| Special One Night Events &
Limited Engagements in January & February:
Discuss this series with other film fans on:
http://www.myspace.com/americancinematheque
Sunday, January 13 – 4:00 PM
Family Matinee Double Feature:
TARZAN’S GREATEST ADVENTURE, 1959,
Warner Bros., 88 min. John Guillermin (THE BLUE MAX; THE TOWERING INFERNO) directed what
is commonly acknowledged by Tarzan fans as the all-time best Tarzan picture. Producer Sy
Weintraub was intent on depicting a more literate, intelligent King of the Jungle (as
depicted in Edgar Rice Burroughs’s many novels) and found the perfect match in actor
Gordon Scott. Shot entirely on location, the non-stop thrills start when psychotic Anthony
Quayle and his band of career criminals (including Sean Connery and Nial MacGinnis) go on
the rampage in preparation for a diamond robbery. Saddled with a stranded female pilot
(Sara Shane), Scott’s Tarzan tracks Quayle – a former nemesis – and his
cronies through the jungle till the bitter, savage end. "A superior action yarn
shot on location in Africa, more adult than most of its predecessors…"
– Leonard Maltin NOT ON DVD
TARZAN ESCAPES, 1936, Warner Bros., 89 min. Dir.
Richard Thorpe. Many regard this as one of the best of the Johnny Wesimuller Tarzan films.
One of the most riproaring of the early part of the series, it was also regarded as
exceedingly violent for the time period. Indeed, just like KING KONG, some scenes were cut
before release (reportedly there was a giant vampire bat sequence!), judged as just too
intense for audiences. Jane’s cousins, intent on trying to untangle red tape with
Jane’s inherited fortune, enlist the help of nefarious hunter and animal trapper,
Captain Fry. Fry has his own agenda – he sees dollar signs if he can bring Tarzan
back alive to exhibit in England. But, as we all know, capturing Tarzan will not be easy.
With Maureen O’Sullivan.
Thursday, January 31 -7:30 PM
Los Angeles Premiere!
THE REFLECTING POOL, 2007, 110 min.
Dir. Jarek Kupsc. An investigation of the 9/11 events by a Russian-American
journalist and a father of a 9/11 victim implicates the US government in the attacks. Alex
Prokop (JK Baltazar), a successful journalist and Paul Cooper (Joseph Culp),
a driven researcher, whose daughter died on 9/11, travel to New York and Washington DC,
where they uncover suppressed information about the attacks and their aftermath. As Cooper
introduces Prokop to key eye-witnesses, the face of the "official story" begins
to crumble. Drawn from established sources and based on verifiable facts, THE REFLECTING
POOL is a thought-provoking study of a search for truth and the profound consequences of
not looking for it any further than the nightly news. This is the first narrative feature
film to challenge the official story of 9/11. Discussion
following with writer/director Jarek Kupsc and actor/producer Joseph Culp.
Sunday, February 3 – 7:30 PM
Julie Christie Double Feature:
DARLING, 1965, Avco-Embassy & Stuart Lisell Films, 128
min. Dir. John Schlesinger. Julie Christie sets off fireworks in her
Academy Award-winning performance as a common girl in swinging London who achieves
supermodel stardom while breaking the hearts of intellectual writer, Dirk Bogarde
and decadent cad, Laurence Harvey. Finally, Christie seems destined for a fairy
tale ending when she weds Italian nobility -- but sometimes fairy tales aren’t all
they’re cracked up to be. The costume design and Frederic Raphael’s incisive
script also won Oscars. "…a slashing social satire and also a devastating
spoof of the synthetic, stomach-turning output of the television-advertising age -- it is
loaded with startling expositions and lacerating wit."-- Bosley Crowther, The
New York Times
SHAMPOO, 1975, Sony Repertory, 109 min. Director Hal
Ashby’s classic mid-seventies comedy is a harsh and funny time capsule stuffed
full of great performances. Warren Beatty excels in perhaps his best role, as an
amorous hairdresser sleeping with every woman in sight, from the wife (Best Supportng
Actress Oscar winner, Lee Grant) of his business advisor Jack Warden (THE
VERDICT; BEING THERE) to Warden’s mistress (Julie Christie) and teenage
daughter (Carrie Fisher in her first role.) Screenwriters Beatty and Robert
Towne provide the brave and challenging, Oscar-nominated script that has stood the test of
time. With a great soundtrack by Paul Simon, welcome use of incidental music (including
tunes by The Beatles, Jefferson Airplane, Buffalo Springfield, The Beach Boys and Jimi
Hendrix) and fine camera work by Laszlo Kovacs.
