THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND: Sneak Preview Screening, Costume Display, and Bryce Dallas Howard and Jodie Markell In Person!

It's not every day that a new film written by Tennessee Williams is released. William's 1957 screenplay for THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND was supposed to be his third collaboration with director Elia Kazan (after Baby Doll and A Streetcar Named Desire), but when plans to make the film fell through, the screenplay was lost and forgotten -- until young, Memphis-born director Jodie Markell recently picked it up.

We celebrated Mr. Williams earlier this month at the Egyptian with a double feature of the Suddenly Last Summer and Cat on A Hot Tin Roof; now, join us for a sneak preview of THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND at the AERO THEATRE! Director Jodie Markell and star Bryce Dallas Howard will be there for a Q&A discussion after the screening. We'll also have a display of costumes from the film in the Aero lobby! Costume designer Chrisi Karvonides will be on hand to answer questions about the costumes, in the lobby.


Wednesday, December 16 - 7:30 PM
Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Ave at 14th St
Santa Monica, CA 90403
Sneak Preview: THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND, 2009, Paladin, 102 min. Dir. Jodie Markell. This new drama based on a recently rediscovered original screenplay by Tennessee Williams is set in the Roaring Twenties and tells the story of Fisher Willow (Bryce Dallas Howard) a headstrong young southern heiress who rebels by asking the impoverished but handsome Jimmy Dobyne (Chris Evans) to escort her to the major social events of the season. The relationship is purely a business arrangement, with Fisher paying for Jimmy’s time and attention, but when she discovers she really loves him, she finds it impossible to earn the affection she tried to buy. Also starring Ellen Burstyn, Ann-Margret and Will Patton.

Discussion following with director Jodie Markell and actor Bryce Dallas Howard. There will be a display of some of the beautiful 1920s era costumes from the film on display in the lobby as well. Special thanks to Palace Costume and Revamp Vintage Reproduction Clothing.

Chris Evans and Bryce Dallas Howard in THE LOSS OF A TEARDROP DIAMOND

Funny Or Die Presents "Internet 3.0"

The American Cinematheque had this idea to "blow up" these popular Webisode things on our giant screen, because, well, that's just the way we do things here at the Cinematheque. We like our filmed entertainment big and beefy and with our Dr. Horrible and The Guild event, we saw that 600+ other folks liked them better giant too. We don't believe that you can enjoy something that is only 2 inches square the same way you can at nearly 60 feet across. So there you go, Funny or Die thought they might be extra funny at 60 feet across so we promise you, Friday night WILL be funny. The folks at Funny or Die are just crazy enough to stray from their usual format of videos for the internet, to produce a live show about which they will only say this:

"A Live Show Featuring Surprise Guests And Premiere Videos at the Egyptian Theatre on Friday, December 11, 2009. We don't want to spoil the surprise but if you are a fan of Funny Or Die and comedy in general this show will blow you away. Comedic performers include Brett Gelman, Jordan Peele, Brandon Johnson, Charlie Sanders, and a really big comedian who likes to sit between two ferns and interview famous people. Plus, Astronaut Buzz Aldrin."

Buzz Aldrin you say? What's the deal. Well apparently Buzz conspired with Snoop Dogg and Talib Kweli to produce this (click to see "Buzz Aldrin's Rocket Experience").
Buzz Aldrin's Rocket Experience from Buzz Aldrin

Friday night is one of those not to be missed, once-in-a-lifetime experiences at the American Cinematheque. Don't miss it. Tickets are on sale now at www.fandango.com

Friday, December 11 - 7:30 PM WEBISODES
The American Cinematheque Blows Up the Internet: Funny or Die presents The Internet 3.0
Since its launch in 2007 with the now-classic video THE LANDLORD, Funnyordie.com has become the Internet's premier place for comedy. Combining shorts by noted Hollywood celebrities and filmmakers with user-generated submissions, Funnyordie is both a forum for established comic geniuses and a launching pad for up-and-coming talent. Join us at the Cinematheque for a special live program that brings together Funny or Die favorites, premiere videos, celebrity guests and surprise hosts. This is a Funny night you do not want to miss. Official Website

Added Events: SERIOUS FILMMAKING: A Coen Brothers Retrospective

SERIOUS FILMMAKING: A Coen Brothers Retrospective

From their electrifying debut with BLOOD SIMPLE in 1984 to their Academy Award-winning triumph NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN in 2007 and the recent masterpiece A SERIOUS MAN, brothers Ethan and Joel Coen have established themselves as a formidable creative force. Join us at both the Aero and Egyptian Theatres for triple features of the Coens' best films, movies that traverse the worlds of comedy, film noir, and domestic melodrama with immense wit and style. One admission price for all 3 films.

Coen Bros Triple Features

Monday, December 14, 2009 - 5:30 PM at the Egyptian

5:30 PM: RAISING ARIZONA at the Aero Theatre, 1987, 20th Century Fox, 94 min. Dir. Joel Coen. This staggeringly hilarious chronicle of the romance between inept bad boy Nicolas Cage and straight arrow cop Holly Hunter was an unexpected follow up to the Coen Bros.' chilling BLOOD SIMPLE. The kidnap scheme that follows when the loving couple learn they can't conceive kids is guaranteed to provoke more laughs per minute than any American comedy since the heyday of 1930's screwball cinema.

