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I USED TO BE FUNNY starring Rachel Sennott opens Friday.

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Actress Rachel Sennott (Shiva Baby, Bottoms) returns to Laemmle screens this Friday at the Monica Film Center, NoHo 7 and Town Center 5 with I Used to Be Funny. She plays an aspiring stand-up comedian and au pair struggling with PTSD as she decides whether or not to join the search for Brooke (Olga Petsa), a missing teenage girl she used to nanny.
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“Rachel Sennott has the greatest face. It cannot lie, no matter what her characters are saying. That honesty makes her ideal for films with tricky tones… And it’s essential to I Used to Be Funny.” – Johanna Schneller, Globe and Mail
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“In her film debut, [writer-director Ally Pankiw] delivers a full and fulfilling narrative arc that is anchored by a surprisingly complex performance from Sennott.” – Katie Walsh, Tribune News Service

“Pankiw and Sennott bring Sam’s story to life with an inventive yet sensitive approach, creating a sympathetic portrait of someone learning to cope with the tragedies of life and embrace their funny side despite it all.” – Monica Castillo, RogerEbert.com

“A former stand-up herself, Sennott holds a stage with command.” – Amy Nicholson, New York Times

“Healing is not linear, and I Used to Be Funny adeptly displays that process, exploring Sam’s pain without making the experience of watching the film painful, and honestly refreshing exploration of a subject that’s so often brutal to witness.” – Jenny Nulf, Austin Chronicle

“Sennott is perfectly cast, portraying Sam as simultaneously lifeless and hilarious with her default blasé attitude and dry-wit humor.” – Weiting Liu, Little White Lies

GREEN BORDER + THE SECRET GARDEN – get ready for a weekend with Agnieszka Holland.

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Filmmaker Agnieszka Holland will be in town later this month for her latest film, the powerful Green Border. She’ll participate in Q&As after the evening screenings at the Royal on Friday and Saturday, June 28 and 29 and for good measure join us for a Q&A after the June 29 screening of her 1993 family film The Secret Garden, which we’re screening as part of our Anniversary Classics series. One moviegoer might want to ask her how she manages such range, because the movies are quite different.

Thirty years after her Oscar-nominated film Europa Europa, Holland’s poignant and essential Green Border is set in the treacherous and swampy forests that make up the so-called “green border” between Belarus and Poland. Here refugees from the Middle East and Africa trying to reach the European Union are trapped in a geopolitical crisis cynically engineered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko. In an attempt to provoke Europe, refugees are lured to the border by propaganda promising easy passage to the EU. Finding themselves pawns in this hidden war, the lives of Julia, a newly minted activist who has given up her comfortable life; Jan, a young border guard; and a Syrian family intertwine.

“A heart-in-mouth thriller… Agnieszka Holland‘s bruisingly powerful new refugee drama ultimately comes from a place of optimism.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety

“A righteous, infuriating and woefully compelling watch.” – Laura Bobiak, Observer

“Profoundly moving, flawlessly executed… if cinema is an empathy machine, to paraphrase the late Roger Ebert, then Agnieszka Holland‘s new film is one precision-tooled specimen.” – Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter

“A humanitarian masterpiece.” – Damon Wise, Deadline

The Secret Garden follows a young British girl born and reared in India who is returned to her uncle’s English castle after becoming an orphan. She begins exploring the estate and discovers a garden that has been locked and forgotten. Aided by one of the servants’ boys, she begins restoring the garden, and eventually discovers some other secrets of the manor. Writing in the New York Times, Janet Maslin began her review of The Secret Garden this way: “A fawn, a bunny, a lamb: these are among the last things anyone might expect to see in a film directed by Agnieszka Holland, whose other work (including Europa, Europa and Olivier, Olivier) had not a trace of sugarplums in its makeup. Yet Ms. Holland’s film of The Secret Garden is elegantly expressive, a discreet and lovely rendering of the children’s classic by Frances Hodgson Burnett. That book is a paean to the restorative powers of the natural world, and Ms. Holland succeeds in conveying much of its delicate beauty.”

THE LOVERS (LES AMANTS) 65th Anniversary Screenings June 19.

