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Home » Theater Buzz » Santa Monica » Page 66

Update: The Monica Film Center is Coming Soon… For Realsies!

November 25, 2015 by Lamb L.

The much-anticipated and oft-delayed Laemmle Monica Film Center is nearing completion. We aim to reopen this December!

Now, there’s still work to do and inspections to perform so we can’t announce a specific date just yet. Rest assured, once a date is finalized, we’ll announce it here (https://blog.laemmle.com). Check back regularly or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for updates.

Greg Laemmle is planning a live video walkthrough of the theater via Periscope. Download the app now and follow @laemmle and @greglaemmle to make sure you don’t miss it.

We appreciate your patience and promise it’ll be worth the wait. We submit these photos as proof of said worth. Enjoy!

View from 2nd Street.
View from 2nd Street.
Original render of view from 2nd Street.
Coming soon: Popcorn.
Second floor lobby. Perfect for pre and post screening parties.
Comfy seats tested and approved by Mrs. Laemmle!
View from roof-top deck. Restaurant/bar coming Summer 2016!
View from roof-top deck. Restaurant/bar coming Summer 2016!

The Monica 4-plex closed last year for a major overhaul. It will reopen as the MONICA FILM CENTER with six auditoriums, two restaurants, and an ocean view. We’re now hiring.

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Filed Under: News, Santa Monica

Win tickets to a Halloween screening of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at the Walt Disney Concert Hall

October 19, 2015 by Lamb L.

UPDATE: Winners have been drawn and emailed. Details below!

It’s “Horror in the Hall” this Halloween as the silent classic, DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, is accompanied live by Clark Wilson on the Walt Disney Concert Hall’s monster organ.

jekyllParamount’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, directed by John S. Robertson and produced by Famous Players-Lasky, was the first of three film treatments of Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novella produced in 1920. It starred John Barrymore as the fatally split personalities, and featured Martha Mansfield and Nita Naldi as their love interests, roles based on a stage treatment, not the original story.

Four winners (selected at random) will each receive a pair of tickets to DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE. As a bonus, winners will also receive two tickets to Laemmle’s very own pre-Halloween double feature of THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) & ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN (1948) on Friday, 10/30 at the Ahrya Fine Arts in Beverly Hills. Good luck!

Enter below!

Halloween at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Ticket Giveaway

Special thanks to the LA Phil for making these tickets available to our customers! If you don’t win, please consider purchasing tickets here.

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Filed Under: Ahrya Fine Arts, Around Town, Contests, Music Hall 3, News, Royal, Santa Monica, Town Center 5

It’s Not Too Late to See Oscar Nominees and Enter Our Oscar Contest

February 18, 2015 by Lamb L.

The Academy Awards air this Sunday which means entries for our Umpteenth Annual Oscar Contest are due Sunday morning. The person who most accurately predicts the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s choices wins ten pairs of passes, second place wins eight pairs and third place wins six pairs.

The best way to up your Oscar game is to see the nominees. Watching THE 2015 OSCAR-NOMINATED SHORTS ANIMATED, DOCUMENTARY, and LIVE ACTION will certainly put you ahead of the pack.

Best Foreign Film nominees LEVIATHAN and TIMBUKTU expand to Claremont and NoHo this Friday. IDA is playing in Beverly Hills. Unfortunately, WILD TALES and TANGERINES won’t be released prior to the awards.

Other nominees of note still playing at one or more of our theatres include: SONG OF THE SEA, STILL ALICE, WHIPLASH, CITIZENFOUR, TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT, THE IMITATION GAME, AMERICAN SNIPER, and more.

BONUS TIP: Take the tie-breaker question seriously!

ENTER HERE

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Filed Under: Claremont 5, Contests, Music Hall 3, NoHo 7, Playhouse 7, Royal, Santa Monica, Town Center 5

Ride with Greg Laemmle and Win a 2015 Movie Pass

January 7, 2015 by Lamb L.

It’s time for our 3rd Annual Ride with Greg Laemmle Climate Ride Contest!  Don’t miss your chance to participate in this life-altering event.  Last year our team was 14 strong and we’re expecting to surpass that number for 2015.  Join us and become part of our amazing group!

What’s more, tell us why you want to ride with Greg and you could win an Unlimited Laemmle Movie Pass for the remainder of 2015, 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 16!

