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Giveaway: Five Pairs of Tickets to Thursday’s 30th Anniversary Screening of ‘Valley Girl’

Germain Lussier — Wed, 15 May 2013 20:00:33 +0000

Thirty years ago, before Nicolas Cage was “Nicolas Cage,” he was just a young punk looking for love in the San Fernando Valley. Before he was the Oscar-winning mad man we know and love, director Martha Coolidge cast Cage in her 1983 film Valley Girl, a Romeo and Juliet story with a “modern” twist. Valley Girl is 30 years old this year, and Film Independent at LACMA is presenting an anniversary screening with the director on hand. It takes place Thursday May 16 in Los Angeles and will be followed by an ’80s costume contest and party. Yes, this is the ultimate screening for Valley Girl and ’80s fans.

/Film has five pairs of tickets to give away for the screening. Find out how to enter, or buy tickets and guarantee a shot, below.If you’re available to be in Los Angeles Thursday night, May 16, for a 7:30 p.m. screening, email slashfilmcontest@gmail.com. The first five confirmed attendees will get two tickets each.

[UPDATE - All five pairs have been accounted for...] But tickets are still available for purchase! Visit this link to buy them.

Thanks to Film Independent for the tickets and we hope everyone has a blast. Here’s the trailer to Valley Girl, followed by the official description of the event.

Director Martha Coolidge’s landmark 1983 comedy marks its thirtieth anniversary this year. Nicolas Cage’s satellite dish-sized eyes and shambling time made their leading man debut as Randy, the amiable punk who falls for Julie (Deborah Foreman) when he and his best friend Fred (Cameron Dye) crash a San Fernando Valley party. Coolidge boils down Romeo and Juliet and reduces it to a power-pop confection about the class tensions between the distance that divides Los Angeles proper from the suburban wonderland on the other side of the hill.

Cage’s shaggy assertiveness marked the beginning of the ’80s in film, and Coolidge packed the film solidly with a talented and eccentric cast that included Elizabeth Daily (her baby-smoky voice would provide a counterpoint to Paul Reuben’s determined arrested development in Pee Wee’s Big Adventure and propel several animated series, including Rugrats), Quentin Tarantino repertory player Michael Bowen and, as Julie’s parents who refuse to let the sun go down on the ’70s, Fredric Forrest and Colleen Camp. Even co-writer/co-producer Wayne Crawford would go on to make his mark; for this group, as Modern English noted in a song that functions as the unofficial Valley Girl theme (and is now used in chocolate commercials), “The future’s open wide.”

Get into the 80?s spirit and dress up! Costume contest judged by director Martha Coolidge and reception to follow the screening.

Stacked LA Film Festival Adds ‘Man of Steel,’ ‘Monsters University,’ and Spike Jonze

Germain Lussier — Wed, 08 May 2013 19:15:23 +0000

The Way Way Back, Fruitvale Station, Short Term 12, The Spectacular Now, Only God Forgives, Ain’t Them Bodies Saints, and In A World. The 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival already features a laundry list of the year’s best festival films and highly anticipated fall releases. Now the fest is adding a bit of blockbuster appeal.

The festival, which takes places June 13-23 in downtown Los Angeles, has just added special advanced screenings of Man of Steel and Monsters University. And if that’s not enough, Spike Jonze will do a special event talking about his career and presenting footage from his upcoming movie, Her.

For more information on the festival: how to get tickets, passes, when and were it’s all happening, check out the official site.

Here’s the full press release on the new additions. And check back in June for coverage of the festival here on /Film.

Today the Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by Film Independent, in conjunction with Presenting Media Sponsor the Los Angeles Times and Host Partner L.A. LIVE, announced a special pre-Festival screening of Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ Man of Steel on June 12. Starting May 10, Festival pass holders will have the exclusive opportunity to purchase tickets to this screening ahead of the general public on-sale via the Festival website. Additionally, joining the Festival line-up is a screening of Disney•Pixar’s Monsters University on June 18. The Festival also unveiled new programming, including “A Brand of His Own: Being Spike Jonze,” which features a discussion with Jonze; “The Iconic Moment,” an event honoring costume designers and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences launch of the Costume Designers Branch, which concludes with a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo; and “Women in the Cut: A Celebration of Women Editors,” a conversation featuring some of today’s top editors. For more information on ticketing for both screenings as well as attending programmed events please visit www.lafilmfest.com.

“Each year the Festival continues the year round work of Film Independent by producinghigh profile, curated events – conversations, master classes and performances – bringing together artist and craftspeople who make the magic happen,” said Stephanie Allain, Festival Director. “It’s an honor this year to honor women editors, listen to legendary costume designers discuss their favoriteiconic moment in film and then watch Vertigo outdoors at the Academy Lab. As always, alongside our lineup of amazing films, we have an equally stellar list of programmed events that are open to the public, from Maya to Mamet, Spike to Santaolalla. We’re taking you behind the scenes with the masters.”

The special pre-Festival screening of director Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel from Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ takes place June 12 at 7:30 pm and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni and Russell Crowe. In the film, a young boy learns he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind. Warner Bros. will release the film on June 14.

The screening of Disney•Pixar’s Monsters University takes place on June 18 at 7:30 pm and features the voices of Billy Crystal, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren, Alfred Molina and more. A prequel to the 2001 hit Monsters, Inc., the film recalls the college years of Mike Wazowski (voice of Crystal) and James P. Sullivan, “Sulley” (voice of Goodman), before they became best friends. Mike’s lifelong dream of becoming a Scarer is derailed during his first semester at Monsters University when he crosses paths with hotshot Sulley and their out-of-control competitive spirit gets them both kicked out of the University’s elite Scare Program. The film opens in U.S. theaters on June 21.

“A Brand of His Own: Being Spike Jonze” takes place June 22 at 8:00 pm. Jonze is both artist and entrepreneur. A pop culture instigator and one of the most original and intriguing filmmakers of our time, Jonze has managed to build a career on his terms. From his early beginnings entrenched in skateboard culture, he grew into one of the most sought-after music video directors. His inevitable leap into feature films displayed a new approach to storytelling and his unique brand of irony, humor, playfulness and visual style has taken audiences to the seventh and half floor, John Malkovich’s mind, Charlie Kaufman’s writer’s block and the fantasy world of Maurice Sendak. Jonze will be discussing his career as well as showing clips from his latest film, the upcoming Her.

The Festival also unveiled two incredible events that will take attendees behind the scenes and into the heart of filmmaking. On June 20 at 6:00 pm, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences hosts “The Iconic Moment,” an event celebrating costume designers and the inauguration of the Academy’s Costume Designers Branch. Curated by renowned costume designer Sophie de Rakoff, this evening program explores the convergence of art,design and film and will shine the spotlight on the contributions of costume designers to the world of cinema. The program will include a panel discussion with a group of esteemed costume designers, followed by a reception and an exhibit of photographs by artist Alex Prager. Afterwards, there will be an outdoor screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (featuring costumes by acclaimed costume designer Edith Head) at 8:30 pm, preceded by Alex Prager’s Hitchcock-inspired short film Despair. “The Iconic Moment” is sponsored by BBC.com.

