The Official Blog of Laemmle Theatres.

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The official blog of Laemmle Theatres

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

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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”

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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

 

ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME ~ Q&A’s with the Filmmaker

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ELAINE STRITCH: SHOOT ME filmmaker Chiemi Karasawa will participate in Q&A’s after the 7:40 PM screenings at the Royal on Friday and Saturday, March 7 and 8 as well as after the 5:20 screening on Saturday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tldyvkqTqo

 

 

Laemmle Oscar Contest: Results!

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Well, the 2014 Oscars are in the books and though the results were predictable the show was entertaining — I, personally, think it was a good idea to include full performances of all the nominated songs — and the winners deserving.

And the passes go to:

First place: Alex A. of Hollywood, who gets 20 passes;

Second place: Andre C. of Los Angeles, who gets 16 passes;

Third place: Kenneth O. of West Hollywood, who gets 12 passes.

Congratulations, guys, and happy moviegoing!

This year we had double the usual number  of entries. No one guessed all 24 categories correctly but four missed only one category: one missed the Best Documentary Feature category and picked “The Act of Killing” instead of “20 Feet to Stardom.” The other three missed Best Animated Short and chose “Get a Horse!” instead of winner “Mr. Hublot.” The shorts categories are tricky!

Since there were four first place ties, the tie-breaking question decided the ultimate winner. The winner guessed 210 minutes — only four minutes off the actual Oscar Telecast running time!

There were only two major troublesome categories for patrons this year. Best Original Score winner Steven Price (“Gravity”) only received 30% of the vote while the other nominees equally split the rest. Best Animated Short was the other. Winner “Mr. Hublot” received only 20% of the vote. “Get a Horse!” was the favorite chosen by our patrons. The average number of correct answers was 13.  Thanks to all who played.

Lupita Amondi Nyong'o accepts her Oscar

Indiewire: “20 Celebrated Directors Who Never Won a Best Director Oscar”

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Indiewire just posted this rather appalling list of great film directors, giants of the genre, who never won a Best Director Academy Award. Granted, some may have been given honorary Oscars late in their careers, but still. Let’s just say the list includes Hitchcock, Bergman and Kubrick. Something to keep in mind while taking in the big show on Sunday.

Q&A with the Writer-Director of OMAR, the Oscar Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film

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OMAR writer-director Hany Abu-Assad, producer-co-star Waleed Zuaiter and actress Leem Luban will participate in a Q&A on Sunday, February 23 after the 4:30 PM screening at the Royal.

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

BEA HUSMAN: BEATIFICA Comes to NoHo 7

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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.

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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.

 

Oscar Doc Shorts Q&A at the Royal

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Jasmine Daghighian and Nick Reed, producers of the Oscar-nominated documentary short film THE LADY IN NUMBER 6, will participate in a Q&A after the 7:40 screening at the Royal on Sunday, February 16.