West Coast Repertory Cinema

[beamish14]

Absolutely enormous Pasolini retrospect at the Academy, with nearly everything (including the shorts and documentaries) being in 35mm.

Other highlights include Henry and June in 35 at the Cinematheque's Los Feliz screen, Cronenberg's M. Butterfly at the Aero, and a Hal Hartley double bill of Trust/Simple Men at the Secret Movie Club.

Beautiful new 35mm print of The Conversation playing at the Nuart through this week (it was supposed to screen in March 2020) and Apocalypse Now Redux I.B. Technicolor at the New Beverly (part of a very cool Laurence Fishburne tribute).

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

Absolutely enormous Pasolini retrospect at the Academy, with nearly everything (including the shorts and documentaries) being in 35mm.

I'm actually breaking my vow to never go the Academy for this retro. I think the last time these all played in Los Angeles like this was at UCLA Film and Television Archive twenty or so years ago. I'll be seeing Mamma Roma and then missing the second feature to hustle on over to Braindead to see Punch-Drunk Love.

The Hammer Museum is doing a free early morning screening of Joe Dante's wonderful Matinee on the 20th of this month that I'll also try to go to. I live near Pasadena so driving out to the Hammer can often be a pain, but adjacent to cinema interests, their huge late-career retro of Ulysses Jenkins will be up, so it's a good opportunity to explore one of the pioneers of video art.

[beamish14]

Absolutely enormous Pasolini retrospect at the Academy, with nearly everything (including the shorts and documentaries) being in 35mm.

I'm actually breaking my vow to never go the Academy for this retro. I think the last time these all played in Los Angeles like this was at UCLA Film and Television Archive twenty or so years ago. I'll be seeing Mamma Roma and then missing the second feature to hustle on over to Braindead to see Punch-Drunk Love.

The Hammer Museum is doing a free early morning screening of Joe Dante's wonderful Matinee on the 20th of this month that I'll also try to go to. I live near Pasadena so driving out to the Hammer can often be a pain, but adjacent to cinema interests, their huge late-career retro of Ulysses Jenkins will be up, so it's a good opportunity to explore one of the pioneers of video art.

The Hammer once showed Matinee with the complete MANT! in 35, and I wish I could've seen them together. They cancelled a planned screening of their 35 copy of Flowers of Shanghai, but fingers crossed it'll be back soon.

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

I finally went to the Academy Museum as I couldn't miss their Pasolini retro. They're almost all from prints made about fifteen years ago and are surprisingly all quite soft looking. I wonder how the new 4K restorations look in comparison. I think I'm going to unfortunately miss all the late works from the series as I have other things to attend to, but I'm going to see the double-feature tonight. Pasolini was a major blind spot in my viewings and I'm happy to see all of these as nearly every single one has been absolutely masterful.

The venue itself is quite strange. It's very heavily staffed with a lot of nice attendants sort of standing around and I love how they play no trailers and have avoided long winded intros. Brief remarks and then jump into the movie. The intro video is funny as it promotes the Dolby Atmos sound system with swirling whooshes all around the theater to be then hit with the by the dubbed mono recordings of these films. There's sound proofing all around so the sound is incredibly direct and reflects nowhere. The screen bothers me a little bit as it's quite curved to fit the venue space and the placement of a 1.85 in digital versus 35mm is quite a bit different, leading me to believe the design of the theater was planned mostly for digital projection.

Interesting few weeks of screenings coming out. The Cinematheque is doing a bunch of nights with Ryusuke Hamaguchi in-person with Drive My Car being a members-only event. Been debating getting a membership for months, but maybe now's the time to pull the trigger. UCLA is doing a few archival screenings including the Italian drama, Smog, which has been on my to-watch list for a while, and a Josef von Sternberg double-feature. I'll be going to the Sternberg for sure as Thunderbolt is one I've been itching to see for a while and this will be my second time seeing The Docks of New York in a theater, one of the master pieces of Hollywood silent cinema. They're also continuing their queer cinema series. They postponed Barbara Hammer's Nitrate Kisses from its date in early January to next week when COVID cases spiked, which is the screening in the series I'm most excited by.