7:30 PM: A SERIOUS MAN at the Aero Theatre, 2009, Focus Features, 105 min. Dir. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Jewish physics professor Larry Gropnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) can't catch a break: his wife (Sari Lennick) wants a divorce, his malady-laden brother (Richard Kind) is living on his couch, and his tenure is endangered by a small misunderstanding that snowballs into a fiasco. Only the Coen brothers could make such a modern-day Job's plight so painfully hilarious; their return to the world of Minnesota academia in which they grew up yields one of their richest, most personal films to date.

9:30 PM BLOOD SIMPLE at the Aero Theatre 1984, MGM Repertory, 99 min. Joel and Ethan Coen's first feature film is one of the most assured moviemaking debuts in recent history. Hangdog Texas bar owner Marty (Dan Hedaya) hires a corrupt and corpulent detective (M. Emmet Walsh) to kill Abby, his unfaithful wife (Frances McDormand) and her lover (John Getz). Winner of the Sundance Grand Jury Prize-Dramatic.

"...it's the noir-style humor, not the violence, that makes this tribute to James M. Cain and Alfred Hitchcock so good." - Desson Thomson, The Washington Post;

"Grisly, stylish and often weirdly funny, BLOOD SIMPLE is a reminder of how rarely an original artistic sensibility is announced to the world and how much better movies are when that sensibility is allowed to keep going its own way." - Anne Hornaday, The Baltimore Sun

Egyptian Theatre Details



Tuesday, December 15 - 5:30 PM
5:30 PM
FARGO at the Egyptian Theatre
1996, MGM Repertory, 98 min. One of Joel and Ethan Coen's most acclaimed films, winning their first Oscars (Screenplay) as well as a Frances McDormand victory for best actress. Cool, calm, collected (and pregnant!) policewoman Marge (McDormand) tracks the kidnappers of a used car salesman's wife in North Dakota's snow-covered wasteland. Salesman Jerry's (William H. Macy) inept plot to get out of debt by staging the hoax unravels in gory fashion when his two bizarrely mismatched henchmen (Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare) have a falling out. That hulking Stormare's nonchalant, bloodcurdling use of a woodchipper at the limax emerges as both chilling and hilarious testifies to the Coen's complete mastery of tone in the filmmaking process. "...an illuminating amalgam of emotion and thought. It glimpses into the heart of man and unearths a blackly comic nature, hellishly mercurial and selfish, yet strangely innocent. If it weren't so funny, it would be unbearably disturbing." - Arnold Wayne Jones, The Dallas Observer "A crime gem that is darkly funny even when it's chilling - and certain to become a classic." - Peter Stack, The San Francisco Chronicle

7:30 PM
A SERIOUS MAN at the Egyptian Theatre
2009, Focus Features, 105 min. Dir. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Jewish physics professor Larry Gropnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) can't catch a break: his wife (Sari Lennick) wants a divorce, his malady-laden brother (Richard Kind) is living on his couch, and his tenure is endangered by a small misunderstanding that snowballs into a fiasco. Only the Coen brothers could make such a modern-day Job's plight so painfully hilarious; their return to the world of Minnesota academia in which they grew up yields one of their richest, most personal films to date.

9:30 PM: BARTON FINK at the Egyptian Theatre
1991, 20th Century Fox, 116 min. Winner of best director, best actor and a Unanimous winner of the.Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. In the Depression Era, naïve and ridiculously idealistic New York playwright Barton Fink (John Turturro, in a tour-de-force performance) is brought out to tinseltown by an egocentric movie mogul (hilarious Michael Lerner) to write a "wrestling picture for Wallace Beery." Joel and Ethan Coen engineer an escalating case of existential dread for Fink in his quiet hotel room when he is afflicted with a terrifying case of writer's block. The few people Fink meets fuel his mushrooming paranoia: a William Faulkner-type writer (John Mahoney) too drunk to work, the writer's tragic mistress (Judy Davis) and last, but not least, the only guy he's been able to make friends with - a sweet-natured traveling salesman (John Goodman) from next door who may just turn out to be the notorious serial killer, Madman Muntz. "What RAISING ARIZONA was to baby lust, BARTON FINK is to writer's block -- a rapturously funny, strangely bittersweet, moderately horrifying and, yes, truly apt description of the condition and its symptoms." - Rita Kempley, The Washington Post

Aero Theatre Details

Wizard of Oz Costume Contest at the Aero Theatre

Dress in your best Munchkin, Flying Monkey or Toto costume and have a chance to take home the Wizard of Oz Ultimate Edition DVD set!


HTML clipboardSunday, November 29 - 4:00 PM
at the Aero Theatre
THE WIZARD OF OZ, 1939, Warner Bros., 101 min. Dir. Victor Fleming. Judy Garland is Dorothy in this sublime, candy-colored adaptation of L. Frank Baum's children's favorite, one of the most beloved film classics of all time. Take a surreal stroll down the yellow brick road with Dorothy as she encounters the Tin Man, the Scarecrow, the Cowardly Lion, Glinda the Good Witch and the Wicked Witch of the West. But there's no place like home! Don't miss the display of Wizard of Oz artwork at Every Picture Tells A Story! Trailer

Come in costume and participate in the WIZARD OF OZ costume contest before the screening and win a Blu-ray DVD (courtesy of Warner Home Video).

