The 1922 Historic Egyptian Theatre Debuts Live Hi-Tech Hook Up with the Filmmakers of WE LIVE IN PUBLIC & Audiences in 6 Cities

The American Cinematheque's 87-year old Egyptian Theatre, has been around long enough to witness a whole lot of new-fangled technology come into play - from the advent of the "Talkies" (Sound Movies), to Technicolor, Television, Answering & ATM Machines, the 8-Track Tape, the Beta-Max, Computers, Cell Phones, Digital Cameras, E-mail and of course, the Internet. Back in the day, Hollywood was a hub for live broadcasting from premieres and ballrooms. People around the country lived vicariously through news reports from glamorous places they had never been. Now, we can have a 6-way dialog with information coming in and going out to create an interactive discussion across the miles...

We could not be more excited to announce that we are part of the WE LIVE IN PUBLIC six city screening and interactive discussion on Monday, March 1 at 6:00 PM. It's an internet date you don't want to miss. We will be debuting our new hi-tech hook-up that enables us to broadcast thrilling events at the Egyptian to other places in the world (and check out what audiences elsewhere are doing).

Following a screening of WE LIVE IN PUBLIC (90 min.) we will connect with five other audiences in theatres around the country, the film's director Ondi Timoner and the subject of her documentary - the "Warhol of the Web" himself, Josh Harris and fans on the internet for a fully interactive discussion on what it means to "live in public" online in the 21st Century. The early start time is dictated by the time difference in cities in other time zones, so even if you can't make the screening, we hope you will join us for the 7:30 PM discussion hosted in person by actress Eliza Dushku (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”).

Here is some information about the film itself:
Sundance Grand Jury Documentary Prize Winner
# "4 STARS!… This is a remarkable film about a strange and prophetic man. "
—Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, 2009, 90 min., Interloper Films. Ten years in the making and culled from 5000 hours of footage, the film reveals the effect the web has on our society, as seen through the eyes of the “Warhol of the Web” aka “the greatest Internet pioneer you’ve never heard of”, artist, futurist and visionary Josh Harris. Through his experiments, including a six-month stint living with his girlfriend under 24-hour electronic surveillance which led to his mental collapse, Harris demonstrated the price we pay for living in public. Award-winning director Ondi Timoner (DIG! – which also won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize in 2004 – making Timoner the only director to win that prestigious award twice) documented his tumultuous life for more than a decade to create a riveting, cautionary tale of what to expect as the virtual world inevitably takes control of our lives.

Following the screenings, which will play simultaneously in Vancouver, LA, Denver, Chicago, New York & Atlanta, director Ondi Timoner & Josh Harris will link up with Los Angeles event host Eliza Dushku (“Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel”) and NY event host Adrian Grenier (“Entourage”) and all the audiences nationwide in theaters and online will have a live, interactive conversation about living in public.

See a trailer

Roger Ebert Review Buy Tickets
WE LIVE IN PUBLIC OFFICIAL WEBSITE

African American Shorts Line Up Announced

The details of our AFRICAN AMERICAN FILMMAKERS Short Film Celebration are now available and we have a great line up for this 75 minute shorts program celebrating the voices that define a new generation of Black Cinema. Join us for a showcase of the work of emerging directors, writers and animators who are redefining the depiction of the African American experience, stories and perspectives through films ranging from comedy to documentary to animation. Program compiled by Kimberley Browning, Executive Director: HOLLYWOOD SHORTS.

Including:

Michael Johnson's "Brothers Incorporated" (USA, 2009, 23 min.) This award-winning film film follows Marcus as he is poised to take control of his father's company - Philadelphia's Black Mafia circa 1963. Shot on location in Penn., this is the filmmaker's USC thesis film. Terence Anthony "Choke" (USA, 2009, 7 min.) This edgy comedy is an animated adaptation of Terence's original play by the same name. Marcus Stokes' "Chains" (USA, 2010, 14 min.) A sneak peek at the brand new short starring Andre Royo (The Wire) and John Hensley (Nip/Tuck) before it launches its highly anticipated festival premieres. Rashaad Ernesto Green's "Choices" (USA, 2009, 4 min.) A Sundance Official Selection. One of two short films completed right after the filmmaker's multi - award winning NYU student short "Premature". Andre Campbell's "Trust" (USA, 2008, 6 min.) A promiscuous housewife learns the true meaning of A Friend You Can Trust. A collaboration with Kimberley Browning of Hollywood Shorts. Discussion to follow with Michael Johnson, Marcus Stokes and Terence Anthony.

