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Home » News

Argentine film MOST PEOPLE DIE ON SUNDAYS “squeezes magic out of melancholy.”

May 7, 2025 by Jordan Deglise Moore Leave a Comment

Starring and written and directed by Iair Said, Most People Die on Sundays is about grief, but it’s also funny, outrageous, surprising, and utterly unique, with a deadpan tone that recalls Jim Jarmusch movies. We follow the protagonist David as he returns home to Argentina for his uncle’s funeral. Said has a sui generis quality of classic screen comics like Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati, and the rest of the cast plays off him perfectly. A sensation when it premiered in the Acid Section at Cannes, Most People Die on Sundays is a comic gem that we’re thrilled to open this Friday at the Royal and Town Center. (Check out Said’s interview on the latest Inside the Arthouse.)

“Said’s finely calibrated writing produces situations that organically and succinctly flesh out the interpersonal dynamics in his family.” – RogerEbert.com

“Said squeezes magic out of melancholy…brings this somewhat mournful portrait to a quietly moving grace note suggesting the silver lining of loss is a motivational reminder to the living.” – Ioncinema

“[A] treatise on the right to fail…a tender tribute to the misfits, to those who, from their peripheral and marginal position, see the world better than the winners.” – Troiscouleurs

“A tragicomedy that lives up to the term, as it finds eruptions of welcome absurdist humor (with something of Martín Rejtman’s cinema) even in the most tragic moments…Said’s cinema in all its dimensions, constantly deepens and evolves.” – Otros Cines

“A marvel, chaotic, sweet and sour, emotional and purely detailed…The filmmaker manages to immerse the viewer in his cathartic state of shock; he manages to connect with the audience in a pain so unique.” – Spanglish Cinema

“A burlesque and touching story about the difficulty of being an adult when you are immature on a relational, emotional and sentimental level…with intelligent writing and without anything superfluous, [Said] describes universal relationships with complex roots, a family life without warmth but not without affection. The lovely ending scene between David and his mother is the perfect example.” – Le Bleu du Miroir

“Most People Die on Sundays is a testament to Said’s ever-expanding list of talents…[a] clever approach to a delicate subject.” – International Cinephile Society

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Filed Under: Featured Films, Films, Greg Laemmle, Inside the Arthouse, News, Royal, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

“I wanted to bring to light the inner lives of these women, their mutual attraction, their powers, the ways in which they conceal in order to reveal at their own pace.” BONJOUR TRISTESSE opens Friday.

April 30, 2025 by Jordan Deglise Moore Leave a Comment

Based on Françoise Sagan’s controversial 1954 novel, published when she was only 18 years old, the new adaptation of Bonjour Tristesse follows teenage Cécile (Lily McInerny). Her relaxing summer with her father (Claes Bang) in the south of France is upended by the arrival of the enigmatic Anne (Chloë Sevigny), her late mother’s friend.

First-time filmmaker Durga Chew-Bose is a writer, editor, and filmmaker living in Montreal. Prior to making Bonjour Tristesse, her film writing and interviews have focused on a range of international directors, from Abbas Kiarostami to Mia Hansen-Løve, Mike Leigh, Olivier Assayas, and many more. She is a devoted cinephile and has spoken on the works of masters of the craft from Michelangelo Antonioni to Hsiao-Hsien Hou at numerous screening retrospectives around the world. Her study continued with the gorgeous collaboration she achieved on this film with her crew, especially her cinematographer and costume designer. As she says in her just-posted interview on Inside the Arthouse, “From the beginning, I had a strong sense of who I wanted to build this world with and, honestly, learn from, because I was going to be the least experienced person on the set. You’re very aware of every individual who is there making it with you because you only get this finite amount of time to do it.”

In another interview, Chew-Bose was asked, “What made you want to tell this story?”

A: I was drawn to the women. There was still more to tell. My understanding of what an adaptation could be, for a book as beloved as Bonjour Tristesse, that had also been previously adapted, was entirely based on…potential. I wanted to bring to light the inner lives of these women, their mutual attraction, their powers, the ways in which they conceal in order to reveal at their own pace, of course. Françoise Sagan was a singular force and I was inspired to use my voice to continue the story of Bonjour Tristesse, instead of simply retelling it. In some ways, it’s a very simple story. But is jealousy ever simple? Is growing up as a girl and feeling misunderstood by those you trust most, simple? Is finding love in the same places you might find pain, ever simple? I found myself under the influence of Cécile, even if on paper, we had little in common. I admired her ability to contradict herself, to experience the full-blown capacity of her feelings. There’s real freedom in that. I admired Anne, but wanted to write a version that felt truer to my understanding of womanhood, free of expectations, bright, funny, soft. I was excited to tell this story, scene by scene, allowing these women to compose a rhythm for the movie. Their choices are its momentum.

Q: The cinematography in the film is gorgeous, what was the process like of striking the right tone for the visual language of the film?

