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Claire Denis, Juliette Binoche and Vincent Lindon’s BOTH SIDES OF THE BLADE opens July 8.

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The new erotic thriller by Claire Denis Both Sides of the Blade follows Sara (Juliette Binoche), who finds herself caught between two men: her longtime partner and an old flame (Vincent Lindon and Grégoire Colin). Before long, everything is in danger of spiraling out of control as the three find their lives intertwined years after meeting. We open the film at the Royal on July 8, the Glendale and Town Center July 15, and Newhall, Claremont and NoHo on July 22. (We also have Denis’ Stars at Noon to look forward to later this year.)
Praise for the Both Sides of the Blade:
“The silences that overwhelm the movie’s confrontational rages and the suppression of backstory details, underplaying motives and emphasizing action, thrust [the film] out of the realm of psychological drama and into shocking emotional immediacy.” ~ Richard Brody, New Yorker
“The studied ambiguity of what’s going on in Both Sides of the Blade doesn’t keep it from often achieving the suspense of an accomplished erotic thriller.” ~ Pat Brown, Slant Magazine

“As is often the case with Denis’ films, Fire grows more illuminating as it gets hotter; what starts like a constrained and unusually jagged French drama is eventually forged into an incendiary portrait of three people.” ~ David Ehrlich, indieWire

“Binoche, typically, is on commanding form, working once more with a film-maker who seems intuitively aware of how to harness her every glance or grimace. ~ Kevin Maher, Times [UK)]
“Denis is a masterful director who always knows exactly what she’s doing.” ~ David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter

“In this simultaneously small and cavernous love story, even a whisper echoes for days.” ~ Guy Lodge, Variety

‘1982,’ a love story set during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, opens June 24 at the Royal.

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1982 is a life-affirming coming-of-age tale set at an idyllic school in Lebanon’s mountains on the eve of a looming invasion. It unfolds over a single day and follows an 11-year-old boy’s relentless quest to profess his love to a girl in his class. As the invasion encroaches on Beirut, it upends the day, threatening the entire country and its cohesion. Within the microcosm of the school, the film draws a harrowing portrait of a society torn between its desire for love and peace and the ideological schisms unraveling its seams.

In his debut feature, director Oualid Mouaness delivers an ode to innocence in which he revisits one of the most cataclysmic moments in Lebanon’s history through the lens of a child and his vibrant imagination. The film demonstrates the complexities of love and war, and the resilience of the human spirit.

1982 won the Cannes Film Festival’s youth sidebar CANNES CINÉPHILES prize PRIX CANNES ECRANS JUNIORS 2021, the Toronto International Film Festival’s NETPAC AWARD, a FIPRESCI International Critics Prize at El-Gouna International Film Festival, and the UNICEF 2021 prize among numerous others. It was also Lebanon’s official submission to the 92nd Academy Awards and holds the Murex D’Or, Lebanon’s Best Feature Film honor of the last two years.

NPR just interviewed Mouaness about 1982:

Mouaness will participate in Q&As after the 7:20 PM screenings at the Royal Friday-Sunday, June 24-26, Tuesday, June 28, and Thursday, June 30. Director Aya Tanimura will moderate on the 25th, journalist Seth Abramovitch on the 26th, director Natalie Jones on the 28th, and producer Sara Mohazzebi on the 30th.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeBx1C7aPzI

L.A. Times Calendar section: bring back movie reviews!

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From Greg Laemmle:

The movies are back! Or at least, Hollywood blockbusters are back. But if you pay attention to the pundits (always with a grain of salt), you’ll see story after story about how the arthouse audience still hasn’t returned. And to a large degree, this is true. But why? Is the older audience still staying away because of Covid fears? Did they discover streaming during the 13-month shutdown of moviegoing, and they are slow (or never) to come back. Or is there something else contributing to the situation?

Our theatres have been open for over a year since the 13-month shutdown, and every week we present an array of smaller foreign-language films, documentaries, and indie features. Distributors aren’t advertising in print like they did pre-pandemic. But if you look in the LA Times every day, you’ll see our Laemmle Theatres directory ad listing all these titles. But beyond the ads, there is something missing in the paper. Something of vital importance to creating awareness of smaller films. That thing …REVIEWS.

I’m prompted to write this because last week, on Friday, June 10, there was not a single film review in the print edition of the L.A. Times Calendar section. Among other films, the paper completely ignored the French literary adaptation LOST ILLUSIONS, a huge, award-winning hit in France and a critical success here. (The New York Times, which did review it, called the film “sensational.”). Some weeks, the Times has run reviews, but published them days after a film’s opening. And for films that might only end up playing for a week in LA, running a review after the weekend is not particularly helpful, either for the film or for an interested viewer.