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Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Abroad Series present 65th anniversary screenings of Louis Malle’s ‘The Lovers‘ (‘Les Amants’) starring Jeanne Moreau, on June 19 for one night only at 7:00 PM in West Los Angeles, Encino, Glendale, Claremont, and Santa Clarita. When first released in the United States in 1959, the film became an art house sensation with frank sexuality and nudity that inflamed the prudish American censors. Those censors, the Catholic Legion of Decency, and the repressive Hollywood Production Code wielded considerable influence at that time, preventing American films from exploring adult themes in a provocative manner.

 

The film tells the story of a bored and neglected French upper-middle-class wife and mother (Moreau) who falls for a young archaeologist (Jean-Marc Bory), commencing an affair just hours after their initial meeting. Their extended seminude lovemaking scene was the incendiary element that sparked conservative outrage and crackdowns on theaters showing the film. In one notorious case that was later resolved by the Supreme Court, a suburban Cleveland theater manager was arrested on obscenity charges. When other Ohio communities also banned the film, Variety reported, “It looked like Ohio, for a time, might declare war on France.”

Louis Malle made his feature directorial debut with the crime thriller ‘Elevator to the Gallows’ in 1958, also starring Moreau, so the sensual drama ‘The Lovers‘ as his second film “marked the stylistically conscious Malle apart from his tear-away Nouvelle Vague colleagues” according to Time Out. In ‘The Lovers,’ adapted by novelist Louise de Vilmorin from a 19th century short story, Malle presents a study of “bourgeois emptiness and sexual yearnings,” illuminated by the deft black-and-white cinematography of Henri Decae. Malle would go onto an esteemed career that included such notable films as ‘Murmur of the Heart,’ ‘Lacombe Lucien,’ ‘Atlantic City,’ and ‘Au Revoir Les Enfants’ over the next three decades.

Although she had been acting in films for a decade, ‘The Lovers‘ established Moreau’s screen persona as a “commanding, willful, and sultry presence,” propelling her to international stardom. Her career highlights in the 1960s include memorable performances in ‘Jules and Jim,’ ‘La Notte,’ ‘Diary of a Chambermaid’ and ‘The Bride Wore Black.’ As a legacy, the commercial success of ‘The Lovers’ helped popularize foreign language films in the United States in that era, now regarded as the golden age of the art house.

“It is incredible to think that Malle was only 25 years old when he made ‘The Lovers,’ as it seems to hold the wisdom and erotic impulses of a much older man.” ~ Justine Smith, Vague Visages

“By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes:” MACBETH with Ralph Fiennes & Indira Varma

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We’re thrilled to screen Shakespeare’s leanest, meanest tragedy, Macbeth with Ralph Fiennes and Indira Varma, May 2 and 5 only, following its highly acclaimed U.K. tour. It was filmed live at Dock X in London especially for cinemas. Tony and BAFTA Award-winner Fiennes (Antony & Cleopatra, Schindler’s List, Coriolanus) and Olivier Award-winner Indira Varma (Present Laughter, Game of Thrones, Luther) star in this brand-new ‘full-voltage visceral’ (★★★★ Daily Telegraph) production of the Scottish play. Designed for a custom-built space, this gripping and breathtaking play about the couple utterly corrupted by their relentless lust for power is unmissable on the big screen. By the end of the run in London and following seasons in Liverpool and Edinburgh, this production played to sell-out audiences of over 100,000 people at 110 performances. We’ll show Macbeth at our Claremont, Glendale, Santa Monica, Newhall and Encino theaters.

Directed by Simon Godwin (Antony & Cleopatra, Romeo & Juliet, Hansard) with set and costume design by Frankie Bradshaw (Jerusalem, Blues for an Alabama Sky), this stunning production brings ‘Shakespeare’s tragedy pulsing into the present day’ (★★★★★ The I).

Regard this clip. It really gives one a (bloody) taste of what awaits:

Joining Ralph Fiennes as Macbeth and Indira Varma as Lady Macbeth are Ben Allen as Ross, Ewan Black as Malcolm, Levi Brown as Angus, Jonathon Case as Seyton, Danielle Fiamanya as Second Witch, Keith Fleming as King Duncan/Siward, Michael Hodgson as Second Murderer, Lucy Mangan as First Witch, Jake Neads as First Murderer/Donalbain, Richard Pepper as Lennox, Steffan Rhodri as Banquo, Rose Riley as Menteith, Lola Shalam as Third Witch, Rebecca Scroggs as Lady Macduff/Doctor, Ethan Thomas as Fleance, and Ben Turner as Macduff.

‘Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story’ Q&As at the Royal and Glendale.

