<<< December 2007 >>>

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Tuesday, December 4 - 7:30 PM    DISTRIBUTION SEMINAR
UNRAVELING INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTION Join leading players in theatrical, television and DVD distribution and exhibition who will unravel the mysteries for the independent filmmaker. In this frank discussion, you will learn about options that are available to you when your film doesn't sell outright to a major distributor -- how it all works, what it costs and what you as the filmmaker needs to know. Educate yourself about booking, figures for spending and earning on a film, what it costs to advertise, what is expected by the exhibitor (theatre), what materials you will you need (including legal agreements) before you are ready to sell or exhibit your film. There will also be discussion of the future of theatrical film distribution and current trends. The audience will follow the process of distribution through the various phases with experts in the field, including: Bob Aaronson (Red Envelope Entertainment (REE), a Netflix Company); Gary Garfinkel (Senior Vice President - Content Strategy & Acquisition, Showtime Networks); Mike McClellan (VP Film Buyer for Landmark Theaters Corp.); Ted Sarandos (Chief Content Officer, Netflix); Barry Schuler (Managing Director, DFJ Growth, Former Chairman & CEO, AOL, Inc.); and David Shultz, President, Vitagraph Films LLC (Theatrical). A question and answer session will follow the moderated panel. $20 General Admission; $15 Student/Senior; $12 American Cinematheque Members.

Download PDF of Program.

See Highlights of the Panel on Variety.com

Wednesday, December 5 – 7:30 PM

Los Angeles Premiere!

LAGERFELD CONFIDENTIAL, 2007, Koch Lorber Films, 89 min. Director Rodolphe Marconi’s groundbreaking portrait of the legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld, offers a surprising, intimate look at the life of one of the most fascinating and iconoclastic personalities alive today. Arguably one of the most influential fashion designers of the past century, Karl Lagerfeld transformed the House of Chanel from an elegant but stuffy couture has-been into a super sexy 21st century powerhouse, setting a fresh paradigm for the fashion industry and beginning an exhilarating new conversation between high fashion and popular culture.   For the first time, the designer has allowed director Rodolphe Marconi unlimited access into his day-to-day life, through moments both public and private, professional and personal.  Leading us on an exclusive, glamorous and mesmerizing journey into his home and his studio, on his travels, photo-shoots and fashion shows, Lagerfeld tells us the story of his life – from his unconventional childhood and youth to his ascent as the genius behind some of the most enduringly successful high-fashion brands.  All the while, the designer imparts his humorous and often startling musings on love, life, sexuality and creative inspiration.  "I don't want to be a reality in people's lives. I want to be like an apparition." -- Karl Lagerfeld. Two lucky audience members will be drawn at random to take home a heavy canvas tote stuffed with luxurious goodies!

Thursday, December 6 – 7:30 PM

Samuel Jackson In-Person!

RESURRECTING THE CHAMP, 2007, Yari Film Group, 111 min. Dir. Rod Lurie. Living on the streets of Denver, pushing a shopping cart piled high with all his worldly possessions, the man everyone calls "The Champ" (Samuel L. Jackson) knows he was not the greatest boxer to ever step in the ring, but at least he had a shot at it. After years of succumbing to fighters who ultimately found his glass jaw more often than he landed a winning punch, the Champ went from up-and-coming to mere has-been, with no heavyweight championship under his belt. Now he fights no one but cops and street thugs. Living in the shadow of his former self, this champ is down and halfway out when Denver Times sports reporter Erik Kernan (Josh Hartnett) finds him.

BLACK SNAKE MOAN, 116 min. Director Craig Brewer (HUSTLE AND FLOW) helmed this controversial, highly unusual saga of redemption through trial by fire. When down-on-his-luck blues musician, Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson), reeling from a failed marriage, finds severely beaten young woman, Rae (Christina Ricci) on the road outside his rutral home, he soon recognizes her as the town tramp. Realizing she is a lifelong victim of abuse and will only continue along her needy path of male approval and self-destruction, Lazarus not only nurses her back to health but chains her to his radiator in an attempt to cure her of her spiritual sickness. With Justin Timberlake. "…unlike anything manufactured in Hollywood…Brewer's audacious script manages to feel both fresh and retro… Brewer named his movie after a blues song. The line about "black snakes crawling over me'' plays on a fear of the unknown. BLACK SNAKE MOAN is a trip to that unfamiliar territory well worth tagging along on." – Ruthe Stein, San Francisco Chronicle Discussion in between films with actor Samuel L. Jackson.