On June 22 at 2:00 pm the Festival will hold “Women in the Cut: A Celebration of Women Editors.” The event will take a close look at the creative process of building a film through the work of a select group of women editors who will reveal some of the “secrets” of their craft and their collaborations with directors. Panelists include esteemed editors Sandra Adair (Before Midnight, Bernie), Maryann Brandon (Star Trek, Star Wars: Episode VII, Super 8), Academy Award® nominee Pamela Martin (Hitchcock, Ruby Sparks, The Fighter) and Kim Roberts (Waiting For Superman, Food, Inc. and the 2013 Festival World Premiere, American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs), with additional speakers to be announced. Acclaimed editor, filmmaker and Film Independent Board President Mary Sweeney will host and moderate the event. “Women in the Cut: A Celebration of Women Editors” is sponsored by MelroseMAC.

The 2013 Los Angeles Film Festival, which returns to downtown Los Angeles at L.A. LIVE for a fourth year and runs from Thursday, June 13 to Sunday, June 23, will screen a diverse slate of nearly 200 feature films, shorts and music videos, representing more than 40 countries, along with signature programs such as the Filmmaker Retreat, Music in Film Nights at The GRAMMY Museum at L.A. LIVE, Poolside Chats, Master Classes and more. Opening the Festival will be the North American premiere of Pedro Almodóvar’s I’m So Excited! and closing the Festival will be The Way, Way Back from Oscar® winners Nat Faxon and Jim Rash and starring Steve Carell, Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Annasophia Robb, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph and Liam James. Visit www.lafilmfest.com for the most up-to-date schedule of films and programming.

Previously announced, the official 2013 Festival lineup as well as filmmaker David O. Russell who will serve as Guest Director and will receive the Spirit of Independence Award. Also confirmed were two Master Classes with Artists in Residence Maya Rudolph and Gustavo Santaolalla, “An Evening With Costa-Gavras,” including the US premiere of his new film Capital, and an “In Conversation” with playwright/filmmaker David Mamet and actor/stage magician/author Ricky Jay. Also announcedwere the free Community Screenings including a 20th Anniversary screening of Dazed and Confused from director Richard Linklater and a Dance-A-Long screening of John Waters’ Hairspray in honor of its 25th Anniversary.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Opens In 2017; See Photos and Plans

Germain Lussier — Sat, 13 Apr 2013 00:00:23 +0000

After Thursday’s news that the legendary Hollywood landmark, TCL (formerly Grauman’s) Chinese Theater was getting an IMAX upgrade, another Los Angeles movie destination has been revealed. A few years back the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced plans to create a movie-themed museum. Now, we know what it will look like, and what’ll be in it.

Called The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the venue located on Fairfax and Wilshire will be a six-story, 290,000 square-foot museum attached to a massive 1,000 seat dome for movie events. There will a full red-carpet experience, an interactive moviemaking exhibit, and floors dedicated to the history of cinema. The plan is to have it open in 2017. Read more below.

The Academy on Twitter revealed some information, as did Variety. Here are images of the museum’s floor plan and concepts.

And the Los Angeles Times has a great write up on what each of those floors will cover. The main theater will be named after David Geffen, who donated $25 million to the museum. The entrance will be a huge staircase with a red carpet like at Cannes or the Oscars. The ground floor of the main building will mostly be a two story interactive exhibit on how to make a movie. Visitors will be able to light, film, act, and edit footage themselves. Next to that is a huge space for travelling exhibits.

The second floor will be dedicated to the history of movies, with all sorts of topics covered. Here’s a rundown courtesy of the Times.

Lumière and the Cinématographe
Edison and the Kinetoscope and Vitascope
the Silent Age of Cinema
the rise and influence of the studio system
the defining of classic film genres — musicals, westerns, gangster films, horror films
the impact of World War II on movie making
film noir and the blacklist
the impact of TV on the movie industry
epics and 3-D
the business of moviemaking, including exhibitors, studios, guilds, agencies
foreign films
teen culture
independent cinema

2017 is a long time off so expect more before then. But this is going to be a destination for movie fans all over the world for years to come. Here’s the official site with more information.

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Exclusive Images From ‘It’s the shizNICK,’ an Art Exhibit on Old-School Nickelodeon Shows

Germain Lussier — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 23:11:27 +0000

Adults of a certain age have a very special place in their heart for Nickelodeon. Not current Nickelodeon, mind you. I’m talking old school Nickelodeon. Shows like You Can’t Do That on Television, Pinwheel, Double Dare, Rugrats, The Ren and Stimpy Show, Doug, The Adventures of Pete and Pete and Salute Your Shorts. All were classic television programs that helped mold the young minds of today’s twenty- and thirty-year olds.

iam8bit has chosen that era as the subject of It’s the shizNICK, a brand new group exhibition opening Friday April 19 in Los Angeles. Below, check out a small sample of exclusive images from the show.

The It’s the shizNICK opening is from 7-11 on April 19, and the show remains on display through May 5. The iam8bit gallery is located at 147 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA. For more, check Facebook and the official site.

In case you can’t tell what show each piece of from, here’s the rundown.

Aled Lewis – You Eediots! (The Ren & Stimpy Show)
Becky Dreistadt – Spoot (The Angry Beavers)
Dave Crosland – You Can’t Hide Forever (Danger Mouse)
Darick Maasen – turn the page, wash your hands (Rocco’s Modern Life)
Jim Mahfood – Happy Happy Joy Joy (The Ren & Stimpy Show)
Joe Vaux – Darth Plankton (SpongeBob SquarePants)
Johnny Ryan – BARTH (You Can’t Do That on Television)
Jude Buffum – Olmec Coming! (Legend of the Hidden Temple)
Kyler Martz – Pete is a Punk (The Adventures of Pete & Pete)
Maxime Mary – Still Cool (Hey Arnold)
Nan Lawson – Hey Sandy (The Adventures of Pete & Pete)
Nicole Gustafsson – Seeking the Neematoad (Doug)
Suhko Lee – Up Chuckie (Rugrats)
The Chung!! – Jerry the Bellybutton Elf Finds a Friend (The Ren & Stimpy Show)
Jim Rugg – You Eediot! (The Ren & Stimpy Show)

Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre To Convert Into Third Largest IMAX Theater in North America

Peter Sciretta — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 21:37:54 +0000

Hollywood’s Grauman’s Chinese Theatre is one of the most famous movie theaters in the world, but in recent years it has become more of a tourist attraction and venue for movie premieres. The theater plans to enter the 21st century with plans to convert the huge theater into an IMAX theater.

CompanyTown has learned the following (which IMAX and Grauman’s have yet to officially confirm):

Imax plans to make the Chinese Theatre one of its main venues for holding premieres of big budget action movies. The new Imax theater will be 94 feet wide and seat 986 people, making it the largest in terms of seating capacity among more than 730 Imax theaters in at least 50 countries. It would be the third-largest Imax theater in North America, only slightly smaller than Imax venues in San Francisco and Lincoln Square in New York City.

Of course, the deal would be subject to permit approval by the city. The bad news is that the new theater will abandon film all-together and run 100% on digital projectors:

The Imax theater is expected to open by September and with new stadium seating, as well as a new Imax sound system and digital projector, which will later be replaced by a laser projector system that Imax is adding to its circuit. The system, expected to be installed next year, uses patents that Imax acquired from Kodak and provides much brighter images and better color contrast than conventional digital systems.

We have not yet seen the possibilities from IMAX’s upcoming laser projection system, but word is that it will be a real game changer. The company has plans to eventually replace all the existing 70mm film projectors with this new laser technology. Grauman’s seating was build on a slight slope and had many bad seats, so stadium seating will be a welcome addition (required for the IMAX set-up).