Climate Ride California 2015 is a fully-supported, five-day group ride covering approx. 300 miles of stellar Northern California scenery starting with the awe-inspiring Redwood State Park,  down miles of spectacular coastline, through California wine growing country, and culminating with a jaunt over the Golden Gate Bridge and into the City By the Bay.  Bike fitness is recommended, but the ride caters to all levels of ability.

ENTER HERE

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Filed Under: Around Town, Claremont 5, Contests, Fallbrook 7, Music Hall 3, News, NoHo 7, Playhouse 7, Royal, Santa Monica, Sunset 5, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

Fiddler Sing-Along Hosts Announced for Next Week!

December 18, 2014 by Lamb L.

 

This coming Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Broadway production with our 7th Annual Fiddler On the Roof Sing-Along!

Join us (at any of our venues) for our traditional, yet non-traditional Christmas Eve experience as we sing along with Tevye and the shtetl to iconic favorites like “Tradition”, “If I Were a Rich Man”, “Matchmaker”, “To Life”, “Sunrise Sunset” and many others.

GET TICKETS to the event before it sells out!

In addition to movie and song, the audience will be regaled with Fiddler history and trivia, with prizes being awarded to Fiddler buffs with the quickest recall. In this “anything goes” event, attendees are encouraged to come dressed up as their favorite characters.  Who knows, perhaps the host will award prizes for best costume as well!

Speaking of the host, each location will feature an emcee that will lend their distinctive personality to the proceedings. Here’s the rundown:

– NoHo 7 will be hosted by our very own GREG LAEMMLE, originator of the Fiddler Sing-Along tradition!

FOOD ALERT: The Deli Doctor food truck will be outside the NoHo 7 to satisfy all your cravings!

– The Royal will be hosted  by award-winning arts journalist and author BARBARA ISENBERG.  Barbara’s most recent book (just released by St. Martin’s Press) happens to be Tradition!, a definitive history and account of the Fiddler phenomenon.  You won’t want to miss Barbara and her stories!

BOOK ALERT: Barbara will be signing copies of TRADITION! at the Royal, where they will also be for sale.  Plus, we will be giving away a signed copy of the book at each of the locations as a Trivia Prize.

– Town Center audiences will laugh along with comedian and cantor KENNY ELLIS from Temple Beth Ami in Santa Clarita.  Kenny has performed around the globe and can also be caught locally at the Laugh Factory in Hollywood.

– The Playhouse will be treated to the incomparable DEBRA LEVINE, a journalist and publisher of the popular cultural blog, “arts•meme“.  With a special interest in dance and choreography, Debra offers unique insight into the staging of both the film and musical.

FOOD ALERT: Asian food truck RICE BALLS OF FIRE will be joining us at the Playhouse!

– Claremont 5 attendees will enjoy the 2nd straight appearance of PAUL BUCH, cantor Temple Beth Israel in Pomona. Cantor Buch draws on a 25 year TV and film career to provide a uniquely entertaining evening.

– Music Hall will feature dynamic husband and wife duo of Doug Petrie and Alexa Junge.  Doug and Alexa come to us from the congregation of IKAR, a community well-respected (among other things) for knowing how to throw a good party!

In sum, those looking for an alternative Christmas Eve experience need look no further.  “This is your once-a-year chance to be the star of the shtetl,” observes Greg Laemmle.  “Join voices with friends and neighbors and sing your heart out alongside Fiddler’s screen legends,” he continues.  “And it’s okay if you haven’t memorized all the songs. We provide the lyrics.”

As in years past, Fiddler on the Roof Sing-Along takes place at all Laemmle locations on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24) starting at 7:30pm.  Reserve your tickets now before it’s too late!

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Filed Under: Around Town, Claremont 5, Fallbrook 7, Music Hall 3, NoHo 7, Playhouse 7, Royal, Santa Monica, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

Laemmle’s Culture Vulture Mondays… and Tuesdays…Starts Monday!

August 27, 2014 by Lamb L.

A reminder that Laemmle’s Culture Vulture Mondays starts this Monday! We pick the best from the world of ballet, opera, stage, and fine art to feature on the big screen every Monday* at 7:30PM at every Laemmle location! Can’t make it Monday at 7:30PM? No problem! Catch discounted encore presentations Tuesdays at 1PM.