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE, 2007, 20^th Century Fox, 87 min. Dir. David Silverman. Thanks to Lisa Simpson, Lake Springfield is cleaned up from the pollution that once fouled it. But when Homer, who's adopted a pig (Spider-pig), dumps a silo full of the pig's crap in the lake, the EPA places a large dome over Springfield. The Simpson family manage to escape through a sinkhole, fleeing to a better life in Alaska. But when the head of the EPA, Russ Cargill, orders the town’s destruction, it's up to Homer to save Springfield! Go see the exhibit of Simpsons art from the movie and TV show at Every Picture Tells a Story! www.everypicture.com

Saturday, December 8 – 6:30 PM

Bale-head Marathon! Christian Bale In Person!

SOLD OUT!

Equally at home in risky, provocative independent films like AMERICAN PSYCHO and HARSH TIMES as he is at the center of smart mainstream fare like BATMAN BEGINS, Christian Bale gives all of his roles an authenticity and intensity that few other actors can match. The Aero welcomes Mr. Bale for a program of some of his finest performances, including his recent turn as a complex Western hero in 3:10 TO YUMA and his most physically and mentally unsettling role as the title character of THE MACHINIST.

3:10 TO YUMA, 2007, Lions Gate, 117 min. Christian Bale plays a wounded Civil War vet who sees a chance at prosperity in thief Russell Crowe, for whom Bale hopes to collect a reward when he delivers him to the prison train of the film’s title. In director James Mangold’s riveting remake of the 1957 classic, Bale and Crowe engage in a compelling battle of wits and guns that is both thoughtful character study and kinetic action film.

I'M NOT THERE, 2007, The Weinstein Co., 135 min. Dir. Todd Haynes. The highly anticipated biographical film about legendary singer and songwriter Bob Dylan, follows six distinct characters, depicting different stages of Dylan’s life, embodying a different aspect of his life story and music. It's the first biographical feature project to secure the approval of the music legend. With Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Michelle Williams, Julianne Moore, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Ben Whishaw, Marcus Carl Franklin, David Cross and Bruce Greenwood.

BATMAN BEGINS, 2005, Warner Bros. 140 min. MEMENTO director Christopher Nolan and BLADE scribe David S. Goyer reinvent the BATMAN franchise, with the help of the best cast ever assembled for a comic book film. Christian Bale infuses the caped crusader with emotional gravity, an approach that’s underscored by Nolan’s effectively realistic approach to the material. Michael Caine, Tom Wilkinson, and many other equally noteworthy character actors provide solid support in this adventure film that’s as smart as it is rousing.

AMERICAN PSYCHO, 2000, Lions Gate, 101 min. Director Mary Harron slyly distills Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel down to its satirical essence, using the conventions of the slasher film to explore the sociological horrors of 1980’s America. Christian Bale is hilarious, charming, and disturbing as an upwardly mobile yuppie who goes on a killing spree -- the logical extension of his desire to consume everything in sight. With a terrific 1980’s soundtrack, a visual style of Kubrickian precision, and an ensemble that includes Willem Dafoe, Reese Witherspoon and Jared Leto, this is a literary adaptation that is fully worthy of its source. Ticket price: General $20,Student/Senior $18, Member $14, All evening buffet and coffee, plus special Christian Bale memorabilia.

Sunday, December 9 – 5:00 PM

OKLAHOMA!, 1955, IDP Distributions, 145 min. Dir. Fred Zinnemann. Zinnemann (A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS; HIGH NOON) directs Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, Rod Steiger, Eddie Albert and Gloria Grahame in this dynamic, showstopping version of the famous Rodgers & Hammerstein musical, OKLAHOMA! Two turn-of-the-20th-century cowboys find love with Grahame and Jones and stubbornly deal with their feelings while an evil hired hand and a common peddler try to ruin the romance. The Oscar winner for Best Music also features astonishing, revolutionary choreography by Agnes de Mille. OKLAHOMA! originally premiered at the Egyptian Theatre, and represents another one of Robert Surtees’ (BEN-HUR,THE LAST PICTURE SHOW) sixteen Academy Award nominations for cinematography.