A: Max and I spent a long time simply watching movies. We’d watch a movie and then talk about it, even if it wasn’t an obvious inspiration for Bonjour Tristesse. In fact, we seemed drawn to films that weren’t sun dappled or set on beaches. We loved movies with dramatic blocking, where conversations were made tense, simply by how the characters were or were not facing each other. I wanted stillness, and Max encouraged me to seek moments where we could favor movement. We found a sweet spot in Ozu’s use of “pillow shots,” these sort of ‘place setting’ moments where cutaways of everyday life at the Villa provided an opportunity for composition and color, gentle rhythm, and summer’s natural appeal to time passing in a more poetic way.

I wanted certain scenes to feel like theater, on a stage, but in order to achieve that for our movie, Max and I found ways to bring the outdoors inside and vice versa, so our stage, so to speak, still involved shadows, a breeze.

We also focused our attention on photographers like Luigi Ghirri or painters like Félix Vallotton. The former was a huge source of inspiration for the movie’s faded blues and browns. The latter inspired us to favour dark interiors, stylized with a single lamp. One painting in particular, titled “Le Diner, effect de lamp” was the blueprint for a dinner scene in the movie where I insisted our characters should look like they are floating in space at the table, surrounded by blackness. We planned a lot and then forgot everything, finding our rhythm each day on set. We played. We listened to our surroundings.

Also, while it isn’t totally related to the movie’s cinematography, it is related to its visual style. We worked closely with the designer and artist, Cynthia Merhej, whose work inspired the world of Anne’s designs. Cynthia’s eye for color, fabric, detail, was a collaborative no-brainer for Miyako. Together, they imagined a sophisticated, romantic, dancerly, and sometimes handsome design language for Anne. Cynthia’s dresses provide real moments of beauty in the movie, and personally, reminded me of so many classic films where costume encouraged an otherworldly quality to a scene. We can marvel, be awed. She makes clothes for twirling and twirling is so cinematic.

Q: The music in the film is singular and incredibly thoughtful—can you talk through your decisions and inspiration for it?

A: I’ve always loved movie soundtracks. If I was going to make my first film, I was going to make one with a singular soundtrack. Aliocha Schneider was a huge source of inspiration for our music, given his talent and voice. I rewrote scenes for his character, Cyril, after he and I went for a walk a couple years ago in Montreal. He was learning how to sing in Italian, the rest is history.

Our composer, Lesley Barber, designed a score that feels timeless but also spooky, and in moments, very romantic. I loved working with her in Toronto, watching as she played the piano, feeling out a scene’s many movements. We referenced everything from Disney movies to John
Adams to Laraaji to Ravel to Harold Budd, but ultimately, we found our own sound. My friend Hailey Gates recorded an original song for the movie with Z berg—something like a narration of Cécile’s summer. It’s haunting and totally out there but also, like everything with Bonjour, it feels familiar (and again, a little bit Disney). Early in the movie, a song by Dorothy Ashby plays. Something about her harp always sets forth a dreamier side of my imagination, and I wanted that same stirring quality to awaken our audience.

Q: How did your own research of Francoise Sagan inform your approach to Bonjour Tristesse?

A: I researched for my own curiosity. I’ve always found it strange that book covers of Bonjour Tristesse are designed with photos of Françoise. She became fiction, in some ways, and I wanted to preserve her original story, and in turn preserve her, separate from the book. She was so much more. I was under the influence of her love of cars, though, and made sure we had plenty of road, so to speak, and moments of speed (in image and score), to pay tribute to her love of racing. She loved an accelerated life. Personally, I’m much…slower. I tried to strike a balance. I loved reading about her life and learning about her life, through her son, Denis and her longtime publisher Editions Julliard.

Q: Where did the shoot take place and how long did you film for?

A: Beautiful Cassis. There wasn’t a day that passed where I wasn’t acutely aware of our breathtaking location—white rocks, blue water, wild, 300 year old pine trees that our Villa was actually built around. I loved our Villa. It was the first one we saw and I couldn’t unsee it. A real
coup de cœur. It was designed by the architect Fernand Pouillon and what drew me to it was how it was all at once unassuming but rich with character, like sneaky colors here and there, heavy doors and shallow stairs. It had an inside-outside build with windows that provided something voyeuristic to the design. There were multiple terraces which is ideal for a movie with a lot of sitting and talking—I was able to adapt the script to the Villa’s character easily, as if it was all preordained. Max choreographed the camera movements to bring out the Villa’s
particularities, and in some ways, I think the Villa encouraged our imagination, challenged our imagination. We listened to the Villa; we spent time there at various moments in the day, to understand what it looked like at sunset or midday, how the stone walls shifted their varieties of warmth. Even our costume designer, ever-thoughtful in her thinking, Miyako Bellizzi, joined us at different times of day, to understand how her costumes might look against the Villa’s walls, among the trees. We shot for 30 days.