In addition to upgrading the venues to accommodate bigger premieres, It seems to me the movie is largely strategic to compete against the movie theaters in the surrounding Hollywood area.

The historic 1927 landmark is frequented by tourists from around the globe looking to see the hand prints in the concrete in front of the cinema.

In the early 1990′s, the Walt Disney Company began leasing the El Capitan theatre across the street, thereby preventing Grauman’s from screening any of the new Disney films playing at the other historic theater.

Then in 2002, The Decurion Corporation opened the Arclight Hollywood just a walk down the road in 2002. The proximity of that premiere 14-screen multiplex prevents any film screening at the Arclight from being shown at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre (or the Grauman Multiplex in the Hollywood Highland Center). It also doesn’t help that the Arclight Hollywood is often voted as one of the best movie theaters in the world, making that the choice of film geeks of the area. Grauman’s has been having trouble securing some of the bigger films in recent years.

Putting an IMAX theater in this location may allow the theater to show some of the premier film releases that it wouldn’t already be allowed to screen. IMAX has deals with many of the big studios, but their relationship with Disney has proven to be one of the greatest. I wonder if the mouse house will allow IMAX to screen new Disney releases across the street from their own El Capitan movie theater?

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Has The Alamo Drafthouse Finally Found Their Los Angeles Location?

Germain Lussier — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 23:30:39 +0000

Briefly: A Los Angeles blog is reporting that the Alamo Drafthouse is finally coming to the movie capital of the world. The location would be downtown, at the corner of 4th and Main Streets, and feature eight screens. ”Plans call for the theater to be built into the hill with a rooftop garden,” the site says, and it would open sometime in 2014.

A Drafthouse spokesperson said “We have had discussions but there is no formalized agreement” so nothing is official yet. In the past, the second something is official (as in Colorado, New York or San Francisco) a press release is sent out. So don’t start lining up for Mondo posters just yet. But maybe LA fans will soon have their chance. [DTLA News]

AFI’s Night at The Movies: Harrison Ford Presents ‘Blade Runner,’ Kevin Spacey Presents ‘Usual Suspects’ & More

Germain Lussier — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:05:04 +0000

Just yesterday I said “Los Angeles film fans, April and May is a great time to live in the City of Angels.” There’s the Hero Complex Film Festival, EW’s CapeTown Film Festival, the Turner Classic Movies Film Festival and now Target Presents AFI Night at the Movies.

It’ll take place April 24 at the Arclight Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA and feature the following line-up:

Kathy Bates presenting Misery
Cher presenting Moonstruck
Sally Field presenting Norma Rae
Peter Fonda presenting Easy Rider
Harrison Ford presenting Blade Runner: The Final Cut
Samuel L. Jackson presenting Pulp Fiction
Shirley MacLaine presenting Terms of Endearment
Demi Moore presenting Ghost
Mike Myers presenting Shrek
Sidney Poitier presenting In The Heat of the Night
Kurt Russell presenting The Thing
Kevin Spacey presenting The Usual Suspects

Tickets for all the screenings go on sale at 10 a.m. April 11 on the Arclight website: www.arclightcinemas.com. Here’s the press release:

“AFI Night at the Movies is a tradition grand in scale, but simple in message — to bring artists and audiences together to celebrate their common bond at the movies,” said Bob Gazzale, AFI President & CEO. ”It’s an evening akin to a firework show of American film, where across genre and across decades, we marvel at the power of the movies and their makers.”

For the third year, Target returns as the presenting sponsor for AFI Night at the Movies. At this seminal cinematic event, MAGNUM Ice Cream will introduce its newest premium product MAGNUM Gold.

“Target is proud to once again present AFI Night at the Movies where film enthusiasts get the chance to experience iconic films in a truly unique and memorable way,” said Shawn Gensch, Senior Vice President, Marketing, Target. “We are passionate about the entertainment industry, and Target is honored to bring together some of Hollywood’s most legendary actors and filmmakers for one special evening.”

Nick Soukas, Director of Ice Cream at Unilever added, “Through our strong relationship with Target, MAGNUM is thrilled to deliver indulgences to legendary artists and audience members at AFI Night at the Movies, a spectacular celebration of American film.”

The concept for the event was conceived in 2007 when the American Film Institute and Target partnered to kick off Target Presents AFI’s40th Anniversary with an original evening dedicated to AFI’s history. The event brought together 10 film luminaries to present films including Julie Andrews, Warren Beatty, Billy Crystal, Kirk Douglas, Clint Eastwood, Tippi Hedren, Angela Lansbury, George Lucas, Jack Nicholson, Rob Reiner and Sylvester Stallone. Bookending a year of 40th anniversary events, Target Presents AFI Night at the Movies in 2008 continued to pair classic American films with the stars who made them including Annette Bening, Jim Carrey, Sean Connery, Cameron Diaz, Jodie Foster, Dustin Hoffman, Shirley MacLaine, Steve Martin, Rita Moreno, Mike Myers, Keanu Reeves and Denzel Washington.

Target Presents AFI Night at the Movies is a special event for all ages. Tickets to each individual screening are $30 and include a large popcorn and soda, as well as a Magnum ice cream bar. Tickets go on sale on April 11 at 10:00 a.m. through the ArcLight Hollywood website (arclightcinemas.com) and in person at the ArcLight Hollywood box office at 6360 West Sunset Blvd. Information about the event will be available on AFI.com.

2013 Hero Complex Film Festival Features Guillermo del Toro, John Carpenter, Roland Emmerich and More

Germain Lussier — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 16:30:20 +0000

Los Angeles film fans, April and May is a great time to live in the City of Angels. One of the many reasons is the return of the Hero Complex Film Festival, which takes place from May 10-12 at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. In previous years, stars such as Malcolm McDowell, Warren Beatty, Christopher Nolan and Ridley Scott have been part of the festival. The 2013 lineup has just been announced, and it includes the following:

John Carpenter screens and discusses They Live and Halloween.
Frank Darabont presents The Mist.
Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone with Guillermo del Toro.
Roland Emmerich screens Independence Day.
Chris Carter presents an X-Files marathon.

Here’s the official press release, including info on acquiring tickets. And if you can’t go, don’t fret. We’ll be on the scene for many of the events to report in on any news or excitement that comes out of the event.

April 8, 2013 – Los Angeles Times’ Hero Complex Film Festival will delve into its darker side in its fourth year with a frighteningly stellar line-up of fan favorites. The screenings and live Q&As with their creators will be hosted by The Times’ Hero Complex editor Gina McIntyre May 10-12 at Hollywood’s TCL Chinese Theatres and will include:

Fri. May 10:

Iconic filmmaker John Carpenter will talk about his storied career between showings of They Live and Halloween.

Sat. May 11:

The Mist and a lively discussion with Frank Darabont on adapting Stephen King and exploring the human side of horror.
A double feature of Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone between which director Guillermo del Toro will talk about the making of the films and what inspires him.

Sun. May 12:

The alien-invasion classic Independence Day and a conversation with director Roland Emmerich, who will also chat about his upcoming White House Down.
An X-Files extravaganza with creator Chris Carter talking about the production of his cultural touchstone, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. In a new twist, three uncut episodes of the fabled TV show will be featured: the original “Pilot,” “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” and “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space.”

“We are gratified that the Hero Complex audience has grown by more than half a million unique readers from across the country this year alone,” said Jeff Dellinger, Hero Complex general manager. “This year’s line-up reflects the broader geek culture that Gina McIntyre and her team of contributors cover and will deliver a weekend of intense entertainment for both our newest family members and longstanding devotees.”