The 70th Anniversary Ultimate Collector's Edition contains nearly four hours of all-new bonus material, plus Digital Copy, and come in numbered packaging.

Supplemental highlights include the original extended version of If I Only Had a Brain; the documentary MGM: When the Lion Roars; The Dreamer of Oz, (a 1990 TV bio-pic about Oz author L. Frank Baum); Victor Fleming, Master Craftsman, a new documentary about the director); Hollywood Celebrates It's Biggest Little Stars, a featurette dedicated to the life and times of the actors who played the Munchkins; two 1914 silent films, The Magic Cloak of Oz and The Patchwork Girl of Oz, both produced by Baum, a sing-along track; promotional artworks; 52-page miniature book, and a numbered Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary watch!

Take home GONE WITH THE WIND and THE WIZARD OF OZ this weekend!

Join us at the Egyptian on Saturday, November 28th at 7:30PM for a 70th Anniversary Screening of GONE WITH THE WIND. We'll be holding a drawing where you can win the 70th Anniversary DVD or Blu-Ray Boxed Set, courtesy of Warner Bros. Home Video!
More Info

Then head over to the Aero on Sunday at 4:00pm for a 70th Anniversary Screening of THE WIZARD OF OZ, where we'll also be giving away a Wizard of Oz Blu-Ray DVD -- but you must come in costume as your favorite Wizard of Oz character for a chance to win!
More Info

Paul Mazursky and Friends In Person at the Aero!

Filmmaker Paul Mazursky, who is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his directorial debut (BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE) is the subject of a two night in person tribute at the American Cinematheque on Thursday, November 19 and Friday, November 20. BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE Co-stars Robert Culp, Elliott Gould and Dyan Cannon will join Mazursky in person after the Friday screening of BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the film.

Thursday, November 19 - 7:30 PM
Double Feature: AN UNMARRIED WOMAN, 1978, 20th Century Fox, 124 min. Dir. Paul Mazursky. Erica (Jill Clayburgh) is a wealthy New Yorker whose stability is shattered by the breakup of her marriage. But she turns tragedy into triumph by seizing the opportunity to find herself via a new life and a new relationship.Clip

TEMPEST, 1982, Sony Repertory, 136 min. In Paul Mazursky's loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "The Tempest," John Cassavetes plays an architect who leaves his wife (Gena Rowlands) and moves to a Greek island with his teenage daughter (Molly Ringwald). Complications emerge when Cassavetes falls for Susan Sarandon and his wife shows up on the island with a new lover. Discussion in between films with director Paul Mazursky. Clip

Friday, November 20 - 7:30 PM
Double Feature: 40th Anniversary! BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE, 1969, Sony Repertory, 105 min. Dir. Paul Mazursky. A ground-breaking, hilarious and still-pointed satire of sexual hang-ups in America. "We came here for an orgy, didn't we?" says repressed housewife Dyan Cannon, just before she joins Natalie Wood and husbands Elliott Gould and Robert Culp in some classic, late-1960s wife-swapping, hot-tubbing action. Clip

HARRY AND TONTO, 1974, 20th Century Fox, 115 min. Dir. Paul Mazursky. Art Carney won an Oscar for his performance as Harry, an aging man who hits the road with his cat Tonto. Their journey is funny and touching in equal measures, thanks to Paul Mazursky and Josh Greenfield’s reflective screenplay and a supporting cast that includes Larry Hagman, Ellen Burstyn and Josh Mostel. Discussion in between films with director Paul Mazursky and actors Dyan Cannon and Robert Culp. Trailer

More on Mazursky

Since his directorial debut with BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE 40 years ago, filmmaker Paul Mazursky has been one of America’s most reliable comic storytellers. He began his career as an actor, appearing in an early Stanley Kubrick feature, FEAR AND DESIRE, before going on to roles in THE BLACKBOARD JUNGLE and numerous classic TV series. Mazursky continued acting, but quickly became known as a formidable writer on series including "The Danny Kaye Show" and "The Monkees." After Mazursky and partner Larry Tucker wrote the script for I LOVE YOU, ALICE B. TOKLAS in 1968, they collaborated on BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE, the film that would establish Mazursky’s voice as a director: that of a brilliant but humane satirist, capable of illuminating his characters’ foibles without condescension. Mazursky’s form of sympathetic satire evolved over the next several decades in classics like BLUME IN LOVE, AN UNMARRIED WOMAN and DOWN AND OUT IN BEVERLY HILLS, and he has continued to act in everything from "The Sopranos" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" to his own films.

A Message from Steve Railsback Star of THE STUNT MAN and ED GEIN

I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT AN HONOR IT IS TO BE INVITED BY AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE TO SCREEN TWO OF MY FAVORITE FILMS: THE STUNT MAN AND ED GEIN. I'M THRILLED TO SHARE THE STAGE WITH RICHARD RUSH; HE IS ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC DIRECTORS IN HOLLYWOOD.

