. She leaves everything behind to start a new life, but she is forced to return to Venezuela and start all over. Paul Welsare, the admired British Cook comes to Venezuela to work for Christmas. If she only manages to receive a recommendation, she will have the passport to success in her hands. Between family, friends and kitchen stove ignites this love story between a cold English man and a passionate Latin woman only to prove that – home is where the heart is.
ACCIDENTAL ICON: THE REAL GIDGET STORY, She gave Sally Field her start, Former Motion Picture Academy President Frank Pierson calls Gidget a “proto-feminist figure,” and Former US Surf Champion Jericho Poppler Bartlow says, “I remember thinking, Gidget could do it…I know I can.” This one-hour documentary narrated by Jorja Fox (“CSI”) and produced by Brian L. Gillogly and Robert Masters, explores the largely untold story of the real “Gidget,” Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, and how her account of surfing Malibu in the mid-50’s became the basis for a best-selling novel by her father Frederick Kohner. A half century later, “Gidget” is celebrated as an enduring Hollywood movie/TV franchise and a slice of Americana, with considerable impact on popular culture and the sport of surfing.
ART HOUSE: A household of under-achiever art students face eviction by a dishonest college dean and a philistine big donor who have the intention of turning the students' colorfully rundown home into a golf-team dormitory. When the students fight to preserve their home, known for decades as a hard-partying haven for artists and artist-wannabes, their friendships are tested, secret loves confessed and futures put on the line. It's time to prove they're more than posers.
TALES FROM EARTHSEA, based on Ursula K. LeGuin’s book series, considered one of the greatest in fantasy literature, is an epic tale of redemption and self-discovery. Goro Miyazaki and the famed Japanese animators at Studio Ghibli present this sweeping adventure set in a mythical world filled with magic and bewitchment. It follows a master wizard as he searches for the force behind a mysterious disturbance that has caused an imbalance in the land of Earthsea. Suddenly crops and livestock are dwindling, dragons have reappeared and humanity is giving way to chaos. With voices of Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin, and Mariska Hargitay.
AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN is legendary director,Jacques Rivette’s tale of lost love, chance encounters and the transformative power of art. AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN stars Jane Birkin and Sergio Castellitto. On a winding mountain road, Vittorio stops to help Kate whose car has broken down, later finding an intriguing story which leads him into the world of her family’s travelling circus and the lives of its performers. The New York Times calls AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN “As transporting and graceful as a ride in a balloon.” Deemed “an ephemeral 85 minute daydream,” by Artforum.
MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON is acclaimed French director Stephane Brize crafts a modern day, “Brief Counter,”an elegant, moving tale of an unexpected romance between a married man and his son’s teacher and their attempt to restrain their desires. Crafted with grace and subtlety MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON.
VIDEOCRACY, is Erik Gandini's critically-acclaimed documentary about the carnivalesque world of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and its effect on his country's culture, examines the mercenary underbelly of the high-glitz, low-politics, skin-baring media culture promulgated by Berlusconi's use of his ownership of the majority of Italy's television stations as a powerful tool to shape public opinion for financial and political benefit. Gandini gains remarkable access to the opulent world of Berlusconi's associates and the armies of willing wannabes that swarm around them, examining the key players (and their conflicted interests) and unveiling a modern Italy as both comedy and tragedy.
LET IT RAIN is Agnes Jaoui's intimate portrait of a feminist writer, workaholic politician who returns to her childhood home in the South of France to help her sister sort out their mother's affairs. In the course of filmming an amateurish documentary on "successful women" to help out two blundering filmmakers, their lives begin to unravel as each character examines and faces their own values and individual life choices. An Academy Award nominee for "The Taste of Others," this bittersweet comedy is currently playing at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, and Fallbrook in Woodland Hills.
EYES WIDE OPEN, a haunting tale of a doomed Orthodox Jewish gay couple, tells the tale of Aaron, a respectable butcher in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox community. Married and a dedicated father of four, he hires Ezri, a handsome 22-year-old student as an apprentice and soon develops feelings for him. Forboding, guilt, inner torment and intense condemnation from the community catch up with him leading to a radical decision. Deemed the Best New Feature at the Palm Springs Film Fest, "Variety" calls EYES WIDE OPEN "soberly fascination, intense, and restrained."
JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, follows the 76-year-old brash, irreverent, legendary comedy icon over the course of 14 months. With unprecedented access, filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg capture the behind-the-scenes reality of one of the most resilient survivors in show business, revealing her struggles and breakthroughs in a male-dominated field. Brutally honest and self-aware she shares the private dramas and trauma of dealing with financial ruin and her husband's suicide, her rising and falling out with Johnny Carson andher ultimate triumph as a Tony-nominated, Emmy Award-winning talk show host, successful QVC entrepreneur and "Celebrity Apprentice" victor. A quintessential story of determination and career reinvention, this surprisingly intimate portrait reveals the vulnerabilities and resourcefulness of this consummate performer and pioneer.
RESTREPO, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, chronicles the deployment of a platoon of US soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley at a 15-man unit called “Restrepo” named after a medic killed in action. Author Sebastian Junger and photographer Tim Hetherington take you through an entirely experiential portrait of war that is emotionally harrowing and devastating in its immediacy. Their cameras never leave the valley, with no intervention from politicians, generals or diplomats, solely through the lense of the soldiers’ life in one of the military’s most dangerous outposts, RESTREPO is unforgettable and shattering experience of war.
STAR TREK: GENERATIONS lands on Stardate seven-thirty-one-twenty-ten as the voyages of the Star Ship Enterprise continue into the next Generation. Trekkees set your phasers on stun and your time-space coordinates for 11:55 pm to beam you to STAR TREK: GENERATIONS. Capt. Picard must enlist the help of a supposedly dead Capt. Kirk, to stop Soren (played by the inimitable Malcolm McDowell), a renegade scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix. Patrick Stewart takes over the helm in this 1994 film, along Jonathan Frakes, Levar Burton, Brent Spiner and the rest of the Next Generation crew, along with your favorites from the original Star Trek Cast. With a special in-person appearance by Dennis McCarthy, the film’s composer along with an bonus screening of the short film, The Hasty Hare, STAR TREK GENERATIONS, lands at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles, midnight on July 31st
RIVER OF LOVE is Michael Tobias’ moving documentary of the life, mission, and work of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known as Amma. It follows the internationally acclaimed humanitarian and spiritual leader, known as “the hugging” holy woman from her childhood struggles in Southwestern India to her teachings and healing work in a unique embodiment of love and compassion. RIVER OF LOVE will screen Sunday, August 1 from 12:30 – 4:45 pm at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica at 1328 Montana Avenue. With sacred sounds and music by the Kirtan group Bhakti Ma, and Sheela Bringi, whose music is now featured in the film “Eat, Pray, Love.
OLIVER STONE’S SOUTH OF THE BORDER, takes you across five countries to explore ongoing social and political movements, as well as the mainstream media’s misperception of South America. Gaining unprecedented access to seven elected presidents, including Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Lula da Silva of Brazil, Cristina Kirchner of Argentina, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Raul Castro of Cuba, Stone sheds new light on these regional transformations through the surprising intimacy of casual conversations with these leaders.
FRITZ LANG’S “METROPOLIS”, considered one of the greatest films in cinematic history returned to The Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax, in a newly-restored 2-1/2 hr. version, the result of two-years of painstaking restoration of a negative found in an Argentinean archive. This 1927 pioneering sci-fi epic brings alive the Zeitgeist of Lang’s Expressionist Tomorrowland, producing indelible images that have lost none of their power to astonish, featuring Brigitte Helm in the dual performance of Maria and the Machine man made in her image.
TRIBUTE TO DENNIS HOPPER, "BLUE VELVET," "RIVER'S EDGE," "HOOSIERS," and "TRACKS." A truly larger-than-life original wildman and gifted writer/actor/director who created some of the most memorable movies and movie roles of the silver screen. The Silent Movie Theatre, at 611 N. Fairfax in Los Angeles, honors three of his greatest performances from the ultimate creep, Frank Booth BLUE VELVET, to his Oscar-nominated turn in HOOSIERS as “SHOOTER” who knew “Everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented,” to Feck in THE RIVERS EDGE, in which he plays a hollowed-out ex-biker which “only an actor who’s truly been to hell and back can convey.”
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, the fourth in the movie series, was directed by Leonard Nimoy and starring William Shatner and all of your original Star Trek favorites. 1986's STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME takes Kirk and crew back to 20th Century Earth to recover two humpback whales, the only beings who can communicate with a mysterious space probe which is endangering the oceans and threatening to destroy 23rd Century Earth. With a special in-person appearance by Nichelle Nichols, STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME landed for one night only Stardate seven-ten-twenty-ten, to continue the ongoing summer midnight screening series at Laemmle's Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles.
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK is the third in the Star Trek movie series. Directed by Leonard Nimoy and starring William Shatner, and Christopher Lloyd as Krug, 1984's "STAR TREK III: The Search for Spock," explores the sacrifices made for friendship, when the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. With surprise in-person guests, thie 70 mm galactic-sized print landed for one night only, Star date six-twenty-six, twenty-ten at Laemmle's Royal Theatre, where the series continues for 11:55 pm, midnight screenings, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles.
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, in a galactic 70 mm print, stars Ricardo Montalban and features the film debut of Kirstie Alley. Special in-person appearance by the film's director, Nicholas Meyer.
