35th Anniversary Screening of DINER (1982)
Followed by a Q&A with Producer Mark Johnson
Saturday, June 10, at 7:30 PM at the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre
Presented in 35mm
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 35th anniversary screening of one of the best loved film of the 1980s, Barry Levinson’s DINER. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with producer Mark Johnson hosted by film critic Stephen Farber.
Levinson made his directorial debut with this feature set in his native Baltimore in 1959, and he earned an Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.
The frequently uproarious comedy-drama, set to a rousing soundtrack of hits from the period, follows a group of friends who hang out at their favorite diner as they try to navigate the perilous path from adolescence to adulthood. Long before Mad Men, this film skewered the blatant sexism that was rampant in the era.
The extraordinary cast, many of them new to movies, includes Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Paul Reiser, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly, and Ellen Barkin. Levinson encouraged his cast to improvise, and their rapport helped to electrify the film.
Time’s Richard Corliss wrote that Diner was “wonderfully cast and played.” People Magazine declared, “All the performances are remarkable… But the ultimate triumph is Levinson’s. He captures both the surface and the soul of an era with candor and precision.”
Mark Johnson won the Academy Award for producing the Best Picture of 1988, Rain Man, also directed by Levinson. His many other credits include The Natural, Good Morning Vietnam, Avalon, Bugsy, Donnie Brasco, A Perfect World, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Notebook, and the award-winning TV series Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, and Rectify. He has chaired the foreign language committee of the Motion Picture Academy for many years.
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics series present two of the less frequently revived films from the Master of Suspense Alfred Hitchcock: a 75th anniversary screening of the World War II-era thriller, 
In Frenzy, Hitchcock filmed in his native England for the first time in more than two decades. Jon Finch plays the innocent man accused of a series of grisly murders by the notorious “Necktie Strangler.” British actors Barry Foster, Anna Massey, Billie Whitelaw, Alec McCowen, and Vivien Merchant costar. This thriller was written by acclaimed playwright Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth) and received the best reviews of Hitchcock’s late career. Roger Ebert noted that “Frenzy is a return to old forms for the master of suspense,” and Leonard Maltin declared, “All classic Hitchcock elements are here, including delicious black humor, several astounding camera shots.”
June 1: Barbarella
Michael Dorsey is a talented actor, but his demanding nature and stubborn temperament have antagonized every producer in New York. Now his agent insists no one will hire him. But Michael needs money – eight thousand dollars to be exact – and to earn it, he’s prove just how talented an actor he is. Dustin Hoffman stars with Jessica Lange, Teri Garr, Dabney Coleman, Charles Durning, Bill Murray and Geena Davis in director Sydney Pollack’s Oscar-nominated gem. 
June 29: Cry-Baby