Q: Talk about the casting process and how you came to cast such an extraordinary group of actors here?

A: I always knew I wanted a very international cast, built entirely on instinct. I wanted to make a contemporary version of Bonjour Tristesse and that included updating the characters’ pursuits, sensibilities, sensitivities. I had known Lily for years and personally, just had a feeling she would become Cécile beyond what was on the page. The moment we cast her, Cécile was no longer mine. She was Lily’s. And Lily took the role and ran, with intensity, with subtlety, with an Audrey Hepburn-type grace.

Many years ago, when I was only outlining Bonjour, my producers joined me in Montreal to go over my vision for the film. We talked a lot about Anne and I expressed my deep love for this woman who wants to protect her powers but also, who moves with elegance, who is tender with those that she loves, who is visionary and a romantic. Chloe was an immediate choice. Her immense talent, the roles she takes and the directors she takes chances on, her wit, her style, her deep love for her family and friends, it was so obvious. It took us years to make this movie and years to reach the moment we would cast her, but like everything with this process, there’s been some magic, some destiny. The day we wrapped Chloe, there were tears on set. Nobody wanted her to leave.

It took us a long time to find our Elsa but the moment I saw Naïlia, I knew she was the one. Her smile, her impossible coolness, her kindness. Elsa, in our adaptation, is probably the biggest departure from the book, and Naïlia was very excited and passionate about giving Elsa a story
beyond her relationship to Raymond. There’s a softness, too, to Elsa that isn’t obvious, but Naïlia has a natural tenderness to her. She’s an observer. She pays attention to everyone’s feelings in the room. I learned so much from Naïlia about the power of subtlety.

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Filed Under: Claremont 5, Director's Statement, Featured Films, Featured Post, Filmmaker's Statement, Films, Glendale, Greg Laemmle, Inside the Arthouse, Newhall, News, NoHo 7, Royal, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

“What I find so touching about [rural people] is the fact that they don’t fall apart when they are grieving…yet in the face of heartbreak, they will be devastated.” French filmmaker Louise Courvoisier on HOLY COW, her sentimental cheese epic.

March 26, 2025 by Jordan Deglise Moore 1 Comment

Born in 1994, Louise Courvoisier grew up in the Jura region of France before studying cinema at the Cinéfabrique in Lyon. Her graduation short, Mano a Mano, won first prize at the Cinéfondation at Cannes in 2019. Vingt dieux (Holy Cow) is her first feature film, a sentimental cheese epic set in the village of her childhood. It follows 18-year-old Totone. After the tragic death of his father, he’s thrust into the unexpected and very adult role of looking after his younger sister and their failing family farm. He assumes even more responsibility when he enters a cash competition for the best Comté cheese made in this western part of the French Alps. A “verité” look at the hardscrabble life of French agriculture, it is simultaneously a pitch-perfect portrait of French teens and an ode to the love of cheese.

We’ll be opening Holy Cow on April 4 at the Royal with additional screenings at the Claremont and Town Center on April 5 and 6. Courvoisier recently spoke about her film with Inside the Arthouse as well as Anne-Claire Cieutat in the following interview:

Q: Your film opens with a rather odd image – a calf in a car – and continues with a long, flamboyant sequence shot. Your short film Mano a mano began with the same cinematic gesture. Is it your own way of saying: “Once upon a time…”?
A: For me, it is a way of taking the viewer behind the scenes of my own world. In Mano a mano, it was the circus world, in which a part of my family is immersed; and Holy Cow explores the rural environment of Jura, where I grew up. The opening sequence shot introduces the main character of the film, Totone, who is dancing on the bar counter.

Q: How did your desire to make films come about? And how did the characters of this first feature film come into being?

A: My desire to make films came about a little by chance. I grew up in Cressia, a small village in Jura. One day, I felt the need to leave, so I chose to take a film class in high school, because it meant I would have to go to boarding school. Little by little, I developed a taste for it, I felt that I had stories to tell, and eventually, this led to film studies at CinéFabrique in Lyon. To create the characters and the story of Holy Cow, I drew inspiration from the community I have been living in and observing since I was a child. Totone and his friends are like my village “colleagues.” Most of them left school early to work on farms with their parents. Many of them are in difficult family situations. I wanted to film these young people who are seldom represented in films, who have had a bumpier start than many others, and to paint a positive and nuanced portrait of them “from the inside.” All in the land of Comté cheese!

Q: How did you write the script, in which every element you introduce reappears at one point or another in the narrative?

A: I let my taste for details guide the writing of my characters and situations. I like it when things seem trivial, when elements all have a purpose, without overemphasizing them or turning the film into a chronicle. I had a real desire for fiction rooted in documentary reality. I wanted to tell my story within a realistic environment. I began to write on my own, starting with the characters, who evolved over time. Then I co-wrote with Théo Abadie, a student in my class at CinéFabrique. And screenwriter Marcia Romano helped us throughout the process.

