The gifted British actor Stephen Fry first came to the attention of American audiences with his role as the title character in the 1997 bio-pic Wilde. He has enjoyed a brilliant career ever since, and not just in films. One of his novels has just been adapted into a feature film.
The Hippopotamus is the story of a poet who is summoned to his friend’s country manor to investigate a series of unexplained miracles. Three-time Olivier Award-winner Roger Allam (Endeavor, The Queen, V for Vendetta) stars as the disgruntled, cantankerous, semi-famous poet Ted Wallace who is hired to investigate strange doings at Lord and Lady Logan’s country manor, Swafford Hall. Golden Globe Winner Matthew Modine (Stranger Things, Short Cuts, Full Metal Jacket) plays the stupendously rich and gregarious Lord Michael Logan. Fiona Shaw (five Harry Potter movies) co-stars as the doting mother Lady Logan. Tim McInnerny (Notting Hill, Game of Thrones) plays the flamboyant and gullible theater director Oliver Mills. The film is directed by John Jencks and produced by Jay Taylor and Alexa Seligman.
Each The Hippopotamus screening will include an exclusive post-screening Q&A with Stephen Fry, actor Roger Allam, and director John Jencks which was captured live on May 28, 2017. The Hippopotamus screens at 7:30pm on Wednesday, June 28th at the Playhouse, Town Center, and Ahrya Fine Arts. Click here for tickets.
In the course of the last 4 years, the distinguished musicians of Street Symphony have presented nearly 200 free, live musical engagements with the Los Angeles community, presenting events in Skid Row, the greater Los Angeles Area and the LA County Jails. They bring jazz. They bring gypsy music. They bring the works of Schumann, Schubert and Mendelssohn. They bring music to lift up the brave stories and voices of people who, although living in an impoverished situation, are in no way impoverished in spirit.
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 50th anniversary screening of 
In adapting the book, Brooks (the Oscar-winning writer-director of such films as The Blackboard Jungle, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Elmer Gantry, and Sweet Bird of Youth) resolved to be as faithful as possible to Capote’s chronicle, even filming in many of the actual locations where the events took place. With Capote’s encouragement, Brooks cast unknown actors as the two killers, and the performances of Robert Blake as Smith and Scott Wilson as Hickok earned critical raves. More established actors John Forsythe, Paul Stewart, and Will Geer filled out the supporting cast. Brooks also bucked the industry practice and decided to shoot the film in black-and-white at a time when color cinematography had become virtually mandatory for big-studio films.
