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Kurosawa’s RAN, beautifully restored in 4K, opens March 18th at the Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills

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They don’t make them like Akira Kurosawa’s magisterial RAN anymore, but the truth is, they didn’t really make them like this regal epic back then either.

– Kenneth Turan, LA Times

Laemmle and Rialto Pictures are proud to present a stunning 4k restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s RAN beginning March 18th at the Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills. Also starting March 18th is the re-release of AK, Chris Marker’s (La Jetée) Kurosawa documentary filmed during the production of RAN.

In 1985, the production of RAN was possible thanks to a French-Japanese collaboration and 30 years later, Studiocanal and Kadokawa replicated this partnership to restore the film. The majority of the restoration work was done manually image by image, based on an original negative. Color grading was approved by Masaharu Ueda, one of RAN’s three cinematographers and a close associate of Kurosawa’s. The 4K restoration premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

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RAN (literally, “chaos” or “turmoil”) brings together the great themes and gorgeous images of the director’s life work. A brilliantly conceived meditation on Shakespeare’s King Lear, crossed with Japan’s 16th-century civil wars, it stars the great Tatsuya Nakadai (Kagemusha, High and Low, Yojimbo) as Lord Hidetora Ichimonji, an aging ruler who decides to abdicate and divide his land equally among his three sons, unleashing an intense power struggle. A spectacular adventure punctuated by epic battle scenes with breathtaking color and a visual splendor that remains unparalleled. Kurosawa storyboarded the entire film in watercolors ten years before production began.

Click here to purchase tickets to RAN.

Click here to purchase tickets to AK.

Laemmle’s 2016 Predict the Oscars Contest Winners

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Every year we award movie passes to our customers who most accurately predict the Oscars in all 24 categories and every year we stress the importance of the tie-breaker question. For the second year in a row there was a five-way tie! Yes, five people correctly predicted 19 out of 24 categories. Placement on our imaginary podium was then determined by how accurately they predicted the length of the Oscar ceremony (217 minutes). Best Picture, Supporting Actor, and Animated Short proved to be the most difficult categories to predict.

Fourth and fifth place will also receive a premiere card– it wouldn’t feel right to send them away empty-handed after coming so close!


Congratulations to the winners!

1st) Joel B. – $150 Premiere Card
2nd) Raymond W. – $100 Premiere Card
3rd) Dan K. – $50 Premiere Card
4th) Gideon L. – $40 Premiere Card
5th) Leslie L. – $25 Premiere Card

March Mobness: Classic Mob Films Every Throwback Thursday in March at the Laemmle NoHo!

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Join Laemmle and  Eat|See|Hear for March Mobness, a month-long Throwback Thursday (#TBT) celebration  of classic Mob films! For tickets and our full #TBT schedule, visit laemmle.com/tbt!

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March 3: GOODFELLAS

Martin Scorsese brilliantly explores the life of organized crime with his gritty, kinetic adaptation of Nicolas Pileggi’s best-selling Wiseguy, the true-life account of mobster and FBI informant Henry Hill. Set to a terrific rock soundtrack, the story follows Hill, a half-Irish, half-Sicilian New York kid who grows up idolizing the “wise guys” in his Brooklyn neighborhood. Buy Tickets.

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March 10: MILLER’S CROSSING

Joel Coen’s and Ethan Coen’s third film is a dark, moody gangland epic. The typically complex Coen plot centers on the machinations of Leo (Albert Finney), the tough Irish mob boss, and his partner-in-crime Tom (Gabriel Byrne). Buy Tickets.

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March 17: CITY OF GOD

A shocking, disturbing and utterly compelling look at life in the slums of Rio de Janiero. Stretched over 15 years, from the late 1960s to the early 1980s, the story focuses on two boys who grow up taking very different paths. Buy Tickets.

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March 24: SCARFACE

Brian De Palma’s blood-and-sun-drenched saga of a Cuban deportee’s rise to the top of Miami’s cocaine business is referenced in rap songs, subsequent gangster movies, and quoted the world over. Al Pacino stars as Tony Montana, whose intelligence, guts, and ambition help him skyrocket from dishwasher to the top of a criminal empire. Buy Tickets.