GANGSTER'S PARADISE, JERUSALEMA, is an unflinching look into the crime, corruption, and the transgressions of those looking to survive in the most crime-infested district of Johannesburg. Directed by Ralph Ziman and starring Rapaulana Seiphemo ("Tsotsi") and Robert Hobbs, Kenneth Nkosi ("District 9"), it tells the story of Lucky Kunene, a small-time criminal who graduates to bigger, more aggressive acts. Eventually, his trouble with the law, coupled with an escalating war between local drug lords creates a tense standoff. With both sides closing in, Kunene mus stay one step ahead or his empire and his life will come crashing down.
STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY. This sixth in the series, released in 1991, Directed by Nicholas Meyer, stars Kim Cattrall, Brock Peters, and the great Christopher Plummer as General Chang. When the Klingon moon explodes, the Enterprise must leads a quest for a peace treaty. When plans go array, the Enterprise and the Excelsior, commanded by Capt. Sulu, head for a deadly rendezvous with General Chang. With a special in-person appearance by Mr. Sulu himself, George Takei.
STAR TREK, THE MOTION PICTURE, 1979's first Star Trek adventure for the big screen, blasts off this Star Trek Spectacular series of Midnight screenings shown in a galactic 70 millimeter-size print. Trekkies set your phasers on stun and your time-space coordinates for 11:55 pm on June 12 to beam you to this first cinematic voyage of the Star Ship Enterprise. In-person appearance by actress Arlene Martel (Vulcan princess T'Pring from the original series episode "Amoke Time.") Playing one night only at Laemmle's Royal Theatre at 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles.
THE PAINTER SAM FRANCIS, artist Jeffrey Perkins' lyrical, intimate portrait of a friend, mentor, and leading light of American abstract art, was forty years in the making. Through interviews with friends, family and fellow artists, including Ed Ruscha, Bruce conner and James Turrell, Perkins illuminates a mysterious and complex personality and his singular, diverse body of work. For Francis, art was a parth to transcendence; for Perkins, Francis was art. "THE PAINTER SAM FRANCIS" is a labor of love, a moving portrait of a friend and tribute to the power of art. Currently playing at Laemmle's Monica 4-plex at 1332 2nd Street in Santa Monica.
BREATHLESS, Jean Luc Godard's revolutionary debut film and hallmark of the French New Wave, stars cinematic icon, Jean Paul Belmondo as a small-time hood and the rapturous Jean Seberg, as his Herald-Tribune-hawking girlfriend. Rialto Pictures presents this breathtaking 50th Anniversary restoration of the 1960 masterpiece, with newly revised subtitles. "BREATHLESS"remains stunningly original. The NY Times says, "Breathless still has the power to defy conventional expectations about what a movie should be, while providing an utterly captivating movie experience. Much as it may have influenced what was to come later, there is nothing quite like it. Even at 50, it is still cool, still new." BREATHLESS opens May 28th at Laemmle's Royal in West Los Angeles.
AFTER THE CUP: SONS OF SAKHNIN UNITED tell the story of a soccer team that couldn't create a new Middle East, but showed the world what it could look like. Bnei Sakhnin is the first team from an Arab town to win the Israeli Cup and represent Israel in European competition. Fielding Arab, Jewish, and foreign-born players, owned by an Arab and coached by a Jew, Bnei Sakhnin's success has begun to represent a symbol of co-existence, a potential bridge between the Arabs and Jews. "AFTER THE CUP" opens on May 28th at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. A special "Talkback" will be held with the director in conjunction with the Levantine Center, on May 30th.
THE LIVING WAKE, is a dark comedy set in a timeless storybook universe. Self-proclaimed artist and genius, Ke. Roth Binew, has one day to live. He sets out on a bicycle powered rickshaw with his best friend, Mills, to hand out invitations to his final party, a living wake. In a final attempt to probe life's deepest mysteries, he endures ridiculous trials and whimsical adventures, culminating in his final performance on a makeshift stage in an open field. THE LIVING WAKE opens at Laemmle Sunset 5 on May 21st.
FATHER OF MY CHILDREN, follows a seemingly successful film producer who confronts despair and failure and monetary troubles mount with his film company. As his cinematic world unravels, his family is left to cope and start anew. Deemed by "Variety" as a director to watch, Mia Hanson-Love paints a deeply moving portrait of a family undergoing dramatic rupture. THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN opens on May 21st at The Landmark Theatre, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles,
HERE AND THERE, winner for Best Narrative at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, has been called an indie tour de force, comparable to "The Visitor" with a Serbian twist on a timeless theme of what it means to be human. Robert, a depressed and broke middle-aged New Yorker, is being evicted from his apartment and hires Branko, a young Serbian immigrant to help him move out. Desperately wanting his girlfriend to join him in the US, Branko hatched a marriage scheme with Robert to help her obtain a visa, exposing fish-out-of water Robert to the best traditions of Balkan hospitality. Opens May 21st at Laemmle Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., LA
LOOKING FOR ERIC, Ken Loach's latest follows a Manchester postman who finds his life in a downward spiral. After a failed marriage and trying to raise his stepsons in trouble, he is transformed when he turns to his idol, French-born soccer genius and philosopher, Eric Cantona, whose enigmatic advice on life, love, and fellowship inspire him to get his life back on track. LOOKING FOR ERIC is a warm, bittersweet tale combining Loach's trademark realism and compassion for the working man with sweetness, humor, and humanity. Opens May 21st at Laemmle Theatres throughout Los Angeles.
EVERYONE ELSE, Director Maren Ade's film involves a young couple forced to re-examine their fragile relationship as fears and insecurities surface while they vacation in Sardinia. Their relationship is brought to the brink as they compare themselves to a seemingly happier and more successful couple. With a second chance to discover themselves and each other, they strive to be as happy as "everyone else." The Hollywood Reporter deems "Everyone Else" a "brilliant, delicious, accutely observed dissection of the ties between two young lovers." "Everyone Else" opens May 14th at Laemmle Sunset 5. For further info, go to www.laemmle.com
DANCE MEDIA FILM FESTIVAL,at Redcat is Dance Camera West's 9th Annual presentation. Opening with "Screendance: A New Visual Language", it presents a unique cinematic experience focussing on the intersection of cinematography and choreography. From experimental shorts to documentaries, surreal visual abstractions, as well as narratives, it offers a broad range of cinematic styles, exhibition formats, and subject matters which traverse global perspectives. For further info on the entire series, visit: www.dancecamerawest.org.
BEHIND THE BURLY Q, In the early part of the 20th Century, burlesque and vaudeville acts were one of America's most popular forms of entertainment, until cinema drove them from the mainstream. "Behind the Burly Q" reveals the true story of the Golden Age of Burlesque as a part of America's cultural history through the intimate and surprising stories of the women (and men) who lived it. "Behind the Burly Q" open May 7 and Laemmle's Sunset 5, 8000 sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.
ASIAN-PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL Celebrates the 70th Birthday of Bruce Lee with industry panels and a compelling line-up of documentaries and narratives focussing on the Asian Experience from around the world. Some of the highlights include:
In the Matter of Cha Jung Lee, a documentary of self-discovery and the universal question of who we are, tracing the story of filmmaker Borshay Liem's return to Korea to search for the girl under whose name Borshay arrived in the U.S. in 1966.
Mamachas del Ring about the first indigenous women wrestlers of Bolivia, and their fight for rights over their own bodies and desires.
Macho Like Me, a hilarious, self-experimenting documentary sets off to prove the widespread belief among women that men simply have it better, attempting to answer the classic, female inquiry of "If I Were A Boy."
Mao's Last Dancer, Brought to the screen by acclaimed director, Bruce Beresford ("Driving Miss Daisy," and "The Black Robe"), based on an inspiring true story which speaks to personal and cultural freedom, passion and determination.
The Actresses, Six actresses, across different age groups are brought together on Christmas Eve for a once-in-a-lifetime "Vogue" magazine cover shoot. Of course, when working with actresses with their respective entourages and demands, anything can happen. Shot documentary-style, "The Actresses" is rise with industry jokes, low-blows, egos, and insecurities.
PHYLLIS AND HAROLD is an astoundingly frank journey through the ups and downs of a 59-year marriage. With great humor and poignancy, filmmaker Cindy Kleine draws on a lifetime family home movies and interviews over 12 years, mixing reportage, cinema verite, and animation to uncover her family secrets following her father’s death. PHYLLIS AND HAROLD delves into the mysteries and nature of living and the losses faced with the passage of time. Documentarian Ken Burns deems the film a “masterpiece,” devastating, true, sad, and funny. Playwright Wallace Shawn calls it the most outrageously sensual of documentaries,“the graceful, painful music of two people who dance together for a lifetime, but barely touch.” PHYLLIS AND HAROLD is currently playing at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS, is directed by Bahman Ghobadi, and co-written by Roxana Saberi, whose book “Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran” has recently caught the world’s attention. “NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS” tells the story of two young musicians, recently released from prison, who decide to form a band, combing the underworld of contemporary Tehran for other players. Forbidden by the Iranian authorities to play their music, they plan to escape and dream of performing in Europe against all odds. Winner of the Special Jury prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Fest., it recently screened at AFI Fest and South by Southwest. Opens april 23rd at Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino.
PAPER MAN, directed by Michelle and Kieran Mulroney, is a whimsical, funny, touching story of an unlikely friendship between a middle-aged novelist who has never quite grown up and a young girl whose family tragedy has stolen away her youth. As their quirky relationship unfolds, they share their dreams and discover new life. “Paper Man” stars Jeff Daniels, Lisa Kudrow, Ryan Reynolds and Emily Stone is a break-out performance. It opens April 23 at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.
SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL (SEE FEST) offers films from Southeast European countries, including Hungary, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Turkey and many others. It opens Thursday, April 29th at the Goethe Institut, 5750 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles and closes Monday, May 3rd at the James Bridges Theatre on the UCLA campus. The Festival promotes diversity and cultural exchange through its roster of quality, topical films. KPFK is a proud Media Sponsor and Film Club members are offered a pair of tickets to the screening of their choise, excluding Opening Night. For further info: www.seefilmla.org
FOOTPRINTS is the feature film debut of award-winning writer Steven Peros When a young woman wakes up in the footprints at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with no idea who she is or how she got there, her dream-like journey of self-discovery through Hollywood begins. Spanning one day, from sunrise to sunset, through the celebrity impersonators, Scientologists, tourguides shopowners and the quirkiness of Hollywood, FOOTPRINTS features poignant performances by Hollywood veterans Pippa Scott and H.M. Wynant. FOOTPRINTS screens at the American Cinemateque at the EGYPTIAN THEATRE in Hollywood, Wednesday, April 28th. Cast and Crew will be in attendance after the screening for Q and A.
REEFER MADNESS, originally called, “Tell Your Children” became a cult classic of misinformation, exposing the dangers of “the devil weed,” which many feared would lead our nation’s youth to violence, insanity, or suicide. Two Special Event screenings celebrated the DVD release of the 75th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors’ Edition of this infamous offering. With over 2 hours of bonus film clips including: The Weed of Death!, Betty Boop in Happy You and Merry me, Marijuana: Threat or Menace?, Hemp for Victory, The Push and feature film, Marihuana: Sins of Youth and More! All attendees will get a DVD. “Reefer Madness” screened for one night only, at the Vine Theater, 6321 Hollywood Blvd. (just west of Vine)
THE INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES, OFFERS THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY INDIAN CINEMA.
HARISHCHANDRACHI FACTORY, India’s entry into the Oscar race, it celebrates the joy and wonder of moving images as it tells the story a first-time filmmaker who meets with a host of unexpected challenges in trying to film his religious epic.
ROAD, MOVIE, is a beautiful, coming-of-age drama which masterfully blends themes of love, friendship, danger, and wonder in a young man’s journey across the majesty of the Rajasthani desert.
FATSO, is Rajat Kapoor’s witty, romantic comedy showing the lighter side of death, in which the afterlife is a bureaucratic mess and the wrong man finds his life cut short, but even death can’t stop him from trying to reclaim his earthly love.
HARRY BROWN, directed by Academy Award Nominee Daniel Barber, stars two-time Oscar-winner Michael Caine, in a powerful, poignant performance as a man brought to the brink by gang violence and the death of a friend. Set in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Britain, this gritty, provocative drama deals with the struggle of a man who seeks to face loss, avenge his friend's death and cope with the deteriorating world around him. KPFK Film Club members are invited to a special screening of "Harry Brown" at Laemmle's Sunset 5 on Thursday, April 22nd at 7:00 pm.
WHO DO YOU LOVE, directed by Jerry Zaks, starring Alessandro Nivola and Jon Abrahams as Leonard and Phil Chess, founders of legendary Chess Records, home to the blues of Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters, the rock and roll of Bo Diddeley and “At Last” but not least, Etta James. From the childhood dreams of young Leonard and Phil, growing up in Chicago, the sons of Polish immigrants, to the opening of their Macomba Club and a gamble to become record producers, “WHO DO YOU LOVE” features authentic musical performances in a film Marshall Chess deems a “great snapshot of the era in which the music that was to become the foundation of rock and roll was created. Opening April 16th at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, Monicas, and Fallbrook. PLEASE NOTE - CHANGE OF VENUE: PASSES WILL BE HONORED ONLY AT LAEMMLE'S MUSIC HALL, 9036 WILSHIRE BLVD., BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90211.
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, this year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, from Argentina, involves a retired criminal court employee and would-be author who revisits a case involving the rape and murder of a beautiful young woman. Argentina in 1974 becomes the backdrop for the violence, hate, revenge and death that rule people’s lives and fates. No longer an observer, he becomes a central character in a drama of increasing danger and corruption. In delving into his past choices, he awakens his demons and faces his future, discovering the winding path he must take to understand, justify and find meaning for his own life, facing the woman he still loves after thirty years and the case that continues to haunt them both. Opens April 16th at The Landmark, Westside Pavilion, 10850 West Pico.
41st and CENTRAL, THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE LA BLACK PANTHERS, is the first part in a documentary series that follows the Southern California chapter of the Black Panther Party, from its black power beginnings through its tragic demise. Despite the Party's formation of free medical clinics and childrens' breakfast program, it was also known as the msot violent political group in the U.S. Featuring first-hand accounts by former Party members, along with archival footage, this in-depth study is the inaugural presentation in the Pan African Film Festivals "Encore" series, a monthly offering for which KPFK is a proud Media Sponsor. "41st and Central" continues to run through April 15th at the Culver Plaza Theater, 9919 Washington Blvd. in Culver City.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, based on Stieg Larsson’s literary sensation, is the highest grossing film in Swedish film history and 2009’s highest grossing film in Europe. Part of Larsson’s “Millenium Triology,” this suspenseful story involves the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from a family gathering of the powerful and secretive Vanger clan. When her uncle employs a financial journalist and a troubled, but resourceful computer hacker to investigate, a dark and appalling family history begins to unravel. currently playing at Laemmle Theaters.
THE ECLIPSE is renowned Tony-award nominated playwright Conor McPherson’s exquisitely-crafted drama of the supernatural, stars Aiden Quinn and Irish actor Ciaran (Keeran) Hinds, winner of the Best Actor award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. When teacher, widow, and father, Michael Farr starts to see strange apparitions in the night, the lives of three people converge in a life-altering collision in this story about the challenges of love, fear of the unknown, loss and grief. THE ECLIPSE is currently playing at Laemmle Theaters.
HAWAII: A VOICE FOR SOVEREIGNTY, a film by Catherine Bauknight, is the first documentary of its kind to feature the Native Hawaiians' journey to sustain their culture, spirituality, and connection to the land. Passes were offered to our members to attend this special screening, panel discussion and cultural ceremony which was held on April 3rd at the Pasadena Convention Center. The event opened with a Cultural Ceremony with Hawaiian elders and special guest Kiowa Gordon from the Twilight Saga, New Moon, addressing the Hawaiian and indigenous cultures.
VENTURA FILM SOCIETY FESTIVAL 2010 running at the historic Elks Lodge in Ventura, the festival offered our members passes to any screening from a slate of over 50 feature films and documentaries, including an 8-film tribute to actor/director Paul Mazursky.
GREEN LIFESTYLE FESTIVAL offered to our members all-day passes to this 2-day "green fest", which took place at the James Bridges Theater on the UCLA campus, with food and yoga demonstrations, music and dance entertainment, and a broad range of films dealing with sustainability and the ecology.
EASIER WITH PRACTICE, Writer/director Kyle Alvarez’ feature film debut “Easier with Practice” first screened at the 2009 AFI fest. It stars (“Hurt Locker’s”) Brian Geraghty in a remarkable, breakthrough performance as fledgling author, Davy Mitchell, who, while on a book tour discovers how phone sex leads to relationship, communication, and ultimately self-revelation. “Easier with Practice” is a funny, sensitive, insightful exploration of the ever-evolving ways that people find each other and themselves in the modern world.
MOTHER, latest award-winning film from Korean director bong Joon-ho, a unique murder mystery about a mother's primal love for her son and her own investigation to find the girl's killer. "In an obsessive quest to clear her son's name, she steps into a world of unimaginable chaos and shocking revelations."
THE RED RIDING TRILOGY is an ambitious, dark, thrilling trilogy of crime drama films set in Yorkshire in the ‘70s and ’80, adapted from David Peace’s cult noir novels.
2011 Film Club Offerings
Wednesday, 03 August 2011 13:31
Ali Lexa
Here is a list of some of the films KPFK Film Club members were able to see in 2011
BOXING GYM is documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman’s portrait of a boxing gym dwelling on the discipline of training people from all walks of life – men, women, children, doctors, lawyers, judges, immigrants, teenagers trying to develop strength and assertiveness, professional boxers, alongside amateurs where the gym is a classic melting pot where people meet, talk and train. Says Peter Rainer of the Christian Science Monitor, “We are so used to boxing movies that heighten the violence that “Boxing Gym” comes across as restorative. It’s a boxing movie minus all the bull that usually goes with it.” The Boston Globe calls it Wiseman’s most hypnotic, rhythmically assembled observation of corporeal expression.” BOXING GYM opens on November 5th at Laemmle’s Sunset, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, and Town Center in Encino.
WASTELAND - Director Lucy Walker’s inspiring documentary WASTE LAND follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys from his home in Brooklyn to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. His collaboration with the garbage pickers inspired his photographic images, revealing the dignity and despair of the “catadores” as they begin to re-imagine their lives through recyclables and the transforming power of art. WASTE LAND opens on Friday, November 5th for a limited engagement at the Nuart, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd, in West LA.
NORA'S WILL - Mariana Chenillo's feature film debut, NORA'S WILL (CINCO DIAS SIN NORA) involves a woman's suicide just before Passover, creating complications for her loved ones. Deemed a "deft blend of comedy and tragedy, "warm and entertaining" NORA'S WILL, is the winner of seven Mexican Academy Awards, including Best Picture. A non-sentimental film about love and mortality, NORA'S WILL has been called "a true find, a strikingly good literate, emotionally engaging movie that will leave you wanting to see it again." Exclusive LA engagement at Laemmle's Royal in West LA and Town Center 5 in Encino.
