The Official Blog of Laemmle Theatres.

blog.laemmle.com

The official blog of Laemmle Theatres

Home » Theater Buzz » Playhouse 7 » Page 64

THE RAPE OF EUROPA: The L.A. Times’ Kenneth Turan on this Essential Documentary

by

Posted this afternoon on the L.A. Times website:

MOVIES NOW

FILMS: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE

Critic’s Pick: The feature film ‘The Monuments Men’ has brought about the re-release of the documentary “The Rape of Europa,’ which details the Nazi wartime theft of European art.

By Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times Film Critic

If George Clooney’s “The Monuments Men” did nothing else, it made possible the theatrical re-release of “The Rape of Europa,” a splendid documentary that shows the true story behind the Nazi theft of European art and interviews some of the real-life Monuments Men who got it back. The film is packed with information and also tells a series of wonderful truth-is-stranger-than-fiction tales. “The Rape of Europa” even details the postwar fights about who owns which paintings that culminated in the sale of Gustav Klimt’s gold portrait for a record $135 million. This documentary paints a picture that is vivid and timely. Playing on Saturday and Sunday at [11 AM at] Laemmle’s Monica 4 in Santa Monica, Town Center 5 in Encino, Playhouse 7 in Pasadena and Claremont 5 in Claremont.

Adolf HItler was drawn to art. “The Rape of Europa” details Nazi looting of Europe’s works. (Lynn Nicholas Collection / Agon Arts & Entertainment)

 

 

OMAR ~ Q&A with Writer-Director, Star and Co-Star

by

Two-time Oscar-nominated writer-director Hany Abu-Assad, star Adam Bakri and co-star Eyad Hourani will participate in a Q&A after the 7:20 PM screening of OMAR at the Playhouse on Thursday, March 6.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VngXAjsDzDs

Movie and a Meal: Follow THE LUNCHBOX with a Visit to an Indian Restaurant

by

This scene from THE GODFATHER always makes me want Italian food. And that’s just one scene. Films in which food is a major part of the plot are a beloved genre all their own. Time will tell, but the new Indian movie THE LUNCHBOX may join the ranks of other great foodie movies like BABETTE’S FEAST, BIG NIGHT and LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE. We at Laemmle Theatres humbly recommend you try preceding lunch or dinner at one of the many Indian restaurants near our theaters by taking in THE LUNCHBOX to whet your appetite. Here are some close by:

Fourteen minute walk west down Santa Monica Blvd. from the Royal: All India Cafe

Across the street from the Playhouse (where we open THE LUNCHBOX this Friday): Sitar Indian Cuisine

Two minute walk west down Ventura Blvd. from the Town Center (where we open THE LUNCHBOX this Friday): Anarbagh

Or choose one of your personal favorites. Bon appetit!

 

OMAR and BETHLEHEM: “Two Films, One Issue”

by

Recently posted on the Jewish Exponent site, an excellent think piece about two films — OMAR, from Palestine, which we are currently screening, and BETHLEHEM, from Israel, which we open Friday. They are both terrific films and both tell stories with the same basic subject matter from different sides of the conflict. The piece is by Greg Salisbury:

Israeli Politics at the Oscars: Two Films, One Issue

February 26, 2014

At the 86th Academy Awards ceremonies on March 2, a film about the morally ambiguous and lethal world inhabited by Palestinian informants and their Israeli handlers will be one of the five nominees for Best Foreign Language Film. Win or lose, the evening will cap a successful year in which the film has won awards across the world.

The film in question is not Bethlehem, Israel’s entry, by first-time director Yuval Adler, which recently won six Ophirs, the Israeli equivalent of the Oscars, as well as the top prize at the 2013 Venice Film Festival. It is Omar, the Palestinian submission, directed by Hany Abu-Assad, which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2013 Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival. Abu-Assad was also nominated in 2006 for his film Paradise Now, about a pair of Palestinians preparing to become suicide bombers.
Both films, with two different viewpoints of the same controversial subject, are among the record 76 submissions from countries looking to take home a statuette. Only the voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences know why one of these films was selected and not the other — the “arts” part of the academy’s name underscores the subjective nature of judging what is best about the form.
Sahdi Marei as Sanfur in BETHLEHEM

 

BEA HUSMAN: BEATIFICA Comes to NoHo 7

by

Join us for the NoHo 7’s first art gallery opening and the second installment of Laemmle’s ART IN THE ARTHOUSE program!  At select Laemmle Theatre locations, you’ll soon be enjoying fine works by visual artists in our lobbies and on your way to the auditorium.

BEA HUSMAN: BEATIFICA opens this coming Wednesday, February 26, 6-9pm.  To join us for the opening celebration, RSVP HERE.