Q: Your film has a western feel to it – in the way you deal with space, the conquest of territory, adversity – and some of the twists and turns are reminiscent of hopeless yet funny slackers, like the characters in the Pieds nickelés comic book series, which keeps gravitas at bay…
A: Indeed, I have imagined my film as a western, yet without borrowing all the codes of the genre. That is why I chose the ‘scope format. I also liked the idea of filming weathered faces telling tales of a life well lived. The fear of the unknown, the conquest of territory, all this went hand in hand with a certain awkwardness typical of my characters and their behavior. The Pieds nickelés aspect is apparent in the way Totone and his friends act. They try things, and they support each other in the face of adversity. Awkward as it is, their group pushes them forward.

Q: You take a tender look at your characters.
A: I am very fond of Totone, even though he is not a hero and he is full of flaws. I wanted to show his imperfections as much as his strengths. Totone is like a clumsy and overexcited puppy, who may dance half-naked on a bar, or fail to help his father when he needs it, but is sweet and lovable all the same. Totone is also a force of nature, with a unique way of reacting to events, and a sense of community.

Q: There are three courageous female figures in your story: Totone’s little sister, the farmer Marie-Lise, and the cheesemaker.
A: Marie-Lise and the little sister are characters I wrote against the stereotypes of femininity. Marie-Lise isn’t seductive, she is straightforward, which doesn’t stop her from being sexy. I wanted to avoid the cliché of the farmer and put a very capable, confident young woman in that position. For the little sister, we needed to feel her intelligence in her presence and in her eyes, her maturity through such circumstances, and her complicity with her brother, which is a bit clumsy at first and evolves as time goes by. As for the cheesemaker, I didn’t want to make her a too positive mother figure. I wanted her to be very charismatic, and the actress who played her, a woman from my village who works as a prison guard, and whom I know very well, gave her this strength.

Q: Holy Cow is a coming-of-age story.
A: Indeed, Totone is forced into adulthood. The film’s story takes place over several months. It follows the time it takes to make cheese: the maturing period for Comté cheese, but in a way for Totone as well! He manages to cope with his father’s passing without ever talking about it, always keeping his feelings to himself. Growing up in the countryside, I realized that I was much more exposed to death than young people living in the city. Many people had road accidents and died very suddenly. I observed a lot of emotional restraint around me. In the countryside, unlike in the city, it is not common to see a shrink. People lack the tools to analyze their emotions. If their issues are not processed through words and tears, how can they express them? While avoiding a form of pathos that would not suit them, I wanted to show the roughness of my characters, without concealing their sensitivity or their flaws. What I find so touching about them is the fact that they don’t fall apart when they are grieving, for instance. Yet in the face of heartbreak, they will be devastated. I have often noticed this contrast in people around me between their strength, their ability to take a blow, and their fragility when you least expect it.

Q: Movement runs through your film: there is a lot of driving and moped riding; we come across cows and galloping horses; your characters dance… They don’t talk much, but they are really expressive.
A: People move a lot in this rural environment because everything is so vast. And my characters are anything but static. I wrote the script with all the locations in mind. I felt the need to tell the story of this landscape, to film it at specific times of the day, without being engrossed in contemplation either. I wanted viewers to stay focussed on Totone and his story, and not stray into a bucolic film. I needed to strike a balance between a raw, head-on look and a poetic approach, because I didn’t want to be too harsh either. As for bodies, I like to film them because gestures and gaits say a lot about the characters and their inner selves. All the more so as these characters are rather quiet. Besides, I love what is at play in silences, and the discrepancy between words and deeds that is noticeable in some scenes. I also like to see sensuality emerge elsewhere than in love sequences, which are not particularly sensual. In the dance or fight scenes between the boys for instance, sensuality arises because they know each other so well.

Q: You make Comté cheese a character in its own right in the film!
A: It was a real challenge. First of all, we had to make cheese cinegenic. Then, in terms of storytelling, we had to make clear that the characters’ mourning journey was intimately linked to the making of this cheese, which is so central to the region where the story takes place. One of the difficulties was to show the real making of the cheese, including the tricky parts – this is the documentary aspect of the film, which becomes part of fiction. Similarly, the calving sequence also had to be authentic. It was a genuine challenge for the crew, for the actress (even though she is a farmer), and for the veal, as we didn’t want to put it in harm’s way.

Q: Both the cheese-making and the calving contribute to the suspense that runs through your story…
A: It is mainly because we were dealing with living things. We could have recreated things artificially, but it wouldn’t have been congruent with how the scenes were written in the script. We had to feel that life, through looks, gestures, and everything that happens between the characters at those moments. Tension really built up when we shot these scenes, and we made sure it was felt through the editing process.