RECENT OFFERINGS:
AFI FILM FESTIVAL - Experience a world class film festival for free. Go to www.afifest.com for a full schedule and roster of film. Two special screenings offered to KPFK Film Club members:
ERASERHEAD - David Lynch's startling black and white dreamscape deemed one of the creepiest films ever made, seething with bodily fluids and mutant hypnotic beauty. ERASERHEAD screens on Saturday, November 6th at 3:30 pm at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. (on a double-bill with the classic SUNSET BOULEVARD.)
AMIGO - John Sayles' compelling drama about the moral quandaries facing US soliders and local cooperators a century ago in the Phillipine-American war, with strong parallels to current events. AMIGO screens on Saturday, November 6th at 9:45 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
THE TWO ESCOBARS, says Documentary magazine, deftly weaves together the precariously and tragically entwined stories of Andres and Pablo, and how the dreams of elevating a nation's hope through the exploits of its national sport were both fueled and shattered by the dark elements that defined a nation's identity." Fest 21 calls "The Two Escobars" a compelling profile that will make you never watch the World Cup in the same way again. "The Two Escobars" opens at Laemmle's Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills on Friday, Oct. 29th.
GHETTO PHYSICS: WILL THE REAL PIMPS AND HO’S PLEASE STAND UP! – From the filmmakers of “What the Bleep Do We Know?!” this underground sensation is part documentary, part Saturday Night Live satire, part narrative. With exclusive interviews with notable entertainers and thinkers, from Dr. Cornel West to Ice-T to Norman Lear it begins by looking at the evocative world of the Pimp and Ho and how it translates to the entire social power game around us and finally bringing that awareness to its impact on a student’s life. Rather than right/wrong, good vs. bad, Ghetto Physics focuses on Empowerment and hope through speaking truth to power and choosing the role one wishes to play in every situation. GHETTO PHYSICS opens October 22 at the RAVE 18 at the Howard Hughes Center, 6081 Center Drive, #201, in Los Angeles.
is the story of how the young Alan Ginsberg broke down societal barriers in the face of an infamous public obscenity trial. In his famously confessional style, Ginsberg, poet, counter-culture icon, and chronicler of the Beat Generation recounts the road trips, the love affairs, and the search for personal liberation that led to his timeless epic poem, HOWL. James Franco stars as Ginsberg in a career-defining performance, leading an all-star casting including, Jeff Daniels, David Strathairn, John Hamm, Treat Williams, and Mary Louise Parker. HOWL opens October 1st at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Town Center, Encino and October 8th at Monica-4 Plex.
HOWL
INHALE is a moral thriller in which a rising Santa Fe District Attorney and his wife await an organ donor for their daughter, who is on a waiting list for a lung transplant. As desperation leads them into the world of black market organ trafficking, they are forced to decide what is right when career, family, and innocent lives hang in the balance. Starring Dermot Mulroney, Diane Kruger, Sam Shepard and Vincent Perez, INHALE was selected as the closing night gala screening for the Anaheim Film Festival. INHALE opens at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 in Hollywood on October 22nd.
NOWHERE BOY captures the crucial formative years of John Lennon, as a smart and troubled young man hungry for experience and a desire to escape the complexities of his family life. Imagine, Liverpool 1955, the teenage years of John Lennon. Depicting the underlying currents that shaped the creative and inspirational qualities which lead to the formation of the Beatles and the lasting legacy which continues 30 years after his death. Coinciding with the birthday of John Lennon, NOWHERE BOY opens at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles on Friday, October 8th.
STONE involves a seasoned parole officer and a volatile inmate find their lives dangerously intertwined. Directed by John Curran and featuring powerful performances by Robert DeNiro, Ed Norton, Milla Jovovich, and Frances Conroy, STONE weaves together parallel journeys of two men grappling with dark impulses. Set in the quiet desperation of economically ravaged Detroit and the stifling brutality of a maximum security prison, this tale of passion, betrayal and corruption examines the troubled past and an uncertain future. STONE opens at AMC Century City and the ArcLight in Hollywood on Friday, October 8th.
ALTIPLANO is a haunting, ravishingly beautiful film about our divided yet inextricably intertwined world. When deadly traces of mercury from silver-mining bring illness and death to a village in the Andes, the villagers seek retribution, mistakenly blaming the outbreak on Western doctors who work in the nearby mountain clinic. Two women – the fiancé of a villager killed by mercury poisoning and the wife of a doctor killed in the protest-turned-riot are brought together. Winner of the Grand Prize at both the Bankgok and Virton film festivals, an official selection at Cannes, ALTIPLANO opens on Friday, October 1st at Laemmle’s Music Hall, 9036 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills.
KINGS OF PASTRY says the Herald Scotland is the culinary “Hurt Locker”. Forget Master Chef, in filming this funny documentary about a serious French pastry competition, filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, secured exclusive rights to shoot the prestigious Best Craftsman in France competition, the ultimate recognition for a pastry chef, through three intense days of mixing, piping, and sculpting desserts from delicate chocolates to 6 foot sugar sculptures. Working under the scrutiny of master judges and the critical palates of some of the world’s most renowned chefs, the film follows chef Jacquy Pfeiffer, co-founder of Chicago’s French Pastry School, as he journeys back to his childhood home of Alsace to practice for the contest. Along with two other competitors, he vies, amidst passion, sacrifice, disappointment and joy, to become one of the Kings of Pastry. From the filmmakers of “The War Room” and “Don’t Look Back” this delicious celluloid experience opens October 8th at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills.
SECRETARIAT, screening Sept. 23 only at the Landmark (Westwood and Pico). Based on the remarkable true story, it chronicles the spectacular journey of the 1973 Triple Crown winner. Housewife and mother Penny Chenery, agrees to take over her ailing father's Virginia-based Meadow Stables, despite her lack of horseracing knowledge. Against all odds, with the help of veteran trainer, Lucien Laurin, she manages to navigate the male-dominated business, ultimately fostering perhaps the greatest living racehorse of all time. Starring Diane Lane, John Malkovich, and James Cromwell.
SOMETHING’S GONNA LIVE is an intimate portrait of life, death, friendship and the movies, as recalled by some of Hollywood’s greatest cinematic artists. Academy-Award nominated filmmaker Daniel Raim captures the late life coming together of renowned art directors Robert Boyle, Henry Bumstead and Albert Nozaki, along with legendary cinematographers Haskell Wexler and Conrad Hall. This deeply engaging, thought-provoking celebration of these octogenarian artists, responsible for some of the greatest films of Hollywood’s Golden Era, chronicles iconic scenes from our collective imaginations through snapshots, drawings, paintings, interviews, and vintage footage. Far more than mere nostalgia, SOMETHING’S GONNA LIVE explores the artist’s moral obligation to truthfully portray the human condition.
LOVELY, STILL is a mysterious and tender love story, starring Academy Award winners Martin Landau and Ellen Burstyn. What begins as an awkward encounter quickly blossoms into a new chance for romance. This uncommonly lovely tale of an elderly couple’s affair takes us on a heartfelt and wonderful journey, revealing an unexpected twist. Skillfully and sensitively directed by Nik Fackler, with music by Conor Oberst.
GENIUS WITHIN: THE INNER LIFE OF GLENN GOULD weaves together an unprecedented array of never-before-seen footage, photographs and excerpts from Gould’s private home recordings and diaries, along with personal interviews with his most intimate friends and lovers, reconstructing his thoughts on music, art, society, love and life. The enigmatic musical poet and world-renowned pianist continues to captivate 28 years after his untimely death. Variety calls “GENIUS WITHIN” a must-see for serious music fans.”
A MOTHER’S COURAGE is a new documentary which charts the journey of a mother trying to unlock the mind of her autistic son. Consumed by the search for treatments for her son, she travels from Iceland to the US and Europe meeting with top experts, advocates and other families touched by struggles with autism. From the challenges of doctor visits, experimental treatments, the inability to communicate and perform daily tasks, to the hope of innovative therapies, a mother’s pain and suffering is lifted by the hope that her son might be able to express himself on a level she never thought possible. Narrated by Kate Winslet and with music by Sigur Ros and Bjork, Variety calls A MOTHER’S COURAGE, “A mystery replete with miracles. Will leave audiences stunned and rethinking what has long been considered a disorder devoid of hope.”
ARPA FILM FESTIVAL, SEPT 21 - 26th, Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., LA, CA 90028, PH: 323-461-2021. Offering over 40 feature films, shorts, documentaries, videos and animated films, including the first Armenian feature, the restored 1926 silent film "Namous."
NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM tells the story of the Mississippi County still divided over the meaning of justice 40 yrs after the murders of civil rights workers James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. With unprecedented access to Edgar Ray Killen, the 80 yr. old Baptist preacher and notorious racist indicted in 2005 by the State, the award winning filmmakers take viewers on a journey into the mindset of a man who still feels that the murders were justified as “self defense” of a way of life and the rage and denial that still exist within the wildly disparate views within the community. NESHOBA: THE PRICE OF FREEDOM opens Sept. 10th at Laemmle’s Music Hall and Playhouse 7 in Pasadena.
TEZA (or MORNING DEW) is Haile Gerima’s tale of an idealistic young intellectual, from his origins in a small Ethiopian village, through his years as a med student in Europe, his return to Ethiopia, where he ends up a casualty of the Marxist military revolution that overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie in 1974, and his exile to West Germany where he becomes a victim of racism. TEZA examines the displacement of African intellectuals at home and abroad and the internal struggle to stay true to one’s self and one’s homeland through memory and the right to own one’s past in the midst of powerlessness and the dissolution of humanity and social values.
