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“A warmhearted, bittersweet tale of father and sons,” EX-HUSBANDS with Griffin Dunne opens Friday.

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Forty years after starring in Martin Scorsese’s After Hours, Griffin Dunne and Rosanna Arquette are back, their days of all-night Manhattan romantic misadventures given way to the sober realities of late middle age. Writer-director Noah Pritzker’s dramedy Ex-Husbands beautifully captures the low-key new milieu, in which Dunne plays a father whose faltering marriage coincides with his adult sons’ romantic troubles. (Both Pritzker and Dunne speak about the film in a recent episode of Inside the Arthouse.) Richard Benjamin, James Norton, and Miles Heizer, all terrific, costar. We open Ex-Husbands this Friday at the Monica Film Center in Santa Monica and the Town Center in Encino.

“A warmhearted, bittersweet tale of father and sons.” ~ Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline Hollywood

“A vibrantly charming lead turn from Griffin Dunne…Ex-Husbands is an accessible, ostensibly lightweight offering but one nevertheless carried off with expertise, intelligence and empathetic insight.” ~ Jonathan Romney, Screen Daily

“An interesting, intergenerational snapshot of masculine emotional drift in the modern world. What may strike some as lightweight will connect with attuned viewers as a compassionately observed collection of just-so moments—a worthwhile cinematic novella.” ~ Brent Simon, AV Club

“Pritzker navigates his compassionate tale empathetically, portraying a refreshingly kind, gentle, and soft side of masculinity through a group of characters all stuck inside a crossroads life has thrown at them.” ~ Tomris Laffly, RogerEbert.com

“It doesn’t pretend to offer solutions to the various predicaments it considers. But Mr. Pritzker has a sagacious understanding of our various stumbles and humiliations.” ~ Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal

 

Enter our Top Five Films of 2024 contest! Bonus: Read Greg Laemmle’s list.

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Can you name your five favorite films released last year? Enter our contest here, use our handy-dandy drop-down menus to quickly choose five, and you’ll automatically be entered into a raffle to win a gift card! Also, we’ll create an overall customer top ten list from all the entries.  In case you need your memory jogged, Greg Laemmle composed the following:
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“I’m actually kind of glad that we are only asking for everyone’s five favorite films this year.  Yes, we will compile all the submissions and ultimately turn it into a Laemmle Patron Top 10 list, so maybe that’s a cheat. But as I sit here looking at my top films from 2024, it’s actually kind of helpful to try to distinguish between the films that are merely really good, and the ones that are most memorable.
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“First, I need to confess that even though I am the person responsible for selecting which films we are going to exhibit, I admit that there are films we are playing (or have played) that I did not see myself. I try to see everything, but it’s not always possible. Also, I have this “thing” about seeing films in a movie theatre and not at home, which makes it doubly hard to see everything. So if you don’t see THE BRUTALIST, EMILIA PÉREZ or THE SEED OF THE SACRED FIG (among others) on my list, it’s not because I didn’t care for these critical and awards favorites. It’s because I still need to catch up with them at an actual screening.
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“If I could submit a Top 10 list, it would likely include ANORA, A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, CONCLAVE, DIDI, DUNE: PART TWO, THELMA or VERMIGLIO. These, and others, are all really good. And on another day or in another situation, they might even crack the Top 5. But as I sit here typing at this moment in time, I believe the following are the five movies from 2024 that will most stick with me.
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“#5 – HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS – Without a doubt, the film that had me laughing the most in 2024. Yes, it is perhaps a bit overstuffed with gags. But hey, they didn’t exactly have a budget for test screenings. Whatever the filmmakers of this indie gem lacked in dollars, though, was more than made up by their ingenuity and verve. I’m worried about what could happen to filmmakers like Mike Cheslik and Ryland Tews if they are not supported in the studio system. But also really excited to see what kind of energy they could pump into a Marvel-type film. So go ahead, Hollywood. Give them the keys to the hot rod and see what happens. Whatever it is, it won’t be cookie-cutter boring.
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“#4 – PARADISE IS BURNING – This little gem deserved a lot more attention, and it is hard to understand why it was basically ignored when released at the tail end of summer. Director Mika Gustafson was awarded the Best Director prize at the Venice Film Festival when the film premiered in 2023, along with Best First Film prize at the subsequent London Film Festival. But when released stateside, it was ignored by both the New York Times and the local rag. That’s a real shame, because this tale of three sisters growing up in quasi-feral conditions in Sweden is the real deal, with a trio of young performers who will knock your socks off.
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“#3 – GAUCHO GAUCHO. Co-directors Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw’s previous film was the Oscar-nominated film THE TRUFFLE HUNTERS, which was one of the first films we showed on reopening the theaters in April 2021. And what a great film that was. But GAUCHO GAUCHO is even more beautiful to look at. It is incredibly frustrating that the film was barely available in theatres. Hopefully there will be more opportunities to see it on the big screen down the road. In the meantime, you should be able to find it on the new Jolt streaming service. It’s relatively short, so just hide your phone, lock away your remote after hitting play, and allow yourself to be immersed in this beautiful documentary. You won’t be sorry.
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“#2 – HARD TRUTHS. This isn’t necessarily an easy film. Director Mike Leigh drops us into this film about family dynamics mid story and maybe leaves us without a typical ending too. But he has clearly worked with his cast to create such an extensive backstory for each and every actor, that it just doesn’t matter. Or at least, it didn’t matter to me. If there is any justice in the world, Marianne Jean-Baptiste will be rewarded with an Oscar nomination for her work in this film.
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“#1 – I’M STILL HERE. Fernanda Torres may have been a surprise winner of the Best Actress in a Drama prize at the Golden Globes. But after seeing this film, you will understand why the Globe voters went with her over better-known nominees. She delivers the truest, most lived-in performance of any screen performer this year, and she is superbly aided in this by director Walter Salles, working from a screenplay by Murilo Hauser and Heitor Lorega. At this point, it would be a shock if the film is not nominated for the Best International Feature prize.  But if it were up to me, it would be competing for Best Film.”

