LA is the greatest place on earth to watch movies. Here are this week’s best picks.
1) Port of Shadows at Laemmle Theaters (2/1 thru 2/7 ONE WEEK ONLY)
Marcel Carne’s fog-bounded French poetic masterpiece is back in theaters for a limited time. Quelle chance! Starring the original Pepé le Pew, Jean Gabin, the film is a smoky, sensual paean to doomed love and poetic fatalism. It’s very, very French. Gabin’s cat-like somnambulism inspired the torpid, ill-fated protagonists of film noir. Gabin smoking a cigarette has about as much dramatic power as most action scenes today. He’s like a male Dietrich: alluring but mysterious, aloof but physical, unattainable but utterly flawed and human. Screenwriter/poet Jacques Prevert’s dialogue set the standard blends moody romanticism with an air of resigned melancholy that captures the mood of the country at the brink of war. A classic of French cinema, this print has been digitally restored. Buy your tickets here.
2) What About Bob?/Groundhog Day at Downtown Independent (SATURDAY 2/2, 7pm)
This self-described “double feature drink-a-long” includes the first refreshing beverage in your ticket price. Could this be the greatest thing of all-time? Will drinking games revolving around the word “Bing!” ensue? Will some people be wearing “Don’t hassle me, I’m local” t-shirts? You bet your Punxsutawney Phil they will. All hail Bill Murray, god of comedy. Buy your tickets here.
3) The Oscar-Nominated Short Films at Nuart (2/1 thru 2/15 TWO WEEKS ONLY)
This is the highlight of my new year. Every February, the Academy ships their Oscar-nominated shorts–animated and live action–to selected theaters around the country. I like to think they do this because they want me to crush my friends in the Oscar betting pool, but I suspect their motivations run more in line with artistic expression and giving young filmmakers more exposure. Whatever. You can view the nominees at the link above. All films are projected on DVD. Buy your tickets here.
4) Taxi Driver/Mean Streets at Aero (TUESDAY 2/5, 7:30PM)
Screened as part of the American Cinematheque’s An Actor’s Playbook: An In-Person Tribute to Robert De Niro, this double feature is a no-brainer. De Niro in the ’70s, at the top of his name, working with Scorsese? I’m there. Having just garnered his seventh Oscar nomination for Silver Linings Playbook, what better time than now to revisit (and perhaps rediscover) just how damned good Robert De Niro can be. For me, there’s few more iconic characters in 20th century American cinema than Travis Bickle, the quintessential loner, “God’s lonely man.” Johnny Boy, De Niro’s character in Mean Streets, is the exact opposite of Bickle. Travis is repressed, hesitant, isolated. Johnny Boy is reckless, outrageous, impulsive and charming. The two make a volatile combination. Buy your tickets here.
5) Janusz Kaminski Presents Vanishing Point at LACMA (THURSDAY 2/7, 7:30PM)
Academy Award-winner cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Schindler’s List, Saving Private Ryan) is one of many famous fans of Richard C. Sarafian’s cult classic road movie, Vanishing Point. (Quentin Tarantino practically based the second half of Death Proof on the film). Kaminski will participate in the Q & A of the film, which has gained an enthusiastic following from motorheads and cinephiles alike. Hot rods and cool photography blend in this sparse, existential action flick that perfectly captures the mood of early ’70s, post-hippie burnout. The film screens in 35mm. Buy your tickets here.
If you make it out to any of these screenings, let us know how it went in the comments section. Happy viewing, Los Angeles!
2 thoughts on “Los Angeles Top 5 (2/1/13–2/7/13)”
Did you know that Days of Heaven is showing in 35mm at The Dome on Sunday? Seems like an obvious pick. Also, really saddened that I can’t come to that awesome-sounding Mean Streets/Taxi Driver double feature. Too busy on that particular day. Ah well.
Woah, I didn’t know that, actually! Thanks for the tip.