SOUL KITCHEN, winner of the Special Jury Prize and Young Cinema Award for Best Film at the Venice Film Festival, centers on a disorganized young German-Greek restauranteur and his motley assortment of patrons. Down on his luck and mending a broken heart, he leaves his Soul Kitchen in the hands of his ex-con brother, leading to disastrous results. With soul music at its core, SOUL KITCHEN features music by Kool and the Gang, Quincy Jones, Sam Cooke mixed with a Hamburg hip hop and Hans Albers. SOUL KITCHEN opens September 3rd at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre at 11523 Santa Monica Blvd.in West Los Angeles.
MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN, short-listed for the Academy Awards, is an acclaimed documentary that exposes the battle of one white farmer who refused to back down, against Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe and his land reappropriation policy which ultimately became gifts to Mugabe’s supporters. Seeking to protect the family farm and the livelihoods of 500 black workers who live and work there, Mike Campbell, a 75-year old grandfather, took the unprecedented step of challenging Mugabe’s Land Reform in international court. Shot with the risk of imprisonment, MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN is the only documentary to come out of Zimbabwe in recent years, where a total press ban still exists, perhaps the only glimpse inside Mugabe’s modern-day Zimbabwe. MUGABE AND THE WHITE AFRICAN opens August 13th at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.
HENRI CLOUZOT'S INFERNO. In 1964, inspired by Felini’s 8-1/2, master filmmaker Henri-Georges Clouzot began L’ENFER, an obsessive tale of jealousy, suspicion, cruelty, madness and contaminated relationships. Starring Romy Schneider and Serge Reggiani, the calamitous project was riddled with problems - lack of discipline, out of control budgets and special effects, temperamental actors, as well as the filmmaker’s own collapse. Clouzot’s widow locked away the footage for decades, eventually turning the 185 cans of surviving material over to archivist Serge Bromberg. The result is an extraordinary documentary, HENRI CLOUZOT’S INFERNO. HENRI CLOUZOT’S INFERNO opens July 30th at Laemmle’s Sunset 5, 8000 Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood.
Latin-American Showcase presents 4 novel films from Argentina, Mexico and Columbia including: MUNDO ALAS, a concert/road film (featuring the music of Leon Gieco) about a group of musicians, singers, dancers and painters on a tour which culminates in a concert in Buenos Aires. Gieco, Argentina’s most important folk-rock singer/songwriter will perform a brief set before each nightly screening. CONOZCA LA CABEZA DE JUAN PEREZ, a comedy in which the head of a low-life circus magician recalls what led him to his decapitation. MUSICA EN ESPERA (MUSIC ON HOLD), an Argentinian romantic comedy about a music composer with writers’ block, and a bank assistant who inadvertently gives him just the melody he needs when she places him on hold. And EL VUELVO DEL CANGREJO, set in the Afro-Columbian community of La Barra on the Pacific Coast, CRAB TRAP depicts a young man trying to feel his past and the clash between a remote village and modernity.
2010 USA-Australia Film Showcase brings you a bit of “down under” with three award-winning, as yet unreleased films including: ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, a bittersweet comedy, starring Geena Davis, about a dysfunctional urban family coping with the consequences of a tragedy; THE WAITING CITY, directed by Claire McCarthy, starring Radha Mitchell. Most recently the closing gala film of the Indian Film Fest, an Australian couple travel to India to adopt a baby, but the overwhelming power of India pulls them in unexpected directions. And CHARLIE and BOOTS, which follows the efforts of a son to bring his grieving father out of depression by taking him on the fishing trip of a lifetime.
MESRINE, PART 2: PUBLIC ENEMY NO.1, directed by Jean-Francois Richet, continues the story of the legendary French gangster of the 60’s and 70’s, chronicling his incredible life of crime while manipulating the media, government and police. Planning his last and greatest escape from France, seeking to leave behind the iconic character he created and became, MESRINE, PART 2: PUBLIC ENEMY NO. 1 stars the charismatic, award-winning Vincent Cassel, opens September 3rd at Laemmle’s Playhouse 7 in Pasadena.
HIGHWATER, Writer-Director Dana Brown follows in his famous father, Bruce Brown’s footsteps, with the surfing documentary HIGHWATER, which follows the men and women who gather each year for the “Seven Mile Miracle” on Oahu’s North Short, the ultimate big wave surfing challenge, the Triple Crown. This compelling look at the 55-day, 3-tiered granddaddy of surfing competitions, combines awesome footage, interviews and the North Shore zeitgeist. “If there’s such a thing as too much beauty in a film, the surfing documentary HIGHWATER is guilty of it. HIGHWATER opens Sept. 3 at Laemmle’s Monica-4 Plex, 1332 2nd Street, in Santa Monica.
GET LOW is a magical, moving blend of folk tale, fable and real-life legend from first time director Aaron Schneider.Starring Academy Award winner Robert Duvall in one of his finest performances as Felix Bush, a hermit who plans and attends his own funeral, revealing a shocking confession to the townspeople who have ostracized and demonized him. GET LOW costars Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, and Lucas Black in a remarkable tale of secrets, heartbreak and a desire for redemption. GET LOW is currently playing at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.
ANIMAL KINGDOM is the remarkable feature debut of Australian writer/director David Michod. Starring Guy Pierce in a tale from the underworld of a Melbourne crime family, in the tradition of the Krays and Ma Barker, you’ve never seen a matriarch quite like Smurf Cody, in a masterful performance byJackie Weaver. With the death of his troubled mother, Joshua Cody is reluctantly taken into the family gangster business amidst a minefield of witness protection, corrupt cops, slippery lawyers and a paranoid, vengeful relatives. He comes to realize in order to survive he must determine how the game is played and choose his place in the cunning and brutal animal kingdom. ANIMAL KINGDOM opens at AMC Century 15, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd.
THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WTIH FIRE is the second film adaptation of Stieg Larsson's literary sensation, MILLENIUM TRILOGY. The unforgettable Lisbeth Salander, the troubled, wise-beyond-her-years genius hacker returns, this time as a prime suspect in the murder of two journalists on the verge of exposing trafficking in Eastern Europe and Sweden. Alone in his belief of Lisbeth's innocence, publisher Mikael Blomkvist plunges into an examination of the slaying, implicating highly placed members of Swedish society, business, and government. Meanwhile, Lisbeth is drawn into a murderous hunt in which she herself is the prey, compelling her to revisit her dark past. THE GIRL WHO PLAYED WTIH FIRE opens at Laemmle's Fallbrook, Monica, 4-Plex, Playhouse 7, Town Center and Claremont on Friday, July 9th.
STAR TREK, the 2009 film directed by JJ Abrams which chronicles where it all began for the young Kirk and Spock, before they unite aboard the Enterprise to fight Nero, a Romulan who threatens the United Federation. STAR TREK, the 11th and most recent film in the franchise.
THE TILLMAN STORY is the true story behind the tragic death of NFL star Pat Tillman, and subsequent covered up by the military. This essential and infuriating documentary follows his family’s tireless efforts to penetrate the official lies. Directed by Amir Bar Lev. Playing at Laemmles.
TOPANGA FILM FESTIVAL, offers a socailly-conscious slate of films including KPFK favorites, “South of the Border, “Dirt,” “Save the Farm,” and “Blue Gold,” as well as “Lost Angels” about the marginalized on Skid Row, a Haiti Cine Institute student showcase and an international day with short films from India, Ireland, and Switzerland. The opening night’s screening of “Easy Rider” honors the late Dennis Hopper, while other honorees include David Lynch and Patricia Arquette. Go to topangafilmfestival.com for full roster of films, venues and directions.
STAR TREK: NEMESIS. In 2002’s NEMESIS, the 10th feature in the franchise series, a final generation’s journey begins, when the Federation is threatened by a Capt. Picard clone who takes control of the Romulan empire. With a special in-person appearance by Will Wheaton, this 70 mm galactic sized print landed at Laemmle's Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles.
STAR TREK: INSURRECTION. When the peaceful Ba’ku are threatened, Capt Picard and crew must defend their harmonious natural existence and the regenerative radiation that gives them to live long and prosper. Directed by Jonathan Frakes, 1998’s STAR TREK: INSURRECTION stars F. Murray Abraham, Donna Murphy and Anthony Zerbe. Also screening an extra added bonus, the short film parody “Brokeback Enterprise.”
THE FEEL GOOD FILM FESTIVAL, celebrates the happy ending with films that make audiences laugh and capture the beauty of our world.It promises to be entertaining, optimistic, humorous, heartwarming and leave the audience feeling good. Screenings offered to Film Club members include:
A MI ME GUSTA: How do you change a country and improve its conditions?After years of portraying Venezuela as a violent country, this is the first romantic comedy with no drugs, violence, prostitution or guns, answering the question, “Why do people stay?” Margarita Garcia has a dream to become a great chef in London. She leaves everything behind to start a new life, but she is forced to return to Venezuela and start all over. Paul Welsare, the admired British Cook comes to Venezuela to work for Christmas. If she only manages to receive a recommendation, she will have the passport to success in her hands. Between family, friends and kitchen stove ignites this love story between a cold English man and a passionate Latin woman only to prove that – home is where the heart is.