Future presentations include LA TRAVIATA from the Opera National de Paris, the ballet LA BAYADERE from Russia’s Mariinsky Theatre, and a guided tour through the works of MATISSE from London’s Tate Modern museum.

Visit our oft-updated Culture Vulture page (http://laemmle.com/CultureVulture) for the latest information on upcoming selections.

Laemmle’s Culture Vulture Mondays kicks off September 22 with the Globe’s stage production of TWELFTH NIGHT. The all-male Original Practices production, exploring clothing, music, dance and settings possible in the Globe around 1601, stars award-winning Mark Rylance and Stephen Fry. Purchase your tickets now!

Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters, TWELFTH NIGHT is a moving comedy of loss and misplaced love and includes some of the most exquisite songs Shakespeare ever wrote.

General admission tickets for all Monday screenings are $15. Tickets for seniors 62 and over and students with valid ID are $12. General admission tickets for Tuesday encore presentations are $11. Senior and student tickets are $8. Premiere card holders receive an additional $2 off each ticket!

*Okay, almost every Monday. The program may be precluded for certain Holidays and special events. Visit http://laemmle.com/CultureVulture for a detailed schedule.

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Filed Under: Claremont 5, Music Hall 3, News, NoHo 7, Playhouse 7, Royal, Santa Monica, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

Win Tickets to FOREVER FLAMENCO at the Ford

July 31, 2014 by Lamb L.

Laemmle has several pairs of tickets to give away to the astounding FOREVER FLAMENCO — a special one-night only celebration of music, song, and dance at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. The event takes place Saturday, August 9 at 8:30pm.

ENTER-TO-WIN here!

The dancers, musicians and singers of FOREVER FLAMENCO have been delighting Fountain Theatre audiences for over two decades with the intensity, precision and exhilaration for which flamenco is known. Now Forever Flamenco returns to the outdoor stage at the FORD THEATRES with this passionate expression of Spanish culture. A roster of internationally renowned flamenco artists will pay tribute to Los Angeles flamenco pioneer ROBERTO AMARAI in what promises to be a sizzling performance.

——————————

Acclaim for Forever Flamenco:

The Fountain’s Forever Flamenco series has been called “the city’s preeminent flamenco series” by the Los Angeles Times and “L.A.’s most significant venue for flamenco” by the LA Weekly.

Working Author designates it “the rarest of treats… for both connoisseur and novice alike, ‘Forever Flamenco’ offers the opportunity to luxuriate in the incendiary passions of flamenco.”

Dance writer DEBRA LEVINE says, “performances feature superb gypsy guitarists and singers. Do you enjoy seeing the body in spellbinding motion? Great artistic individuality? Live music? Then go,” and Stage and Cinema’s TONY FRANKEL writes, “Thrilling, sexy and sensuous.”

—————–

Visit Forever Flamenco  on the web for tickets and more info.

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Filed Under: Around Town, Claremont 5, Fallbrook 7, Music Hall 3, News, NoHo 7, Playhouse 7, Press, Royal, Santa Monica, Sunset 5, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

INTERVIEW: From “Hoop Dreams” to “Life Itself” with Filmmaker Steve James

July 3, 2014 by Lamb L.

Acclaimed director of the Roger Ebert doc “Life Itself” STEVE JAMES (Hoop Dreams) sits down for a conversation with Odie Henderson of RogerEbert.com. Excerpted in full:

In 1994, Roger Ebert wrote about Steve James’ “Hoop Dreams”-“A film like “Hoop Dreams” is what the movies are for. It takes us, shakes us, and make us think in new ways about the world around us. It gives us the impression of having touched life itself.” He had no idea that, 20 years later, the director of that film would be the filmmaker behind the movie based on Roger’s memoir, titled with the same phrase that Roger used to describe “Hoop Dreams”-“Life Itself.” The director sat down for an interview in New York City last month.

“Life itself” opens on July 4th in several markets, including here in NYC, and on iTunes and Video on Demand. Is this the version that played at Cannes or the one that played at Sundance?

This is the Cannes version. It basically has a 4-minute section devoted to Roger’s 40-year history of going to Cannes. I think it’s a really great addition to it, because it’s not just fun, although it has a lot of laughs in it. It’s also insightful, because it helps you understand even more why Gene was afraid Roger would leave him behind. Roger did all these Cannes things by himself-he wrote all these pieces from Cannes-and he loved doing it.