Robert Laemmle: 1935-2025

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Robert Laemmle, former president of Laemmle Theatres, passed away on Thursday, January 9 in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 89. He is survived by his wife Michelle Laemmle and ex-wife Raquel Shantal, their children Yvonne Ascher & Leonard Laub, Michael & Haidee Ascher, David & Tammy Ascher, Greg & Tish Laemmle, Jessica Laemmle, Carri and Charlie Bisbee, Mitch & Debbie Needelman, Maitland Finley, and Robert Finley, and his sister Mimi Reisbaum and nephews Mark & Jay Reisbaum.

Bob was a kind, generous, happy person who adored his large family. He was also an entrepreneur and film industry trailblazer who lived a classic American immigrant success story. He was born on September 5, 1935 in Paris, France, to Max and Bertha Laemmle. Fleeing the Nazis, they brought him to the United States in 1938, and he lived in the Los Angeles area for the rest of his life. He was a gifted basketball player as a young man, earning All City honors out of Marshall High School during his senior year. He played college basketball at USC, L.A. City College and Cal State L.A. He graduated from Cal State Los Angeles in 1958, later receiving an MBA from UCLA in 1961.

Founded in 1938 by Robert’s father Max and his uncle Kurt, Laemmle Theatres is a storied exhibitor of foreign and art films in Los Angeles. Bob began working for Laemmle Theatres in 1963 and was instrumental in the rapid expansion of the chain, which he ran until 2004, and ever since has been led by his son Greg. Bob helped redefine the image of an “art house,” programming and innovatively marketing films from around the world while creating brand-new venues for L.A. cinephiles, including the Sunset 5 in West Hollywood, the Monica Film Center in Santa Monica, the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena, the NoHo 7, and the Laemmle Glendale.

Bob was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres, a distinction his father also earned. The highest arts-specific honor conferred by the French government, it is reserved for artists and people who have contributed to the influence of arts in France and throughout the world. It was a testament to the Laemmles’ commitment to and passion for showcasing the best films from around the globe.