Q: Another character is the cauldron, this shiny and almost magical pot!
A: Even religious! I like the idea that a seemingly unimportant tool can turn into an object full of promise. In the same way, my characters, whom some might consider misfits, turn out to be beautiful and capable. This is also apparent in their gestures, which are increasingly assured and precise. With my cinematographer, Elio Balézeaux, who studied at CinéFabrique with me, we tried to confer a form of sensuality and solemnity to this cauldron. We cannot really see what is going on inside, until we get close to it. We had to come up with different ways of showing it from one scene to the next, progressively, up to the moment when we discover what is inside.

Q: You use all kinds of camera shots. What were your directorial choices?
A: Elio Balézeaux comes from the Alps, and he also grew up in a rural environment. Together, we worked a lot on contrasts, by alternating between very tight shots and very wide shots. I chose to use mostly sequence shots and to stay as close as possible to my character, to use panoramic shots rather than dolly shots, and to aim at a rather stripped-down style. Sequence shots, such as the one in which Totone is chatting with his friend on the roof of a car, also allowed us to play with silences and build rhythm from within the scenes.

Q: How did you work on light and colors?
A: He wanted an image filled with colors, sunshine, and luminosity. The film had to have a raw yet sensual vibe. We mainly used natural light, even for the interiors, in which the aim was to capture and magnify it without aestheticizing the incoming light.

Q: How did you cast the film and direct your actors?
A: All the actors in the film are non-professionals. We did an open casting call in the Jura region, visiting motocross races, stock-car races, agricultural shows, etc. Clément Faveau, who plays Totone, is eighteen and he works on a poultry farm. I met him at an agricultural high school. It took me a while to convince him, but he eventually came on board. Clément understands everything. He manages to be really convincing without giving the impression that he is acting. His performance is so authentic, it is impressive. He was perfect to embody Totone’s tough and fragile side. For the role of the sister, I met a lot of girls through the casting process, but I chose Luna Garret, who I saw growing up in my village. I think she has a very strong presence and I really wanted to work with her. During the screen tests, she interacted with the boys effortlessly, as she does with her brothers in real life. Maïwène Barthélémy, who plays Marie-Lise, was studying agriculture when she came to audition. In addition to her abilities as a farmer, she immediately showed an ability to fully immerse herself in the character with incredible spontaneousness. She was an obvious choice for the part. I am passionate about directing actors. I drew my inspiration from who they were, how they talked, their looks, their mannerisms. We rehearsed a lot in the sets, and I also spent a lot of time with them individually. Throughout the rehearsing process, I rewrote the scenes so that they sounded as authentic as possible, and so that the actors could feel ready when they arrived on set.

Q: Your sister, Ella Courvoisier, designed the sets.

A: And my brother, Pablo Courvoisier, was construction manager. I love to work with my family, and I need to be surrounded by people I can trust, with whom I can take all the time I need to find what I am looking for. We created and adjusted the sets down to the very last detail for months, thinking about what the interiors said about the characters. All this work contributed greatly to the aesthetics of the film.
In the opening sequence shot, each element was precisely placed. It is not a real party, everything was created from scratch, and the character’s wanderings are precise to a fraction of an inch. The idea was not just to show things, but to make the audience feel them.

Q: As for the editing, what pace were you looking for?

A: I wanted to play with contrasts, between moments that leave time to silences and looks, and moments that speed up. The story is peppered with sequences bursting with life, like those at the dance or at the stock-car race.
Within certain sequences, such as the one with Totone and Marie-Lise in the kitchen, we had to find variations in rhythm to convey the characters’ mixed feelings. This search for the right timing was carried out during editing with Sarah Grosset, another former student of CinéFabrique.

Q: What were your intentions concerning the sound and the music?
A: Sound gives density to landscapes, sometimes even more accurately and precisely than image. The characters’ accents also play a part in the film. So, we made sure to highlight the voices. Each space, each setting had to have its own identity. Even the cheese had to sound right! The cauldron also had to have a precise tone. As for the music, it was written by my other brother and my mother: Charlie and Linda Courvoisier. We searched for sounds together, especially those that are specific to the western genre. I wanted a music that was at once subtle and expressive. My family also performed the music and voices, my parents were professional classical musicians before they became farmers.

Q: Why this title?

A: I chose it when I discovered how to spell the expression “Vingt dieux!” [literally “twenty gods,” an equivalent of “Good God!” or “Holy cow!”], which is so widespread in my region. I really like this reference to the gods at the heart of the rural world!

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Filed Under: Claremont 5, Films, News, Royal, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

“The French public’s relationship to movies and movie theaters is ‘almost mystical.'” The New York Times on the resurgence of moviegoing in France.

March 12, 2025 by Jordan Deglise Moore

It says a lot that the grandest French movie theaters are designed by famous architects. (Renzo Piano designed the Pathé Palace in Paris.) Over the weekend, the New York Times published a fascinating glimpse into cinema’s profound place in French culture and how that strength has led to a renaissance of moviegoing. “France was one of the few countries that saw an increase in movie theater attendance last year over 2023, with more than 181 million attendees, an uptick of nearly a million. Brazil, Britain and Turkey also saw an increase.”