I wonder why Gene didn’t go with Roger.

Gene didn’t like going to festivals. I don’t know about his actual Cannes history, but I don’t believe he went there many times. Roger, of course, religiously went to Sundance, Telluride, Toronto and Cannes. Gene’s rationale, as I understand it, was that he wanted to maintain this distance from the filmmakers. Roger didn’t have that same concern. I also think they had a different way in which they engaged with film. Roger lived and breathed it in a way that Gene was proud to say he didn’t.

Speaking of Cannes, let’s talk about “Life Itself”‘s memorable glitch at the Cannes screening. [Note: The Cannes screening was delayed for over 20 minutes when the film suddenly stopped.] Roger was fascinated by technology, especially when it went catastrophically awry. I’m a computer programmer, so Roger and I rarely corresponded about movies. Instead, he always wanted to know when my software demos blew up. I had a lot of stories to tell him, because demos always explode. I was wondering if you knew Roger dug when technology went on the fritz, and if so, did that cross your mind when the Cannes screening went “pffft!”

[Laughs] I didn’t know that! I did think about his reaction after the fact-I’m sure Chaz thought about it during the glitch-and I think, because he loved Cannes so much, that he would have initially been amused by it. Because it went out a minute after the Cannes footage…

…as if it were planned.

Yes! And, it actually happened-pure coincidence-when a guy got up and left. I don’t think he left due to indignity or whatever. He probably had something else to do. He walked out at the front of the theater, and as soon as he walked in front of the screen, the movie went off.

Like he’d kicked out the plug.

That was my first reaction! “Is the plug down there? What the hell?” I think Roger would have been amused by the timing. I was kind of amused at first. And the lights came up immediately, so I thought “oh, they’re dealing with it.” I didn’t know that [the theater] was on a system, so when the screen went off, the lights were set to automatically come up. There was nobody up there in the booth. That part would have made Roger quite angry. He would have cut somebody a new one for that.

Chaz was quick-thinking. She dragged me down to the stage and we did this impromptu Q&A. And all the time during the Q&A, I’m looking up in the booth and I see nothing going on. And we have people out looking for someone. So, I think at that point, Roger would have been infuriated.

It would have made for a great Cannes dispatch from him.

It would have made for an amazing article! At Cannes, of all festivals! But the way it ended-about half of the audience remained with us until the end–the crowd gave us one of the sweetest, most heartfelt ovations I’ve ever experienced at a movie I’ve made. It was really touching, as if we’d all been through something together.

“Life Itself” has been screened all over the world. I’ve been to three screenings in the U.S. so far. It just played AFI Docs on Saturday night, alongside a documentary about General Tso’s Chicken.

I saw that in the listings.

I was curious about that documentary, but it was sold out so I didn’t make the trek down to D.C. I shouldn’t be talking about somebody else’s movie at your interview, though!

[Laughs]

You mentioned Cannes, but is there a particular screening that resonated with you, that really stuck with you as the quintessential screening of Life Itself?

I think the quintessential screening, without doubt, would be the Ebertfest screening. I mean, 1,200 people were there celebrating Roger.

You know, in the process of making this film, we’d do these little impromptu test screenings where we’d gather 20 or 30 people over at Kartemquin to help us make the film clearer, or to see what’s working/not working. We discovered early on in those screenings how much laughter there was going to be in this movie. There were a lot of laugh-out-loud moments. So we began to tweak the timings around the moments we knew would generate real laughs, so that there was enough space [for them]. Someone might say something in the film that was of no great consequence, so if you missed it, it was no big deal. But we noticed that some important things were being missed because of laughter. So we calibrated this for the audience, which you need to do when you have the luxury of this kind of response.

At Ebertfest, people were missing stuff because there were waves of laughter that kept on going. But here it really didn’t matter. It went from this raucous laughter to dead silence, and sniffling, and emotion.

And then, for it to be in hometown, and at his festival. All of that made it the most special screening.
But I’d have to give a second-place shout-out to the Sundance premiere screening. Because I’ve had films at Sundance before, but that was the best screening I ever had. The audience response was like a mini-version of Ebertfest’s response. The audience was with it from the first frame to the last, and it felt like people were there to celebrate Roger and to mourn him.