The New Bev seems to have changed their programming style pretty drastically the last few months bringing some real unusual titles out in the mix including art house, a former mainstay of the cinema in its pre-Tarantino days. I was shocked to see Jeanne Dielman is playing there for two-nights and Daisies as a midnight. There's also a Doris Wishman night and two-nights of a Michelle Yeoh double, The Tai-Chi Master and Wing Chun, both Hong Kong action films I'm surprised to have never seen. They've also been doing at least one new film with a 35mm print made once a month. This time its X, the new Ti West film. I'm not particularly interested in that, but I wish they'd run Red Rocket again, perhaps on a double-bill with The Florida Project. That had a print made but it's never played in Los Angeles, at least of what I'm aware of. What I'm most excited about is Speed Racer, a film I've been itching to rewatch since I haven't seen it since its initial release.

I went to Braindead twice last month and it made me feel old. I'm in my thirties, but their entire audience is at least a decade younger with their brand directed to well-dressed young twenty year-olds in over-priced Carhartt WIP beanies blasting cigs outside.

[beamish14]

I didn’t catch it, but I believe a 35mm print of The Florida Project screened at the Secret Movie Club with Baker in person. There is a signed poster of it in their screening area. I was there for a double of Out of Sight with Lust, Caution (LONG night) and returned for Simple Men.

There is an interesting Marguerite Duras retrospective at the Cinematheque, and they’re also holding a Nina Menkes retrospective with her in person. I remember that she came to the Hammer’s double bill of The Bloody Child/Queen of Diamonds, but I don’t think she said anything

Brain Dead is definitely an interesting place. It doesn’t seem to have much carryover from the Cinefamily days, but at least the films start on time now!

There were very few people at the Cinematheque’s Los Feliz screening of Henry and June, but god did the print look gorgeous. Philippe Rousselot’s cinematography just floored me. It was likely a post-vault fire print, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was an OCN answer copy

[OldBobbyPeru]

Secret Movie Club is having a Palm Springs Getaway weekend with three classic films on 70mm prints. May 6-8. It's at the historic Camelot theater, which has the biggest screen in the entire Coachella Valley.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
West Side Story (1961)

https://www.secretmovieclub.com/palm-springs70mm-fest

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

I've slowed down my film screenings the last few weeks, but I did see Akira as a midnight at the New Bev last Saturday. I had previously been told this film had no existing 35mm print with subtitles, but it seems the Academy Film Archive has one. Judging by the quality of the subtitles and the wear on the print, I'm assuming it was done by Toho when they were shopping it around to American distributors. New Bev has a horror themed month where I'll be passing on the majority of screenings, but I am curious about the Hong Kong double-feature of two films I've never heard of.

UCLA's Festival of Preservation is coming back after three years. UCLA is still free too, so I grabbed tickets for nearly every event Friday night and all-day Saturday. On Sunday, I'll only be attending the restoration of The Sin of Harold Diddlebock. They're also doing their rescheduled Flowers of Shanghai screening and the second-part of their American Neo-realism series.

As I mentioned in the Memoria thread, the American Cinematheque turned all their DCP screenings of that film into 35mm screenings. They're also doing a series on old Hollywood auteurs making works in the late-60s, early-70s. As of right now, I only bought a ticket for Henry Hathaway's Superdude, but I'm intrigued by George Cukor's Justine.

One very exciting bit of programming is the Academy Museum doing a pit of artist works in their huge David Geffen theater this upcoming Monday. They're playing Tacita Dean's film JG on JG Ballad, which originally played at the Getty Museum and Margaret Honda's Spectrum Reverse Spectrum which previously existed as both an art object and regular screening during the Hammer Museum's Made in LA show back in 2016.

Arts 2220, a space I've gone to see performances at but haven't been to for screenings yet, is doing a new 16mm print of Stan Brakhage's Dog Star Man. I usually try to see any Brakhage program when they're in town (they last played over a weekend at UCLA back in 2018, I believe), and am currently debating going to this.

[beamish14]

I've slowed down my film screenings the last few weeks, but I did see Akira as a midnight at the New Bev last Saturday. I had previously been told this film had no existing 35mm print with subtitles, but it seems the Academy Film Archive has one. Judging by the quality of the subtitles and the wear on the print, I'm assuming it was done by Toho when they were shopping it around to American distributors. New Bev has a horror themed month where I'll be passing on the majority of screenings, but I am curious about the Hong Kong double-feature of two films I've never heard of.

UCLA's Festival of Preservation is coming back after three years. UCLA is still free too, so I grabbed tickets for nearly every event Friday night and all-day Saturday. On Sunday, I'll only be attending the restoration of The Sin of Harold Diddlebock. They're also doing their rescheduled Flowers of Shanghai screening and the second-part of their American Neo-realism series.