Compare this to the pre-pandemic period when a reader could expect to find multiple reviews in the Friday paper, and then plan their weekend (or weekly) moviegoing accordingly.

We know that the newspaper industry has its challenges. We at Laemmle Theatres are pushing our partners in distribution to return as advertisers because we understand that we work in an ecosystem made up of press, advertising, and programming. But having the programming without the press badly depresses turnout. And without ticket sales, distributors are loath to advertise.

It is a sad state of affairs when the paper of record in the movie capital of the world has a film section that is a shadow of its former self, reviewing one or two films per week. The L.A. Times once employed two lead film critics at a time, notably such heavyweights as Charles Champlin, Sheila Benson, Kevin Thomas, Kenneth Turan, and Manohla Dargis. Those writers were backed up by a stable of talented freelancers to cover the plethora of cinema Angelenos are fortunate enough to have access to. Current lead film critic Justin Chang is just as gifted a writer but he’s only one person and can’t cover all the big studio releases in addition to foreign and American indie films too.

We’re going to continue doing what we do, working with filmmakers and distributors to bring the world of cinema to Los Angeles.

What can you do? If you aren’t already a subscriber, subscribe to the Times. Supporting local journalism, even a big city paper like the Times, is important. But as a subscriber, contact the paper and ask for the return of Friday reviews, ideally in the print edition.

They can also look to other local outlets for film coverage. KPCC’s FilmWeek is one excellent resource, with a panel of critics reviewing many of the week’s new attractions. But there are others.

I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but you can pay more attention to our eNewsletter, website, and social channels, where we keep you informed of the hundreds of different films we screen annually, for long and short engagements. And when you see something you like, don’t keep it to yourself. Please share your enthusiasm so that others will be encouraged to find the film in question.

But ultimately, these alternatives cannot fill the void left by a newspaper that has abandoned its leading role. To the publisher and editors of the L.A. Times: to be the paper of record for a megalopolis like Los Angeles means covering the arts, especially film. And we hope that you will return to your pre-pandemic policy of reviewing films that are opening theatrically in Los Angeles on (or before) the date of their theatrical opening. Together, we can rebuild the audience for the world of film in the movie capital of the world.

Cronenberg, Kore-eda, Denis, Östlund and more, coming soon from Cannes.

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Things being what they are, it’s a relief to look away from hard news to cinema news, and there’s a lot of it as the world’s most prestigious film festival wraps up this weekend having screened some reportedly wonderful movies. A selection of press about films most likely coming soon or soonish from Cannes to a Laemmle theater near you before year’s end or in early 2023:

L.A. Times: Justin Chang compiled a promising list of 12 films he’s looking forward to seeing at Cannes, including David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future,” which we’re opening June 3, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Broker,” and Claire Denis’ “Stars at Noon,” about which he wrote, “Claire Denis (“Beau Travail,” “35 Shots of Rum”) has been one of the world’s great filmmakers for decades, which is why it’s bewildering that she hasn’t competed at Cannes since her great 1988 debut, “Chocolat.” But she finally cracked the competition a second time with this romantic thriller adapted from a Denis Johnson novel; it stars Joe Alwyn and Margaret Qualley and unfolds against the tumultuous backdrop of the 1984 Nicaraguan revolution. It’s Denis’ second new movie of 2022 after “Both Sides of the Blade,” which won the directing prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. (Coincidentally, that movie stars Vincent Lindon, who happens to be the president of this year’s Cannes competition jury. Hmm … )”

Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart in ‘Crimes of the Future.’

Variety‘s Matt Donnelly and Elsa Keslassy: “Neon has bought Ruben Östlund’s satire “Triangle of Sadness” in one of the biggest deals to close on a Cannes Film Festival official selection title.

“30West and WME handled domestic rights to the comedy, which stars Woody Harrelson as a rabid Marxist who is the captain of a cruise for the super rich. According to insiders, the asking price was close to $8 million. Several top-tier buyers, including A24, were circling the movie.

“Sweden’s leading contemporary filmmaker and producer, Östlund was previously at the festival with “Force Majeure” in 2014 and “The Square,” which won the Palme d’Or in 2017. “Triangle of Sadness” marks his English-language debut.

““Triangle of Sadness” earned a rowdy eight-minute standing ovation following a lively screening punctuated by hysterical laughter, which Östlund later described as being like a “football game.”

“Variety’s Peter Debruge called the film “wickedly funny,” writing: “There’s a meticulous precision to the way [Östlund] constructs, blocks and executes scenes — a kind of agonizing unease, amplified by awkward silences or an unwelcome fly buzzing between characters struggling to communicate.””

