The Official Blog of Laemmle Theatres.

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The official blog of Laemmle Theatres

Culture Vulture Mondays, Laemmle Theatres’ Panoply of High Art in Cinema: Venue Changes + Fourth Quarter Lineup

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We’re celebrating the first anniversary of CULTURE VULTURE with a slew of stellar offerings that will take us into the new year.

For the uninitiated, CULTURE VULTURE is our weekly series of opera, stage and ballet/dance performances plus art exhibitions and documentaries.

These are often live performances that have been recorded – and they are typically breathtaking! If you are a lover of the high arts and have yet to experience Culture Vulture, you owe it to yourself to attend one of our upcoming programs.

Screenings take place Monday nights with repeat performances Tuesday afternoons.

Please note that we’ve shuffled the deck a bit with regard to venues. Culture Vulture will be continuing at the Playhouse, Claremont, and Town Center. In addition, it will be offered at the newly re-opened FINE ARTS in Beverly Hills. It will no longer run at the Royal, Music Hall, or NoHo.

There’s more! We’ve developed a new scheduling model that will make it easier for you to plan in advance. Each month will be calendared as follows:

1st Monday – Opera
2nd Monday – Ballet/Dance
3rd Monday – Stage
4th Monday – Art Exhibits/Documentaries
The 5th Monday (when it occurs) will be a surprise!

September 21 and 22: PAUL TAYLOR: CREATIVE DOMAIN (dance documentary)

September 28 and 29: THE IMPRESSIONISTS (exhibition)

October 5 and 6: AIDA (opera from Teatro alla Scalla)

October 12 and 13: L’HISTOIRE DE MANON (ballet from the Opera Nacional de Paris)

October 19 and 20: THEODORE BIKEL: IN THE SHOES OF SHOLOM ALEICHEM (stage production via the National Center for Jewish Film)

October 26 and 27: VINCENT VAN GOGH: A NEW WAY OF SEEING (exhibition)

November 2 and 3: RISE AND FALL OF THE CITY OF MAHAGONNY (opera from the Royal Opera House)

November 9 and 10: MOVIMENTOS: LA DANZA DE LA PUNTA AL TACON (dance from the Teatro Real, Madrid)

November 16 and 15: MAN AND SUPERMAN (stage production from the National Theatre, London)

November 23 and 24: PALIO

November 30 and December 1: THE THREE TENORS CHRISTMAS CONCERT (Wiener Konzerthaus)

December 7 and 8: THE MAGIC FLUTE (opera from Bregenzer Festspiele)

December 14 and 15: THE NUTCRACKER (ballet from the Bolshoi)

December 21 and 22: HAMLET (stage from the National Theatre)

Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet.
Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet.

Maurice Pialat Retrospective Coming Soon to the Royal

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“The director who has the strongest and most consistent influence on young French filmmakers is not Jean-Luc Godard, but Maurice Pialat.” — Arnaud Desplechin, filmmaker.

“To say that Pialat marched to the beat of a different drummer is to put it mildly. In fact, he didn’t really march at all. He ambled, and fuck anybody who got it into their head that they’d like to amble along with him. Or behind him. Or ahead of him.” — Kent Jones, film critic.

From September 25th to October 1st the Royal Theater will host a collection of masterworks by French filmmaker Maurice Pialat (1925-2003). We’ll be screening five of his ten feature films: 1987’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner, “Under the Sun of Satan,” with Gérard Depardieu and Sandrine Bonnaire; “Loulou,” a tale of tortured love with Isabelle Huppert and Depardieu; “Van Gogh,” a chronicle of the last days of the artist; family drama “The Mouth Agape,” with Nathalie Baye; and the slice-of-life film about teenagers in suburban France “Graduate First.”

Maurice Pialat’s influence in the years after his death in 2003 was everywhere, but while he was alive he wasn’t part of any movement. A late bloomer who was 40 before he finished his first fiction feature (1968’s “Naked Childhood”), he missed the New Wave—a fact he seemed to resent, though his irascible personality likely meant he wouldn’t have belonged to any club which would have had him as a member.

Pialat made rule-breaking, violently disorienting movies full of temporal leaps and jagged improvisations, impolite movies about insoluble dilemmas and impossible personalities—women and men who can’t or won’t allow themselves to be tamed, and the tug-of-war between desire and responsibility. While intensely grounded in the cinema, citing the Lumière Brothers as his masters, Pialat rejected cinephile culture and lunged headlong into the material stuff of life, love, sex, and death. (He’s often compared to John Cassavetes, but this overlooks the particularities of both men.) Pialat’s films aren’t exercises but exorcisms, wounded howls at the injustice of existence whose anguished power is intensified by an acute awareness of the beauty of being alive. In a national cinema often associated with dainty sophistication, Maurice Pialat is the epitome of raw power.