As I mentioned in the Memoria thread, the American Cinematheque turned all their DCP screenings of that film into 35mm screenings. They're also doing a series on old Hollywood auteurs making works in the late-60s, early-70s. As of right now, I only bought a ticket for Henry Hathaway's Superdude, but I'm intrigued by George Cukor's Justine.

One very exciting bit of programming is the Academy Museum doing a pit of artist works in their huge David Geffen theater this upcoming Monday. They're playing Tacita Dean's film JG on JG Ballad, which originally played at the Getty Museum and Margaret Honda's Spectrum Reverse Spectrum which previously existed as both an art object and regular screening during the Hammer Museum's Made in LA show back in 2016.

Arts 2220, a space I've gone to see performances at but haven't been to for screenings yet, is doing a new 16mm print of Stan Brakhage's Dog Star Man. I usually try to see any Brakhage program when they're in town (they last played over a weekend at UCLA back in 2018, I believe), and am currently debating going to this.

I was wondering about that Akira print. UCLA’s dubbed 35mm from the 2001 re-release has screened at the Nuart. I saw it with maybe 8 other people about 12 years ago, but they sold out with a DCP or possibly a Blu-Ray some time later! Little known fact: Miramax turned it down for distribution after it played for distributors and I believe screened at the Los Angeles Film Market

Speaking of Miramax, Larry Clark and Harmony Korine’s Kids is screening at the American Cinematheque as part of a set of Incredibly Bleak Films. Probably never getting an HD release, and I think the print is part of Gus Van Sant’s at the Academy. I’m excited to see The Sweet Hereafter as part of the same series

[OldBobbyPeru]

Secret Movie Club is having a Palm Springs Getaway weekend with three classic films on 70mm prints. May 6-8. It's at the historic Camelot theater, which has the biggest screen in the entire Coachella Valley.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
West Side Story (1961)

https://www.secretmovieclub.com/palm-springs70mm-fest

I saw all three of these films over the weekend, and it was like a religious experience. The Camelot has a huge screen (I'd guess about 70 feet wide), and a killer surround sound system. The 70mm prints were in great shape, just enough scratches here and there to remind you that you were watching film. I had seen 2001 a long time ago on the big screen but not 70mm. Same with Lawrence. The amount of detail was insane. It was like seeing these films for the first time.

Kudos to the Secret Movie Club and the Palm Springs Cultural Center for providing this. It was a blast! Hopefully, it will be the first of many.

[lacritfan]

I know it isn't a repertory house but Landmark on Pico is closing at the end of May.

[beamish14]

I know it isn't a repertory house but Landmark on Pico is closing at the end of May.

Yep. It doesn’t surprise me. The whole shopping center is basically an empty shell now. The Landmark and Laemmle theatre chains have both lost their prestige. I have some great memories of the Lanmark. I remember seeing Margaret during its week-long qualifying run there, as well as the pre-wide release version of The New World.

[movielocke]

Oh wow, I’ve probably seen more films at the landmark than any other theatre ever. That’s such a shame!

[OldBobbyPeru]

I found a nice resource for LA screenings:

https://www.revivalhubla.com/home

[OldBobbyPeru]

The Palm Springs Cultural Center kicks off their summer Palm Springs Rewinds series this Saturday (June 4). Every Saturday night in June is Coen Brothers, in July, Tarantino, August is Wes Anderson. The historic Camelot theater is a great place to see films--it's an old school giant screen (70 feet) with an excellent surround sound system. First movie up is one of my personal faves, The Big Lebowski. The Dude abides.

https://psculturalcenter.org/pscc/palm-springs-rewinds

[DarkImbecile]

If anyone in LA is feeling too cheery these days, American Cinematheque’s “Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair” series starts tonight, and its lineup is a pretty great selection of downer endings and nihilism

[OldBobbyPeru]

If anyone in LA is feeling too cheery these days, American Cinematheque’s “Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair” series starts tonight, and its lineup is a pretty great selection of downer endings and nihilism

I've got my ticket for Los Olvidados on Friday. Interesting that the 35mm print is supplied by Kino Lorber. Could a blu-ray be coming soon?

[senseabove]

If anyone in LA is feeling too cheery these days, American Cinematheque’s “Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair” series starts tonight, and its lineup is a pretty great selection of downer endings and nihilism

I've got my ticket for Los Olvidados on Friday. Interesting that the 35mm print is supplied by Kino Lorber. Could a blu-ray be coming soon?

It’s been attributed to them for at least five years now. I’ve asked once or twice on the other forum and the only time I actually got a response it was along the lines of “ThAt’S nOt StuDiO cLaSsIcS sO hOw ThE fUcK wOuLd I kNoW yOu StUpId IdIoT.”