Tickets are available now for $20 and Los Angeles Times members receive a 50% discount. A limited number of special Festival Passes are also available for $50.

Star Wars Bits: ‘Return of the Jedi’ 30th Anniversary Screenings and Making Of Book, Angry Birds Update and More

Germain Lussier — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:00:56 +0000

How beautiful is that fan-made Star Wars Episode VII poster? It’s by artist Adam Schickling and it’s so cool, we decided to round up a few pieces of Star Wars news just so we could showcase it. After the jump read about the following

Return of the Jedi will screen May 4 at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood to celebrate its 30th anniversary
Star Wars Angry Birds is about to get a Cloud City update
The synopsis for The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi by J.W. Rinzler has been released.
Rumors suggest the future of LucasArts could be in question.
Darth Vader invades Tokyo in viral video for Tokyo Disneyland’s Star Tours upgrade.
Check out art of iconic Star Wars scenes reimagined like an Eighties teen movie.
A new law could make it legal to be married by a Jedi…in Scotland.

2013 marks the 30th anniversary of Return of the Jedi and besides the celebration that’ll happen at Star Wars Celebration, Entertainment Weekly‘s new CapeTown blog is throwing a bash in its honor. A full day of screenings will take place on May 4 (May the Fourth Be With You) at the TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA. It’s iconic location as it held the premieres for the original Star Wars Trilogy and stars will be on hand. For more on the festival, click this link.

Yup, looks like Star Wars Angry Birds is getting a Cloud City update in the near future. Thanks to SlashGear.

Any huge Star Wars fan will tell you, J.W. Rinzler‘s Making Of books are absolute must owns. You can read, re-read and flip through them every single day and learn something new about the original Star Wars Trilogy. After successful books for A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, Random House has just revealed a detailed synopsis for The Making of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi which will be released October 8. It’s long, so here are just a few stories the book details. Read more at TheForce.net.

George Lucas, Oscar-nominated screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, and director Richard Marquand huddle in a script conference to debate the destinies of iconic Star Wars characters, as well as plot twists and turns for the epic final showdown between the Rebel Alliance and the Empire.

Artists and craftspeople at the groundbreaking Industrial Light & Magic facility top their own revolutionary innovations—despite the infamous Black Friday—with boundary-pushing new analog visual effects

A crack team of sculptors, puppeteers, actors, and “monster-makers” bring Jabba the Hutt and his cohorts to startling, slobbering life from the inside out

A who’s who of heavyweight directors—from such films as Superman, Gremlins, Halloween, Dune, Scanners, and Time Bandits—are considered for the coveted job of bringing a new Star Wars adventure to the silver screen

Actors and crew race to the finish line at Elstree Studios, in a fiery desert, and beneath the trees of a dense redwood forest—before money runs out—to answer the questions that audiences had waited three years to find out: Is Darth Vader really Luke’s father, who is the “other”—and who or what is the Emperor?

I can’t wait for that book.

Last week we heard about the future of LucasFilm Animation and now we have a hint at what’s in store for the video game company, LucasArts. According to Games Industry (via TheForce.net) rumors are spreading that company is on a hiring freeze pending decisions from Disney as to what’s next. That might also include the company going away. It’s all rumor, but read more at the links.

The Disney Blog found this awesome viral video teasing the upcoming Star Tours: The Adventure Continues upgrade coming to Tokyo Disneyland. They link to another on there too.

/Film reader Travis G alerted us to this IO9 article featuring artwork by artist Denis Medri who reimagined several iconic Star Wars scenes with a 1980s feel. Here’s just one example, of Lando meeting Han on Cloud City, but head there to see many more.

Finally, the BBC (via Blastr) reports that a new law that’s being considered in Scotland, The Marriage and Civil Partnership Bill, allows people to get married under any belief system, without specifying a religious link. So, if one so wanted, the law could probably allow for a couple to be married as a Jedi. Head there to read more.

Header image: For more of Schickling’s work, visit his Deviant Art page.

Jason Reitman’s ‘The Usual Suspects’ Live Read Highlights the Power of McQuarrie’s Script and Singer’s Direction

Germain Lussier — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:30:11 +0000

For Jason Reitman‘s final live read of the 2012-2013 season, he chose a revered, Oscar-winning screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie‘s The Usual Suspects. When that title was announced I was initially skeptical. I thought, “The Usual Suspects is so well known for its surprise ending, and that ending is so incredibly visual, how would it come across in a live read setting?” The answer was revealed in two ways. First this read suggests that Bryan Singer‘s direction in the original film is powerful and underrated. Also, as great as the ending to McQuarrie’s script is, some of his true poetry isn’t even on the screen.

Presented by Film Independent at LACMA, read more about the star-studded cast (which included Dexter‘s Michael C. Hall, The League‘s Mark Duplass and original cast member Kevin Pollak) below.

Bringing together his own Usual Suspects, Reitman cast a fantastic blend of his regulars and new blood:

Kevin Pollak as Dean Keaton, originated by Gabriel Byrne
Michael C. Hall as Verbal Kint, originated by Kevin Spacey
Adam Brody as Michael McManus, originated by Stephen Baldwin
Nick Kroll as Fenster, originated by Benicio del Toro
Mark Duplass as Todd Hockney, originated by Kevin Pollak
Chi McBride as Dave Kujan, originated by Chazz Palmintari
Jason Mantzoukas as Jack Baer, originated by Giancarlo Esposito
Mae Whitman as Kobayashi, originated by Pete Postlethwaite, and Edie, originated by Suzy Amis

As usual, the cast was stellar. A few highlights included Pollak giving Duplass a pound after Duplass delivered his first line, Whitman’s cold delivery as the evil lawyer, Kroll’s over the top Fenster voice and Pollak’s spot-on Byrne impression.

Chi McBride and Michael C. Hall were the two standouts. McBride, currently seen on Golden Boy, got a mid-script ovation for Kujan’s screaming speech in the middle of the film. And Hall was mesmerizing as the meek Verbal, literally tensing his body and pretending he was a gimp to deliver the lines right. His casting was a home run.

The true star of the night, though, was Reitman himself. More than most of the previous screenplays he’s featured in the series, The Usual Suspects thrives on detail in the screen directions. Everyone knows McQuarrie’s dialogue is brilliant. The structure and slow leak of information is incredible and we don’t even have to mention the twist ending. But what most people don’t know is that his descriptions, details, and ideas are beautifully realized on the page, including things that never saw the light of day on screen. One example is when Fenster dies, McQuarrie’s script says he was “the first to find some rest.” All night, it was Reitman’s job to read those elegant words while his actors dove into their roles, and he did so with emotion and gusto.

Back to those actors for a second. People always ask me about these live reads and, no matter how hard I try, they’re hard to describe accurately. Each is a one-time event that is not recorded, featuring a very unique energy. That energy is mostly created by the actors performing these roles for the first time. However, they don’t really interpret the characters written on the page like a normal actor would. Instead they generally attempt to channel the original performance of the originating actor. Verbal Kint was incredibly well-realized in McQuarrie’s script but Spacey’s Oscar-winning performance has since become iconic. Hall totally nailed that cadence and presence. The script doesn’t specifically say that Keaton was Irish, yet Pollak used Gabriel Byrne’s accent for the character. Same goes for Kroll as Fenster. McBride even put on the tough guy New York accent just like Chazz Palmintari. It’s usually like a finely tuned, exciting cover band version of the movie.