Wednesday, February 13 – 7:30 PM
Kevin Thomas’ Favorites!
CHINATOWN, 1974, Paramount, 131 min. Dir. Roman Polanski.
Jack Nicholson gives his greatest performance as 1930’s private eye J.J.
Gittes, maneuvering through a nightmarish L.A. netherworld of cheating husbands, stolen
water rights, incest and murder, as he desperately tries to save beautiful Faye Dunaway
from her raptor-like father John Huston. Writer Robert Towne’s magnificent,
labyrinthine portrait of Los Angeles has been widely hailed as the best script of its era.
Film critic Kevin Thomas will introduce the screening.
Thursday, February 14 – 7:30 PM
Performance Art by Louise Lawler In Person!
West of Rome and "Women in the City" presents Louise Lawler’s, "A Movie Without the Picture," first
exhibited at the Aero Theater in 1979, as one part of a public art exhibition that takes
place in multiple venues. To coincide with the opening of the Broad Contemporary Art
Museum (BCAM) at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, "Women in the City" has
selected to exhibit four prominent contemporary artists: Cindy Sherman, Barbara Kruger,
Jenny Holzer and Louise Lawler. The temporary project is staged in unpredictable venues
and locations throughout Los Angeles – occupying billboards, storefronts, and many
other highly visible sites throughout the city. "A Movie Without the Picture"
is a gesture of appropriation. The artist's intention is for the viewer to respond
foremost to a group experience, rather than a solely visual experience. The project aims
to engage a wide audience, initiate a dynamic public dialogue about contemporary art in an
atypical context, and provide an unexpected encounter that will capture the imagination of
curious theater-goers, and create a lasting impression. Louise Lawler has been featured in
numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally since the 1970s, and has been
recognized as one of the most important female artists working today. Her work, oftentimes
humorous, and always engaging, concerns the development of new theories of representation,
and the development of meaning in a constantly changing context. For more information
visit www.womeninthecity.org and www.foryourart.com Louise
Lawler will introduce the performance.
Friday, February 15 – 7:30 PM
Sneak Preview!
CHARLIE BARTLETT, 2007, MGM, 96 min. ALPHA
DOG’s Anton Yelchin plays the title role in this provocative teen comedy, the
directorial debut of acclaimed editor Jon Poll. Charlie is a wealthy, rebellious
teen who gains stature by positioning himself as his private school’s unofficial
psychiatrist. Unfortunately, when he falls for the daughter of his disenchanted principal
(Robert Downey, Jr.), Charlie’s world and amateur psychiatric
practice begin to unravel in unexpected and entertaining ways. Discussion
following with screenwriter Gustin Nash and Producer Jay Roach (AUSTIN POWERS director).
Thursday, February 21 – 7:30 PM
Special Crossroads' Student Activists Evening!
TRADE, 2007, Roadside Attraction, 119 min. Dir. Marco
Kreuzpainter. When 13-year-old Adriana (Paulina Gaitan) is kidnapped by sex
traffickers in Mexico City, her 17-year-old brother, Jorge (Cesar Ramos), sets off
on a desperate mission to save her. Trapped by an underground network of international
thugs who earn millions exploiting their human cargo, Adriana's only friend throughout her
ordeal is Veronica (Alicja Bachleda-Curus), a young Polish woman captured by the
same criminal gang. As Jorge dodges overwhelming obstacles to track the girl's abductors,
he meets Ray (Kevin Kline), a Texas cop whose own family loss leads him to become
an ally. From the barrios of Mexico City and the treacherous Rio Grande border, to a
secret internet sex slave auction and a tense confrontation at a stash house in suburban
New Jersey, Ray and Jorge forge a close bond as they frantically pursue Adriana's
kidnappers before she is sold and disappears into a brutal underworld from which few
victims ever return. Inspired by Peter Landesman's chilling New York Times Magazine story
on the U.S. sex trade, "The Girls Next Door," TRADE is a thrilling story of
courage and a devastating exposé of one of the world's most heinous crimes. Discussion following with producer Rosilyn Heller and other guests
to be announced. Presented in association with Crossroads' Student Activists Group.
Tuesday, February 26 – 7:30 PM
BIG WORLD FOR LITTLE MOVIES: THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO
THE SHORT FILM
Approx. 150 min. Whether the renewed vitality of the short film is in part based on the
rise of consumer "pod casts", the content crazed appetite of the internet or the
appearance of the world's first short film television network, there's no denying it's a
BIG world out there for such little movies. Uncover a wealth of information on short
filmmaking trends, channels of distribution and the future of short film exposure from the
leaders of North America’s major short film distribution
companies.
Whether the recent renewed vitality of the
short film is in part based on the rise of short form digital media, such as consumer
"pod casts," the content crazed appetite of the internet or the appearance of
the world's first short film television network, there's no denying it's a BIG world out
there for "little movies." Uncover a wealth of information on short filmmaking
trends, current channels of distribution and the future of short film exposure from the
leaders of North America¹s major short film distribution companies.
The world of the short film is changing quickly. In fact, not since the
"dot com era" of the 1990s, have we seen such re-imagining of how the short film
figures into the overall landscape of the entertainment industry. Today there are
literally thousands more film festivals for you to consider as you move your short film
out to festival audiences. Today, besides cable television play to help your film find an
even larger audience as well as to help extend your short film's place in the world, you
have to contend with the options of Video-On-Demand, DVD collections, pod casts, airline
broadcast and the prospects of a 24-hour a day Short Film cable television network that
reaches an estimated 9 million people.
But don't stop there! What about those 1000s of internet sites
available to you to post your film on, some of which are willing to pay to license your
film? And what about the advantages of showing your film on your own web site or your
favorite social networking site (FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, etc) to help people discover you and
advance your career?
Now consider this: With the incredible expansion of the methods of
distribution and exhibition open to your short film, there has EVEN been a revolution in
the very definition of what artistically comprises a short film.
What is a "festival" short? What is the difference between a
Sundance short, a Cannes short and a Short Film Festival short? What is the design of an
"internet" short? What does the Academy of Motion Arts and Sciences look for in
a short film?. What is the definition of the most desirable form of short for a short film
distributor?
For our February seminar, BIG WORLD FOR LITTLE MOVIES: THE COMPLETE
GUIDE TO THE SHORT FILM, we turn our total attention to unraveling the whole, overwhelming
and complex world that today's short filmmaker must deal with to take good care of their
work. THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO THE SHORT FILM begins with a focus on issues surrounding film
festivals, film festival release strategies for short films, a list of the World's Best
Short Film Festivals (and some not very good ones!) and establishing some definitions for
the various forms or identities the short film embodies today.
Respected Film Consultant and former Director of Programming of both
the LA Film Festival and the Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films, Thomas
Ethan Harris will lend his expert advice and creative approach to helping you make the
right choices for your film's festival debut, as well as offer insider tips on how to
extend your film's play in the film festival world.
The second part of our evening's seminar will be dedicated to an in
depth discussion of SHORT FILM DISTRIBUTION AND EXHIBITION with leaders of the major short
film distribution and internet companies. Not only will we open the door to a greater
understanding of overall design of the content favored by distributors, but we will
examine rights and clearances issues AND help to sort out the various individual
approaches to short film distribution that our panelists' companies take so that you can
more clearly identify the right distributor for your short film.
Confirmed Panelists Include:
Carol Crowe, President, APOLLO CINEMA
Linda Olszewski, Acquisitions, SHORTS INTERNATIONAL
Ric Stewart, Vice President of Marketing, MINI MOVIE CHANNEL
David Russell, President, BIG FILM SHORTS
Saskia Wilson-Brown, Manager of V2C Content, CURRENT TV
And a Representative of Toronto's QUAT MEDIA.
Thomas
Ethan Harris has served as the Director of Programming for numerous organizations and
non-profits including the Los Angeles Film Festival, the Palm Springs International
Festival of Short Films and the Palm Springs Cultural Center where he currently serves as
Artistic Director. The experience of overseeing these selection committees has given
Harris a unique insight into the contemporary world of film festivals. Whether you are
currently submitting your film to festivals or whether you are in production on your film
or even if you are just prepping your first film, EVERYONE is encourage to attend this
insightful, stimulating and empowering discussion of film festivals and film festival
release strategizing. Tickets: $20 General Admission; $15 Student/Senior and
$12 Cinematheque Members.
Panel moderated by Independent Film
Consultant Thomas Ethan Harris. |