Saturday, February 27 – 7:30 PM

American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre (in the Spielberg Theatre screening room)

6712 Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90028

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Pianist Robert Israel to Accompany 'IT' Starring Clara Bow

The 1920s were a time of rapid change and women, for the first time, liberated their bodies from corsets, long skirts and other cumbersome, movement limiting clothing - likewise they cropped their curls into a scandalous hairstyle known as "the bob." Still popular today, the hairdo was sported by popular silent film actresses such as Clara Bow who stars in IT and Louise Brooks. Come see what all the fuss was about. First an illustrated history of the flapper hairstyle of choice and then a screening of IT, based on an article/concept on those who have "it" (aka sex appeal). by Elinor Glynn - which made a sensation in its day. Do you have "it?" Come find out on Sunday! We've just confirmed Robert Israel on piano with IT!



Sunday, February 21 – 2:00 PM at the Egyptian Theatre


Co-presented with the Art Deco Society of Los Angeles:
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow: "The Bob"
The turbulent years from the mid-1910s until the stock market crashed in 1929 provided the ideal climate for political and social change - and any hairstyle that could become the topic of editorials, sermons, cartoons, and literature during that time bears investigation. What could a world class tennis player, a murderous housewife, a female evangelist, and a Hollywood star possibly have in common? Bobbed hair! In addition to reflecting upon the broader impact of the bob, we'll examine the lives of both famous and infamous women who sported this provocative cropped hairdo. Some of these women behaved well and others badly, but at least they all looked chic! Lecturer Joan Renner is a social historian and writer. She volunteers for the Los Angeles Police Historical Society, Los Angeles Art Deco Society, Los Angeles Conservancy, and is a board member for the non-profit organization Photo Friends as well as tour guide for Esotouric tours.

IT, 1927, Kino, 72 min. Dir. Clarence G. Badger. The film that launched a thousand bobbed hairdos, IT stars the remarkably sassy Clara Bow as Betty Lou, a department store worker who has "It" (a.k.a. sex appeal). What does an It Girl do when the man of her dreams doesn't know she exists? She dates his best friend! This attention-getting technique works swimmingly, but complications arise when Betty Lou is mistakenly written up in the daily newspaper as an unwed mother. A flirty, fashionable romp about class politics. Live accompaniment on the piano by Robert Israel.

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Oscar Buzz Special Screenings: Limited Engagement of THE HURT LOCKER

FEBRUARY 18 - 21:


THE HURT LOCKER is one of the most talked about films of award season. It has picked up some honors already, including a DGA award for Best Director for Kathryn Bigelow. Cameron and Bigelow, ex-husband and wife contend for the biggest prize in the motion picture industry. Blue indigenous people vs adrenaline junkies. Who will win. Well we've brought back THE HURT LOCKER (the film premiered at the Egyptian last Summer with Bigelow, writer Mark Boal and Jeremy Renner in person. Check it out once again on the big screen!

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." Nominated for 9 Academy Awards, including Best Directing and Motion Picture of the Year.

"It's both the film about the war in Iraq that we've been waiting for and the kind of unqualified triumph that's been long expected from director Kathryn Bigelow."- Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times

"…a first-class piece of visceral action moviemaking." -Scott Foundas, L.A. Weekly

Spielberg Theatre at the Egyptian
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Thursday, February 18 - 7:30 PM

Friday, February 19 - 7:30 PM

Friday, February 19 - 10 PM

Saturday, February 20 - 7:30 PM

Saturday, February 20 - 10 PM

Sunday, February 21 - 3:30 PM

Quentin Tarantino In Person, The Beaches of Agnes, In the Loop Just Added to February Calendar

Just when you finished circling all the programs you wanted to attend at the American Cinematheque this month, we went and added more shows...

Quentin Tarantino In Person

Monday, February 8 - 6:00 PM
Quentin Tarantino In-Person! Double Feature!
PULP FICTION, 1994, Miramax, 153 min. Director Quentin Tarantino's dazzling, nitro-fueled homage to 1930's crime fiction, Elvis Presley flicks, Los Angeles diners, Jean-Luc Godard and Jean-Pierre Melville is arguably the most audacious and exciting American film of the 1990's. The movie's brilliant, against-type casting includes John Travolta (in a career-reviving performance), Samuel L. Jackson, Uma Thurman, Bruce Willis, Harvey Keitel, Eric Stolz, Maria de Medeiros, Tim Roth, Amanda Plummer, Christopher Walken and Ving Rhames. Winner of LAFCA Awards for Best Picture, Actor (John Travolta) and Screenplay (Tarantino and Roger Avary).

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS, 2009, Universal Pictures, 153 min. Tarantino's most recent cinematic achievement blends the director's trademark fetishism of film history with an emphatically violent, gung-ho pop culture assault against the 20th century's greatest villains: the Nazis. When a beautiful Jewish film projectionist recognizes the SS general (a magnetic Christopher Waltz) who riddled her family with bullets several years earlier, she brews a plan that involves revenge and celluloid. Meanwhile, a guerilla clan of Jewish-American soldiers and their twangy lieutenant (Brad Pitt) have plans of their own for the venomous Nazis. Nominated for 4 Golden Globes, including Best Motion Picture, Director, Screenplay, and a win for Waltz for Best Supporting Actor. 8 Oscar nominations. Discussion following each film with director Quentin Tarantino, moderated by Todd McCarthy.