The New York Times‘s Manohla Dargis: “In “Scarlet,” the director Pietro Marcello bridges time through the story of a World War I veteran and his daughter. The dead still litter the fields when Raphaël (Raphaël Thiéry, an astonishment) hobbles back home, returning to a small village with few friendly faces. His wife is dead and his baby girl, Juliette, is being cared for by a local woman, Adeline (the marvelous Noémie Lvovsky), who lives in a small enclave outside the village. There, Raphaël — a talented craftsman who works with wood — nestles into a tiny homey community and painfully tries to resume something like normal life, despite his harrowing losses.

““Scarlet” is a fascinating, slippery movie filled with lyrical beauty, acts of barbarism, moments of magic and unexpected hope. The first half focuses on Raphaël, a huge, lumbering man with a jutting brow and hands the size of hams. As Juliette grows (and is eventually played by Juliette Jouan), the narrative center of gravity shifts from father (a product of the 19th century) to daughter (a woman of the 20th). As he did in “Martin Eden,” Marcello takes an expansive, visually adventurous approach to a story about people and the historical forces that define, imprison and sometimes liberate them. I’m still grappling with the movie, and am eager to see it again.”

IndieWire‘s Ryan Lattanzio: “A24 is staying in the Paul Mescal business.

“The studio that also shepherded the “Normal People” actor’s Directors’ Fortnight entry “God’s Creatures” has acquired North American rights for Charlotte Wells’ well-liked Critics’ Week entry “Aftersun,” IndieWire has learned. A source close to the film’s production confirmed that the studio bought rights to release the drama in the U.S. and Canada in a deal in Cannes on Monday. The buy is said to be in the mid-seven-figure range. (The news was later confirmed by A24.)

““Aftersun,” a standout from the Critics’ Week sidebar that annually promotes first- and second-time directors, stars Mescal as a father on a melancholy holiday with his 11-year-old daughter Sophie, played by Francesca Corio, in Turkey in the late 1990s. Sophie, in the present day, is reflecting on the holiday they shared two decades prior. Memories real and imaginary collide, filling the gaps between mini-DV footage as Sophie tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn’t. The film stars filmmaker, actress, and choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall (“Ma”) as the adult version of Sophie.

“Mescal’s performances in both “Aftersun” and fishing-village drama “God’s Creatures” have been widely praised by Cannes press. No release date has been set for either.”

PRESSURE POINT 60th Anniversary Screening in Tribute to Sidney Poitier with Actor Barry Gordon in Person.

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Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a tribute to the late Sidney Poitier with one of his lesser known but most provocative movies, PRESSURE POINT from 1962. Bobby Darin (in one of his first dramatic performances) and Peter Falk co-star in this gritty, still-timely film about racism and anti-Semitism. Our guest speaker will be co-star Barry Gordon, who played Darin’s character as a child in visually striking flashback scenes. The screening is at the Royal on Wednesday, June 22 at 7 PM. Buy tickets here.

 

The film is based on a real psychiatric case about a doctor who tried to fathom the reasons for the racial prejudices of a belligerent patient. As he probes the character’s past, he discovers some of the reasons for the convict’s poisonous ideas but is unable to “cure” him of his antisocial attitudes. It was the film’s producer, Stanley Kramer (THE DEFIANT ONES, JUDGMENT AT NUREMBERG, GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER), who suggested altering the real case by making the psychiatrist a Black man. This gave an added edge to the story. Both Poitier and Darin contribute outstanding performances. The script by director Hubert Cornfield and S. Lee Pogostin incisively scrutinizes the psychological roots of race prejudice and fascism. A film exposing the poison of white supremacy remains just as timely today as it was in 1962.

Barry Gordon had a highly successful career as a child actor in the 1950s and 60s. After completing PRESSURE POINT, he starred on Broadway as Jason Robards’ nephew in Herb Gardner’s tribute to nonconformity, A THOUSAND CLOWNS. Gordon earned a Tony nomination for that performance and reprised his role in the Oscar-winning 1965 film version of the play. Gordon went on to co-star in many TV comic and dramatic series, from ‘The New Dick Van Dyke Show’ and ‘Archie Bunker’s Place’ to ‘L.A. Law,’ ‘NYPD Blue,’ and ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’ He also portrayed the character of Donatello in the smash hit animated series, ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.’ In addition, Gordon was the longest-serving president of the Screen Actors Guild, with a seven-year tenure from 1988 to 1995.

Critic Leonard Maltin called PRESSURE POINT an “intelligent drama” about an American Nazi. Writing in the Saturday Review, Hollis Alpert declared that director Cornfield “achieves several scenes of stark brilliance.” Ernest Haller provided the striking cinematography, and Oscar winner Ernest Gold composed the score.

L.A. moviegoing in 2022 and beyond.