FULL SCHEDULE:

"Under the Sun of Satan"
“Under the Sun of Satan”

Friday, 9/25
12:00PM – GRADUATE FIRST
02:00PM – VAN GOGH
05:15PM – UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN
07:35PM – LOULOU
10:15PM – THE MOUTH AGAPE

Saturday, 9/26
12:00PM – THE MOUTH AGAPE
02:00PM – GRADUATE FIRST
04:05PM – VAN GOGH
07:25PM – UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN
09:45PM – LOULOU

"Loulou"
“Loulou”

Sunday, 9/27
12:00PM – LOULOU
02:40PM – THE MOUTH AGAPE
04:40PM – GRADUATE FIRST
06:45PM – VAN GOGH
10:00PM – UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN

Monday, 9/28
12:00PM – UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN
02:15PM – LOULOU
04:55PM – THE MOUTH AGAPE
07:00PM – GRADUATE FIRST
09:00PM – VAN GOGH

"Graduate First"
“Graduate First”

Tuesday, 9/29
12:00PM – VAN GOGH
03:15PM – UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN
05:30PM – LOULOU
08:10PM – THE MOUTH AGAPE
10:10PM – GRADUATE FIRST

Wednesday, 9/30
12:00PM – GRADUATE FIRST
02:10PM – VAN GOGH
05:30PM – THE MOUTH AGAPE
07:30PM – UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN
09:45PM – LOULOU

"Van Gogh"
“Van Gogh”

Thursday, 10/01
12:00PM – THE MOUTH AGAPE
02:00PM – GRADUATE FIRST
04:10PM – VAN GOGH
07:25PM – LOULOU
10:00PM – UNDER THE SUN OF SATAN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Kue5bskEY

Town Center 5 in Encino Closed Until October 2

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UPDATE: Our schedule is limited 10/26 through 10/29 as our largest auditoriums are closed for the installation of new seats and carpets. Check www.laemmle.com for showtimes.

The NEW lobby at the Town Center in Encino!
The NEW lobby at the Town Center in Encino!

Dear Town Center 5 moviegoers, please note we will be closing down the theater after the last shows on Sunday, September 13th to begin refurbishing the theater, beginning with the lobby and concessions area.

We plan to re-open on Friday, October 2nd with several terrific new films, including Francois Ozon’s The New Girlfriend, Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home and the moving new British drama A Brilliant Young Mind.

Auditorium improvements including seats, carpet, and curtains will begin in phases soon after we re-open.

Here’s a rendering below. Thanks for your patience and patronage!

tcrendering

Announcing the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre by Laemmle, Opening September 18th!

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fineartsinterior
Laemmle Theatres is proud to announce we have taken over the management and operation of the Ahrya Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills. The theatre has been closed for five years. At the time of its closure it was used exclusively as a private screening venue. Laemmle will book the theatre with first run films screening daily for the general public. Laemmle will also use the Ahrya Fine Arts to host regular series like our Culture Vulture program, festivals and special event screenings.

fineartsAccording to CinemaTreasures.org, the Fine Arts first opened in April 1937 as the Wilshire Regina, with seating for 800. It has been well maintained over the years and is – and under Laemmle’s stewardship will remain – a single-screen theater, though now with slightly more than 400 seats. (Movie patrons’ expectations of things like leg room have understandably risen over the decades.) We last operated the venue from 1985 to 1993, mostly screening foreign films.

fineartsdraculaThe Ahrya Fine Arts Theater is owned by Shawn Far. He runs Vertigo USA, a successful clothing company based in Downtown Los Angeles, and is a Beverly Hills resident. The Fine Arts will share its name with Mr. Far’s eldest son, Ahrya. Appropriately, our first film beginning September 18th will be JEREMY SCOTT: THE PEOPLE’S DESIGNER, a documentary about a rising star of the fashion industry.

We have promoted Guy Valdez, long-time manager at our Playhouse 7 venue in Pasadena, to lead the Fine Arts as its general manager.

Throwback Thursday: FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH at 7:30pm on 9/10 in NoHo. $5 Early Bird Tickets*

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Our Back to School theme continues this week at the Laemmle NoHo 7 with a Throwback Thursday screening of FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH starring Phoebe Cates, Sean Penn, Forest Whitaker, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Ray Walston, Vincent Schiavelli and more!

*Buy your tickets before Wednesday, 9/9 at noon and pay only $5! Full price tickets are $11.

FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH screens at 7:30PM on 9/10 at the Laemmle NoHo 7 and is part of our THROWBACK THURSDAY series in partnership with Eat|See|Hear. The Konestruction truck will arrive at the theater around 6:30pm. You can bring food from the truck into the theater! See you there!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKov1lmq_OU

Zhang Yimou on His Potent New Historical Romance COMING HOME: “This type of film is very difficult to make. It needs to be made in a state of serenity.”