And then there’s the ending. That amazing ending that no one ever forgets, the revelation that Verbal Kint is Keyser Söze. In the movie, it’s a perfect blend of visual triggers and repetition of dialogue from earlier in the script. What I didn’t realize until this read was the script has none of that overlapping dialogue. It played strictly as Singer shot it, almost like if you pressed the mute button on the movie. That suggests it was Singer who overlapped all of those fantastic lines from earlier in the script. The stuff about “Orca fat,” the barber shop quartet and “Just like that, he was gone.” That was all Singer (and surely his editor John Ottman well). Which proves, as well-deserved as McQuarrie’s Oscar was, Singer’s directorial contribution is highly underrated and perhaps classic.

All in all, it was a great season finale with one of the greatest screenplays ever written. Reitman happily announced that he’ll do more live readings next season, which would probably start in the fall or winter. Keep an eye on the Film Independent at LACMA website for more information because you won’t want to miss them.

Jason Reitman’s All-Female Live Read of ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ Transcends Gender With Brilliant Performances

Germain Lussier — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 19:00:18 +0000

Maybe it was David Mamet‘s script. Maybe it was Jason Reitman‘s casting. Most likely it was a combination of both, but the latest live read at Los Angeles County Museum of Art was the stuff of legend. Six women – Mae Whitman, Carla Gugino, Robin Wright, Catherine O’Hara, Melanie Lynskey and Maria Bello – reading the screenplay for Glengarry Glen Ross was the perfect mix of material, personality, chemistry, and energy. Add a certain je ne sais quoi, and the great script and event concept became something truly special.

Presented as part of the Film Independent at LACMA Film Series, the Glengarry Glen Ross live read was, unfortunately, a one-time-only event. But below, I’ll do my best to explain how each actress expertly inhabited their character, simply sitting on a stage with a script and a music stand.

Note: During the reading, all the actresses read Mamet’s script as is, without changing the gender of the characters. So, below I largely use male pronouns to describe them. Also, for photos from the event, check out WireImage.

Robin Wright played Ricky Roma, Al Pacino’s role in James Foley’s 1992 film. Roma is the top salesman in the company, a seller who has a strong, intimidating line of bullshit and a very unique perspective on life. What’s interesting about the role is that, though introduced early in the script, Roma doesn’t become a focal point until the second half. What that did was let Wright soak in the ambiance. She was loving everything going on around her, laughing, helping O’Hara when she dropped her highlighter. But when Roma finally walks into that office, Wright was on point. Her reading exuded confidence. Oozed it. She was so into the character that she regularly stepped over Reitman who reads the stage notes. Even so, she delivered Mamet’s dialogue like a machine gun. Like someone who’d performed the part a million times. It was fantastic.

Catherine O’Hara was Shelley Levene, arguably the main character, originally played in the film by Jack Lemmon. Reitman cast all these roles incredibly well but this one was by far his best choice. Levene is an older has-been, a desperate salesman with a sick daughter. For Levene, this job could literally mean life or death. And though he used to be top-dog, he’s long since lost his swagger. So the character has to be totally pathetic, frightened but with an under current of confidence and style. In achieving this, O’Hara was brilliant. Every line of dialogue was natural, effective and worked on all those levels. She also brought a strong sense of comic timing, not unlike Lemmon, which helps you side with this character. Even though it was just a reading, this was a character O’Hara was born to play.

Maria Bello was Dave Moss, who Ed Harris played in the film. Moss is fed up. He’s uptight, upset and on the edge of despair. But he’s still young, dumb and blinded by the power of potential. So too was Bello’s performance. She was confident. Loud. Animated. But, somehow, you never quite believed anything she was saying. I sat there transfixed by the way her over the top performance worked on a subtle level. While Ed Harris played the role in the film, I kept seeing Bello more like Kevin Spacey in American Beauty. It was that kind of nuanced performance. In fact, she was so into it, several of her line readings were totally missed because she was talking to her fellow actress and not into the mike.

For the role of George Aaronow, played by Alan Arkin in the film, Reitman originally cast Allison Janney but she had to drop out. He replaced her with Melanie Lynskey and, I think, actually improved his casting. As fantastic as Janney is, she’s best when she’s an A-personality. That’s not Aaronow. He’s a quiet, sweet, humble man who happens to sit around and let the boisterous men around him talk up a storm. Lynskey went way understated with her performance. Half her dialogue is just partial words and grunts while Moss pontificates but Lynskey’s comic timing and sweetness shined through. It’s amazing to think she’s never worked with Bello before because the two have uncanny chemistry. Again, it was as if they’d been performing these two roles every single day for months.

Mae Whitman played John Williamson, Kevin Spacey’s role in the film. Whitman was the highlight when Reitman staged Ghostbusters (she played Janine) and this time, even stacked up against this murderers row of actresses, it was no different. Williamson is a company man. A blank slate. He’s not there for any real reason except to hand leads to his salesman and file their closings. Whitman’s performance, though, was much more than that. She gave it humanity. Grace. She made you sympathize for the “bad guy” of the group, but then immediately hate him the next second. The way she deviated from calm to screaming and back was uncanny and fantastic.

Last, but certainly not least, was Carla Gugino. Gugino played two equal sized roles, the more famous being Blake, Alec Baldwin’s role in the film. Blake is the superstar, livin large, big house, five cars kind of guy. He comes in to whip everyone into shape and set the movie on its way. His monologue, which includes such classic lines as “Coffee is for closers” and “Always be closing,” is one of the best in history. And Gugino killed it. She had total confidence, much like Wright, but with an F-You attitude that made you want to punch her in the face. The timing of her interactions were spot on and the whole thing was just wonderful.

Gugino also played James Lingk (originated by Jonathan Pryce), a man who has made a deal with Roma but comes back to cancel. It’s a small role, but an important one, and Gugino physically changed her posture for it. She made herself tiny, bringing in her shoulders and scrounging her face to deliver the pathetic, meek performance of Lingk, a man who has to cancel the deal because his wife told him so. The two roles together once again illustrated Gugino is a wonderful, underrated, actress.

What it all boils down to is this: Yes, Mamet’s script is perfect. Yes, Reitman’s casting was spot on. And no, it didn’t matter that the roles were written for men. Each character is so well-defined that, with the right actor (or actress) all of the intent and story shines though beautifully. Like any great movie, this was a collaborative experience enhanced by the work of the whole.

It was another great night at the Jason Reitman Live Read. Reitman’s final live read of the season is March 21 and tickets will go on sale February 28 to Film Independent, LACMA Film Club, and The New York Times Film Club members. The rest go on sale March 5. Click here for info.

Aaron Paul Planning Big ‘Breaking Bad’ Finale Screening and Party in LA

Germain Lussier — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:00:43 +0000

Briefly: The final episodes of Breaking Bad won’t air until this summer, but co-star Aaron Paul is already making plans for the finale. Paul is hoping to host a massive screening of the final episode, attended by the full cast and crew, at the Hollywood Forever Cemetary in Los Angeles, CA.

First off, we’ll air the pilot and then the cast will all come up and say thank you to everyone for watching. Then we’ll watch the final episode with everybody there and all the proceeds will go to cancer research and drug rehab centres. There will also be one hell of a party.