This extraordinary exhibit uncovers the work of BEA HUSMAN (1915-2011), an iconoclast who translated her world travels into inspired artworks in a variety of media. Rarely exhibited during her lifetime, Husman produced art for the sheer pleasure of it, resulting in a legacy unsullied by the marketplace and a body of work that exudes joy and lyricism.

Husman, a fashion designer turned artist, discovered the Intaglio process in the 1970s and soon a printing press and metal plates for etching and engraving became part of her studio, alongside large easel, oil, and acrylic paints. In turn, this led to an interest in paper-making, and, circa 1980, Husman made her way to Kyoto, Japan for a paper-making class with DAVID HOCKNEY. Upon her return, she began utilizing both paper and print making disciplines to create breathtaking collage pieces that incorporated fabrics, string, torn sections of prints, found objects, and coarse, handmade papers.

As she matured as an artist, Husman exhibited an uncanny ability to weave together her myriad influences, including explorations of remote cultures, to create pieces of increasing sophistication.  She died in 2011 at 96. leaving  a treasure trove of never-before-seen work for the public to discover.

—————————————-
About ART IN THE ARTHOUSE:

Art in the Arthouse is the brainchild of Laemmle president, Greg Laemmle. Switching to digital poster frames conserves both paper and wall space, creating the opportunity to extend the cultural scope of our theaters to include the visual fine arts.

By reclaiming wall space throughout our theaters for the display of fine art, patrons will have a chance to bond with notable and emerging L.A. based visual artists and their work. Proceeds from the sale of art benefit the activities of the Laemmle Charitable Foundation.

 

A Plethora of Oscar-Nominated Docs and Shorts on the Big Screen

by

Last year was a great movie year and we’re still enjoying the cream of the Oscar-nominated crop. Moviegoers still have time to catch many of the documentaries and shorts in all their big-screen glory before filling out their Oscar ballots, either at work or with Laemmle. This weekend we’re opening the live action, animated and documentary shorts and if you haven’t yet enjoyed the doc features THE SQUARE, TWENTY FEET FROM STARDOM or CUTIE AND THE BOXER, we’re playing those too! It’s a splendid time to be a cinephile.

From THE SQUARE

L.A. Times Interview: “Filmmaker flashes back to her ’90s girlhood in Georgia for IN BLOOM”

by

From today’s L.A. Times:

Filmmaker flashes back to her ’90s girlhood in Georgia for IN BLOOM

Nana Ekvtimishvili recalls things being even worse than depicted in her movie IN BLOOM, which is set in a newly independent Georgia. She and husband/co-filmmaker Simon Gross discuss the film.

By Susan King

“In Bloom,” the foreign language film Oscar submission from Georgia, revolves around two 14-year-old girls coming of age in 1992. Best friends Eka and Natia live in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, a newly independent country after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but independence hasn’t made life any easier.

There’s violence and unrest, with justice doled out vigilante style. Food is scarce and bread lines are long. And a lot of young girls don’t even get the opportunity to be teenagers because they are kidnapped by men and forced into marriage.

Nana Ekvtimishvili, who was raised in Tbilisi, wrote the film, which opens Friday, and co-directed it with her German-born husband, Simon Gross. The two met in Munich, Germany, as film students and currently live and work in Tbilisi.

Read the interview on the L.A. Times website.

Filmmakers Nana Ekvtimishvili and Simon Gross of IN BLOOM

Climate Ride with Greg Laemmle and Win a 2014 Movie Pass

by

Last year’s Ride with Greg Laemmle Climate Ride Contest was so successful we’re doing it again!

Tell us why you want to ride with Greg and you could win an Unlimited Laemmle Movie Pass for the remainder of 2014, free registration for Climate Ride California, and a $2500 contribution toward your Climate Ride fundraising goal from the Laemmle Charitable Foundation.  See the second and third prize packages, eligibility requirements, and all contest details over on the contest entry page.

An outside panel of judges will select the winners based on the quality of their entry statement so take the time to craft something that’ll really knock their cycling socks off! But don’t wait too long, the deadline for entry is Monday, February 17!

Climate Ride Wine Country 2014 is a fully-supported, four-day group ride covering 250 miles of stellar Northern California scenery starting in San Francisco and winding through the famous wine growing regions of Napa Valley and the Russian River Valley.  It culminates at the iconic state capitol building in Sacramento.  Bike fitness is recommended, but the ride caters to all levels of ability.

You can listen to Greg Laemmle talk about Climate Ride on KPFK’s Bike Talk here. He was joined by past Climate Riders, Ride Director Blake Holiday, and LA County Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Jennifer Klausner.

ENTER HERE