One reason is the French version of American exceptionalism: The French people believe their culture is superb. The national government agrees and backs up that conviction with subsidies of tiny cinemas in small towns and supporting schoolchildren’s field trips to movie theaters. “In a statement, the National Center for Film and Moving Images, or CNC, the French government film agency, chalked up the industry’s recovery from the pandemic to ‘the artistic and industrial excellence of our model of cultural exception,’ a reference to national policies meant to promote and protect French culture.”

But the French reverence for cinema is not mere nationalism. Citizens simply feel a “moral obligation to support the arts.” If you go to the Pathé Palace website, you’ll see that right now they’re mostly showing American movies you can see at Laemmle Theatres, and one of the photos accompanying the article shows a theater box office featuring stills from David Lynch films.

You can read the article here.

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Filed Under: Claremont 5, Glendale, Moviegoing, Newhall, News, NoHo 7, Royal, Santa Monica, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

Oscars 2025: The ANORA director advocates for movie theaters, and the Academy honors Robert Laemmle. Plus: Oscar Contest winners.

March 5, 2025 by Jordan Deglise Moore

The 2025 Oscars are in the history books. It was a good night, with a funny, skilled host in Conan O’Brien and a fairly equitable distribution of statuettes for some terrific movies. It was also a good night for theatrical exhibition, better known as good, old-fashioned moviegoing. As he did during his speech accepting the Palme d’Or last year in Cannes, Anora filmmaker Sean Baker gave a passionate, trenchant speech in favor of seeing movies as filmmakers have always intended them to be seen, in theaters. After accepting the Oscar for Best Director from filmmaker (and movie theater owner) Quentin Tarantino, Baker said the following to almost 20 million Americans watching live and far more people worldwide:
“I’m going to take this time up here really quick to read something I’m very passionate about…so we’re all here tonight and watching this broadcast because we love movies. Where did we fall in love with the movies? At the movie theater. Watching a film …in the theater with an audience is an experience. We can laugh together, cry together, scream in fright together, perhaps sit in devastated silence together. And in a time in which the world can feel very divided, this is more important than ever. It’s a communal experience you simply don’t get at home, and right now the theatergoing experience is under threat. Movie theaters, especially independently owned theaters, are struggling, and it’s up to us to support them. During the pandemic we lost nearly 1000 screens in the U.S., and we continue to lose them regularly. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture. This is my battle cry. Filmmakers, keep making films for the big screen. I know I will. Distributors…please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films. Neon did that for me, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Parents…introduce your children to feature films in movie theaters, and you’ll be molding the next generation of movie lovers and filmmakers. And for all of us, when we can, please watch movies in the theater, and let’s keep the great tradition of the moviegoing experience alive and well.”
You can watch his full speech here.
The always moving In Memoriam section of the Oscars broadcast was especially powerful this year. This may have been because the losses of huge talents seemed particularly heavy this year. For us at Laemmle Theatres, of course, we are still grieving the loss of Robert Laemmle, our former president and Greg Laemmle’s father. What an honor for Bob to be the first exhibitor included in the in Memoriam montage.
Finally, we are pleased to announce this year’s winners of the Umpteenth Annual Laemmle Oscar Contest.
FIRST PLACE: Stefan with 18 correct answers.
SECOND PLACE: Joel with 18 correct answers.
TIE for THIRD PLACE: Kelly & Cole with 17 correct answers (plus closest run-time to actual runtime broadcast).
Check out our nifty pie charts to see how our savvy customers divined the Academy members’ choices. Last year our winner correctly guessed 21 categories, so this was a tough year. As predicted, the Best Actress category was one of the trickiest; only 10.7% guessed that Mikey Madison would win for her turn in Anora, defying the conventional wisdom that Demi Moore would win for The Substance, and that Fernanda Torres was the true dark horse for her performance in I’m Still Here. Half of our contestants thought The Wild Robot would take the Best Animated Feature prize, but the acclaimed little Latvian film Flow came out on top. Almost 25% of contestants thought Timothée Chalamet would win for Best Actor for A Complete Unknown, no doubt misled by his Screen Actors Guild Awards victory.
Winners, we will be in touch to get you your movie pass prizes. Congratulations!

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Filed Under: Claremont 5, Contests, Director's Statement, Featured Post, Filmmaker's Statement, Films, Glendale, Moviegoing, Newhall, News, NoHo 7, Royal, Santa Monica, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5, Tribute

Robert Laemmle: 1935-2025

January 13, 2025 by Mr. King

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.

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Filed Under: Greg Laemmle, News, Press, Tribute

Culture Vulture 2025 ~ more screenings, more places!