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March 31: THE GODFATHER PART II

Francis Ford Coppola’s legendary sequel to his landmark 1972 film The Godfather parallels the young Vito Corleone’s rise with his son Michael’s spiritual fall, deepening The Godfather’s depiction of the dark side of the American dream. Buy Tickets.

#TBT runs every single Thursday night at the Laemmle NoHo 7 in North Hollywood. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased online at http://laemmle.com/tbt or at the Laemmle NoHo 7. As with regular screenings, discounts are available for children, seniors, and Laemmle Premiere Card holders. Films begin promptly at 7:30pm.

Watch the trailers for all March Mobness movies:

Laemmle’s Umpteenth Annual Oscar Contest

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UPDATE: Winners Announced!

oscars-bgIt’s that time again! The person who most accurately predicts the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s choices in all 24 categories, from the shorts to Best Motion Picture, will win fabulous prizes (free movies and concessions at Laemmle)!

First place wins a Laemmle Premiere Card worth $150. Second place wins a Laemmle Premiere Card worth $100. Third place wins a Laemmle Premiere Card worth $50. Entries are due by 10AM the morning of the awards ceremony on February 28th.

Not sure what a Laemmle Premiere Card is? Think of it like a prepaid gift card for yourself! Use it to pay for movie tickets and concessions. Plus, Premiere Card holders receive $2 off movie tickets and 20% off concessions. To find out more, visit www.laemmle.com/premiere-cards.

We’ve got some smart cookies for customers so we have a tie-breaker question: you also have to guess the show’s running time. HINT: Take the tie-breaker seriously!

Take a crack at it! Good luck!

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‘GKIDS Animated 8’ Retrospective Features Eight Oscar-nominated Animated Films and a Chance to Win an Amazing Animated Film Prize Package

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Animated8_finalWe are pleased to present the GKIDS ANIMATED 8 series at our Ahrya Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills. From February 12th through the 18th, we will screen eight Academy Award-Nominated animated feature films including two of this year’s nominees, BOY AND THE WORLD and WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE. Rounding out the eight are THE SECRET OF KELLS, SONG OF THE SEA, THE TALE OF PRINCESS KAGUYA, ERNEST & CELESTINE, A CAT IN PARIS, and CHICO & RITA. Click here to see the full schedule and to purchase tickets.

Thanks to our friends at GKIDS, we’re giving away TWO amazing prize packages sure to excite any fan of animated film. Earn contest entries by completing the tasks below. The more tasks you complete, the more chances you have to win!

'GKIDS Animated 8' Blu-ray Set and Collectibles Giveaway

PRIZES:

One Runner up will receive a GKIDS MOVIE PACK which includes BluRay/DVDs of The Secret of Kells, A Cat in Paris, Chico & Rita, Ernest & Celestine, Song of the Sea, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and When Marnie Was There.

One Grand prize winner will receive the GKIDS SUPER-FAN PACK which includes the GKIDS MOVIE PACK plus:

  • Limited Edition Song of the Sea Print signed by director Tomm Moore
  • Song of the Sea T-Shirt
  • The Tale of Princess Kaguya Folder
  • The Tale of Princess Kaguya Bamboo Keychain
  • When Marnie Was There Notebook & Pencils
  • When Marnie Was There Necklace
  • When Marnie Was There/The Tale of Princess Kaguya Postcards
  • Ernest & Celestine Sticker Sheets
  • Ernest & Celestine Coloring Book
  • Ernest & Celestine Temporary Tattoos

Best of luck and enjoy!

Santa Clarita: Voice Your Laemmle Support at the City Council Vote on 2/9/16 at 6PM

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As our loyal Santa Clarita Valley fans know, we’re in negotiations with the City of Santa Clarita to bring a Laemmle Theatre to Old Town Newhall at the empty city-owned block at the corner of Railroad Avenue and Lyons Avenue.