ONE OF THE GREATEST EXPERIENCES OF MY ACTING CAREER WAS CO-STARRING IN THE STUNT MAN WITH PETER O'TOOLE AND BARBARA HERSHEY. I COULDN'T WAIT TO GET TO THE SET DURING THE 5 MONTHS OF FILMING, BECAUSE I KNEW THAT SOMETHING EXCITING AND CREATIVE WAS GOING TO HAPPEN EVERY DAY. WORKING WITH RICHARD RUSH WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST HIGHLIGHTS OF MY CAREER.

Note: This classic motion picture received rave reviews from Time, Newsweek and critics nationwide. It was nominated for 4 Academy Awards and was the first American motion picture to win "Best Film Award' at the Montreal Film Festival. Railsback was nominated for Best Actor by "The Golden Globes" and won that honor at the Dallas Film Festival.

PORTRAYING CHARLES MANSON IN HELTER SKELTER AND THE TITLE CHARACTER IN ED GEIN, WERE TWO OF THE MOST DIFFICULT AND REWARDING CHALLENGES OF MY CAREER. ED GEIN WAS THE TOTAL OPPOSITE OF MANSON; AN EXTREMELY PASSIVE MAN, WHO GREW UP IN WISCONSIN IN THE 1950's, AND SOUGHT HIS DECEASED MOTHER'S PERMISSION BEFORE HE COULD DO ANTHING. HE WAS ANTI-SOCIAL, A SCHIZOPHRENIC AND A MURDERER.

Steve Railsback, October 8, 2009

Note: This haunting motion picture, based on a true story, was produced by and starred Steve Railsback. Feature films PSYCHO and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS were based on Ed Gein's lost and tortured soul. Railsback won "Best Actor" for ED GEIN and the movie won "Best Feature Film" at the Sitges Film Festival in Spain in 2000. He was also awarded "Best Actor" at the Film Festival in Rome in 2001.

Steve Railsback will appear in person for a double feature of THE STUNT MAN and ED GEIN at the Aero Theatre on Sunday, October 25. For details click here.

The "Girls in the Band" will Appear in person with SOME LIKE IT HOT

All 5 Girls in the Band, Marilyn Monroe's band in SOME LIKE IT HOT will come down to the Egyptian tonight to reminisce about making the film with Monroe, Curtis and Lemmon. Still a favorite, the film celebrates its 50th anniversary this year and to commemorate it, Curtis penned a tell-all volume with the help of Mark Vieria. Vieria will sign books and tell some stories along with a screening of this timeless classic about the days when Jazz was HOT and Men were sometimes Girls, but it all worked out in the end.

Thursday, October 8 – 8:00 PM COMEDY

50th Anniversary! SOME LIKE IT HOT, 1959, MGM Repertory, 119 min. Dir. Billy Wilder. Musicians Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon take it on the lam from the Chicago mob, cross-dressing to blend in with an all-girl band and creating a situation where luscious Marilyn Monroe doesn’t know if she’s falling for a playboy (Curtis) or a playgirl. Hosted by Mark Vieria who wrote The Making of "Some Like It Hot" with Tony Curtis. Viera will relate some previously untold behind-the-scenes stories from the book. Book siging at 7 PM in the lobby. Discussion following with the girls from Sugar Kane's (Marilyn Monroe) band including Marian Collier (Olga, the clarinet player) and Marie Foley, Sandra Warner, Joan Layne and Tracy Ross.

Tickets are available in advance on www.fandango or at the Egyptian Theatre box office prior to the show. The booksigning will start at 7PM.

View this event on the Cinematheque website.

Gabriel Byrne ("In Treatment") will join us IN PERSON for the opening night of the Irish Film Festival at the Aero on Thursday. He will speak following a documentary about him - GABRIEL BYRNE: STORIES FROM HOME - so you can hear from the on...screen Byrne and the in person Byrne and then compare and contrast. Byrne's doc is on a double feature with PEACEFIRE and a short that sounds pretty cool - there is NOTHING better than tongue in cheek claymation in our book!

PEACEFIRE
2008, Goldcrest Independent/mayFLY Entertainment, 87 min. Dir. Macdara Vallely. Colin (John Travers, SONG FOR A RAGGY BOY) is a joy-riding hood who couldn’t care less about the local political situation. But a chance encounter with a ruthless detective (Gerry Doherty) turns him into an informer for the so-called forces of law and order and a target for retribution for his father’s old mates in the Irish Republican Army. "... (M)uch of its dramatic power comes from quiet, visually poetic moments." – Peter Brunette, The Hollywood Reporter. Trailer

Plus "Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty" (Ireland, 2008, 6 min.) Dir. Nicky Phelan. A seemingly sweet old lady loses the plot as she tells her version of Sleeping Beauty to her terrified granddaughter.

Click here to get the details on the attending the screening.

