Around town: ‘Star Trek,’ Argentine cinema and more
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Damon Lindelof, the producer of 2009’s ‘Star Trek’ and co-writer and producer of the upcoming sequel, will discuss previsualization Thursday evening at the Linwood Dunn Theater as part of ‘Visualize This: Previs in the Making of ‘Star Trek,’’ the latest offering from the Science and Technology Council of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
As with traditional storyboards, previs technology allows filmmakers to create visual references for complicated shots and sequences before production begins -- but does so with use of 3-D animation tools. In addition to showing film clips and behind-the-scenes footage, Lindelof will lead a panel discussion with several ‘Star Trek’ crew members, including senior previsualization supervisor David Dozoretz. http://oscars.org
The American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre presents the new documentary ‘The Desert of Forbidden Art’ Thursday evening. The film looks at the plight of artists under Soviet rule in the U.S.S.R., and how one man rescued 40,000 works to create a museum far from the eye of the KGB. Directors Tchavdar Georgiev and Amanda Pope will appear in person. The Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre is presenting a 70-millimeter screening Thursday of the Oscar-winning ‘West Side Story.’ This print features the restored original soundtrack to the musical directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. The film has not been seen -- nor heard -- in the original mix since the early 1970s.
The ninth annual New Argentine Cinema festival arrives Friday at the Egyptian with the Los Angeles premiere of ‘Brother and Sister,’ directed by Daniel Burman. A reception will follow the screening. Saturday’s offerings are the documentary ‘Mundo Alas,’ the thriller ‘Carancho’ and the L.A. premiere of Natalie Smirnoff’s ‘Puzzle.’ Another L.A. premiere -- the documentary ‘Traces and Memory of Jorge Preloran’ -- is on tap for Sunday, as well as Rodrigo Grande’s ‘A Matter of Principle’ and Hector Olivera’s ‘The Mural,’ also an L.A. premiere.
The Aero pays tribute to the late director Arthur Penn Friday with screenings of two of his most underrated films -- 1965’s ‘Mickey One’ with Warren Beatty and 1975’s film noir ‘Night Moves’ with Gene Hackman and a teenage Melanie Griffith.
Roman Polanski’s acclaimed thriller ‘The Ghost Writer,’ which was released earlier this year, is getting a big push for Oscar nominations, and Saturday at the Aero its star, Pierce Brosnan, will appear at a screening of the film, as well as his 2005 black comedy ‘The Matador,’ in which he plays a professional killer.
The legendary children’s show producers Sid and Marty Krofft will discuss their career with moderator Olivia Munn after a screening of ‘Pufnstuf,’ the 1970 feature version of their hit NBC Saturday morning series ‘H.R. Pufnstuf,’ Sunday afternoon at the Aero.
Screenwriter Aaron Sorkin will talk about his script for the acclaimed drama ‘The Social Network’ after a screening of the film Sunday evening at the Aero. http://www.americancinematheque.com
UCLA Film and Television Archive presents the iconoclastic director Alex Cox in person Friday and Saturday at the Billy Wilder Theater. Screening Friday is ‘Straight to Hell Returns,’ an updated version of his 1987 spaghetti western spoof. Set for Saturday is his 1986 biopic ‘Sid and Nancy,’ starring Gary Oldman as Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and Chloe Webb as his lover, Nancy Spungen, as well as 1991’s ‘Highway Patrolman.’
On Sunday, the archive’s Documentary Spotlight showcase at the Billy Wilder presents the 2009 film ‘Letters to the President,’ which profiles Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
UCLA Film and Television Archive’s Out of the Past: Film Restoration Today series explores ‘The Color of Television’ Monday evening at the James Bridges Theater. Sony Television preservationist Dan Wingate will feature samples of early color television including commercials, as well as clips from such series as ‘The Dinah Shore Show’ and ‘The Eddie Fisher Show.’ http://www.cinema.ucla.edu
Kaneto Shindo’s 1968 ghost story ‘Kuroneko’ (‘Black Cat’) arrives Friday at the Nuart Theatre for a one-week engagement in a brand new 35-millimeter print. Loosely based on the Japanese folk tale ‘The Cat’s Return,’ the thriller set in medieval Japan revolves around a female demon who haunts the Rojomon Gate. She lures samurai to her home, where she rips out their throats. http://www.landmarktheatres.com
The Cervantes Center of Arts and Letters in collaboration with the Fundacion Carmen Toscano will screen the 1950 film ‘Memories of a Mexican’ Saturday at the Million Dollar Theater in downtown Los Angeles, in commemoration of the centennial of the Mexican Revolution. http://www.milliondollartheater.com/Toscano.html
‘Vision and Voices: Eyes on the Middle East,’ Saturday and Sunday at the Norris Theatre at USC, features films and filmmakers from Israel and Palestine. The two-day event allows the filmmakers to discuss their movies. There will be panels after each screening. http://web-app.usc.edu/ws/eo2/calendar/113/
Laurel and Hardy’s 1937 classic ‘Way Out West’ screens Sunday afternoon at the Autry National Center. The film is being presented by the Autry and the UCLA Film and Television Archive. http://www.theautry.org [For the record: A previous version of this post incorrectly referred to the Autry National Center as the Autry National Center for the American Arts.]
The latest offering from the Los Angeles Filmforum is ‘The 48th Ann Arbor Film Festival Tour: The 16mm Program,’ which will take place Sunday at the Egyptian Theatre. The evening will feature films on 16-millimeter including two by local filmmakers Alexandra Cuesta and Laida Lertxundi, who will appear at the screenings. http://www.lafilmforum.org
Filmmaker Thom Andersen will screen his latest, ‘Get Out of the Car,’ Monday evening at REDCAT, along with two vintage films that were an inspiration and a departure from his work -- 1968’s ‘The Bridegroom, the Actress and the Pimp,’ as well as the 1967 Rainer Werner Fassbinder short ‘The Little Chaos,’ which features music by Richard Wagner and the Troggs (‘Wild Thing’). http://www.redcat.org
Beck’s musical director Brian LeBarton will perform live his new score to Robert Flaherty’s landmark 1922 documentary ‘Nanook of the North,’ Wednesday at the Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre. http://www.cinefamily.org
-- Susan King