[beamish14]

If anyone in LA is feeling too cheery these days, American Cinematheque’s “Bleak Week: Cinema of Despair” series starts tonight, and its lineup is a pretty great selection of downer endings and nihilism

It’s almost ridiculously overstuffed. I’ll be going to The Sweet Hereafter (at 10:00 on a Monday!). Interesting to note that The Seventh Continent isn’t part of this series, but it’s screening at Brain Dead. Very excited about the new print of Ceylan’s Distant, too.

When Los Olvidados was shown at LACMA some years back, the print was courtesy of Tim Hunter’s (River’s Edge) collection at the AMPAS

[therewillbeblus]

Love to see The 7th Victim a part of it- inspired pick!

[senseabove]

The Cinematheque website lists Kino as the distributor, not the print source. Screenings rights have to be cleared with the rights holder, wherever the print actually being shown is sourced from. When I saw it, it was the BAMPFA’s own print, but it still listed Kino as providing “permission”.

[OldBobbyPeru]

The Cinematheque website lists Kino as the distributor, not the print source. Screenings rights have to be cleared with the rights holder, wherever the print actually being shown is sourced from. When I saw it, it was the BAMPFA’s own print, but it still listed Kino as providing “permission”.

I've heard that rights in general are a nightmare for a lot of Mexican films. There have been a lot of restorations of the Golden Age films of Emilio Fernandez and Roberto Gavaldón among others, but no physical releases. Did you attend the "Cine Negro" retrospective that BAMPFA had a few years ago? I asked Eddie Muller about showing more Mexican films at the film noir events, and he said the rights are really tough to get.

[OldBobbyPeru]

Well, whoever owns the rights, it still is a very powerful film--still packs a punch. The screening was well attended for a Friday matinee, and the print was good--just enough scratches at first to let you know you're watching film. Very good image. Gabriel Figueroa was an amazing cinematographer.

I wish we could get more of his works on blu-ray. So many of the classic films he lensed for Buñuel, Emilio Fernandez, Roberto Gavaldon and others have been restored, but no physical media released yet. Some of the restorations can be found in various forms on YouTube, and that's it.

It was interesting to be immersed in a bleak, nightmarish world for ninety minutes, then to emerge from the theater and enter another bleak, nightmarish world outside.

[senseabove]

The Castro theater's new managers, Another Planet Entertainment, have, among other things, proposed to removed the raked flooring and permanent seating, replacing them with tiered standing room and removable seating that can be brought in for film festivals and screenings. In response, a group of locals has formed the Castro Theatre Conservancy and launched a petition for APE to retain the Castro's primary function as a movie palace, with support from a whole host of major names.

[senseabove]

Another Planet Entertainment held a public meeting to present their plans for the Castro Theatre last Thursday night. It was initially announced that the theater's owners, the Nasser family, would be present, but they very notably were not thanks to the lead APE representative's repeated refusal to 'speak on their behalf,' which underlined the fact that no Nassers were ever introduced and none came forward to speak for themselves. So I got the impression they were expecting a poorly-attended event that they could pat themselves on the back for and say "see, no one really cares," and that would be the end of it. Surprising even me, the 800-seat mezzanine level was so full they had to open the balcony for overflow seating (and for reference, the balcony is only ever opened for special events, never during normal operation). The audience booed loudly nearly every time the seating changes were brought up, and more than 40 people gave 2-4 minute comments, the vast majority opposing APE's plans, with people being turned away at the end after the comment period had already run an hour beyond schedule.

Since I know we have folks here who've traveled to various film festivals at the Castro, I wanted to share that if anybody not local feels the urge to voice opposition to APE's plans to turn the Castro into just another concert venue, there will be hearings by the Historic Preservation Commission on October 5th at 12:30 PM and by the Planning Commission on October 6th at 1 PM (Pacific, obviously), and you can call in to make a public comment. More info in this SFGate article for now.

[OldBobbyPeru]

A Fellini Retrospective starts this Friday, September 2, at the Historic Camelot Theater in Palm Springs. Here's a trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0qFRhBN-cE

It's a rare chance to see these great films on an enormous 70 foot screen in a great movie palace that seats over 500 people. It's presented in conjunction with Cinecitta as part of their ongoing Fellini 100 tour, which got bamboozled during the pandemic, but is still ongoing, and a good reason to honor the maestro. It you're anywhere in the Southern California area, please come out and experience this theater--it's a gem.