Exotic Entertainment Added to Tiki Night at the Egyptian

The allure of the South Seas comes to Hollywood this weekend with a Tiki themed weekend which will sprinkle the enchantment of the Islands in the Egyptian Theatre Courtyard. In addition to the previously announced Tiki movies and Luau featuring a Polynesian Dinner, Musical Entertainment from King Kukulele and His Friki Tikis, Ukele Davey, the Polynesian Paradise Dancers, Vendors of Tiki-ana and miscellaneous exotica - we have more special guests - and for those who missed the fabulous Scopitone program last weekend, these Technicolor (slightly risque) 60s music videos are back with Tiki themed versions:

MORE from the "Scopitone: Carousel of Stars" Archive! Princess Leilani & Alex "Keep Your Eyes On The Hands" April Stevens & Nino Tempo "Land of A Thousand Dances" Princess Leilani & Alex "Smoldering Drums" Joi Lansing "The Web Of Love" All 4 presented in 16mm Dye Transfer Technicolor!!! Total Run Time - 10 minutes

Special Guest: Wally Boag In Person - The Voice of the Jose character in Disneyland's Tiki Room and a participant in many other Disneyland attractions. For more information on Wally click here.

Tickets to the Luau will be sold until noon on Friday. After that its first come, first served at the door. About 50 tickets will be sold at the door.

'In the Loop' Screening Canceled

We regret that the Aero Theatre screening of the new Brit comedy IN THE LOOP has been canceled. If you purchased tickets you can go to the box office any time on or before July 15, 2009 to get a refund.

'Beaches of Agnes' Sneak to Highlight In Person Retrospective of the work of Filmmaker Agnes Varda

Agnès Varda, one of the founding members of the French New Wave will appear In Person at the Aero Theatre with a Sneak Preview of her latest film, plus a mini-retrospective of highlights of her long career as a filmmaker (including a 'Los Angeles' night featuring work from Varda's stay in LA in the 1960s. All this takes place at the Aero Theatre from June 24 - July 1. Learn more & see a film schedule.

A gifted and outspoken feminist and one of the most acclaimed directors anywhere in the world, Agnès Varda could be considered the prototype of today’s independent filmmaker. Varda is a survivor, a stubborn and patient observer of her time and her people, like the pop singer in CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7, the lovers in LE BONHEUR (HAPPINESS) or the drifter in VAGABOND. "I have fought so much since I started … for something that comes from emotion, from visual emotion, sound emotion, feeling, and finding a shape for that," Varda has said.

Varda directed her first feature, LA POINTE COURTE, in 1954, with no formal training in filmmaking. The movie has often been identified as the film that started the French New Wave ("and a famous flop," as Varda has wryly noted). Along with Alain Resnais and Chris Marker, she made up the so-called "Left Bank Group" of the early 1960s, distinct from other New Wave directors for their interest in both documentary and fiction and their passion for both political and social filmmaking. Her marriage to Jacques Demy (1931-1990) made her one-half of the most beloved filmmaking couple of their day, and her tribute to Demy, JACQUOT DE NANTES, is one of her finest films.

In 1962, Varda directed the legendary CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7, a French New Wave classic about two hours in the life of a pop singer. The film’s sense of profound realism crossed with lyrical visual poetry pointed the way toward much of Varda’s later work, which would alternate between acclaimed documentaries and romantic but naturalistic fiction features. Capable of crafting both gritty cinematic time capsules and expressionistic mood pieces like LES CREATURES, the breadth of Varda’s talent is nearly as astonishing as its depth. For more than 50 years, she has continued to experiment and innovate, creating one of the first digital video masterpieces (THE GLEANERS AND I) as well as timely portraits of cities from L.A. (LIONS LOVE) to Paris. She has worked in nearly every form of filmmaking that exists, from shorts to documentaries to a delightful celebration of film history (ONE HUNDRED AND ONE NIGHTS), and has mastered them all.

As if that weren’t enough, Varda also helmed one of the greatest French films of the 1980s, VAGABOND, and published a highly acclaimed autobiography. Recent years have seen no slowing down of her output and no lessening of her talent: Her latest film, THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS, won the Cesar (the French equivalent of the Academy Award) for best documentary. Varda has been quoted as saying that she wants "to illuminate women’s lives—not only their hardships, although they’re important, but also the light, the transparency, the pleasure of being a woman." While Varda has certainly accomplished this, the range of her work is more expansive than perhaps even she knows—it is not enough to label her a feminist filmmaker, or a New Wave filmmaker, or a political filmmaker. She is simply one of the greatest living directors in any country, working in any language, in any form.

Agnes Varda's official website.
Senses of Cinema Article on Agnes Varda

See a Trailer for Beaches of Agnes

The Cinematheque is proud to present a sneak preview of THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS along with a series of Varda’s masterpieces, with the director herself live and in-person.

American Girl Silent Screen at the Egyptian Theatre

THE HURT LOCKER Sneak Preview with Cast & Crew In Person June 5th!

Stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty and screenwriter Mark Boal will join director Kathryn Bigelow for q & a with the Sneak Preview screening of THE HURT LOCKER on June 5 at 7:30 PM at the Egyptian Theatre. A few tickets are still available on www.fandango.com

THE HURT LOCKER, 2009, Summit Entertainment, 131 min. Acclaimed director Kathryn Bigelow brings together realistic action and intimate human drama in a landmark film starring Jeremy Renner (THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES BY THE COWARD ROBERT FORD), Anthony Mackie (WE ARE MARSHALL), Brian Geraghty (JARHEAD), and co-starring Ralph Fiennes, David Morse, Evangeline Lilly ("Lost") and Guy Pearce. In the summer of 2004, Sergeant Sanborn (Mackie) and Specialist Eldridge (Geraghty) are part of a small counterforce trained to handle homemade bombs, or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The job, a high-pressure, high-stakes assignment that soldiers volunteer for, requires a calm intelligence that leaves no room for mistakes. When Staff Sergeant James (Renner) cheerfully takes over the team, Sanborn and Eldridge are shocked by what seems like his reckless disregard for military protocol and basic safety measures. Is James really a swaggering cowboy who lives for peak experiences and the moments when the margin of error is zero – or is he a consummate professional who has honed his craft to high-wire precision? The men have only 38 days left in their tour, but with each new mission comes another deadly encounter. As James blurs the line between bravery and bravado, it seems only a matter of time before disaster strikes. A gripping portrayal of real-life sacrifice and heroism, and a probing study of the soul-numbing rigors and potent allure of the modern battlefield. Based on the first-hand observations of journalist and screenwriter Mark Boal, who was embedded with a special bomb unit in Iraq -- a squad whose members spoke of explosions as putting you in "the hurt locker." Discussion following with director Kathryn Bigelow and Stars Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty and screenwriter Mark Boal.

Joining the guests of the Famous Monsters of Filmland Returns weekend film series May 30 & 31 is Bela Lugosi, Jr. who will introduce DRACULA on Sunday, May 31 at 7:30 PM. Other guests include: Sara Karloff, Carla Laemmle (DRACULA), Janet Ann Gallow (GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN) and Jane Adams (HOUSE OF DRACULA). The Famous Monsters folks will have merchandise to sell and other Scare-tacular touches to a monsterously good weekend (coinciding with Monsterpalooza - attendees get a special ticket discount!

Actor Lance Henriksen will join director Kathryn Bigelow to introduce a double feature of NEAR DARK and STRANGE DAYS on Saturday, June 6 at 7:30 PM. See some silent films with your American Girl doll and stay for some vampire, futuristic apocalyptic action in 1999!!!

That's right, we have a family matinee celebrating the newest addition to the American Girl family!!

Calling all doll (and silent film) lovers - meet Rebecca Rubin, the newest American Girl character, at our American Girl Silent Screen event (with live piano accompaniment and and an American Girl Craft) on June 6th. Rebecca Rubin longs to become an actress when she grows up. She loves Charlie Chaplin and is the daughter of Jewish Russian immigrants living on Manhattan's Lower East Side in 1914.

Tickets are available for all of these events on www.fandango.com

Join as a NEW Member at any level at the American Cinematheque's Aero Theatre during our 70mm series Thursday, May 21 - Sunday, May 24 and receive 20% off the cost of membership AND a classic film DVD. This offer is only good for in person purchase of new or gift memberships. Box office opens at 6:00pm each day of the series.
Check out the 70MM line up at the Aero Theatre including one of our most requested (and attended) titles (so get your tickets in advance on www.fandango.com), Hitchcock's VERTIGO, THE UNTOUCHABLES, The Who in the rock opera TOMMY - and - sorry kids, the evening with ALIENS and THE ABYSS with James Cameron sold out eons ago. Sign up for our mailing list on the American Cinematheque website to be informed in advance of special events like this!

Famous Monsters In Hollywood

May 30 - 31, 2009 Famous Monsters of Filmland Return

ShareThis | Website

An Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!
Take a break from Monsterpalooza and join in celebrating the return of one of the most popular, beloved and influential movie magazines ever - Famous Monsters of Filmland. Legendary fan, literary agent and writer Forrest J. Ackerman started the magazine with publisher James Warren in 1958, and it continued to publish under their guidance until 1983 when it folded after 191 scare-packed issues. The publication's fortunes fluctuated through a roller-coaster of legal issues from 1993 until just this year. Make merry (or should we say, scary?) at the re-launch of the magazine and its website. Classic horror films such as GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, DRACULA and HOUSE OF DRACULA will be screened, along with appearances by special guests Sara Karloff, Carla Laemmle (DRACULA), Janet Ann Gallow (GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN) and Jane Adams (HOUSE OF DRACULA).

Saturday, May 30 - 7:30 PM
Double Feature:
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, 1939, Universal, 99 min. Dir. Rowland V. Lee. The third atmospheric installment in Universal's FRANKENSTEIN franchise finds Henry Frankenstein's grown-up son Wolf (Basil Rathbone) returning to the family estate with his wife and son (Josephine Hutchinson and Donnie Dunagan) after many years. The laboratory is in ruins - nevertheless Wolf soon becomes enmeshed in his family's nefarious legacy when he finds the dormant monster (Boris Karloff) being looked after by a vengeful gallows' survivor, the crook necked Ygor (a very creepy Bela Lugosi). Universal was firing on all cylinders with their bolt-necked creature when they released this exceptionally entertaining tall tale. Watch for Lionel Atwill as the one-armed police chief (he lost his missing appendage to a previous encounter with the monster). Trailer

GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, 1942, Universal, 67 min. Universal's horrors became much more formulaic and by-the-numbers in the 1940s, but the creative juices were still amply flowing in this fourth time out with the Frankenstein monster. Director Erle C. Kenton (ISLAND OF LOST SOULS) helms this fast-moving tale of Wolf Frankenstein's brother Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke) trying to live down the ignominy of the family name. Too bad for him that Ygor (Bela Lugosi) and the monster (now played by Lon Chaney, Jr.) survived somehow at the end of SON OF... Now they're back knocking on his door for help in reviving the ailing monster, hoping to restore him to his former glory. Adding to Ludwig's headaches are an envious, formerly illustrious doctor (Lionel Atwill) and Ludwig's beautiful daughter Elsa (Evelyn Ankers). Introduction to first film by Sara Karloff. Introduction to second film by Janet Ann Gallow. Trailer

Sunday, May 31 - 7:30 PM
Double Feature:
DRACULA, 1931, Universal, 75 min. Director Tod Browning (FREAKS) and actor Bela Lugosi established the Transylvanian count as one of the archetypal movie vampires and a monster icon for Universal Studios' golden era of classic horror films. This adaptation of Hamilton Deane's then-popular stage play of Bram Stoker's novel is quite different from Murnau's silent NOSFERATU, or from later works coming from Hammer Studios in the 1950s-1970s and Francis Ford Coppola's 1990s version. Real estate agent Renfield (played by everyone's favorite madman Dwight Frye) goes insane after visiting Dracula at his Transylvanian castle and is thereafter confined to a London asylum, though he does the Count's bidding as a hypnotized slave when Dracula comes to Britain and moves into the deserted Carfax Abbey. David Manners is Jonathan Harker and Helen Chandler is his lady love, who Dracula wants to make his bride. Edward Van Sloan, a fixture in early Universal horrors, is Professor Van Helsing. Trailer

HOUSE OF DRACULA, 1945, Universal, 67 min. Dir. Erle C. Kenton. To maximize returns and balking at continuing to grant their monsters a perpetual string of individual sequels, Universal decided to give audiences more bang for their buck. Monster rallies FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN and HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN had already come and gone, and by the time of HOUSE OF DRACULA, the only original star to appear was Lon Chaney, Jr., reprising his role yet again as Lawrence Talbot, the Wolf Man. Both Talbot and Count Dracula (John Carradine) desire a cure for their afflictions, and secure the help of renowned scientist Dr. Edelman (Onslow Stevens) and his hunchbacked nurse (Jane Adams). Complicating matters are the suspicions of beautiful nurse Martha O'Driscoll and police inspector Lionel Atwill, and the discovery of the dormant Frankenstein monster (Glenn Strange) in a sea cave! Extremely entertaining. Introduction to first film by Carla Laemmle (DRACULA). Introduction to second film by Jane Adams Trailer

American Cinematheque
6712 Hollywood Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90028
www.americancinematheque.com
<http://www.myspace.com/americancinematheque>
****You can buy tickets for the Egyptian and Aero Theatres online at Fandango.com****

Mickey Rooney - The longest career in motion picture history

Requiem For A Heavyweight & Killer McCoy were shown last night, but Rooney films including the musicals with Judy Garland continue through May 10 (see the post below about MAD WORLD) and Rooney will appear in person with THE BLACK STALLION on Saturday, May 9 for a family matinee!

by Dr. Yes
5/7/2009

Wednesday night the American Cinematheque’s Max Palevsky Aero theater played host to the Opening Night of a Five Night Tribute to the man Mickey Rooney, and the longest career a memorable evening, highlighted by an in-person appearance by none other than the real McCoy himself, the inimitable, Mickey Rooney.

General Moninger S. Grant got the evening’s festivities rolling with the pre-film announcements, a big crowd and a big applause for Mr. Rooney and what was a highly anticipated screening and Q&A. HEAVYWEIGHT still hits hard. Works the body till the head follows. Rooney’s place in the triangle of pain, Mountain Rivera’s corner, as trainer, "Army" to Jackie Gleason’s manager and Anthony Quinn’s boxer, is a singular example of just how powerful, revelatory even, an actor’s performance can be in a supporting role. Rooney’s character within the relationship of these three men in the twilight of a once great career as they struggle with the degradation of being forced to "get something outta the losing" is essential in carrying the pathos, illustrating a "nurturing" masculine element, and serves as the film’s only comic relief. "Army" pulls it off in one stand alone card game of "War."

With NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 and three films in post production, "Recently named the longest career in motion picture history, from ’27 till now, four times Oscar nominated, twice honorary award, Emmy award winner -- the awards get too many. All I’m going to say is here’s Mickey Rooney." With those words, host Peter Hammond welcomed actor, veteran, philanthropist, legend Mickey Rooney down to the Aero’s stage. A stage which has been held by countless giants of the film industry and a few seats in the audience too, this night was really special.

Mickey Rooney, unassuming in air and dress, took a seat alongside Mr. Hammond and Microphone in hand, proceeded to speak in a voice that was soft and steady never wavering and always settling. Mr. Rooney was joined in the audience by friends, family, and his wife Jan.