No concrete dates, times, or ticketing procedures have been set yet but keep an eye on Paul’s Twitter for all the details. [Empire]

‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ Gets All-Female Cast For Jason Reitman’s Los Angeles Live Read

Germain Lussier — Sat, 16 Feb 2013 01:00:34 +0000

Jason Reitman has once again decided to completely flip the cast for his February Live Read, presented by Film Independent at LACMA. This time around, the film is Glengarry Glen Ross. Best known as a 1992 movie starring Al Pacino, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin and Ed Harris, Glengarry Glen Ross is based on a Pulitzer Prize winning play by David Mamet. Mamet adapted the screenplay for the film and that script is what Reitman’s Live Read will be based on.

The twist, though, is that he’s doing it with an all-female cast. The ladies will A – always, B- be, C- closing on February 21 in Los Angeles. Read the cast below.

Entertainment Weekly broke the news of the cast, which is as follows:

Robin Wright will play Al Pacino’s character Ricky Roma
Catherine O’Hara will play Jack Lemmon’s character, Shelley Levene
Maria Bello will play Ed Harris’ character Dave Moss
Allison Janney will play Alan Arkin’s role George Aaronow
Mae Whitman will play Kevin Spacey’s character John Williamson

Alec Baldwin’s role, which was not in the play but was created for the film, has yet to be announced.

Talking to EW, Reitman explained the idea:

We toyed with the idea of doing a gender swap on a film like Top Gun, but instead decided on a full reverse from men to women Glengarry was Elvis [Mitchell]’s idea. It’s the perfect candidate as there is no reason this script needs to be read by men outside of our own social stereotypes.

Unfortunately, tickets for the event sold out weeks ago, long before the subject or cast was announced. (There will a stand-by line on the night of the event.) For more info, visit the LACMA site.

Gallery 1988 will also have a poster on sale at the event, by Matt Owen.

/Film LA: 2nd Annual Wayne Federman Film Festival Features Aziz Ansari, Bill Burr, Sarah Silverman, Nick Kroll And More

Germain Lussier — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 23:00:08 +0000

We’ve all seen Back to the Future. But have any of us seen it with Aziz Ansari? Same goes for Raising Arizona. We’ve all seen it, but never with Nick Kroll. And those are just two of the awesome opportunities coming up during the 2nd Annual Wayne Federman Film Festival, which takes place from February 28-March 2 at the Cinefamily in Los Angeles, CA and features six amazing movie screening with six amazing comedians.

Federman is one of those classic “that guy” actors everyone knows and he came up with the idea to get a bunch of famous stand-up comedians to pick films that inspire them, introduce, screen and talk about them. So that’s what going to happen. The full schedule is below.

Here’s what playing:

February 28

Sarah Silverman introduces Crimes And Misdemeanors
The Sklar Brothers introduce Breaking Away

March 1

Dana Gould presents Dr. Strangelove
Aziz Ansari presents Back to the Future

March 2

Nick Kroll introduces Raising Arizona
Bill Burr presents The Dirty Dozen

All the tickets and info can be found at this link.

Help Repertory Cinema! Los Angeles’s Cinefamily Starts Restoration Kickstarter

Germain Lussier — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 18:08:37 +0000

In Los Angeles, we’re blessed with some of the best movie theaters in the world. I’m not talking about the state-of-the-art multiplexes either. I mean the multitude of tiny repertory theaters that show everything from silent films to cult releases of the ’80s, ’90s and today. Theaters like these are heaven for film fans. A place to see an old favorite on the big screen with a director Q&A after, sitting next to a Hollywood star, who is there just to experience the movie as a fan like you.

The problem with these theaters is they have a limited mass appeal. Without the latest movies to show, their audiences are generally limited. So they struggle to stay afloat. One of Los Angeles’s best repertory theaters, the Cinefamily, is currently in need of some support to keep up with the advancing technology in the film industry. So they’ve started a Kickstarter. Just head to that link to help or read more about the theater and its aims below.

Here’s the Cinefamily’s Kickstarter video that’ll explain better than I could. But I’ll try below.

To give an small idea of they type of movies that get screened at the Cinefamily, here’s a small sampling of the film’s I’ve personally seen there in the past few years:

A 25th anniversary reunion screening of Thrashin’
Theatrical runs of Margaret (the only one in LA) and We Need To Talk About Kevin
Midnight fun with Birdemic
A return engagement of Battle Royale
The Savage Steve Holland One Crazy Summer/Better of Dead Double Feature
The classic rollerblade film Airborne.

And that’s just the stuff I’ve seen there. You can imagine is even more diverse than that. Doug Benson does his Interruption screenings there. They’ll play the first 5 minutes of a bunch of crazy things and let the crowd vote on which they want to watch. Retrospectives, tribunes marathons, It’s just a great, fun place. Not to mention, if you get their early enough, they have super comfy couches for you.

They’ve also been known to hand out free beverages, have parties on their back patio, and always innovate with their programming. And they need your help.

The theater has been kicking ass for five years, but anyone who has been there knows, it’s a little behind the times. So they’re trying to upgrade. Digital projector, new seats, carpet, sound, the whole shebang. That’s where the Kickstarter comes in. There’s more info there.

But they aren’t just asking for handouts. They’re doing some amazing events in the coming days and weeks to try and earn it. Visit their website, www.cinefamily.org to see. Here’s hoping the Cinefamily can raise the kind of funds it needs to keep showing awesome movies for as long as possible.

Long-Lost Original Ending to Saul Bass Directorial Effort ‘Phase IV’ Screened

Five Things We Learned About ‘Ghostbusters’ From Jason Reitman’s Live Reading

Germain Lussier — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 16:50:53 +0000

When Ghostbusters was released, Jason Reitman was seven years old. Every kid in the neighborhood wanted to be a Ghostbuster for Halloween, but he was the only one with a real Proton Pack. This, of course, is because his father, Ivan Reitman, directed the legendary 1984 film. That kinship made Thursday’s Live Read, presented by Film Independent at LACMA, that much more special.

Both Reitmans were in attendance as a cast including Seth Rogen, Jack Black and Rainn Wilson read through Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd’s shooting draft, dated October 7, 1983. The script is the movie we all know and love…with some pretty interesting changes. Unfortunately, Reitman and Film Independent don’t allow photos or recording inside these live events so we can’t present you with the entire thing. What we can present you with are five things we learned about the original script from Ghostbusters. Check them out below.

Here are five things we learned about Ghostbusters.

1. Bill Murray improvised everything.

This was a discovery Jason Reitman made when his father let him see the shooting draft. Almost all of the classic Venkman lines you know and love from the movie aren’t in the final script. “While almost all of the dialogue in original screenplay is echoed on screen, the Venkman character is completely improvised. It’s as if Bill Murray was given a mumblecore-style essay about each scene and then permitted to say whatever he wanted as long as he got the point across,” Reitman told Entertainment Weekly. For example “I feel so funky” after being slimed is his and “The flowers are still standing” scene was off the cuff. The live read inserted the classic improved lines along with the script.

2. Ecto-1 was originally written as a cheap gold ambulance painted black.

Who can forget Ray coming back to headquarters with what would eventually become the Ecto-1? That white ambulance has since become a piece of cinema iconography. However, in the script, it wasn’t white, but a gold ambulance later painted flat black, the latter color revealed when they arrive at the hotel for their first bust. It was also cheaper. $1,400 in the script as opposed to $4,800. But don’t worry, the unforgettable ghostbuster symbol is described exactly as we know it, even on the black car as the black car. “Emblazoned on the door is the Ghostbusters’ new logo. It’s the international symbol of prohibition, a red circle with a diagonal red stroke across a ghost.”

