Los Angeles Top 5 (3/22/13–3/28/13)

L.A. is the greatest place on earth to watch movies. Here are this week’s best picks.

1) Grand Illusion/Army of Shadows at the New Beverly (SATURDAY 22, 7:30PM)

Two tales of wartime French resistance make up this must-see double feature from the New Bev. The first, Jean Renoir’s tale of WWI prisoners, is a bona fide classic, routinely listed among the top French films of all-time. The second, Jean-Pierre Melville’s Army of Shadows, is a bleak look at the inner-workings of the French Resistance fighters during WWII. Grand Illusion just received a 4K digital restoration, but the New Bev is screening the restoration print in glorious 35mm. Quelle joie! Army of Shadows also screens in 35mm. Both films will also screen earlier on Saturday in a matinee double bill. Buy your tickets here.

2) Gun Crazy/Pierrot le Fou at the Egyptian (SUNDAY 23, 7:30PM)

You won’t want to miss this double feature of lovers on the run at the Egyptian. Screened as part of their On The Road series, this doubly “crazy” night of movies begins with quite possibly the best “B” noir ever made, Joseph H. Lewis’ sensational Gun Crazy. A sex-crazed circus sharpshooter (Peggy Cummins) teams up with a firearms-obsessed, reformed juvenile delinquent (John Dall) in Lewis’ wild, lovers on the run flick. Predating the cool criminality of Bonnie & Clyde by 17 years, Gun Crazy had a major influence on that film, as well as Jean-Luc Godard’s homage to the B-movie pulps, Pierrot le Fou. Staring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Anna Karina as too-coo-for-school, youthful criminals, Pierret le fou is a colorful tribute to film noir by way of pop art. Buy your tickets here.

3) Raging Bull at the Arclight Pasadena (TUESDAY 26, 7PM)

Screened as part of the Arclight Presents… series, this screening of Martin Scorsese’s black and white masterpiece is a highlight. In his Oscar-winning role, Robert de Niro plays boxer Jake La Motta, a brutal man in and out of the ring. De Niro’s physical transformation (50lbs!) is legendary, but it’s the actor’s subtler moments that truly astonish. Both violent and starkly beautiful, Raging Bull has come to be regarded (rightly) as perhaps Scorsese’s greatest film. Screened in digital presentation. Buy your tickets here.

4) Sans Soleil at the Cinefamily (WEDNESDAY 27, 7:20PM)

Meaning “sunless,” Chris Marker’s mind-bending, country-hopping travelogue/documentary screens several times this week at the Cinefamily. Traveling through the subcultures of Japan to the stark, otherworldly landscape of Iceland, Marker’s film is kind of like a visual postcard, guiding the viewer through the many strange and unusual cultural minutiae of life on earth. A landmark in experimental cinema, Sans Soleil is a one-of-a-kind experience. Buy your tickets here.

5) City Lights at the Hammer Museum (THURSDAY 28, 7:30PM)

One of only a handful of sincerely perfect movies, Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights remains his greatest achievement and indeed, one of the greatest example of the pure joy of the cinematic form. Its simple story and unadorned performances (even the Little Tramp is reigned in) set the tone of pride amid poverty. When a blind flower girl mistakes Charlie for a millionaire, he begins to woo, pretending to be the wealthy man. Full of gentle humor and genuine pathos, City Lights will make you laugh through your tears. Tickets are free.

If you make it out to any of these screenings, let us know how it went in the comments section. Happy viewing, Los Angeles!