On Tuesday February 9th, 2016, at 6 PM in the Santa Clarita City Hall there will be an important City Council vote on our project and we hope you’ll attend. Skip to meeting details.

Our proposed project will include a two-story, 7-screen theatre, ground floor retail space, and an outdoor space on the second level. It’s estimated to draw between 150,000 to 200,000 people per year to the Old Town Newhall district.

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The City Council will vote on the terms of the public-private partnership between the city and Laemmle Theatres. Similar partnerships in Pasadena, North Hollywood, and Claremont have already proven successful. We encourage everyone to visit one of these venues to experience firsthand the vibrant neighborhood feel projects like ours help shape.

Public support and outreach for the project and at the meeting is critical. You can help by attending. Supporters wishing to speak should fill out speaking cards. Alternativley, you can submit written comment cards before the meeting starts.

The Santa Clarita City Council meeting is scheduled for 6pm on Tuesday, February 9th:

Santa Clarita City Hall
23920 Valencia Blvd.
Santa Clarita, CA 91355 (map)

You can also email your local Councilmembers in advance so they have written evidence that the community supports our project. Here are their email addresses:

Please share this post with any other community members interested in voicing their opinion on this exciting project!

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For more on the project and the importance of community support, read the full statement from our partners at Serrano Development Group.

Photo Gallery: The All New Laemmle Monica Film Center

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If you haven’t had a chance to visit our newly opened Monica Film Center, you’re missing out! It looks fantastic and fellow movie nerds have already said it feels like home.

But what’s a movie theater without movies, right? Well, we’re off to a great start on that front as well! The latest Coen brothers film HAIL, CAESAR! opens this Friday. TROUBLEMAKERS: THE STORY OF LAND ART also starts Friday and the film’s director will participate in a Q&A following the 7:20PM show opening night. ANOMALISA, THE LADY IN THE VAN, and THE 2016 OSCAR NOMINATED SHORT DOCS will continue through next week. Thursday is the last day to catch the Oscar-nominated foreign films, THEEB and MUSTANG.

We invite you stop by if you’re in the neighborhood, even if you don’t have time to see a movie. Need more convincing? Take a look at these photos!

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Starburst Lights Mezzanine

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The Laemmle Monica Film Center Opens Friday, January 29th!

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UPDATE 1: Online tickets are now available. Go to and bookmark http://www.laemmle.com/theaters/3 for titles, showtimes, and more.

UPDATE 2: We’re open!

The wait is nearly over! After almost two years of development and construction, the all new Laemmle Monica Film Center opens this Friday, January 29th!

Second floor mezzanine. Chandelier coming soon.
Second floor mezzanine. Chandelier coming soon.

The Monica Theatre on 2nd Street has been a fixture in the Santa Monica arts scene for 44 years – first as the “Monica Twin” and since 1981 as the “Monica 4-Plex.” Now, after a complete rebuild, the venue’s storied past projects to an even brighter future.

The Monica Film Center now has six auditoriums, all with digital projection, comfy seating, and optimally proportioned, intimate viewing. Adjacent to the two auditoriums upstairs is a mezzanine lounge. In a first for us, visitors will soon be able to order beer and wine from the concession stand.

Later this year, Flower Child will open in the ground-floor restaurant space. A second restaurant, to be announced, will open on the rooftop deck.

Online tickets are available now. The films opening Friday are:

THE 2016 OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
ANOMALISA
THE LADY IN THE VAN
MUSTANG
THEEB

Thank you for your patience! We think you’ll agree that it has been worth the wait!

Be sure to follow @laemmle and @laemmlemonica on Twitter. You can also find us on Facebook at Laemmle Theatres and Laemmle Monica Film Center. Let’s not forget Instagram where we’re @laemmletheatres.

Quick tour of the Monica Film Center! Set to open Friday! #santamonica #sneakpreview #Laemmle

A video posted by Laemmle Theatres (@laemmletheatres) on


We will update this post with pictures, more details, and links to buy tickets soon!