ACCIDENTAL ICON: THE REAL GIDGET STORY, She gave Sally Field her start, Former Motion Picture Academy President Frank Pierson calls Gidget a “proto-feminist figure,” and Former US Surf Champion Jericho Poppler Bartlow says, “I remember thinking, Gidget could do it…I know I can.” This one-hour documentary narrated by Jorja Fox (“CSI”) and produced by Brian L. Gillogly and Robert Masters, explores the largely untold story of the real “Gidget,” Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, and how her account of surfing Malibu in the mid-50’s became the basis for a best-selling novel by her father Frederick Kohner. A half century later, “Gidget” is celebrated as an enduring Hollywood movie/TV franchise and a slice of Americana, with considerable impact on popular culture and the sport of surfing.
ART HOUSE: A household of under-achiever art students face eviction by a dishonest college dean and a philistine big donor who have the intention of turning the students' colorfully rundown home into a golf-team dormitory. When the students fight to preserve their home, known for decades as a hard-partying haven for artists and artist-wannabes, their friendships are tested, secret loves confessed and futures put on the line. It's time to prove they're more than posers.
TALES FROM EARTHSEA, based on Ursula K. LeGuin’s book series, considered one of the greatest in fantasy literature, is an epic tale of redemption and self-discovery. Goro Miyazaki and the famed Japanese animators at Studio Ghibli present this sweeping adventure set in a mythical world filled with magic and bewitchment. It follows a master wizard as he searches for the force behind a mysterious disturbance that has caused an imbalance in the land of Earthsea. Suddenly crops and livestock are dwindling, dragons have reappeared and humanity is giving way to chaos. With voices of Timothy Dalton, Willem Dafoe, Cheech Marin, and Mariska Hargitay.
AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN is legendary director,Jacques Rivette’s tale of lost love, chance encounters and the transformative power of art. AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN stars Jane Birkin and Sergio Castellitto. On a winding mountain road, Vittorio stops to help Kate whose car has broken down, later finding an intriguing story which leads him into the world of her family’s travelling circus and the lives of its performers. The New York Times calls AROUND A SMALL MOUNTAIN “As transporting and graceful as a ride in a balloon.” Deemed “an ephemeral 85 minute daydream,” by Artforum.
MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON is acclaimed French director Stephane Brize crafts a modern day, “Brief Counter,”an elegant, moving tale of an unexpected romance between a married man and his son’s teacher and their attempt to restrain their desires. Crafted with grace and subtlety MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON.
VIDEOCRACY, is Erik Gandini's critically-acclaimed documentary about the carnivalesque world of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and its effect on his country's culture, examines the mercenary underbelly of the high-glitz, low-politics, skin-baring media culture promulgated by Berlusconi's use of his ownership of the majority of Italy's television stations as a powerful tool to shape public opinion for financial and political benefit. Gandini gains remarkable access to the opulent world of Berlusconi's associates and the armies of willing wannabes that swarm around them, examining the key players (and their conflicted interests) and unveiling a modern Italy as both comedy and tragedy.
LET IT RAIN is Agnes Jaoui's intimate portrait of a feminist writer, workaholic politician who returns to her childhood home in the South of France to help her sister sort out their mother's affairs. In the course of filmming an amateurish documentary on "successful women" to help out two blundering filmmakers, their lives begin to unravel as each character examines and faces their own values and individual life choices. An Academy Award nominee for "The Taste of Others," this bittersweet comedy is currently playing at Laemmle's Sunset 5 in Hollywood, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, and Fallbrook in Woodland Hills.
EYES WIDE OPEN, a haunting tale of a doomed Orthodox Jewish gay couple, tells the tale of Aaron, a respectable butcher in Jerusalem's ultra-Orthodox community. Married and a dedicated father of four, he hires Ezri, a handsome 22-year-old student as an apprentice and soon develops feelings for him. Forboding, guilt, inner torment and intense condemnation from the community catch up with him leading to a radical decision. Deemed the Best New Feature at the Palm Springs Film Fest, "Variety" calls EYES WIDE OPEN "soberly fascination, intense, and restrained."
JOAN RIVERS: A PIECE OF WORK, follows the 76-year-old brash, irreverent, legendary comedy icon over the course of 14 months. With unprecedented access, filmmakers Ricki Stern and Annie Sundberg capture the behind-the-scenes reality of one of the most resilient survivors in show business, revealing her struggles and breakthroughs in a male-dominated field. Brutally honest and self-aware she shares the private dramas and trauma of dealing with financial ruin and her husband's suicide, her rising and falling out with Johnny Carson andher ultimate triumph as a Tony-nominated, Emmy Award-winning talk show host, successful QVC entrepreneur and "Celebrity Apprentice" victor. A quintessential story of determination and career reinvention, this surprisingly intimate portrait reveals the vulnerabilities and resourcefulness of this consummate performer and pioneer.
RESTREPO, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, chronicles the deployment of a platoon of US soldiers in Afghanistan’s Korengal Valley at a 15-man unit called “Restrepo” named after a medic killed in action. Author Sebastian Junger and photographer Tim Hetherington take you through an entirely experiential portrait of war that is emotionally harrowing and devastating in its immediacy. Their cameras never leave the valley, with no intervention from politicians, generals or diplomats, solely through the lense of the soldiers’ life in one of the military’s most dangerous outposts, RESTREPO is unforgettable and shattering experience of war.
STAR TREK: GENERATIONS lands on Stardate seven-thirty-one-twenty-ten as the voyages of the Star Ship Enterprise continue into the next Generation. Trekkees set your phasers on stun and your time-space coordinates for 11:55 pm to beam you to STAR TREK: GENERATIONS. Capt. Picard must enlist the help of a supposedly dead Capt. Kirk, to stop Soren (played by the inimitable Malcolm McDowell), a renegade scientist willing to murder on a planetary scale in order to enter a space matrix. Patrick Stewart takes over the helm in this 1994 film, along Jonathan Frakes, Levar Burton, Brent Spiner and the rest of the Next Generation crew, along with your favorites from the original Star Trek Cast. With a special in-person appearance by Dennis McCarthy, the film’s composer along with an bonus screening of the short film, The Hasty Hare, STAR TREK GENERATIONS, lands at Laemmle’s Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles, midnight on July 31st
RIVER OF LOVE is Michael Tobias’ moving documentary of the life, mission, and work of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi, known as Amma. It follows the internationally acclaimed humanitarian and spiritual leader, known as “the hugging” holy woman from her childhood struggles in Southwestern India to her teachings and healing work in a unique embodiment of love and compassion. RIVER OF LOVE will screen Sunday, August 1 from 12:30 – 4:45 pm at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica at 1328 Montana Avenue. With sacred sounds and music by the Kirtan group Bhakti Ma, and Sheela Bringi, whose music is now featured in the film “Eat, Pray, Love.
OLIVER STONE’S SOUTH OF THE BORDER, takes you across five countries to explore ongoing social and political movements, as well as the mainstream media’s misperception of South America. Gaining unprecedented access to seven elected presidents, including Hugo Chavez of Venezuela, Evo Morales of Bolivia, Lula da Silva of Brazil, Cristina Kirchner of Argentina, Fernando Lugo of Paraguay, Rafael Correa of Ecuador and Raul Castro of Cuba, Stone sheds new light on these regional transformations through the surprising intimacy of casual conversations with these leaders.
FRITZ LANG’S “METROPOLIS”, considered one of the greatest films in cinematic history returned to The Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax, in a newly-restored 2-1/2 hr. version, the result of two-years of painstaking restoration of a negative found in an Argentinean archive. This 1927 pioneering sci-fi epic brings alive the Zeitgeist of Lang’s Expressionist Tomorrowland, producing indelible images that have lost none of their power to astonish, featuring Brigitte Helm in the dual performance of Maria and the Machine man made in her image.
TRIBUTE TO DENNIS HOPPER, "BLUE VELVET," "RIVER'S EDGE," "HOOSIERS," and "TRACKS." A truly larger-than-life original wildman and gifted writer/actor/director who created some of the most memorable movies and movie roles of the silver screen. The Silent Movie Theatre, at 611 N. Fairfax in Los Angeles, honors three of his greatest performances from the ultimate creep, Frank Booth BLUE VELVET, to his Oscar-nominated turn in HOOSIERS as “SHOOTER” who knew “Everything there is to know about the greatest game ever invented,” to Feck in THE RIVERS EDGE, in which he plays a hollowed-out ex-biker which “only an actor who’s truly been to hell and back can convey.”
STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME, the fourth in the movie series, was directed by Leonard Nimoy and starring William Shatner and all of your original Star Trek favorites. 1986's STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME takes Kirk and crew back to 20th Century Earth to recover two humpback whales, the only beings who can communicate with a mysterious space probe which is endangering the oceans and threatening to destroy 23rd Century Earth. With a special in-person appearance by Nichelle Nichols, STAR TREK IV: THE VOYAGE HOME landed for one night only Stardate seven-ten-twenty-ten, to continue the ongoing summer midnight screening series at Laemmle's Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles.
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK is the third in the Star Trek movie series. Directed by Leonard Nimoy and starring William Shatner, and Christopher Lloyd as Krug, 1984's "STAR TREK III: The Search for Spock," explores the sacrifices made for friendship, when the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many. With surprise in-person guests, thie 70 mm galactic-sized print landed for one night only, Star date six-twenty-six, twenty-ten at Laemmle's Royal Theatre, where the series continues for 11:55 pm, midnight screenings, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles.
STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KHAN, in a galactic 70 mm print, stars Ricardo Montalban and features the film debut of Kirstie Alley. Special in-person appearance by the film's director, Nicholas Meyer.