Tuesday, February 9 - 7:30 PM
Double Feature: Cannes Film Festival Version!
KILL BILL: Vol. 1, 2003, Miramax, 111 min. Dir. Quentin Tarantino. With Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Vivica Fox, Darryl Hannah, Michael Parks, Sonny Chiba. Kill Bill is both an homage and a reimagining of the genre films that Quentin Taratino has seen and loved: spaghetti westerns, Chinese martial arts films, Japanese samurai movies and anime. The film is conceived in chapters, each with the characteristic look and pulse of a specific genre and then interwoven with references from pop culture. It is the tale of Beatrix Kiddo (a perfectly cast Uma Thurman) and her quest for bloody justice after being left for dead on her wedding day.

Cannes Film Festival Version!
KILL BILL: Vol. 2, 2004, Miramax, 136 min. The second and final installment in Tarantino's pulsating KILL BILL epic, Vol. 2 finds Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thurman at her most raw and empowering) waking from a lengthy coma and having the devastating realization that the baby she was carrying has died. This loss only serves as more fuel to her vengeful fire, and The Bride begins hunting down the final three people on her to-kill list: Budd (Bill's brother), Elle Driver (a one-eyed doozy), and Bill himself. Hyperbolically innovative death sequences, punchy color and a first-rate score by Wu-Tang Clan's The RZA make this one of the best action films of the new millennium - and also so much more than an action film. Also starring David Carradine, Michael Madsen, and Daryl Hannah.


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Critics Buzz

We're bring some films back to the big screen that we don't think got enough time on the big screen when they were initially released - and the critics think so too. See the films that were mentioned on a number of Critic's end of year lists...
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FEBRUARY 11 - 14:
Critic's Buzz Special Screenings:


THE BEACHES OF AGNES [Spielberg Theatre]
Thursday, February 11- 7:30 PM THE BEACHES OF AGNES
Friday, February 12 - 9:30 PM IN THE BEACH OF AGNES
Saturday, February 13 - 7:30 PM THE BEACHES OF AGNES
Sunday, February 14 - 4:00 PM THE BEACHES OF AGNES

THE BEACHES OF AGNÈS (LES PLAGES D’ AGNÈS), 2008, 110 min. "If you opened people up, you would find landscapes," Varda says in the opening voiceover of her new film. "If you opened me up, you would find beaches." Varda’s latest work is an autobiographical essay that takes a nostalgic yet penetrating look back at her life and films. Using photographs, recreations and scenes from her films, Varda illustrates the various stages of her life, from her marriage to Jacques Demy and his death in 1990 to her childhood memories of Sète, the fishing village that would become the subject of her first film. Woven through these reminiscences are lonely, dreamlike sequences shot on the beaches that have influenced and inspired her. View Trailer
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FEBRUARY 10 - 13:
Critic's Buzz Special Screenings:
Oscar Nominee for Best Adapted Screenplay
IN THE LOOP [Spielberg Theatre]

Wednesday, February 10 - 7:30 PM
IN THE LOOP

Thursday, February 11- 9:30 PM
IN THE LOOP

Friday, February 12 - 7:30 PM
IN THE LOOP

Saturday, February 13 - 9:30 PM
IN THE LOOP

IN THE LOOP, 2008, IFC Films, 106 min. Dir. Armando Iannucci. With Anna Chlumsky (Liza), Chris Addison (Toby), David Rasche (Linton), Gina McKee (Judy), James Gandolfini (General Miller), Mimi Kennedy (Karen), Olivia Poulet (Suzy), Peter Capaldi (Malcolm Tucker), Steve Coogan (Paul Michaelson), Tom Hollander (Simon Foster) and Zach Woods (Chad).

"See if this sounds familiar: A U.S. president is pushing for a war in the Middle East, going for a U.N. resolution though there's no reliable intelligence to back him up. And the Brits are staying carefully neutral, to give their prime minister room to maneuver.
Been there, seen that, you say? Not like this, you haven't. In the blistering British political satire In the Loop, bureaucratic bungling in the run-up to war is played for scabrous laughs, not a few of which will be pained laughs of recognition."
- Bob Mondello, All Things Considered (In the Loop: Wartime Fever As Screwball Tragedy)

"...a sharply written, fast-talking, almost dementedly articulate satire on modern statecraft..." - A.O. Scott, The New York Times (more)
View Trailer | In the Loop review on "All Things Considered"
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Updates & Trailers at: www.americancinematheque.com