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Laemmle’s Royal Theatre – 11523 Santa Monica Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

By Greg Laemmle:

The movie business was abuzz last week with the announcement about the closure of The Landmark theatre in West L.A. Pundits seized on this as an opportunity to bring out all the old stories that have been written about the death of exhibition. But here’s the truth. People have been predicting the end of the exhibition business for over 70 years. And to borrow the adage attributed to Mark Twain (and generally acknowledged as a misquote), “The reports of my death are grossly exaggerated.”

Yes, movie theatres are still recovering from the effects of being closed for a full year. Any business will have a hard time recovering from that situation. And the recovery process has been hampered as we still had to cope with two significant surges in viral infection. But as I write this, we are experiencing healthy box office numbers for a wide variety of films. We have superhero films like SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME, THE BATMAN and DOCTOR STRANGE IN THE MULTIVERSE OF MADNESS crushing it at the box office. We also have the Rom-Com THE LOST CITY which is on the verge of going over $100M. And we have quirky indie pics like EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE and THE UNBEARABLE WEIGHT OF MASSIVE TALENT hanging around for weeks and weeks and demonstrating that word-of-mouth still matters. I won’t say that we are at pre-pandemic numbers. But we are closer than many expected, and the path to get all the way back seems clear and achievable.

So why is The Landmark closing. Or the Arclight. Or maybe some of our venues in the months ahead. Each closure is unique. But underlying all of them is the fact that real estate is in short supply, and property owners will eventually gravitate to the use that will provide them with the greatest return. And right now, residential real estate is at such a premium that it is nearly impossible for a movie theatre operator to pay as much as the rents that could be collected from apartment tenants. And given that the Los Angeles area needs more residential units (see the front page of the May 18 edition of the L.A. Times), it’s hard to argue with this situation.

I am sorry to see The Landmark closing. But moviegoers in West L.A. need not despair. Many of the films that played at The Landmark were wide release films that are playing at any number of other locations nearby. For the high-profile crossover indie films, they’ll be available at the AMC Century City and at our Monica Film Center. And for foreign-language films and documentaries, we hope audiences will flock to the Royal where these films will find a home.

The movies that you want to see will be available. You just have to go out and support them in their theatrical window.

Time’s running out to see the “perfect” ‘Petite Maman’ on the big screen.

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French filmmaker Céline Sciamma’s follow up to the powerful Portrait of a Lady on Fire is the much different but equally beautiful and uniquely emotional Petite Maman. The protagonist is eight-year-old Nelly, who accompanies her parents to her mother’s childhood home after the death of the grandmother. As Nelly explores the house and nearby woods, she meets a neighbor her own age building a treehouse. What follows is a tender tale of childhood grief, memory and connection.

As of Friday we’ll be playing Petite Maman at seven of our eight locations, but unfortunately the engagements may have to be brief. Please read some of the effusive praise of this lovely film and consider enjoying and supporting it as intended, theatrically:

“There isn’t a false note or superfluous image in Petite Maman, which runs a just-right 72 minutes. It’s perfect.” ~ Manohla Dargis, New York Times

“It’s a perfect creation in miniature, one that doesn’t have a wasted frame but that also never feels like it’s in a rush.” ~ Alison Willmore, New York Magazine/Vulture

“We forget a lot of things when we grow up. This film is a wonderful reminder.” ~ Odie Henderson, RogerEbert.com

“Poetry on screen can’t be constructed, or willed into existence. Under the right circumstances, though, it can be allowed. Ms. Sciamma, whose previous feature was the passionate and extravagant Portrait of a Lady on Fire, has created those circumstances.” ~ Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

“No less than the condition of childhood itself, the movie opens up a world of possibilities, all of them beautiful and beguiling — and over all too soon.” ~ Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times

‘Memoria,’ Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “latest wonderment,” never to be seen on DVD, Blu-ray or streaming, is coming soon.

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Laemmle fans of Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul have just three (3) chances to see his “latest wonderment” Memoria: May 13 at the Laemmle Playhouse; June 3 at the Laemmle NoHo; and June 24 the Laemmle Glendale; the filmmaker and the U.S. distributor Neon have decided the film will never be released on DVD, Blu-ray or a streaming service — read Justin Chang’s rave L.A. Times review to understand why — so do not miss it! Starring Academy Award winner Tilda Swinton, the film is a transfixing drama about a Scottish woman, who, after hearing a loud ‘bang’ at daybreak, begins experiencing a mysterious sensory syndrome while traversing the jungles of Colombia. She begins an investigation to find answers.

Read the last paragraph of Chang’s Times review: “And cinema, as Weerasethakul reminds us, is still a young art, one whose properties and possibilities are still in the process of revealing themselves. An explanation for those strange sounds does materialize, and even coming from a filmmaker who has primed us to expect the otherworldly, it’s something to see — and to hear. A paean to the distant past that unfolds in a rigorous present tense, Memoria finally reveals itself as a vision from the future — a declaration of faith in a medium that hasn’t lost its power to astonish.”