GANGSTER'S PARADISE, JERUSALEMA, is an unflinching look into the crime, corruption, and the transgressions of those looking to survive in the most crime-infested district of Johannesburg. Directed by Ralph Ziman and starring Rapaulana Seiphemo ("Tsotsi") and Robert Hobbs, Kenneth Nkosi ("District 9"), it tells the story of Lucky Kunene, a small-time criminal who graduates to bigger, more aggressive acts. Eventually, his trouble with the law, coupled with an escalating war between local drug lords creates a tense standoff. With both sides closing in, Kunene mus stay one step ahead or his empire and his life will come crashing down.
STAR TREK VI: THE UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY. This sixth in the series, released in 1991, Directed by Nicholas Meyer, stars Kim Cattrall, Brock Peters, and the great Christopher Plummer as General Chang. When the Klingon moon explodes, the Enterprise must leads a quest for a peace treaty. When plans go array, the Enterprise and the Excelsior, commanded by Capt. Sulu, head for a deadly rendezvous with General Chang. With a special in-person appearance by Mr. Sulu himself, George Takei.
STAR TREK, THE MOTION PICTURE, 1979's first Star Trek adventure for the big screen, blasts off this Star Trek Spectacular series of Midnight screenings shown in a galactic 70 millimeter-size print. Trekkies set your phasers on stun and your time-space coordinates for 11:55 pm on June 12 to beam you to this first cinematic voyage of the Star Ship Enterprise. In-person appearance by actress Arlene Martel (Vulcan princess T'Pring from the original series episode "Amoke Time.") Playing one night only at Laemmle's Royal Theatre at 11523 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Los Angeles.
THE PAINTER SAM FRANCIS, artist Jeffrey Perkins' lyrical, intimate portrait of a friend, mentor, and leading light of American abstract art, was forty years in the making. Through interviews with friends, family and fellow artists, including Ed Ruscha, Bruce conner and James Turrell, Perkins illuminates a mysterious and complex personality and his singular, diverse body of work. For Francis, art was a parth to transcendence; for Perkins, Francis was art. "THE PAINTER SAM FRANCIS" is a labor of love, a moving portrait of a friend and tribute to the power of art. Currently playing at Laemmle's Monica 4-plex at 1332 2nd Street in Santa Monica.
BREATHLESS, Jean Luc Godard's revolutionary debut film and hallmark of the French New Wave, stars cinematic icon, Jean Paul Belmondo as a small-time hood and the rapturous Jean Seberg, as his Herald-Tribune-hawking girlfriend. Rialto Pictures presents this breathtaking 50th Anniversary restoration of the 1960 masterpiece, with newly revised subtitles. "BREATHLESS"remains stunningly original. The NY Times says, "Breathless still has the power to defy conventional expectations about what a movie should be, while providing an utterly captivating movie experience. Much as it may have influenced what was to come later, there is nothing quite like it. Even at 50, it is still cool, still new." BREATHLESS opens May 28th at Laemmle's Royal in West Los Angeles.
AFTER THE CUP: SONS OF SAKHNIN UNITED tell the story of a soccer team that couldn't create a new Middle East, but showed the world what it could look like. Bnei Sakhnin is the first team from an Arab town to win the Israeli Cup and represent Israel in European competition. Fielding Arab, Jewish, and foreign-born players, owned by an Arab and coached by a Jew, Bnei Sakhnin's success has begun to represent a symbol of co-existence, a potential bridge between the Arabs and Jews. "AFTER THE CUP" opens on May 28th at Laemmle's Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills. A special "Talkback" will be held with the director in conjunction with the Levantine Center, on May 30th.
THE LIVING WAKE, is a dark comedy set in a timeless storybook universe. Self-proclaimed artist and genius, Ke. Roth Binew, has one day to live. He sets out on a bicycle powered rickshaw with his best friend, Mills, to hand out invitations to his final party, a living wake. In a final attempt to probe life's deepest mysteries, he endures ridiculous trials and whimsical adventures, culminating in his final performance on a makeshift stage in an open field. THE LIVING WAKE opens at Laemmle Sunset 5 on May 21st.
FATHER OF MY CHILDREN, follows a seemingly successful film producer who confronts despair and failure and monetary troubles mount with his film company. As his cinematic world unravels, his family is left to cope and start anew. Deemed by "Variety" as a director to watch, Mia Hanson-Love paints a deeply moving portrait of a family undergoing dramatic rupture. THE FATHER OF MY CHILDREN opens on May 21st at The Landmark Theatre, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles,
HERE AND THERE, winner for Best Narrative at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, has been called an indie tour de force, comparable to "The Visitor" with a Serbian twist on a timeless theme of what it means to be human. Robert, a depressed and broke middle-aged New Yorker, is being evicted from his apartment and hires Branko, a young Serbian immigrant to help him move out. Desperately wanting his girlfriend to join him in the US, Branko hatched a marriage scheme with Robert to help her obtain a visa, exposing fish-out-of water Robert to the best traditions of Balkan hospitality. Opens May 21st at Laemmle Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd., LA
LOOKING FOR ERIC, Ken Loach's latest follows a Manchester postman who finds his life in a downward spiral. After a failed marriage and trying to raise his stepsons in trouble, he is transformed when he turns to his idol, French-born soccer genius and philosopher, Eric Cantona, whose enigmatic advice on life, love, and fellowship inspire him to get his life back on track. LOOKING FOR ERIC is a warm, bittersweet tale combining Loach's trademark realism and compassion for the working man with sweetness, humor, and humanity. Opens May 21st at Laemmle Theatres throughout Los Angeles.
EVERYONE ELSE, Director Maren Ade's film involves a young couple forced to re-examine their fragile relationship as fears and insecurities surface while they vacation in Sardinia. Their relationship is brought to the brink as they compare themselves to a seemingly happier and more successful couple. With a second chance to discover themselves and each other, they strive to be as happy as "everyone else." The Hollywood Reporter deems "Everyone Else" a "brilliant, delicious, accutely observed dissection of the ties between two young lovers." "Everyone Else" opens May 14th at Laemmle Sunset 5. For further info, go to www.laemmle.com
DANCE MEDIA FILM FESTIVAL,at Redcat is Dance Camera West's 9th Annual presentation. Opening with "Screendance: A New Visual Language", it presents a unique cinematic experience focussing on the intersection of cinematography and choreography. From experimental shorts to documentaries, surreal visual abstractions, as well as narratives, it offers a broad range of cinematic styles, exhibition formats, and subject matters which traverse global perspectives. For further info on the entire series, visit: www.dancecamerawest.org.
BEHIND THE BURLY Q, In the early part of the 20th Century, burlesque and vaudeville acts were one of America's most popular forms of entertainment, until cinema drove them from the mainstream. "Behind the Burly Q" reveals the true story of the Golden Age of Burlesque as a part of America's cultural history through the intimate and surprising stories of the women (and men) who lived it. "Behind the Burly Q" open May 7 and Laemmle's Sunset 5, 8000 sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.
ASIAN-PACIFIC FILM FESTIVAL Celebrates the 70th Birthday of Bruce Lee with industry panels and a compelling line-up of documentaries and narratives focussing on the Asian Experience from around the world. Some of the highlights include:
In the Matter of Cha Jung Lee, a documentary of self-discovery and the universal question of who we are, tracing the story of filmmaker Borshay Liem's return to Korea to search for the girl under whose name Borshay arrived in the U.S. in 1966.
Mamachas del Ring about the first indigenous women wrestlers of Bolivia, and their fight for rights over their own bodies and desires.
Macho Like Me, a hilarious, self-experimenting documentary sets off to prove the widespread belief among women that men simply have it better, attempting to answer the classic, female inquiry of "If I Were A Boy."
Mao's Last Dancer, Brought to the screen by acclaimed director, Bruce Beresford ("Driving Miss Daisy," and "The Black Robe"), based on an inspiring true story which speaks to personal and cultural freedom, passion and determination.
The Actresses, Six actresses, across different age groups are brought together on Christmas Eve for a once-in-a-lifetime "Vogue" magazine cover shoot. Of course, when working with actresses with their respective entourages and demands, anything can happen. Shot documentary-style, "The Actresses" is rise with industry jokes, low-blows, egos, and insecurities.
PHYLLIS AND HAROLD is an astoundingly frank journey through the ups and downs of a 59-year marriage. With great humor and poignancy, filmmaker Cindy Kleine draws on a lifetime family home movies and interviews over 12 years, mixing reportage, cinema verite, and animation to uncover her family secrets following her father’s death. PHYLLIS AND HAROLD delves into the mysteries and nature of living and the losses faced with the passage of time. Documentarian Ken Burns deems the film a “masterpiece,” devastating, true, sad, and funny. Playwright Wallace Shawn calls it the most outrageously sensual of documentaries,“the graceful, painful music of two people who dance together for a lifetime, but barely touch.” PHYLLIS AND HAROLD is currently playing at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills.
NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS, is directed by Bahman Ghobadi, and co-written by Roxana Saberi, whose book “Between Two Worlds: My Life and Captivity in Iran” has recently caught the world’s attention. “NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT PERSIAN CATS” tells the story of two young musicians, recently released from prison, who decide to form a band, combing the underworld of contemporary Tehran for other players. Forbidden by the Iranian authorities to play their music, they plan to escape and dream of performing in Europe against all odds. Winner of the Special Jury prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Fest., it recently screened at AFI Fest and South by Southwest. Opens april 23rd at Laemmle Town Center 5 in Encino.
