Friday, November 10, 2017

LA 35mm Film Screenings Dossier for Week of Nov. 10, 2017


Extra! Extra! Your weekly LA 35mm film screenings paper appearing on FB newsstands today! (Includes some digital screenings.)

This is just what's on my personal radar. So browse the LA Film Calendars links on my side bar to find even more!  → → →

On mobile displays, you may need to click "Desktop Version" at bottom and then you can see the sidebar.

Sometimes these choices are tonight, FYI, and not necessarily listed first.

NuArt Theatre
Eraserhead (1977, David Lynch)
Fri. (tonight) Nov. 10 11:59pm
Alert: in 35mm! Good ol’ David Lynch classic at midnight, probably the only instance of a major filmmaker breaking through via the midnight movie circuit of the time. And here you can replicate that experience by going to see it probably exactly where it played at midnight when it first came out. Also, if you don’t like truly weird movies, don’t watch this one.

Downtown Independent (w/Los Angeles Film Forum)
Amérika Trilogy, part 1: Bolivar, Tropikal Symphony (1979, Diego Rísquez)
Wed. Nov. 15 8:00 pm
This is an experimental film, the first Super 8 film to be selected for the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. This trilogy is about the real and mythical histories of the Latin American continent. Sounds very interesting. Director Diego Rísquez is in person at these, a filmmaker from Venezuela. Here the Super 8 has been blown up to 35mm. Part 2 is Nov. 19 at the Autry Museum at 4:00 pm, and Part 3 is Nov. 20 at REDCAT at 8:30 pm.
DOWNTOWN INDEPENDENT LINK (Except note it’s at 8:00 pm, it lists wrong time in one place)

New Beverly
The Female Bunch (1971, Al Adamson)
and
The Murder Gang (1976, Al Adamson)
Tue. Nov. 14 7:30pm/9:25pm
These sound like pure grindhouse fare, if you’re into it. Both have Russ Tamblyn in them. The first is a western where the women live by their own rules and features the final screen performance of Lon Chaney Jr. The second is a Las Vegas cop gone a bit badass while trying to fight Russ Tamblyn’s criminal overlord..!


New Beverly
Mrs. Miniver (1942, William Wyler)
Wed. Nov. 15 2:00 pm
More afternoon classics in 35mm here. (Check schedule for others.) I haven’t seen this, but as 35mm becomes somewhat rare to see projected, it’s great to go see some William Wyler, who is sometimes a stupendous director (I love The Heiress [1949] and Dodsworth [1936]). Seems worth a look if you have the daytime free.
 
Academy
Strawberry and Chocolate (1993, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea, Juan Carlos Tabío)
Mon. Nov. 13 7:30 pm
One of this town’s most amazing theaters, showing a foreign “classic” on 35mm. I put that in quotes because I haven’t yet seen this film, although I am a fan of Alea’s early Cuban black and white films, which are quite amazing. (This seems a bit more mainstream.) At the Academy’s amazingly huge theater for only 5 bucks.
 
Aero Theatre
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987, John Hughes)
Thu. Nov. 16 7:30 pm
It’s DCP, but a lot of fun in a theater with a lot of people and it’s a Thanksgiving favorite! Come get yourself in the holiday mood.


Coming Next Week

Downtown Independent
On the Beach at Night Alone (2017, Hong Sang-soo)
Tue. Nov. 21 8:00 pm
Fri. Nov. 24 8:00 pm
Where are today’s current auteurs, the Fellinis, Antonionis and French New Wave directors of today? They’re here, in the body of Hong Sang-soo, an amazing director. Okay there are others, but this is a big director  you really should be watching if you care about art cinema anymore. My favorite film of his is The Turning Gate, also known as On the Occasion of Remembering the Turning Gate (what a great long title!), and he also directed a nice one with Isabelle Huppert, In Another Country. Lead actress Kim Min-hee won the Silver Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival this year for her performance. This is his latest and looks like it’s appearing just twice here in LA. Screw the foreign language film Oscars, this is what you should really be seeing. No idea why actual art films are shunned at Oscar time. Go see the real shit. (Presumably shot and screened digital.)