All your films are superbly edited. What I find fascinating about them is that they have the arc of the best fiction, which is impressive as you have no control over reality; you have to play the hand that you’re dealt. How do you approach that? With Roger’s book, you had kind of a blueprint for “Life Itself.” Did that make your approach any different than, say “Hoop Dreams” or “The Interrupters?”

It did. It definitely made a difference. I really love the way Roger structured the book. It is a man looking back on his life from this vantage point of “here I am now. I can no longer speak or eat, and my life is very different.” And there is this flood of memories. Yet it is informed by life in the present, which he comes back to from time to time. The book is largely linear but not exclusively. I love that about the book.

And so I thought that was a great template, structurally, for approaching the movie. It meant following Roger in the present, to see what his daily life is now. And I’m always fascinated with that anyway, because even if it’s not some big momentous thing going on, just witnessing people in their daily lives can be quite revealing.

So in that sense, the present-day part is more like what I’m used to in my films, which is to follow people. And, as in true in my other films, what happened was unexpected. When we started filming, we did not expect Roger to pass away in four months. And so, that part of the film took on a life of its own, and it made the film about more than what I’d set out to make it. It also made it a film about “how do you die, and how do you do it with courage, with dignity and with humor?”

Roger had a morbid sense of humor, as Chaz points out in the movie. He seems to be enjoying this, giving it the thumbs-up at one point.

Yeah. He says “what kind of third act would it be if I just died suddenly?” I thought, “what an amazing thing for him to say.” One moment I really like is when I say “it makes for a better story” and he gives me this approving look. And it’s not facile. It’s not shallow to me at all. It’s kind of the way he lived his life. He embraced it all, and this part is just another act.

OK, it’s time for the grad school question. I wrote this one down.

[Laughs]

To me, your films focus on how people impact a particular system and vice versa. For example, The Interrupters step in to challenge and diffuse situations that cyclically would lead to violence. In “Hoop Dreams,” the system of basketball, as a means to a better life outside a neighborhood not unlike my own growing up, affects Arthur and William profoundly. In “Life Itself,” Roger the critic throws a monkey wrench into the critical thought process that says an emotional response to a movie is invalid. There’s kind of a cybernetic approach to your subjects. Is that a conscious decision on your part, or is this merely something I read into your films because this is the “grad school question”?

This is my favorite question of the day so far.

So I guess I actually got something out of going to grad school.

[Laughs] You know, what I’ve found out over the years is that I don’t generally set out to do that. With “Hoop Dreams,” I set out to do a film about what basketball means to young people like Arthur and William. That was the original impetus. And not necessarily young kids, but African-American ball players whom I’d had as teammates, played pick-up ball with. As much as I’d loved the dream [of basketball success], and I felt in my own whitebread way that I’d had the dream as strong as one could have it. But I also knew that it wasn’t the same for me as it was for some of the African-American teammates I’d had, or players who came from where you came from, for example. And so I wanted to understand that better.

I didn’t know Arthur and William at this point. But I didn’t set out to do an expose on the business of basketball and how the system reaches down. I really wanted it to be more of a “why does this game mean so much?” And I knew it would take us into places like poverty and lack of opportunity and social issues. But that wasn’t what hooked me initially. It was on a more personal level of why the game meant so much, why it is so important, and to go on that journey.

With “The Interrupters,” I read Alex Kotlowitz’s article, and what we both were taken with is how these individuals who once were part of the problem were now trying to fix something that, in their own way, they had created. And they’re trying to save themselves, not just save other people. And so it was very personal, and that was the hook.

And so over the years, I’ve found that I am drawn to personal stories that resonate for me in various ways. And what I’ve found is the reason why they resonate with me. They have something larger to say to us about the world we live in. They have something larger to say about those systems, or about race, or about class, or about criminal justice. In the case of a film like “Stevie,” when a person commits the crime that he did, do we as a society just throw them away, or do we try to save them? What is our obligation to them? But I don’t interview a bunch of experts to weigh in or to pontificate. I try to get at these things through the individual’s stories.

With Roger’s story, I didn’t know what I originally set out to do. I was just taken by his extraordinary life, and that he had had this incredible life journey that informed the way in which he wrote film criticism and that shaped the type of critic he was. If he hadn’t had this fascinating, incredible life journey, I probably wouldn’t have made the film despite admiring him as a film critic.