PAPER MAN, directed by Michelle and Kieran Mulroney, is a whimsical, funny, touching story of an unlikely friendship between a middle-aged novelist who has never quite grown up and a young girl whose family tragedy has stolen away her youth. As their quirky relationship unfolds, they share their dreams and discover new life. “Paper Man” stars Jeff Daniels, Lisa Kudrow, Ryan Reynolds and Emily Stone is a break-out performance. It opens April 23 at The Landmark, 10850 West Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.
SOUTHEAST EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL (SEE FEST) offers films from Southeast European countries, including Hungary, Albania, Serbia, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Turkey and many others. It opens Thursday, April 29th at the Goethe Institut, 5750 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles and closes Monday, May 3rd at the James Bridges Theatre on the UCLA campus. The Festival promotes diversity and cultural exchange through its roster of quality, topical films. KPFK is a proud Media Sponsor and Film Club members are offered a pair of tickets to the screening of their choise, excluding Opening Night. For further info: www.seefilmla.org
FOOTPRINTS is the feature film debut of award-winning writer Steven Peros When a young woman wakes up in the footprints at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre with no idea who she is or how she got there, her dream-like journey of self-discovery through Hollywood begins. Spanning one day, from sunrise to sunset, through the celebrity impersonators, Scientologists, tourguides shopowners and the quirkiness of Hollywood, FOOTPRINTS features poignant performances by Hollywood veterans Pippa Scott and H.M. Wynant. FOOTPRINTS screens at the American Cinemateque at the EGYPTIAN THEATRE in Hollywood, Wednesday, April 28th. Cast and Crew will be in attendance after the screening for Q and A.
REEFER MADNESS, originally called, “Tell Your Children” became a cult classic of misinformation, exposing the dangers of “the devil weed,” which many feared would lead our nation’s youth to violence, insanity, or suicide. Two Special Event screenings celebrated the DVD release of the 75th Anniversary Ultimate Collectors’ Edition of this infamous offering. With over 2 hours of bonus film clips including: The Weed of Death!, Betty Boop in Happy You and Merry me, Marijuana: Threat or Menace?, Hemp for Victory, The Push and feature film, Marihuana: Sins of Youth and More! All attendees will get a DVD. “Reefer Madness” screened for one night only, at the Vine Theater, 6321 Hollywood Blvd. (just west of Vine)
THE INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES, OFFERS THE BEST IN CONTEMPORARY INDIAN CINEMA.
HARISHCHANDRACHI FACTORY, India’s entry into the Oscar race, it celebrates the joy and wonder of moving images as it tells the story a first-time filmmaker who meets with a host of unexpected challenges in trying to film his religious epic.
ROAD, MOVIE, is a beautiful, coming-of-age drama which masterfully blends themes of love, friendship, danger, and wonder in a young man’s journey across the majesty of the Rajasthani desert.
FATSO, is Rajat Kapoor’s witty, romantic comedy showing the lighter side of death, in which the afterlife is a bureaucratic mess and the wrong man finds his life cut short, but even death can’t stop him from trying to reclaim his earthly love.
HARRY BROWN, directed by Academy Award Nominee Daniel Barber, stars two-time Oscar-winner Michael Caine, in a powerful, poignant performance as a man brought to the brink by gang violence and the death of a friend. Set in one of the toughest neighborhoods in Britain, this gritty, provocative drama deals with the struggle of a man who seeks to face loss, avenge his friend's death and cope with the deteriorating world around him. KPFK Film Club members are invited to a special screening of "Harry Brown" at Laemmle's Sunset 5 on Thursday, April 22nd at 7:00 pm.
WHO DO YOU LOVE, directed by Jerry Zaks, starring Alessandro Nivola and Jon Abrahams as Leonard and Phil Chess, founders of legendary Chess Records, home to the blues of Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters, the rock and roll of Bo Diddeley and “At Last” but not least, Etta James. From the childhood dreams of young Leonard and Phil, growing up in Chicago, the sons of Polish immigrants, to the opening of their Macomba Club and a gamble to become record producers, “WHO DO YOU LOVE” features authentic musical performances in a film Marshall Chess deems a “great snapshot of the era in which the music that was to become the foundation of rock and roll was created. Opening April 16th at Laemmle’s Music Hall 3, Monicas, and Fallbrook. PLEASE NOTE - CHANGE OF VENUE: PASSES WILL BE HONORED ONLY AT LAEMMLE'S MUSIC HALL, 9036 WILSHIRE BLVD., BEVERLY HILLS, CA 90211.
THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES, this year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film, from Argentina, involves a retired criminal court employee and would-be author who revisits a case involving the rape and murder of a beautiful young woman. Argentina in 1974 becomes the backdrop for the violence, hate, revenge and death that rule people’s lives and fates. No longer an observer, he becomes a central character in a drama of increasing danger and corruption. In delving into his past choices, he awakens his demons and faces his future, discovering the winding path he must take to understand, justify and find meaning for his own life, facing the woman he still loves after thirty years and the case that continues to haunt them both. Opens April 16th at The Landmark, Westside Pavilion, 10850 West Pico.
41st and CENTRAL, THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE LA BLACK PANTHERS, is the first part in a documentary series that follows the Southern California chapter of the Black Panther Party, from its black power beginnings through its tragic demise. Despite the Party's formation of free medical clinics and childrens' breakfast program, it was also known as the msot violent political group in the U.S. Featuring first-hand accounts by former Party members, along with archival footage, this in-depth study is the inaugural presentation in the Pan African Film Festivals "Encore" series, a monthly offering for which KPFK is a proud Media Sponsor. "41st and Central" continues to run through April 15th at the Culver Plaza Theater, 9919 Washington Blvd. in Culver City.
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, based on Stieg Larsson’s literary sensation, is the highest grossing film in Swedish film history and 2009’s highest grossing film in Europe. Part of Larsson’s “Millenium Triology,” this suspenseful story involves the disappearance of Harriet Vanger from a family gathering of the powerful and secretive Vanger clan. When her uncle employs a financial journalist and a troubled, but resourceful computer hacker to investigate, a dark and appalling family history begins to unravel. currently playing at Laemmle Theaters.
THE ECLIPSE is renowned Tony-award nominated playwright Conor McPherson’s exquisitely-crafted drama of the supernatural, stars Aiden Quinn and Irish actor Ciaran (Keeran) Hinds, winner of the Best Actor award at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival. When teacher, widow, and father, Michael Farr starts to see strange apparitions in the night, the lives of three people converge in a life-altering collision in this story about the challenges of love, fear of the unknown, loss and grief. THE ECLIPSE is currently playing at Laemmle Theaters.
HAWAII: A VOICE FOR SOVEREIGNTY, a film by Catherine Bauknight, is the first documentary of its kind to feature the Native Hawaiians' journey to sustain their culture, spirituality, and connection to the land. Passes were offered to our members to attend this special screening, panel discussion and cultural ceremony which was held on April 3rd at the Pasadena Convention Center. The event opened with a Cultural Ceremony with Hawaiian elders and special guest Kiowa Gordon from the Twilight Saga, New Moon, addressing the Hawaiian and indigenous cultures.
VENTURA FILM SOCIETY FESTIVAL 2010 running at the historic Elks Lodge in Ventura, the festival offered our members passes to any screening from a slate of over 50 feature films and documentaries, including an 8-film tribute to actor/director Paul Mazursky.
GREEN LIFESTYLE FESTIVAL offered to our members all-day passes to this 2-day "green fest", which took place at the James Bridges Theater on the UCLA campus, with food and yoga demonstrations, music and dance entertainment, and a broad range of films dealing with sustainability and the ecology.
EASIER WITH PRACTICE, Writer/director Kyle Alvarez’ feature film debut “Easier with Practice” first screened at the 2009 AFI fest. It stars (“Hurt Locker’s”) Brian Geraghty in a remarkable, breakthrough performance as fledgling author, Davy Mitchell, who, while on a book tour discovers how phone sex leads to relationship, communication, and ultimately self-revelation. “Easier with Practice” is a funny, sensitive, insightful exploration of the ever-evolving ways that people find each other and themselves in the modern world.
MOTHER, latest award-winning film from Korean director bong Joon-ho, a unique murder mystery about a mother's primal love for her son and her own investigation to find the girl's killer. "In an obsessive quest to clear her son's name, she steps into a world of unimaginable chaos and shocking revelations."
The Red Riding Trilogy is an ambitious, dark, thrilling trilogy of crime drama films set in Yorkshire in the ‘70s and ’80, adapted from David Peace’s cult noir novels.
AFI FILM FESTIVAL. Experience a world class film festival with the 24th Annual AFI Fest. (Go to www.afifest.com for a full schedule and roster of films. Two special screenings offered to KPFK Film Club members:
ERASERHEAD - David Lynch's startling black and white dreamscape, deemed one of the creepiest movies ever made, seething with bodily fluids and mutant, hypnotic beauty. ERASERHEAD screens Sat., Nov. 6th at 3:30 pm at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Blvd. On a double-bill with the classic SUNSET BLVD.
AMIGO - John Sayles' compelling drama about the moral quandaries facing US soldiers and local cooperators a century ago in the Phillipine-American War, with strong parallels to current events. AMIGO screens, Sat. Nov. 6th at 9:45 pm at Grauman's Chinese.
NORA'S WILL, Nora had a plan. It would bring her ex-husband, Jose, and the rest of their family together for a magnificent Passover feast. But there is a flaw in her plan- a mysterious photograph from the past, hidden under the bed, which leads Jose to reexamine their relationship and rediscover their undying love for each other. Starting October 29th at Laemmle Theaters: http://www.laemmle.com/viewmovie.php?mid=5929
Last Updated on Tuesday, 17 January 2012 20:14
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