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Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story LAEMMLE PANELS

ROYAL:

4/25 Thursday 7:30

Q&A with 

Jennifer Takaki / Director

George Hirose / Executive Producer 

Linda Lew Woo / Producer

Moderated by: Jeff Yang / Author and Friend of Corky Lee

GLENDALE:

4/26 Friday 4:30 

Informal Q&A with 

Jennifer Takaki / Director

George Hirose / Executive Producer 

Linda Lew Woo / Producer

4/27 Saturday 4:30

Q&A with 

Jennifer Takaki / Director

George Hirose / Executive Producer 

Linda Lew Woo / Producer

Moderated by: Chris M. Kwok / Community Organizer

4/28 Sunday 4:30

Informal Q&A with 

Jennifer Takaki / Director

George Hirose / Executive Producer 

Linda Lew Woo / Producer

Anniversary screenings of Claire Denis’s debut, “a film of infinite delicacy,” CHOCOLAT.

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The next film in our Anniversary Classics Abroad series is Claire Denis’s intense 1988 debut feature, Chocolat, screening April 24 at our Claremont, Encino, Glendale, Newhall and West L.A. theaters. Denis drew on her own childhood experiences growing up in colonial French Africa for her visually beautiful, multilayered, languorously absorbing movie. She explores many of the themes that would recur throughout her work. Returning to the town where she grew up in Cameroon after many years living in France, a white woman (Mireille Perrier) reflects on her relationship with Protée (Isaach De Bankolé), a Black servant with whom she formed a friendship while not fully grasping the racial divides that governed their worlds.

Roger Ebert was quick to identify Chocolat as a major accomplishment. His review is worth reading in full, but here’s its final paragraph:

“Chocolat is one of those rare films with an entirely mature, adult sensibility; it is made with the complexity and subtlety of a great short story, and it assumes an audience that can understand what a strong flow of sex can exist between two people who barely even touch each other. It is a deliberately beautiful film – many of the frames create breathtaking compositions – but it is not a travelogue and it is not a love story. It is about how racism can prevent two people from looking each other straight in the eyes, and how they punish each other for the pain that causes them. This is one of the best films of the year.”
Denis was nominated for several major prizes for Chocolat: the Palme d’Or at Cannes, the Best First Feature at the César Awards, and the Best Foreign Language Film prize by the New York Film Critics Circle. Some of her later career highlights include Beau Travail, High Life, White Material and 35 Shots of Rum.

“The deal Mr. Haffmann tries to strike is wild. But they were wild times, and nothing was normal.” Daniel Auteuil on his new film FAREWELL, MR. HAFFMANN.

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French star Daniel Auteuil (Caché, Jean de Florette, The Well-Digger’s Daughter, many more) stars in Farewell, Mr. Haffmann as a talented Jewish jeweler in Nazi-occupied Paris who arranges for his family to flee the city and offers one of his employees (Gilles Lellouche) the opportunity to take over his store until the conflict subsides. When his own escape is thwarted, he has to rely on his employee to protect him. We open the film this Friday at the Royal and Town Center.

M. Auteuil recently sat for an interview about Farewell, Mr. Haffmann:

WHO IS JOSEPH HAFFMANN AT THE BEGINNING OF THE FILM?

He is a man whose sole purpose is to save the lives of himself and his family. He is hunted, in danger, and the whole situation is closing in on him. But I’d say that deep down, his purpose is the same as that of François (Gilles Lellouche): both men are obsessed with their children. The children Haffmann hopes to see again, and the one François hopes to have.

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE WHAT HAPPENS BETWEEN THE TWO MEN?

It’s a relationship where the power dynamic immediately shifts. It’s what I liked when I first read the script. The deal Mr. Haffmann tries to strike is wild. But they were wild times, and nothing was normal. There was no “normal” behavior. It was the law of survival. War and danger create a context in which you react however you can to the crazy violence around you. When Haffmann comes up from the basement, he “acts crazy.” He can’t take it anymore. Because there is a moment when people who are persecuted want to revolt. Even if it puts their lives on the line. Anyway, that’s how I experienced it… or how I acted it!

THE FILM IS SHOT BASICALLY ON ONE SET, AND CENTERS ON THE INTIMACY OF THE THREE MAIN CHARACTERS. WERE YOU AFRAID TO BE IN SUCH CLOSE QUARTERS?