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Zhang Yimou’s new film is set in the last days of China’s Cultural Revolution, following a newly-released political prisoner (Chen Daoming) as he tries to reconnect with his wife (frequent Yimou collaborator Gong Li), who is stricken with amnesia. We open the movie 9/9 at the Royal, 9/18 at the Playhouse and 10/2 at the Town Center. The director wrote this about his powerful new work: “Based on Yan Geling’s novel The Criminal Lu Yanshi, COMING HOME is a love story about joy and sadness, as well as separation and reunion. We used the end of the original story – with Lu Yanshi returning home – as the starting point of the script. Everyone knows that Chen Daoming and Gong Li are the finest actors working in China, and they were my first and only choices for their respective roles. I’ve learned a lot from working with them. They offered a lot of constructive opinions about even the smallest details in the story. That’s why their contribution to the film extends far beyond the portrayal of the characters.

“Having a so-called “rising star” in the daughter’s role was not a must as her character serves a very important function in the story. When I first met [Zhang] Huiwen, I noticed her bright shining eyes, which resembled the aura of young Red Guards. It was what I needed. For the second part of the film, I needed to change the way her eyes look. They should look as if they are in a trance, always hesitant. Huiwen had the ability to do that.

“This type of film is very difficult to make. It needs to be made in a state of serenity. If I thought about benefits and profits even a little, then I would lose my way. That’s why, for me, this film represents a return to an earlier state of mind and an older approach to creativity. The most important thing for me is whether the audience will keep this film in their hearts and whether they will truly remember the emotions behind COMING HOME.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hoea7Cz3Hj0

One of the most important and influential filmmakers in China, and a core member of China’s “Fifth Generation” directors, Zhang Yimou started his career as a cinematographer and became a director in 1987. Over the years, Zhang has directed films which received accolades from around the world: RED SORGHUM (1987, Golden Bear winner at the Berlin International Film Festival), JU DOU (1990, In Competition at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards®), RAISE THE RED LANTERN (1991, Silver Lion winner at the Venice International Film Festival and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards®), TO LIVE (1994, Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival), to name a few.

In 2002, his martial arts epic HERO ushered in a new era of blockbusters for Chinese cinema, and was followed by the equally successful HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (2004), and CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER (2006)

Guests for September’s ANNIVERSARY CLASSICS screenings include Bruce Dern, Cloris Leachman, Michael York, and Richard Chamberlain

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As we move into the Fall season, there are several new Anniversary Classics screenings scheduled for September, all at the Royal Theatre in West L.A.

First up on September 17th is the 55th anniversary of Director Elia Kazan’s WILD RIVER, an underappreciated gem from 1960 starring Montgomery Clift, Lee Remick, Jo Van Fleet, and featuring the film debut of our guest star, two-time Oscar nominee Bruce Dern, who will appear for a Q&A following the screening on Thursday the 17th at 7:30PM at the Royal.

Cloris Leachman will participate in a Q&A following the September 24th screening of CRAZY MAMA (1975). CRAZY MAMA was one of the early movies directed by Oscar winner Jonathan Demme.

On September 29th, we feature the 40th anniversary of Director Richard Lester’s THE FOUR MUSKETEERS (1975), with a special reunion of two of its co-stars, Michael York and Richard Chamberlain, who will appear for a Q&A at the screening at 7 PM.

Tickets for all three screenings are on sale now. Do not wait to buy tickets; these shows will sell out. For tickets and info on upcoming screenings, bookmark http://www.laemmle.com/ac.

Also, check out the Laemmle’s Anniversary Classics Facebook group: https://facebook.com/groups/laemmlesanniversaryclassics/

Special screenings of ATTACK ON TITAN PART ONE and TWO in Claremont, NoHo, and Pasadena!

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We’re pleased to announce that ATTACK ON TITAN THE MOVIE PART ONE and TWO will screen at our theaters in Claremont, NoHo, and Pasadena!

The ATTACK ON TITAN (“Shingeki no Kyojin” in Japanese) live-action movies, which take their name from the original manga series, were developed in close collaboration with series’ creator Hajime Isayama and tell the story of a world where the last of humanity fights to survive against almost unstoppable, man-eating giants. Over the years it has gained almost a cult following with collectables from sites like Solaris Japan becoming very popular amongst the people who watch it. With more than 50 million copies in print today, the “Attack on Titan” manga series has inspired four spin-offs as well as a terrific 25-episode anime series, while also inspiring certain amateur artists to create animated adult content featuring characters, and it doesn’t just stop at Attack on Titan, click for More Info.

PART ONE of the live-action film screens at 7:30pm on Wednesday, 9/30 and at 9:55pm on Thursday, 10/1 at the Claremont 5, NoHo 7, and Playhouse 7. Tickets are available here!

PART TWO screens at 7:30pm on Tuesday, October 20 and at 9:55pm on Thursday, October 22 at the Claremont 5, NoHo 7, and Playhouse 7. Tickets are available here!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpP4GDGovp0