The personal stories angle kind of leads to my next question. You have a scene with Ava DuVernay, with whom I was on a panel last year at the Off Plus Camera Film Festival in Poland-of all places! She talks about how she entrusted her African-American themed film, “I Will Follow,” to Roger to spread the word about it, much like “Hoop Dreams” was in a way entrusted to Roger as well. I was glad you kept that scene in “Life Itself,” because it raises an interesting notion about whose stories get told in the cinema, and whether those stories get recognized or seen by audiences. Siskel and Ebert were always pointing out these little films on their show, and Roger carried the torch of the under-seen little film until he passed, both in his reviews and on social media. Do you think that social media has picked up Roger’s mission of pointing out these films?

Well, I’m no expert on social media because I’m not even on Twitter, fortunately, or unfortunately. I do understand a little bit about Instagram because a friend of mine told me that Roger Wolfson, another Roger in the business, markets his content through the site and suggested maybe I do the same but with more “oomph”. My friend’s always talking about different ways to grow his audience. Recently, he settled on using social media growth tools such as nitreo to extend his online presence.

Fortunately.

I went on Twitter literally for two minutes. I signed up after being browbeaten by the Twitter king at Kartemquin. I signed up, got one follower and said “I can’t do this” and cancelled the account. But I do think there’s an important role for social media. I don’t think it rises to the level of Roger Ebert when it comes to promoting films, and Roger as you know became a master at using social media. He even knows how to get free instagram followers with socialfollow, but that just sounds like a different language to me!

Yeah. He twisted my arm and made me use it. Said I should use it for “shameless self-promotion.”

Did he really? Well, I think he understood something about the contemporary world and contemporary technology, and the disconnect that can happen between us, and social media can be a bastardized version of that in some ways. But it can also be a very powerful and positive influence as well. It removes the gatekeepers. When Hoop Dreams came out 20 years ago, we were beholden to a distributor that was willing to spend a significant amount of money to get it out there. We were beholden to the traditional press outlets to embrace the film and write about it, otherwise no one would go see it or even hear about it. And that’s not true anymore.

Three years ago, “The Interrupters” made a perfect example. Here was a film where no money was spent putting the word out there. Yet thanks to social media, to Facebook and Twitter, to people writing about it on their blogs and saying “you should see this.” Because of all that, it played in 75 markets with no money spent. So I think there’s much to be said about social media…even if I’m not on Twitter!

Stay off it! One last question: Roger always beat up the MPAA for inexplicably and hypocritically applying their ratings. I try to carry the torch for this on RogerEbert.com. “Life Itself” is rated R, and I had to rack my brain to figure out why. Did you expect it? And what do you think Roger would have thought of this?

Roger wouldn’t have liked it. It’s because of a shot of bare breasts and a few uses of the word “fuck.” It’s the way the MPAA is. I thought, for a minute, “should we put up a big fight over this?” I realized I just don’t have the energy and time to do it. But if you wanted to write about it, that would be a beautiful thing. Because it is ridiculous.

It is ridiculous. So, kids, sneak into “Life Itself!”

That’ll give us some cachet!

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Filed Under: Claremont 5, Fallbrook 7, Featured Films, Films, Music Hall 3, NoHo 7, Playhouse 7, Q&A's, Royal, Santa Monica, Theater Buzz, Town Center 5

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“An engrossing thriller fueled by female rage,” the Iranian-Israeli drama TATAMI opens Friday at the Royal, next week at the Laemmle Glendale and Town Center..

A new comedy that draws inspiration from the great ones of the past, BAD SHABBOS opens Friday.

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Part of the #WorldwideWednesdays Series! 🎟️ l Part of the #WorldwideWednesdays Series! 🎟️ laem.ly/41YSZEG
#ShallWeDance
Shohei Sugiyama seems to have it all - a high-paying job as an accountant, a beautiful home, a caring wife and a doting daughter he loves dearly. However, he feels something is missing in his life. One day while commuting on the train he spots a beautiful woman staring wistfully out a window and eventually decides to find her. His search leads him head-first into the world of competitive ballroom dancing. #BallroomBlitz #SecretPassion
⭐ Winner! Audience Award ~ World Cinema: Documen ⭐ Winner! Audience Award ~ World Cinema: Documentary - Sundance Film Festival

Prime Minister chronicles Jacinda Ardern's tenure as New Zealand Prime Minister, navigating historic crises while redefining global leadership through her empathetic yet resolute approach. 