"Thank you. Well, I made so many bad pictures that weren’t released, A few that escaped. But it truly, I truly… have always believed that Anthony Quinn was one of the great actors of our time and should have been nominated and should have won. (Jackie) Gleason was coming off of Ralph Kramden… Director Ralph Nelson was a patient wonderful gentleman, tremendous gentleman. It was a great honor for me to be an infinitesimal part."

Continued... click here.

An Evening with Atom Egoyan & Company at the Aero Theatre

ADORATION
by Randy Wyatt
April 24, 2009

You want a piece of me?

Wow, what a contrast to last night’s RED DAWN Q&A. Two movies seemingly worlds apart --25 years certainly – yet both touching on many of the same themes, social and familial issues, and their respective cultural roots, the ties that both bind and repel human beings from their fellows. Vengeance, terrorism, and the justification or insufficient grounds for justification of acts of extreme violence and mass murder – and the discussion between characters regarding the moral implications of said issues – exist in both films, at times at great lengths. Certainly, in RD, it constitutes some of the longer and certainly more meaningful stretches of dialogue, in the case of tonight’s SNEAK PREVIEW of ATOM EGOYAN’s ADORATION at the Aero, this debate between characters and by proxy us the audience is catapulted into the cyber age. ADORATION opens with a series of settling images, a young boy in a park, a girl playing violin on a pier overlooking a placid lake. Then quickly we’re watching a teenage boy (played wonderfully by DEVON BOSTICK), videotaping an elderly man in a hospital bed. His father perhaps? But wait, as will happen with the reveal of the remaining cast of the characters, we’re opened to one possibility and or truth only to have that appearance of truth shift with the unfolding plotline. Not as much verisimilitude as in a crafty magician’s legerdemain within a topnotch screenplay. The bedridden patient will be revealed as his grandfather and what began as an exercise in high school French class balloons into a massive internet hoax with potentially dire consequences. The drama’s stakes intensify as the faux history ala chat room prank spirals out of control. But this is a “Sneak Preview,” so I will not reveal, divulge, or any other way compromise the story, besides there’s so much more to talk about, namely Mr. Egoyan and Co.
Read the rest of this article click here.

IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD

Greatest. Comedy. Ever.
by Michael Schlesinger

It’s been a few years since IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD graced a theatre screen in L.A., so its appearance Sunday, May 10tttth at the Aero is welcome news. On the 45tttth anniversary of its general release (with much footage from the roadshow version still MIA), the movie Stanley Kramer vowed to be The Comedy To End All Comedies somehow manages to seem not only as hilarious as ever, but even more pertinent. (You really didn’t expect Kramer to make “just” a comedy, did you?) Yes, it’s hardly a surprise that the overarching theme is greed: how easily ordinary joes can be totally corrupted by the possibility of scoring a big pile of stolen cash. But less obvious is the constant surveillance the fortune-hunters are under; the cops know everything they’re doing throughout the film. In an era where the government has no compunction about tapping phones and reading mail, it’s almost eerie how Kramer and writers William and Tania Rose inserted this into the narrative so slyly. (There’s also a total yet fascinating coincidence: twice during the climactic chase scene, the cars speed by billboards that read “Nixon For Governor.”)
to read the rest of this article click here

French Film Composers Series Winners Announced

Nicola S. from Santa Monica won Elmer Bernstein's Film Music Notebook &

LuAnne Olsen from Sun Valley won the 6 CD set of The Cinema of Georges Delerue!

DIRTY DANCING: An Afternoon at Kellerman's

Nobody puts baby in a corner. And nobody keeps baby off the screen or stage, especially The American Cinematheque, which on Sunday, April 26, hosted a revival screening of the 1987 cult dance classic starring Patrick Swayze, Jennifer Grey and the late Jerry Orbach. The event – equal parts dance party and big screen tribute – was staged to promote the upcoming musical adaptation of “Dirty Dancing” which opens May 8, 2009 at The Pantages Theatre.
Hosted by Dave Malkoff, the event kicked off with a free dance contest – and some dance lessons to boot – sponsored by Boxers & Ballerinas, Inc., a unique health and fitness organization founded by Rebekah Iliff. Jennifer Perry and Adrienne Malena, both instructors at Boxers & Ballerinas, were among the professional dancers who lead the Egyptian Theatre courtyard in an eye-catching dance show that commanded the center-stage attention on Hollywood Boulevard.
Film buffs and curiosity-seekers alike joined in on the dance lessons and participated in a “Dirty Dancing” trivia contest. Carole Mumford, Judy Calderon, Charles Meyerson and a Marilyn Monroe look-alike were among the trivia contest winners who walked away with tickets to the musical stage adaptation of “Dirty Dancing.”

Following the courtyard festivities, everyone filed inside for a screening of the 1987 film which was introduced by a Q&A between Dave Malkoff and Josef Brown, the classically trained Australian dancer who originated the stage persona of Johnny Castle in both the London and Australian stage versions of “Dirty Dancing,” and who will be reprising that role onstage at The Pantages Theatre for the run of “Dirty Dancing.”

For further information on “Dirty Dancing” the musical, visit www.dirtydancingamerica.com. For more information on Boxers & Ballerinas, please visit their website at www.boxersandballerinas.com.

Reporting & Photos by Lee Christian