Academy
Amores Perros (2000, Alejandro González Iñárritu)
Mon. Nov. 20 7:30 pm
This is the film that put Alejandro González Iñárritu on the map in the US, and he hasn’t looked back since. This is well worth seeing in 35mm on the big screen, especially because of its unique film processing. While not the first, it’s a very prominent example of using the bleach-bypass processing method to get that silvery desaturated look. More silver is preserved in the processing of the film elements for what’s sometimes described as a “black and white in color” look, like with the grain and grittiness of black and white, but in color. It’s expensive due to the silver retention(!), but creates this unique, gritty look they wanted. Plus it’s Rodrigo Prieto I almost failed to mention, ha, the cinematography genius who after this collaboration has D.P.’d some of the most famous recent Hollywood movies. I never loved this movie entirely, however, as there’s good and bad things about Iñárritu’s approach to cinema in general. He’s a bit more mainstream of a Hollywood auteur than art film auteur, but I think this is a good screening to attend and reevaluate.  Especially in this ginormous state-of-the-art theater at the Academy for only 5 bucks?!


UCLA Film & TV Archive
Vengeance of the Phoenix Sisters (1968, Chen Hung-min)
and
Moon Fascinating, Bird Sweet (1978, Chen Yao-chi)
Sun. Nov. 19 7:00 pm
Wow just based on these titles alone, let’s go! The first is a swordplay film, described as having balletic editing. UCLA goes so far as to say this period in Taiwan rivals Shaw Brothers films of the era, but then I think we would have heard of them before now. However, the second film is a very early Brigitte Lin (Chin-shia) film! I had no idea she had a pre-Hong Kong career, and that it started this far back, man, 1978, that’s a long time ago. Big fan of hers, so seeing her in her earlier phase in Taiwanese films sounds like a can’t-miss very rare screening. This is not a martial arts film, it’s a steamy melodrama. (Okay, maybe not even steamy, I made that up, but even the screen grab looks steamy.) You may know her from Chungking Express, The Bride with White Hair, Dream Lovers (w/Chow Yun-Fat), Swordsman II, (This screening DCP.)

New Beverly
The Thin Man (1934, W.S. Van Dyke)
and
Another Thin Man (1939, W.S. Van Dyke)
Sun. Nov. 19 6:30 pm/8:30 pm
Mon. Nov. 20 7:30 pm/9:30 pm
William Powell and Myrna Loy dazzle with chemistry in this early sound-era classic from a Dashiell Hammett novel, with some of the hard-boiled grit scrubbed off in favor of Hollywood sparkle. But still so worth it! I haven’t seen the second one. Is it good? Well, you’re sitting there anyway for a double feature. It’s the third film in the series. Both 35mm!



Egyptian Theatre
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, Stanley Kubrick) in 70mm!
Sun. Nov. 19 7:30 pm
Wed. Nov. 22 7:30 pm
Fri. Nov. 24 7:30 pm
Sat. Nov. 25 7:30 pm
What can I tell you, this plays all the fricking time. But it was shot on 70mm and is being screened on 70mm. As opposed to seeing some 35mm film blown up to 70mm, this is the real deal, and there’s a big difference. So, if you haven’t seen it, really this is the ideal way! It has some slowness to modern audiences in certain sections by taking too much time showing off special effects that were brand-new at the time, and the closed-off behaviors of the lead astronauts may seem a bit obtuse at times, but by the end, you’ll be deep in thought contemplating the ideas it brings up on such a wondrous journey, and in the thrall of A.I.'s biggest star of them all, Hal 9000. Your only excuse not to go? If you have already seen it more than once on 70mm, otherwise, you better go.