⭐ "World leaders have rarely been captured with as much intimacy." ~ Variety

🎟️ Tickets: laem.ly/3HElkcO
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#Zenithal
Ti-Kong, the famous kung-fu master, is found dead. Could the assassin be the Machiavellian doctor Sweeper? Insecure Francis falls into his clutches as he becomes a crucial part of Sweeper’s scheme to preserve absolute male domination over the globe. "A raucous satire [with] quick-witted dialogue in between a series of increasingly ridiculous set pieces." ~ Austin Chronicle
Part of the #WorldWideWednesdays Series! 🎟️ l Part of the #WorldWideWednesdays Series! 🎟️ laem.ly/3Y8arFI
#PerfectEndings 
After a decade-long relationship ends, filmmaker João finds himself at a crossroads in both his personal and professional lives. While trying to break into the film industry, he ends up directing amateur erotic films. With the support of loyal friends, João embarks on a dating journey, navigating modern romance and finding inspiration.
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Laemmle Theatres

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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/thursday-murder-club | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | Based on Richard Osman’s international best-selling novel of the same name, The Thursday Murder Club follows four irrepressible retirees - Elizabeth (Helen Mirren), Ron (Pierce Brosnan), Ibrahim (Ben Kingsley) and Joyce (Celia Imrie) - who spend their time solving cold case murders for fun. When an unexplained death occurs on their own doorstep, their causal sleuthing takes a thrilling turn as they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands. Directed by Chris Columbus, the film is the latest to be produced through the Netflix and Amblin Entertainment partnership

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/thursday-murder-club

RELEASE DATE: 8/29/2025
Director: Chris Columbus
Cast: Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie, David Tennant, Jonathan Pryce, Naomi Ackie, Daniel Mays, Richard E. Grant

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/k-pop-demon-hunters | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | When they aren't selling out stadiums, K-pop superstars Rumi, Mira and Zoey use their secret identities as badass demon hunters to protect their fans from an ever-present supernatural threat. Together, they must face their biggest enemy yet – an irresistible rival boy band of demons in disguise.

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/k-pop-demon-hunters

RELEASE DATE: 6/20/2025

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
Visit Laemmle.com: http://laemmle.com
Like LAEMMLE on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/3Qspq7Z
Follow LAEMMLE on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/3O6adYv
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Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/lost-starlight | Subscribe: http://bit.ly/3b8JTym | In 2050 Seoul, an astronaut dreaming of Mars and a musician with a broken dream find each other among the stars, guided by their hopes and love for one another.

Tickets: http://laemmle.com/film/lost-starlight

RELEASE DATE: 5/30/2025
Director: Han Ji-won
Cast: Justin H. Min, Kim Tae-ri, Hong Kyung

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ABOUT LAEMMLE: Since 1938, Laemmle [Theatres] has been showing the finest independent, arthouse, and international films.

Subscribe to Laemmle's E-NEWSLETTER: http://bit.ly/3y1YSTM
Visit Laemmle.com: http://laemmle.com
Like LAEMMLE on FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/3Qspq7Z
Follow LAEMMLE on TWITTER: http://bit.ly/3O6adYv
Follow LAEMMLE on INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/3y2j1cp
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Recent Posts

  • “An engrossing thriller fueled by female rage,” the Iranian-Israeli drama TATAMI opens Friday at the Royal, next week at the Laemmle Glendale and Town Center..
  • A winning portrait of New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, PRIME MINISTER screens this weekend at the Laemmle Claremont, Glendale, Monica Film Center, Newhall, and Town Center.
  • Allison Janney & Bryan Cranston in EVERYTHING’S GOING TO BE GREAT ~ “Buy One, Get One Free” Father’s Day Screenings!
  • A new comedy that draws inspiration from the great ones of the past, BAD SHABBOS opens Friday.
  • The brilliant documentary A PHOTOGRAPHIC MEMORY opens June 12 with in-person Q&A’s.
  • THE LAST TWINS Q&A’s June 19-21 at the Royal and Town Center.

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