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The superb LA COCINA on Inside the Arthouse and opening Friday at the Monica Film Center.

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The latest episode of Inside the Arthouse features La Cocina filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios. The drama takes us behind the scenes at a Times Square restaurant, illuminating the lives of the people who prepare and serve our meals while chasing the American Dream. The ensemble cast, which includes two-time Academy Award-nominee Rooney Mara, delivers stunning performances in this beautifully shot film.

Laemmle Theatres opens La Cocina this Friday at the Monica Film Center. Writer-director Alonso Ruizpalacios will participate in Q&A’s after the 7 PM screening at the Monica Film Center on Friday, November 1st and the 4 PM screening on Saturday, November 2. He will introduce the 7 PM screening on Saturday, November 2. Producer Ivan Orlic and actor Eduardo Olmos will participate in a Q&A after the 1 PM screening on Saturday, November 2.

“A chaotic symphony of nearly two dozen characters, this black-and-white indie confection (garnished with sparing touches of color) mixes biting social critique with stylistic bravura.” ~ Peter Debruge, Variety
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“There’s a surging life force felt in every scene of Alonso Ruizpalacios’ superbly acted La Cocina — at times ebullient but more often on edge, if not careening dangerously toward disaster or violence.” ~ David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

“La Cocina Mexican writer/director Alonzo Ruizpalacios’ searing black-and-white slice of nightmare, is a monumental work of righteous anger.” ~ Robert Daniels, RogerEbert.com

“La Cocina is a phenomenal showcase for Briones, who gives one of the most mesmerizingly multi-faceted performances of the year.” ~ Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com

“La Cocina goes further than recasting the American dream as a nightmare and the much sought-after visa as a ticket to infinite exploitation.” ~ William Repass, Slant Magazine

UNION directors Brett Story and Stephen Maing on the latest episode of INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE.

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The newest episode of Inside the Arthouse features the fantastic documentary Union. Having received a Special Jury award at Sundance, and played thirty of the most prestigious documentary film festivals around the world, it opens October 25 at Laemmle Monica Film Center and Glendale. (We’ll have multiple in-person Q&A’s with the filmmakers and the main subject, Chris Smalls; details here.)

Through intimate cinema vérité, Union chronicles the extraordinary efforts of a group of warehouse workers as they launch a grassroots  campaign to unionize an Amazon fulfillment center on Staten Island.

The filmmakers document the struggle from day one against one of the largest and biggest companies in the world, offering a gripping human drama about the fight for power and dignity in today’s global economy.

The movie’s themes are immediate and timely, as we watch the fight for labor rights. It’s a David-and-Goliath story that speaks to current political conversations about income inequality, workers’ right, and much more.

Co-directors Brett Story and Stephen Maing speak with Inside the Arthouse hosts Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge to discuss the challenges they faced making Union, the themes they discovered, and the journey to this moment — theatrical release.

It’s a powerful conversation you won’t want to miss.

New Inside the Arthouse Episode Today: STRIPPED FOR PARTS: AMERICAN JOURNALISM ON THE BRINK.

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Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink documents a crisis: Hedge fund Alden Global Capital is quietly gobbling up newspapers across the country and gutting them. No one knows why, until journalist Julie Reynolds begins to investigate. Her in-depth reporting, over several years, triggers rebellions across the country by journalists working at Alden-owned newspapers. Backed by the NewsGuild union, the newsmen and women go toe-to-toe with their “vulture capitalist” owners in a battle to save and rebuild local journalism in America. Who will control the future of America’s news ecosystem: Wall Street billionaires concerned only with profit OR those who see journalism as an essential public service and the lifeblood of our democracy?

We open Stripped for Parts: American Journalism on the Brink this Friday at the Royal. Filmmaker Rick Goldsmith will participate in Q&As following the 4:10 and 7:10 PM screenings on Saturday, October 5.

The latest episode of Inside the Arthouse, hosted by Laemmle Theatres President Greg Laemmle and Emmy award-winning director-actor Raphael Sbarge, is all about Stripped for Parts. You can hear it wherever you get your podcasts or right here on YouTube. (Also, watch for an Inside the Arthouse episode with The Outrun filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt this Friday!)

“Sometimes when you…really miss something, you get the energy of ‘I need to create this; I need to see it myself.'” The PARADISE IS BURNING filmmakers on their phenomenal new movie.

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Opening this Friday at the Laemmle Royal and Glendale, Paradise is Burning is an emotional drama that navigates the complexities of society and family in working-class Swedish suburbia. Three sisters – sixteen-year-old Laura (Bianca Delbravo), twelve-year-old Mira (Dilvin Asaad), and seven-year-old Steffi (Safira Mossberg) – are left to their own devices by their absent mother. As summer approaches, the trio revels in the excitement of freedom, letting their days unfold without the constraints of adult supervision. However, when Laura receives a call that threatens to place them in foster care, she frantically searches for a substitute mother to avoid this fate. Keeping the truth hidden from her younger sisters, Laura navigates the blurred lines between the thrill of independence and the harsh realities of growing up, as the sisters’ relationships with each other are put to the test.

“Not many films can make you simultaneously think of Sean Baker, Andrei Tarkovsky, and David Lynch. Yet those are the filmmakers that come to mind when watching Paradise is Burning, the spectacular debut feature from Mika Gustafson. What feels like a straightforward family drama adds a small dose of surrealism to add some complexity, resulting in an original work that will stand as one of the most moving films of 2024.” ~ Joshua Stevens, Loud & Clear Reviews

Writer-director Mika Gustafson and co-screenwriter Alexander Öhrstrand recently sat down with Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge to talk about Paradise is Burning on the new podcast Inside the Arthouse. Greg calls the film his favorite of the year so far.