3. Their outfits were blue with visors.

The familiar Ghostbuster outfit, tan overalls with boots and knee pads, is radically different from what Aykroyd and Reitman first envisioned. In the script they’re described as wearing “matching blue futuristic jumpsuits” along with “brushed-metal, flip-down ecto-visors worn on the head like a welder’s mask.” You can imagine the change was made because they wanted to blend in more. Blue does not blend. And visors would obscure the actors’ faces.

4. Slimer was yellow.

The most recognizable Ghostbuster ghost is, of course, Slimer. Green, gross and always hungry. In the original script, though, he wasn’t green at all. He was yellow. Still, the original description was spot on – minus the color change – “translucent, foul, yellow…It looks like a misshapen potato with a pushed-in face and spindly arms.”

5. Roberto Clemente could have terrorized New York.

Well, kind of. In the finished film, when Peter’s explaining what Gozer means by “choose,” he gives an example before Ray chooses the Stay Puft Marshmellow man. In the film, it’s J. Edgar Hoover. In the script, it’s Roberto Clemente. As in “if we think of Roberto Clemente, Roberto Clemente will appear and destroy us, okay?”

And here’s a bonus for making it this far.

6. New Jersey heard Gozer

When Gozer speaks to the Ghostbusters and tells them to “choose” their destructor, we know she’s loud, but we only hear what they hear. However, in the script, it was much more menacing and far reaching: “And then Gozer speaks to them in a voice that can be heard throughout Metropolitan New York and parts of New Jersey,” it said.

Overall, it was a fantastic evening with a great cast. Reitman does these readings every month or so and, if you want tickets, keep an eye on the LACMA website. They’ll announce the date and ticket sale date. Members get first crack too. Thanks to Film Independent.

Reference: Shooting script vs. Film Transcript

The iam8bit Gallery Opens Two Pop Culture Art Exhibits Oct 26: Evanimal and Senor Chips

Germain Lussier — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 01:42:48 +0000

The world-famous iam8bit Gallery in Los Angeles, California is opening not one, but two incredibly cool pop-culture art exhibits next week, and /Film is proud to exclusively debut some of the art.

“Fast Cards, Rugged Men and Bad Broads” is a solo show by noted illustrator and artist Evanimal (real name Evan Yarbrough) whose works in this exhibit transfer his unique, almost graffiti-like visual style to wood, with subjects ranging from Pulp Fiction to Jaws, James Bond and more.

The second exhibit features the incredibly distinct and unique work of Senor Chips, in a collection called “Hecho en el Norte.” Chips has taken familiar pop culture icons (such as Tron, Nightmare on Elm Street, Beetlejuice, and Big) and re-imagined them in “Day of the Dead” dioramas.

Both exhibits open simultaneously at 7 p.m. October 26 at the iam8bit Gallery in Los Angeles and remain on display though November 11. After the jump, find out all the particulars and check out several images from each show.

Here’s several images by Evanimal and Senor Chips; the styles are pretty distinct so I think you’ll be able to tell which is which. The final two photos are the official flyers with all the info.

Again, both opening receptions are from 7-11 p.m. October 26 at the iam8bit Gallery, 2147 W. Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles CA.Click here for their regular business hours.

I have to say, while Evanimal’s style is more in my general wheelhouse, Senor Chips’ juxtaposition of film with such a funny medium really strikes a chord. For example, in my life I could fathom seeing a beautifully rendered piece of art depicting Mia Wallace overdosing, but never the FAO Schwartz piano scene from Big as a Mexican diorama. It’s simply awesome. And the best part is, both exhibits are at the same place so you can check them both out.

For more information on Evanimal’s show, visit the Event Page on Facebook. Here’s the Facebook Event Page for Senor Chips’ show.

/Film LA: ‘Halloween’ and ‘Big Top Pee-Wee’ Screen For Debra Hill Film Festival; With Mondo Posters

Germain Lussier — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:55:19 +0000

Two great movies honoring a fantastic filmmaker with proceeds going to charity, and you get a Mondo poster. It’s hard to imagine something better than that.

Debra Hill, one of the pre-eminent producers of the Eighties and Nineties, passed away in 2005. She left not only a legacy of great films (Escape from New York, Clue, Adventures In Babysitting, The Fisher King) but a commitment to emerging producers and those two passions come together on October 26 and 27 at the New Beverly Cinema in Los Angeles, CA. There, the Producers Guild of America will host the inaugural Debra Hill Film Festival, featuring Big Top Pee-Wee and Halloween on consecutive nights with very special guests and very special posters. For Pee-Wee, Paul Reubens will be on hand along with director Randall Kleiser and co-star Penelope Ann Miller. The poster is by DKNG Studios. For Halloween, John Carpenter will be on hand with a poster by Ken Taylor.

After the jump, find out how you can buy tickets right now and check out both posters.

Here are the two posters (plus variants) that’ll come with your tickets to either night of the Debra Hill Film Festival. They’re either $100 for a regular seat or $500 for a VIP seat, which includes a variant poster, reserved seat and meet and great with either Reubens or Carpenter. You can purchase those here and here.

Pee-Wee is 24 x 36 inch screenprint, while Halloween is a 20 x 36 inch, both in a very limited edition that will only be sold at the event. And yes the ticket prices are steep but they include the poster as well as a donation to the Paula Hill Fellowship. President of the Producers Guild of America Mark Gordon the following:

Debra was a trailblazer, an expert storyteller and a deeply committed member of the Producers Guild. In the years since her passing, we have worked to keep her spirit alive, holding her passion and professionalism as a model for a new generation of emerging producers. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to revisit her work and celebrate her inspirational legacy.

And as a special, coincidental treat, the New Beverly is screening Halloween II at midnight after the Halloween screening on October 27. I’m going for sure. What about you?

AFI Fest Adds ‘Life of Pi,’ ‘Silver Linings Playbook,’ ‘Room 237,’ ‘The Impossible’ And More

Germain Lussier — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:00:55 +0000

Each fall, it seems like there’s a film festival every single week. Toronto, Telluride, Fantastic Fest and New York are just four of the bigger ones we cover on this site. But smaller festivals abound too, each filled with so many movies it’s hard to keep track. Thankfully, in Los Angeles, we have a fantastic fest ourselves that serves both as a wrap up to the Fall and kick off to award season. It’s the AFI Fest Presented by Audi.

This year, the fest takes place November 1 through 8 in Hollywood, California, at the historic Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, the Chinese 6 Theatres, the Egyptian Theatre and the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. It kicks off with Hitchcock, ends with Lincoln, and will also feature Life of Pi, Silver Linings Playbook, Holy Motors, The Impossible, Room 237, On the Road, Rise of the Guardians, Quartet, West of Memphis, Rust and Bone, The Central Park Five and more. Much more. Those are only the Gala Screenings, Centerpiece Screenings and Special Screenings.

And the best part? They’re all free. Read more after the jump.

AFI Fest will announce the full schedule on October 15 and free tickets become available to the public on October 25. However, as you can imagine, many of the screenings above fill up quickly and the only way to guarantee seating some of them are by buying official passes, which are on sale now at AFI.com/AFIFEST.

Here’s the info on all the above movies and more.