Not at all! There are wonderful examples like Claude Miller’s GARDE À VUE (THE INQUISITOR) where Lino Ventura and Michel Serrault face off in a room throughout the entire film. It’s more of a challenge for directors, who need to find more ideas for shots, than it is for actors. And we shot in a studio. When I was young, I preferred shooting on location, but certain films work better in studio. Farewell, Mr. Haffmann is one of them. We are more concentrated on these characters, who are obliged to dig within themselves. And Fred Cavayé hones things down up until the very last minute. He is constantly streamlining his writing. He removes more than he adds. He pares down, cuts to the bone. It’s amazing because it gives the actors more room to let themselves go in front of the camera.

HAFFMANN IS NOT AT ALL TALKATIVE. HE ONLY SAYS THE STRICT MINIMUM. DO YOU ENJOY ACTING SILENCES AND PREGNANT STARES?

Not particularly. I play the score I’m given. What can I say? I’m alone in a basement, so…! But it’s true I’ve been told that before, especially for Claude Sautet’s A HEART IN WINTER. I often heard: “You don’t say much, but your eyes.” And when I saw the movie, I realized I was speaking all the time. But it’s not what people remembered …

SARA GIRAUDEAU REFERS TO YOUR EXTREME CALM ON THE SET. IS THAT ALWAYS THE CASE OR WAS YOUR CHARACTER THAT CALLED FOR IT?

Well, I know I’m going to be spending 12 hours doing the same thing over and over, so I try to go about it as serenely as possible! And it’s a pleasure for me to be there. Film shoots are a privilege. They allow me to work in good conditions. I love the atmosphere on sets, love watching the actors and the crew. When you work in cinema, you’re protected from the outside world. But I must say that is calming. But sometimes, actors do become their characters, unconsciously. Haffmann’s discretion, his silent presence, may have rubbed off on me…

THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU’VE ACTED WITH GILLES LELLOUCHE…

Yes, and I accepted the film because I knew who my partners were. It was wonderful to witness Gilles’ enthusiasm, his method, his search, his questioning… He overflows with an energy that I must now try to preserve. Everyone on the set was extremely absorbed, focused. There was a lot of pleasure in doing as we were doing it. That’s already pretty good, right?

Woody Allen’s acclaimed 50th movie, COUP DE CHANCE, opens April 5.

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We open Woody Allen’s French film Coup de Chance April 5 at the Claremont, Monica Film Center and Town Center. The Paris-set romantic comedy-thriller follows the seemingly happily married Fanny (Lou de Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud). But when Fanny accidentally bumps into Alain (Niels Schneider), a former high school classmate, things take a turn. Critics have lauded the movie:
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“The film has a jaunty tone of deadpan glee, abetted by its soundtrack of ’60s jazz nuggets …the movie is absorbing, thrilling, and cheekily satisfying…as a culture, I wouldn’t be too surprised if we found ourselves debating whether the time has come to give Woody Allen, as a filmmaker, another coup de chance.” ~ Owen Gleiberman, Variety
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“Woody Allen’s 50th movie is striking and looks superb.” ~ Stephanie Bunbury, Deadline

“It’s a tight 90-minute murder mystery with a surprise ending that will blow you away.” ~ Roger Friedman, Showbiz 411

“Allen’s trademark philosophical asides and well-tuned one-liners fit neatly into French …Vittorio Storaro’s amber lighting setups nicely burnish the film’s languid stretches of love in the afternoon.” ~ Ben Croll, TheWrap

“Coup de Chance is indeed the best thing that Allen has made in years, certainly since Blue Jasmine in 2013.” ~ Kevin Maher, Times (UK)
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“A mischievous thriller.” ~ Caroline Vié, 20 Minutes
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“Lou de Laâge is a perfect Allenian heroine, spicy and irresistible.” ~ Barbara Théate, Le Journal du Dimanche
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“Coup de Chance is the 50th film Allen has ­directed and one of his best. It was made in France and is, to all intents and purposes, a French movie.” ~ David Stratton, The Australian
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“A tight and effective French-language thriller that is also, among other things, the world’s longest mother-in-law joke.” ~ Glenn Kenny, RogerEbert.com
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“Coup de Chance is not a major reinvention, but it does have more spirit and joie de vivre than anything Allen has done in a while.” ~ Jonathan Romney, Screen International

“Given his otherwise grim recent form, Allen himself may have simply got lucky with this one, but the charm and sparkle here are real.” ~ Robbie Collin, Daily Telegraph (UK)