Autry Museum (w/Los Angeles Film Forum)
Amérika Trilogy, part 2: Orinoko, Nueva Mundo (1984, Diego Rísquez)
Sun. Nov. 19 4:00 pm
35mm screening! This is an experimental film, part 1 of which (see above) was the first Super 8 film to be selected for the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. Part 2 also played Cannes but was never distributed in the US. This trilogy is about the real and mythical histories of the Latin American continent. The film is said to be surreal, a speechless vision of the history of Venezuela and the Orinoco River basin before and after conquest. Appearing in some form are historical figures such as Columbus, but through the eyes of the indigenous peoples. This is a fascinating subject for me as I just read a whole book on Trinidad’s entire history (just off the coast of Venezuela). Director Diego Rísquez in person at these, a filmmaker from Venezuela. Sounds amazing! Part 1 is Nov. 15 at Downtown Independent at 8:00 pm. Part 3 is Nov. 20 at REDCAT at 8:30 pm.

REDCAT (w/Los Angeles Film Forum)
Amérika Trilogy, part 3: Amérika, Terra Incógnita (1988, Diego Rísquez)
Mon. Nov. 20 8:30 pm
Originally shot on Super 16mm and blown up to 35mm. (Presented here on 35mm.) This is an experimental film, part 1 of which (see above) was the first Super 8 film to be selected for the Directors Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. This trilogy is about the real and mythical histories of the Latin American continent. Sounds very interesting. Director Diego Rísquez in person at these, a filmmaker from Venezuela. Part 1 is Nov. 15 at Downtown Independent at 8:30 pm. Part 2 is Nov. 19 at the Autry Museum at 4:00 pm.

Downtown Independent
El Vampiro (1957, Fernando Méndez)
and
Sombra verde (1954, Roberto Gavaldón
Sat. Nov. 18 7:30 pm
The first is a said to be a classic of midcentury Mexican horror, but that’s not a thing on my radar, what is that?! Anyway, it’s two people stranded at a train station at night, and boom, a carriage offers to give them a ride and things will get bitey. Sounds like that Coppola Dracula. In the second film, we have Ricardo Montalbán returning to Mexico to make a film, whilst already a major star in the US. It’s a bit of an erotic jungle adventure film, but sounds interesting. (First film 35mm, second film DCP.)


New Beverly
The War of the Gargantuans (1966, Ishiro Honda)
Sat. Nov. 18 11:59 pm
It’s back! In case you missed it before. I didn’t see it yet, so I don’t know, it seemed pretty popular in the realm of fascination with weird giant monster cinema from the director of Godzilla.


New Beverly
His Kind of Woman! (1951, John Farrow)
and
Thunder Road (1958, Arthur Ripley)
Tue. Nov. 21 7:30 pm/10:00 pm
Wed. Nov. 22 7:30 pm/10:00 pm
Get your Mitchum on with a double feature. My spidey sense says these are not the all-time best Robert Mitchum films ever, but hey you got Jane Russell, Vincent Price and Raymond Burr in the first film, plus Mitchum sings the theme song in the second (see the trailer on the site link). Given the dearth of old-timey films screening in 35mm, it could be worth going and maybe fun.



NuArt Theatre
Suspiria (Extended) (1977, Dario Argento)
Fri. Nov. 17 11:59 pm
A 4k restoration. Extended version. Jessica Harper is always awesome!

Echo Park Film Center
The House is Black (1963, Forough Farrokhzad)
Sat. Nov. 18 8:00 pm
Iranian cinema has been amazing since about the 1960s through today with such luminaries as Abbas Kiarostami (recently deceased), Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Majid Majidi, and Samira Makhmalbaf just to name a few of the best. Their fruitful forbears in the 1960s influenced their more well-known ’90s followers and that is what this screening is about. Some bridged the entire period, such as Dariush Mehrjui, who worked from the ’60s through the ’90s, even to today. This short film here from 1963 is by a famed poet and is said to have heavily influenced the later cinema figures. I’m a huge Iranian cinema enthusiast, especially of Abbas Kiarostami, and somehow have not seen this film! (Screening format not disclosed, short film 20 minutes.)

No comments: