| Special Events & Limited
Engagements in June
Tuesday, June 3 – 7:00 PM
Digitally Restored Version – James Woods, Arnon
Milchan & Fred Caruso In Person!!
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA,
1984, Warner Bros./New Regency, 229 min. Sergio Leone, the Italian filmmaker whose
artistic sensibilities created new interpretations of the American western with his
landmark productions of THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY and A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS and who
brought international stardom to Clint Eastwood, crafts an unparalleled saga about two
friends and the complex urban underworld in which they live. Starring Robert De Niro
as David "Noodles" Aaronson and James Woods as Max, the boyhood cohort
with whom his life becomes inextricably meshed, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA chronicles the
ruthless ambitions that drive them. The compelling story embraces a world of gritty
realities, raw emotions, secret longings, explosive conflicts, and the volatile passions
that destroy them and those who love them. The film follows Noodles and Max and their
cadre of Jewish gangsters in New York from their early 1900’s childhood, through the
glory years of prohibition and their subsequent reunion 35 years later. The restoration of
ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA involved detailed archival research by New Regency working
closely with Sergio Leone’s estate. The original camera negative was painstakingly
restored resulting in possibly the best print available to US audiences ever.
Additionally, New Regency uncovered the original sound tracks and session masters and
remixed and remastered from these elements. ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA features a stellar
cast of well-known and respected actors, including Elizabeth McGovern, Treat Williams,
Tuesday Weld, Joe Pesci, Burt Young, Danny Aiello, and William Forsythe, along with the
debut of Academy Award™ winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind). With a haunting
score by Ennio Morricone. (Note: Warner Home Video will be releasing a special
2-Disc Special Edition DVD of ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA on June 10th.)
Introduction to screening by actor James Woods,
producer Arnon Milchan and production executive Fred Caruso (schedules permitting).
Monday, June 9 – 7:00 PM SOLD OUT
Cast and Crew Reunion Screening!
THE RIGHT STUFF, 1983, Warner
Bros., 193 min. Dir. Philip Kaufman. Sam Shephard, Scott Glenn, Ed Harris, Barbara
Hershey, Dennis Quaid, Fred Ward and Jeff Goldblum head the stellar ensemble cast of
THE RIGHT STUFF, which is based on Tom Wolfe’s best-selling book chronicling the
exciting early years of the United States’ race to conquer the final frontier, and
the daredevil test pilots who ultimately became the first Americans in space. Kaufman also
wrote the screenplay for the film, which Pauline Kael of The New Yorker called
"astonishingly entertaining and great fun." Warner Home Video will be releasing
a 2-disc Special Edition DVD of THE RIGHT STUFF on June 10th.
Introduction to the screening by director Philip
Kaufman with actors Ed Harris, Scott Glenn, Kathy Baker, Veronica Cartwright, Harry
Shearer, Jeff Goldblum, and Scott Wilson, producer Robert Chartoff, legendary pilot
General Chuck Yeager, astronaut Colonel Gordon L. Cooper, and others attending (schedules
permitting).
Thursday, June 12 - 7:30 PM ALTERNATIVE SCREEN
Double Feature:
IN SMOG AND THUNDER 2002, 46 min. A mockumentary about a Civil War
between Northern and Southern California illustrated with paintings by Sandow Birk. California was teetering on the edge of doom. Animosity between Los Angeles and San Francisco had
gotten out of control. War was looming in the hearts of men and women from Petaluma to
Pacoima. Then, in early May, General Juan Gomez de Los Angeles led his Southern troops in
an offensive against the Bay area. Once the Battle of San Francisco began there was no
turning back… So begins this mockumentary (with much mocking at the Ken Burns style
of doc filmmaking) set vaguely in the recent past. The paintings (over 100 artworks) are a
wonderful critique of 19th century romantic period war paintings. He also
skewers propaganda art and the historical pomposity of museums.
Narrated by Paul Zaloom. Directed by Sean Meredith.
THE CUCUMBER INCIDENT 2002, 68 min. Filmmakers Melodie
Calvert & Bonita Makuch tells the true story of an extended family of
“redneck” Ohio women who avenge the acts of a child molester -- in part, with a
cucumber. The film is an actual documentary, but it
borders on the surreal at times. In 1997 the rape of a male child molester with a cucumber
made headlines in Delaware, Ohio and soon was picked up around the nation. Filmmakers
Melodie Calvert and Bonita Makuch go behind the closed doors to find out the Frank
family’s version of this vigilante act committed by four women, who didn’t feel
that the law had done enough to punish the sex offender in their midst.
The child’s maternal grandmother (an
avid collector of all things bunny rabbit), her sister-in-law and two daughters took
justice into their own hands, in an act of retribution that to their shock, results in
rape and kidnapping charges. Unexpected consequences abound as the family is cast into a
dizzying maze of media sensationalism climaxed by an appearance on the "Montel
Williams Show."
Two complex themes emerge in this complex and engaging film: first, the
family’s sense of justice versus that of the county’s legal, criminal justice
and welfare systems, and the media’s superficial portrayal of the "cucumber
rape" versus the more extenuating facts behind the story. Most importantly the film
gives voice to the Frank family, not protraying them as either villains or heroes, but as
complicated, strong women whose dramatic actions challenged community values and the law.
The film chronicles a grandmother’s fierce devotion to her grandchildren, the
complicity of a mother unprepared to protect her own offspring, and the ultimate fate of
two children drawn into a painful custody battle. Grandmother, Mary will be attending in person!
Discussions with filmmakers from both films.
Tuesday, June 17 – 7:30 PM
L.A. Premiere – Edgar G. Ulmer’s Lost
Ukrainian Film!
NATALKA POLTAVKA, 1937, 93
min. Starring Thalia Sabanieeva, Dimitri Creona, Michael Shvetz, Theodore Swystun. A
fascinating and long-lost example of ethnic filmmaking from the legendary director of
DETOUR and THE BLACK CAT, Edgar G. Ulmer, NATALKA POLTAVKA was produced by the
great Ukrainian dancer Vasile Avramenko, and shot in a reconstructed Ukrainian village
built in New Jersey on a budget of $18,000 (provided by a local union of window cleaners)
Based on Ivan Kotliarevski’s light operetta, this charming musical melodrama follows
the trials and tribulations of two young lovers, living under the same roof, who are
pulled apart when the girl’s father insists she marry the wealthy mayor of the
village. Will true love prevail?? This was the first of Ulmer’s acclaimed series of
independently produced ethnic films, followed by GREEN FIELDS, COSSACKS IN EXILE and THE
LIGHT AHEAD.
Introduction to screening by Edgar G. Ulmer’s daughter,
Arianne Ulmer Cipes.
Wednesday, June 18 – 7:30 PM
Auteur Shorts: The Director’s
Vision
We are proud to program these exemplary shorts by director’s
who had a firm hand to guide their visions through the complicated, collaborative process
known as filmmaking. Although some of the films might fit into specific genres (Sci-Fi,
Western), each have their director’s indelible stamp and unique take to create a
fresh perspective. Other shorts in the program are a distinct melding of styles and drama,
adapting from such diverse influences as Elizabethan comedy, silent films, music videos
and experimental techniques. We are excited to have most of the director’s present
for a post-screening discussion.
Matthew Melis’s "A Silent Musical" L.A.
Premiere! (16 min, video.) Four characters, seperated by space and time, come together in
their daydreams. Dominic Cianciolo’s "Bounty" L.A. Premiere!(17 min,
video.) Modern filmmaking techniques combined with the neglected genre of Western Drama
cohese in this powerful tale of revenge and forgiveness. Bruce Coughran’s "Love
For Love" (5 min, 35 mm.) Utterly charming period piece concerning the immortal
game of love and courtship. Martin LeGall’s "Diva & The Pianist"
(15 min, 35mm.) Idiosyncratic tale of our title characters as they entertain and face
difficulties in rural France. Steve Bordelon’s "Phoenix" (19 min,
35mm.) Controlled, sci-fi thriller about the conflict between static human needs and a
runaway technological society. David Brook’s "Member" (16 min,
35mm.) Josh Hartnett (PEARL HARBOR, VIRGIN SUICIDES, WICKER PARK) stars in this hypnotic,
hallucinogenic, visually arresting swerve and screech through the streets of Los Angeles.
Matthew Melis ("A Silent Musical"),
Dominic Cianciolo ("Bounty"), Bruce Coughran ("Love For
Love"), Steve Bordelon ("Phoenix") & David Brooks
("Member") will participate in a Q & A after the screening.
Tuesday, June 24 – 7:30 PM
Sneak Preview!
BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE, 2003, 105
min. Dir. Rick McKay. A stirring, fascinating documentary about the search for a bygone
era in American theatre. Single-handedly, McKay filmed over 100 Broadway legends, and uses
interviews, home movies and found performance footage to recreate an era that was never
documented and would have been lost forever. The huge cast is a who’s who of American
theatre and film including Angela Lansbury, Charles Durning, Shirley MacLaine, Stephen
Sondheim, Carol Burnett, John Raitt, Eva Marie Saint, Alec Baldwin, Jerry Herman, Kaye
Ballard, Jeremy Irons, Elizabeth Ashley, Jerry Herman, Carol Channing and many more.
More of the stars will be listed on our website and the entire cast assembled for the
documentary can be found at www.broadwaythemovie.com
Director Rick McKay, Jerry Herman, Kaye Ballard, Janis Paige,
Patricia Morison, Gretchen Wyler, Vincent Sherman, John Raitt, Edie Adams, Hal Linden,
Betty Garrett & Elliott Reid plus historian Miles Kreuger will appear for a discussion
after the screening. More guests TBA, check here for updates.
Wednesday, June 25 – 7:30 PM
Special Booksigning and Screening with Monte Hellman!!
Please join us for an evening with legendary American auteur Monte
Hellman, beginning with a booksigning of the first full-length study of his work, Monte
Hellman: His Life and Films, by Brad Stevens, followed by two of Hellman’s finest
features:
TWO-LANE BLACKTOP, 1971,
Universal, 101 min. Two motorheads in a supercharged ’55 Chevy (singer James
Taylor and Beach Boy Dennis Wilson) and teenaged drifter Laurie Bird
take on semi-delusional Warren Oates and his monstrous Pontiac GTO in a
cross-country race. Haunted by the vast open spaces of the Midwest and an addictive sense
of speed, TWO-LANE is the essential American road movie; Hellman calls it "the last
movie of the Sixties."
CHINA 9, LIBERTY 37, 1978,
Warner Bros., 102 min. Hellman’s striking take on Spaghetti Westerns revolves around
a gunfighter (Fabio Testi) sent to murder a stubborn dirt farmer (Warren Oates).
Distracted by the farmer’s young wife (Jenny Agutter), the lovestruck gunman
winds up being tracked by his own victim. Look for Sam Peckinpah in a colorful cameo as a
dime novelist.
There will be a booksigning prior to the
screening from 6:30 – 7:15 PM with director Monte Hellman and author Brad Stevens in
the Egyptian Theatre Lobby. Monte Hellman scheduled to introduce screenings.
Thursday, June 26 - 7:30 PM Alternative Screen
Independent Film Showcase
NINE GOOD TEETH
Sponsored by the Italian Heritage Cultural Foundation
While this film has traveled to festivals as far as Greece, it will
make its LA Premiere at the Alternative Screen. Filmmaker Alex Halpern decided to document
some of his grandmother’s stories when she was convinced she would die at the age of
96. By the time the film ends she is 103. While Halpern captures a personal portrait of
his spirited Italian-American grandmother Mary Mirabito, he also documents a more
universal portrait of the lives of women of her day. Through interviews with family
members Halpern reveals that Mary may not have been the best mother, but at the same time,
Alex’s mother is brought to tears in one interview as she has a sudden realization
that through all the arguing she has been lucky to have had her mother with her into her
own older years. Through family photographs, journals, home movies and historical archival
material, the film traces the roots of Mary's family from the volcanic island of
Stromboli, off the coast of Sicily, to Brooklyn, New York, where she was born on September
8, 1899, the second of thirteen children. From Mary's visits to post- World War II Europe
(returning to the land of her ancestors with her free-spirited teenaged daughter) to her
rediscovery of romance at age 68 with a long-lost suitor, there is as much drama in this
film as in any narrative feature. Mary even hosted Jack Kerouac (her son’s friend) in
her house on occasion. Most recently, she was honored at the United Nations by having her
hand imprinted in the center of the World Mandala Monument created by artist Neil
Tektowski.
Mary's desire, from an early age, to live her life equal to that of a man, was often in
direct conflict with her roles as daughter, wife, mother, matriarch and first-generation
American.
"A documentary in the tradition of Martin Scorsese's
Italianamerican· Nine Good Teeth offers an upbeat portrait of old age, tons of ethnic
local color, brushes with greatness and a strong, feisty matriarch unafraid of rattling
the family skeletons." --Ronnie Scheib, Variety.com
"A first rate documentary – this glorious encounter with an
unforgettable soul will have you embracing life and pooh-poohing fear of your own
demise." – Indiwire.com
Discussion following with
director Alex Halpern and associate producer Madeleine Leskin.
Thursday, June 26 - 10:00 PM New Horror Film
presented by Bruce Campbell In Person!
HATRED OF A MINUTE, 2002,
Anchor Bay, 84 min. Triggered by his job transcribing autopsy reports, a childhood of
abuse at the hands of his step-father (Gunnar Hansen of THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE) comes
back to haunt Eric Seaver (Michael Kallio) -- with a vengeance. Shown here in an uncut,
uncensored version, HATRED OF A MINUTE is a film producer Bruce Campbell calls "truly
independent," while he warns viewers to "get little Billy out of the room!"
Over nine years in the making, don’t miss the LA Premiere of this film. Discussion following with producer Bruce Campbell (EVIL DEAD) &
writer/director/ star Michael Kallio.
|