December 11, 2024 by Jordan Deglise Moore

Our eclectic Culture Vulture series returns this weekend. After ten years of screening filmed theater, opera, ballet/dance, gallery/art, and much more at our Town Center/Encino, Glendale, Monica Film Center/Santa Monica, and Claremont 5 theaters, we are now adding our Newhall theater. What’s more, we will now show the films on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:00 A.M. and Mondays at 7:00 P.M. Tickets are now on sale for the first nine films of the new year:
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February 1-3: Art and Life: The Story of Jim Phillips ~ Embark on the epic ride of Jim Phillips, the genius behind skateboarding and rock culture’s electrifying art. Drawing inspiration from his life in Santa Cruz, California, Jim helped shape the golden era of skateboarding. This documentary explores Jim’s dynamic life and career, showcasing his iconic work that has defined an era and secured his place in modern art history. Jim’s story is a profound narrative of resilience, passion, and enduring artistic vision.
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February 8-10: Perugino: Eternal Renaissance is a journey to discover Perugino, one of the most revered artists of the 15th Century and to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of his death. Journey through Italy to discover his great masterpieces, from the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel to the two rooms entirely dedicated to him in the National Gallery of Umbria. Spectators will be led on a guided discovery of the artist’s harmonious work: a perfect balance between man and nature, realism and idealism, as seen in paintings such as “The Delivery of the Keys” in the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, “Lamentation over the Dead Christ” in the Galleria Palatina in Florence, the “Pietà” and “Agony in the Garden” in the Uffizi Gallery.
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February 22-24: Three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D. Clarke is joined by Ncuti Gatwa (Doctor Who; Sex Education) in this joyful reimagining of Oscar Wilde’s most celebrated comedy, The Importance of Being Earnest. While assuming the role of a dutiful guardian in the country, Jack lets loose in town under a false identity. Meanwhile, his friend Algy adopts a similar facade. Hoping to impress two eligible ladies, the gentlemen find themselves caught in a web of lies they must carefully navigate. Max Webster (Life of Pi) directs this hilarious story of identity, impersonation and romance, filmed live at the National Theatre in London.
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March 1-3: Florence and the Uffizi Gallery is a multi-dimensional journey through the city that was the cradle of the Italian Renaissance. Get an exclusive tour through the most beautiful and representative works of art of the period from Michelangelo and Brunelleschi, to Leonardo and Botticelli, with a detailed central chapter dedicated to the treasure house containing their masterpieces: the Uffizi Gallery.
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March 8-10: Welcome to Yiddishland offers an upbeat, witty, and timely exploration of a global community of artists rediscovering and revitalizing the endangered Yiddish language through progressive and provocative creative works. As we journey through Yiddishland—not a homeland, but a heartland without borders—we travel across continents, from Melbourne to Berlin, New York to Haifa, meeting a diverse array of individuals who find solace, identity, and inspiration in Yiddish language and culture.
March 15-17: Utilizing the third act motifs of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters as a jumping off point, Dmitry Krymov’s Fragment focuses in on Olga (Samanta in this production), the eldest of the three sisters. Like many of Chekhov’s heroes who attempt to overcome fate, she is doomed to fail, but it is in the attempt itself that she becomes so close and dear to the audience. Ultimately, we empathize with and love this very recognizable person who can’t adequately protect herself, her love, or her home.
March 22-24: The Dawn of Impressionism ~ What led to that first groundbreaking Impressionists show 150 years ago? Who were the maverick personalities that wielded their brushes in such a radical and provocative way? The spectacular Musée d’Orsay exhibition brings fresh eyes to this extraordinary tale of passion and rebellion. The story is told not by historians and curators but in the words of those who witnessed the dawn of Impressionism: the artists, press and people of Paris, 1874. See the show that changed everything on the big screen. Made in close collaboration with the Musee d’Orsay and National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C.
March 29-31: Seven-time BAFTA Award-winner Steve Coogan (Alan Partridge, The Trip) plays four roles in the world premiere stage adaptation of Stanley Kubrick’s comedy masterpiece Dr. Strangelove. When a rogue U.S General triggers a nuclear attack, a surreal race takes place, seeing the Government and one eccentric scientist scramble to avert global destruction. This explosively funny satire is led by a world-renowned creative team including Emmy Award-winner Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It, Veep) and Olivier Award-winner Sean Foley (The Upstart Crow, The Play What I Wrote).
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April 5-7: Far Out: Life On and After the Commune traces fifty years in the lives of a group of New England writers, activists and artists. In 1968, in the middle of a left-wing faction fight, a group of radical journalists left New York City for the country, where they became pioneers in the back-to-the-land and organic farming movement. Blending contemporary interviews and a remarkable trove of original archival footage, Far Out is lively, humorous, inspiring and irreverent. The film is vital, telling the history but hewing to the universal themes of how we grapple–over a lifetime–with politics, relationships, morality, spirituality, civic engagement and finding our home.