In 2000, the family established the Laemmle Charitable Foundation to give back to the community that has sustained the family business over the decades. Since then, the foundation has awarded over $2.3 million to locally based nonprofits with a focus on social and environmental giving. Past award recipients include Tree People, SOVA, L.A. Family Housing and Food Forward, along with many others.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, January 13 at 10:00 AM at Mount Sinai Memorial Park, located at 5950 Forest Lawn Drive. The family will be receiving visitors at their home in Santa Monica following the burial and will also have open hours in the days to follow.

Donations can be made to the Laemmle Charitable Foundation at www.laemmlefoundation.org or by check mailed to 11523 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90025. Donations should also be made to local charities supporting fire relief efforts.

Recollections regarding Bob Laemmle and Laemmle Theatres are being collected and members of the public are invited to send comments below.

May his memory be for a blessing.

New on INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE ~ a conversation with filmmaker Dan Mirvish about 30 Years of the Slamdance Film Festival.

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In the ’90s, most indie filmmakers would have just given up if their debut feature was rejected by Sundance. But not Dan Mirvish. Combining forces with a number of other “rejectees,” they went rogue and started the Slamdance Film Festival, garnering attention for their films even as they earned the ire of Robert Redford. Mirvish went on to successfully self-distribute that debut film, Omaha: The Movie, plus several more over the years, including 18 1/2, a film about the 18.5 minutes missing from the Nixon tapes, which he shot during the pandemic. A true renegade, Dan is the embodiment of a filmmaker who won’t give up on his film. Listen and learn from the rest of our conversation with Dan Mirvish, on Inside the Arthouse.

Hosted by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge, Inside the Arthouse is an “insider’s” perspective podcast on filmmakers and people responsible for films appearing on arthouse screens across the U.S.

VERMIGLIO filmmaker Maura Delpero on Inside the Arthouse.

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The Inside the Arthouse duo Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge recently interviewed Vermiglio filmmaker Maura Delpero. The conversation begins with her description of the movie’s inspiration — a dream and a nighttime visitation from her late father. A prize winner at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, the Hollywood Foreign Press has nominated Vermiglio for Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe, and the Academy shortlisted it for their Best International Feature prize. We are proud to open the film this Friday at the Royal.

GAUCHO GAUCHO filmmakers on Inside the Arthouse.

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Acclaimed filmmakers Gregory Kershaw and Michael Dweck, three-time Sundance honorees who previously took audiences to the secret corners of the Italian countryside in search of white truffles with The Truffle Hunters, recently sat down with Inside the Arthouse hosts Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge to talk about their latest striking nonfiction work. Gaucho Gaucho paints an Argentinian western with images and sounds of operatic beauty, building on their earlier success with The Last Race, a film that explored the last stock car racetrack on Long Island.

Kershaw and Dweck’s focus is now on the vast mountains of Argentina, expressed in stunning black-and-white photography, and a small community of gauchos who hold profound connections to the surrounding nature and their own traditions. As older generations dispense their wisdom, the film keeps its eye toward a new generation which continue to fight for their families’ legacies in a modern world.

“These filmmakers have enormous reserves of love and empathy for traditions that miraculously survive in spite of the modern world. And their compassion has never looked more cinematic.” ~ Tomris Laffly, Harper’s Bazaar

“An affecting tone poem which ruminates on the passage of time and the passing of traditions from one generation to the next.” ~ Tim Grierson, Screen International

FLOW may be the best animated film of the year.

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It has been another excellent year for animated features. Inside Out 2, The Wild Robot, Look Back, Art College 1994, Chicken for Linda and Memoir of a Snail stand out; Moana 2 just had a record-setting weekend; and we still have The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, The Colors Within and The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie to look forward to.

But, as Yoda said, “there is another.” The adventure-fantasy Flow follows a courageous cat after his home is devastated by a great flood. Teaming up with a capybara, a lemur, a bird, and a dog to navigate a boat in search of dry land, they must rely on trust, courage, and wits to survive the perils of a newly aquatic planet. From the boundless imagination of the award-winning Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis (Away), Flow is a thrilling animated spectacle as well as a profound meditation on the fragility of the environment and the spirit of friendship and community. Steeped in the soaring possibilities of visual storytelling, it is a feast for the senses and a treasure for the heart and we open it this Friday at the Laemmle Claremont, Glendale, Monica Film Center, and Newhall.