OPENING NIGHT GALA:

HITCHCOCK: The love story between the iconic filmmaker and his wife, Alma Reville, during the filming of PSYCHO in 1959. DIR Sacha Gervasi. SCR John J. McLaughlin. CAST Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston, Toni Collette, Jessica Biel, Michael Stuhlbarg, James D’Arcy, Michael Wincott, Richard Portnow, Kurtwood Smith. USA. World Premiere.
Thursday, November 1, 7:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

CENTERPIECE GALAS:

LIFE OF PI in 3D: Director Ang Lee (BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN; CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) creates a groundbreaking movie event about a young man who survives a disaster at sea and is hurtled into an epic journey of adventure and discovery. While cast away, he forms an amazing and unexpected connection with another survivor – a fearsome Bengal tiger. DIR Ang Lee. SCR David Magee. CAST Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Rafe Spall, Gérard Depardieu. USA.
Friday, November 2, 7:30 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

ON THE ROAD: Jack Kerouac’s seminal pseudo-autobiography arrives on the big screen at the intersection of fact and fiction. DIR Walter Salles. SCR Jose Rivera, Jack Kerouac. CAST Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams, Tom Sturridge, Danny Morgan, Alice Bragga, Elisabeth Moss, Kirsten Dunst, Viggo Mortenson. France/UK/USA/Brazil.
Saturday, November 3, 8:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

RISE OF THE GUARDIANS in 3D: Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, Sandman and Jack Frost are The Guardians – legendary characters with previously unknown extraordinary abilities charged with protecting children everywhere from an evil spirit’s attempt to take over the world. DIR Peter Ramsey. SCR David Lindsay-Abaire. CAST Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Isla Fisher, Jude Law. USA.
Sunday, November 4, 4:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

RUST AND BONE (DE ROUILLE ET D’OS) featuring A Tribute to Marion Cotillard: An unusual love story between a back alley boxer and a woman who has suffered a profound loss. DIR Jacques Audiard. SCR Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain. CAST Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Armand Verdure, Celine Sallette, Corinne Masiero, Bouli Lanners, Jean-Michel Correia. France/Belgium.
Monday, November 5, 7:30 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

CLOSING NIGHT GALA:

LINCOLN: Steven Spielberg directs two-time Academy Award^® winner Daniel Day-Lewis in LINCOLN, a revealing drama that focuses on the 16th President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come. DIR Steven Spielberg. SCR Tony Kushner. CAST Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Hal Holbrook, Tommy Lee Jones. USA. World Premiere.
Thursday, November 8, 7:00 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS:

SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK: When a history teacher is cuckolded by his wife and a co-worker, he goes ballistic, lands in jail, then moves in with his sports-obsessed parents. DIR David O. Russell. SCR David O. Russell, Matthew Quick. CAST Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, Julia Stiles, John Ortiz, Paul Herman, Dash Mihok, Shea Whigham. USA.
Friday, November 2, 8:00 p.m., Rigler, Egyptian.

THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE: Ken Burns’ documentary about what was known as the crime of century showcases a group of teenagers who were forced to give false confessions and were wrongfully convicted for raping and beating New York City jogger Trisha Meili. DIR/SCR Sarah Burns, Ken Burns, David McMahon.
Saturday, November 3, 3:30 p.m., Rigler, Egyptian.

HOLY MOTORS: Denis Lavant plays Mr. Oscar, a shadowy figure who inhabits many roles while fulfilling assignments from inside a white limousine in Léos Carax’s beguiling work. DIR/SCR Léos Carax. CAST Denis Lavant, Edith Scob, Eva Mendes, Kylie Minogue. France/Germany.
Saturday, November 3, 7:00 p.m., Rigler, Egyptian.

THE IMPOSSIBLE: A family is swept up in the monumental turmoil of the 2004 Southeast Asia tsunami along with thousands of strangers. DIR Juan Antonio Bayona. SCR Sergio G. Sánchez. CAST Naomi Watts, Ewan McGregor, Tom Holland, Samuel Joslin, Oaklee Pendergast, Marta Etura, Sönke Möhring, Geraldine Chaplin. Spain/USA.
Sunday, November 4, 8:30 p.m., Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

ROOM 237: Rodney Asher’s documentary delves into the symbols and messages hidden within Stanley Kubrick’s acclaimed film, THE SHINING, revealing more secrets after 30 years. DIR Rodney Ascher. CAST Bill Blakemore, Geoffrey Cocks, Juli Kearns, John Fell Ryan, Jay Weidner. USA.
Sunday, November 4, 9:00 p.m., Chinese 1.

QUARTET: A birthday concert for Verdi at a home for retired opera singers is disrupted by the arrival of Jean, a diva and former wife of one of the residents. DIR Dustin Hoffman in his directorial debut. SCR Ronald Harwood. CAST Maggie Smith, Tom Courtenay, Billy Connolly, Pauline Collins, Michael Gambon. UK.
Sunday, November 4, 9:00 p.m., Rigler, Egyptian.

GINGER AND ROSA: As the Cold War meets the sexual revolution in 1960s London, the lifelong friendship of two teenage girls (Elle Fanning, Alice Englert) is shattered by ideological differences and personal betrayals. DIR/SCR Sally Potter. CAST Elle Fanning, Alice Englert, Alessandro Nivola, Christina Hendricks, Annette Bening, Oliver Platt, Timothy Spall, Jodhi May. UK/Denmark.
Wednesday, November 7, 8:00 p.m., Chinese 1.

WEST OF MEMPHIS: Amy Berg’s film casts a light on the brutal murder of three young boys and the 18-year struggle to exonerate the teenagers who were convicted of the crimes. DIR Amy Berg. SCR Billy McMilin, Amy Berg. CAST Damien Echols; Lorri Davis; Jason Baldwin; Jessie Misskelley, Jr.; Pam Hicks. USA.
Date, time and venue TBC.

Movie Theater Bits: ‘Tron’ 30th Anniversary Screening, This is Cinerama, and MoviePass Returns

Germain Lussier — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 23:30:58 +0000

An extremely exciting screening, an epic cinematic experience and the return of an old friend. Three similarly themed, movie theater related pieces of news all reside below. Read about:

On October 27, Grauman’s Chinese Theater in Hollywood is hosting an epic 30th anniversary screening of Tron.
Learn all about Cinerama, an outdated – but back for a limited time - three-projector film screening system.
MoviePass, the struggling filmgoing pass, is making a comeback.

Thirty years ago, fans were introduced to the Grid and sci-fi cinema jumped into the future. The film was Tron, directed by Steven Lisberger. Tron has long been a cult classic but experienced something of a resurgance in recent years with its long awaited sequel, Tron: Legacy, and new TV show, Tron: Uprising. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1982 film, a huge 30th anniversary screening is being held at the most famous theater in the world, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, complete with a full reunion, costume party, after party, concert and more. Tickets, which range from $50 for general admission to $100 for the full experience, are on sale now at Tron30th.com.

Previously, we wrote about an upcoming screening series at the Arclight Cinerama Dome in Hollywood, CA, which focuses on the outdated but massive theaterical experience called Cinerama. What exactly is Cinerama? Well, this Reddit post explains it pretty well.

As does this video posted by Arclight themselves. Head here to buy tickets. The screenings start this week.

Finally, we have MoviePass. The idea of MoviePass was like some online media consumption services, except it got you into real theaters: pay a monthly fee, and see movies for free. A great idea, especially for people who see a lot of movies. Several theaters and ticket brokers, however, rejected the service and it has since sort of curled up into obscurity.

Now Variety reports that the company is mounting a comeback. All they need is the help of a major ticket provider, which they believe has happened, though no one has stepped up to the plate to identify themselves. That’s likely to happen soon and we, as big fans, will let you know when it does. Head to Variety to read a bit about the drama of MoviePass.