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Filed Under: Claremont 5, Culture Vulture, Featured Post, Films, Glendale, Newhall, News, Santa Monica, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

“A united resistance effort: war balanced by love, bloodshed by beauty.” ~ PORCELAIN WAR opens Friday.

November 27, 2024 by Jordan Deglise Moore

“Resisting totalitarian aggression is necessary, but holding onto your humanity amid the onslaught is the ultimate pursuit of good. The making of this film — a film full of pathos and violence, porcini and dragonlets — is in and of itself this pursuit.

For its unwavering voice from inside the brutal war in Ukraine calling us to care about those who would sacrifice their lives to defend their humanity and ours, and since at present there is no Sundance Jury Award for best dog, the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary goes to Porcelain War.” — Sundance Film Festival Jury Statement (2024)

We open Porcelain War this Friday at the Monica Film Center. Co-directors Brendan Bellomo and Slava Leontyev will participate in Q&A’s following the 7:30 PM screenings on November 29 and 30. Film critic Robert Abele will moderate the Saturday Q&A.

“Porcelain War masterfully illustrates the enduring power of art in the face of adversity.” ~ Awards Daily
“A combination of whimsy and devastation.” ~ Wall Street Journal
“This doc’s depiction of Ukraine war horrors will knock you down.” ~ TheWrap
“A united resistance effort: war balanced by love, bloodshed by beauty.” ~ Variety
“A powerful testament to the resilience of the artistic spirit.” ~ Toronto Star
“One more reminder of the vital force that art brings.” ~ RogerEbert.com
“Cinematic essays take many forms: few are as fragile and contemplative as Porcelain War.” ~ Screen Daily

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1970s New York City on the brink ~ DROP DEAD CITY opens tomorrow.

“Laura Piani’s splendid debut balances reality with the effervescent charm of vintage swooners.” JANE AUSTEN WRECKED MY LIFE opens May 23.

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#Niki 
Paris, 1952. Niki has recently moved from the U.S. with her husband and daughter.
Despite this newfound distance from a family and country that were suffocating her, disturbing flashbacks of her childhood continue to invade her thoughts. From the hell she is about to discover, Niki will find in her art a weapon to free herself.
‼️In-Person Q&A with Director Jerry Zucker!
📍Join Us Wednesday May 21st @ 7pm

Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a special screening of one of the best loved movies of the 20th century, Jerry Zucker’s smash hit supernatural fantasy, 'Ghost.'
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#DesertOfNamibia
Yôko Yamanaka’s second feature follows a 21-year-old Japanese woman with erratic humor as she ghosts one boyfriend after another. A beautician with little commitment to her work and no real desire to achieve anything, she burns every bridge, accumulating broken hearts in her wake. "Yuumi Kawai is immediately magnetic…Yamanaka’s work defies binaries… The film and its lead feel[s] pulsatingly alive." ~ Variety #DesertOfNamibia #WorldwideWednesdays #yokoyamanaka #yuumikawaii #山中瑶子 #河合優実
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Single mother Sylvie (César Award-winner Virginie Efira) lives with her two young sons, Sofiane and Jean-Jacques. One night, Sofiane is injured while alone, and child services removes him from their home. Sylvie is determined to regain custody of her son, against the full weight of the French legal system in this searing Cannes official selection.

“Virginie Efira excels [in this] gripping debut.” - Hollywood Reporter
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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/echo-valley | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | Kate lives a secluded life—until her troubled daughter shows up, frightened and covered in someone else's blood. As Kate unravels the shocking truth, she learns just how far a mother will go to try to save her child

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/echo-valley

RELEASE DATE: 6/13/2025

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/drop-dead-city | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | NYC, 1975 - the greatest, grittiest city on Earth is minutes away from bankruptcy when an unlikely alliance of rookies, rivals, fixers and flexers finds common ground - and a way out. Drop Dead City is the first-ever feature documentary devoted to the NYC Fiscal Crisis of 1975, an extraordinary, overlooked episode in urban American history.

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/drop-dead-city

RELEASE DATE: 5/23/2025
Director: Michael Rohatyn, Peter Yost

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/lost-starlight | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | In 2050 Seoul, astronaut Nan-young’s ultimate goal is to visit Mars. But she fails the final test to onboard the fourth Mars Expedition Project. The musician Jay buries his dreams in a vintage audio equipment shop.

The two fall in love after a chance encounter. As they root for each other and dream of a new future. Nan-young is given another chance to fly to Mars, which is all she ever wanted…

“Don’t forget. Out here in space, there’s someone who’s always rooting for you

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/lost-starlight

RELEASE DATE: 5/30/2025

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
Visit Laemmle.com: http://laemmle.com
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  • NORTHERN LIGHTS restored.
  • 1970s New York City on the brink ~ DROP DEAD CITY opens tomorrow.
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