“Critic’s Pick! Grade: A! A movie brimming with sentiment but not sentimentality, this is one of the most moving animated films in recent memory, and, beyond that, groundbreaking too. The anthropomorphic animal characters of 21st century U.S. animated features have nothing on the animal stars of ‘Flow.'” – Christian Blauvelt, Indiewire

“At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, there’s something about the purity of great animated storytelling that can shatter your heart and then make it whole again. (Think Toy Story 3.) Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis’ captivating second feature, Flow, is that kind of marvel, a vividly experiential white-knuckle survival adventure that takes place in a world on the brink of ruin. Told entirely without dialogue, this tale of a cat that evolves from self-preservation to solidarity with a motley crew of other species is something quite special” – David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“Flow is as hard to resist as a pair of plaintive, saucer-shaped eyes peering out from a bundle of fur. Gints Zilbalodis’s second feature is a rousing animated adventure in which a devastating flood obliges an independent cat to seek allies among the animal kingdom. Technical virtuosity is matched by storytelling vigour and dramatic heft in a film with a ready appeal to ailurophiles and animal lovers of all ages.”- Allan Hunter, Screen Daily

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE ~ new podcast episode with Professor Ross Melnick on the 100th anniversary of Arthouse Cinema.

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The newest episode of Inside the Arthouse just dropped and it’s a fascinating one. Hosts Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge discuss the centenary of arthouse film with professor, historian, author and Academy Film Scholar Ross Melnick. It’s a lively conversation about the amazing history of arthouse film — Where it started, how far it’s come, and where is it today. Laemmle, third generation arthouse theater owner, adds his perspective, as the trio explores the last century considers the future of arthouse.

Here’s a taste from the beginning of their conversation:

ROSS MELNICK:  The history of arthouse theaters is about a hundred years old.  It really starts around 1925 with Simon Gould and the film guild and the beginning of what were then called “little cinemas.”  So the little cinemas grew out of what was called the “little theaters.”  Little theaters were performing arts theaters across the country.  There were almost 5000 of them.

RAPHAEL SBARGE:  Like vaudeville, kind of?

ROSS MELNICK:  No, actually, literally for performing arts.  For plays and performances that were avant-garde, experimental, off of the…mainstream.  And there’s a growing movement in the ’20s to kind of push away from mainstream narratives and create theaters, legitimate theaters, that were for live performances.  This is across the country.  And so, inspired by little theaters, little cinemas grew, sometimes even in previously legitimate houses, to start showing films that were also experimental, avant-garde and, in this case, often foreign.  They were sort of growing out of an interest in foreign films and if you — with the risk of boring you, let me take you back just a few years earlier, which is that World War I happens between ’14 and ’18.  And when it’s over there’s a huge anti-German sentiment in the United States.

GREG LAEMMLE:  Massive.

ROSS MELNICK:  Massive, to say the least.  And no one wants to show German films.  The only person that’s willing to show a German film is himself a German-American.  A guy named Samuel “Roxy” Rothafel, who most people know as Roxy and who, of course, is the person who created Radio City Music Hall.  He founded it.  He ran the Roxy, the Capitol, the Strand, the Rialto, the Rivoli.  All the major movie houses or many of the major movie houses in New York were run by Roxy.  And when Roxy, underneath Samuel Goldywn — we’ll come back to Samuel Goldywn and later we’ll talk about a different company that his progeny ran — but when Roxy ran the Capitol Theater, he was really interested in this movie called Madame Du Barry.  It’s an Ernst Lubitch film.  1919.  Roxy saw it and said, “I’m going to bring this movie here.”  And he took that nine-reel film, and he cut it to six.  He made new inter-titles…and he released it as Passion.  The Capitol Theater in New York was 5,300 seats.

RAPHAEL SBARGE:  Oh, my God.

ROSS MELNICK:  So it’s the largest theater in the United States.  It was also a trade industry darling…and Roxy was running it and thought, “I’m going to bring this film.”  So it broke the unofficial German boycott, the anti-German boycott, and suddenly there was this massive hit of a foreign film.

Watch the whole conversation here: