Around Town: Cantinflas, Nicolas Pereda, Jean Harlow and more
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A centenary celebration of a beloved Mexican film star and several anniversary screenings are among the highlights at L.A.’s movie revival houses this week.
The Cervantes Center of Arts and Letters is commemorating Mario Moreno, best known as Cantinflas, Friday at the Million Dollar Theater in downtown L.A. The evening will feature a screening of one of his earliest comedies ‘The Circus’ from 1943. Cantinflas is best known in the U.S. for his role in the 1956 Oscar-winning film, ‘Around the World in 80 Days.’ http://www.milliondollartheater.com/CantinflasCentenario.html
The American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre in Santa Monica welcomes funnyman and Oscar host extraordinaire Billy Crystal on Friday evening for the 20th anniversary screening of his hit comedy ‘City Slickers.’ The L.A. Times’ Geoff Boucher will interview Crystal following the screening. On Saturday, director Mark Rydell will appear at the Aero for the 30th anniversary presentation of ‘On Golden Pond,’ for which Henry Fonda, in his final feature, and Katharine Hepburn both won lead actor Academy Awards. On Sunday, director Paul Mazursky and actor Nick Nolte will be on hand for the 25th anniversary screening of the comedy ‘Down and Out in Beverly Hills.’ http://www.americancinemathequecalendar.com/
Blake Edwards’ ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s,’ which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, screens Friday at the Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Audrey Hepburn and her little black dress star. Director Russell Mulcahy makes an appearance Saturday at the Egyptian for the 25th anniversary screening of the cult fantasy flick ‘Highlander,’ starring Christopher Lambert.
The Egyptian kicks off its two-week retrospective ‘The Fantastical World of Frantisek Vlacil,’ which features a selection of films from the renowned late Czech director, on Sunday evening with 1967’s ‘Marketa Lazarova.’ Scheduled for Wednesday are two of the filmmaker’s shorts, 1958’s ‘Glass Skies’ and 1975’s ‘Art Nouveau in Prague,’ as well as the 1974 feature ‘Sirius’ and 1960’s ‘The White Dove.’ http://www.americancinematheque.com
The 4th annual Feel Good Film Festival kicks off Friday evening and continues through Sunday at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood. The festival showcases short and feature films with happy endings. Among the films are ‘The Italian Key,’ ‘Losing Control,’ ‘Esposito,’ Part Time Fabulous’ and ‘You Just Have to Laugh.’ http://www.fgff.org
UCLA Film & Television Archive kicks off its ‘Perpetual Motion: The Cinema of Nicolas Pereda’ series, which features several films from the Mexican-born Toronto resident, on Friday evening at the Billy Wilder Theater. Pereda will appear Friday for the screening of his most recent film, ‘Summer of Goliath,’ as well as the short ‘Interview With the Earth.’ He also will attend the screening Saturday of his feature ‘Where Are Their Stories?’ www.cinema.ucla.edu
UCLA continues its ‘Harlow Before the Code’ on Sunday evening with a 1931 rarity, ‘Iron Man,’ directed by Tod Browning and also starring Lew Ayres and Robert Armstrong, and 1932’s sexy romantic adventure ‘Red Dust,’ also starring her frequent leading man Clark Gable. http://www.cinema.ucla.edu
The Don’t Knock the Rock Festival continues to roll on at Cinefamily’s Silent Movie Theatre on Thursday evening with the L.A. premiere of the documentary ‘Better Than Something: Jay Reatard’ and the West Coast premiere of ‘Pulp in The Beat Is the Law: Fanfare for the Common People.’
Cinefamily’s Friday Night Frights presents the 1992 horror film, ‘Candyman,’ with Tony Todd and Virgina Madsen. Director Bernard Rose will appear in person. On tap for Saturday is ‘Occult L.A.: Season of the Witch,’ a program of film, ritual and discussion about witches. Later in the evening is a new HD restoration of Otto Preminger’s 1968 head movie ‘Skidoo,’ starring Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing and Groucho Marx. And on Tuesday and Wednesday, Cinefamily presents a new 35-millimeter restoration of Fellini’s seminal ‘La Dolce Vita,’ released in Italy in 1960 and in the U.S. in 1961. http://www.cinefamily.org
The High Noon Film Series at the Fowler Museum on Friday features the acclaimed 1960 documentary ‘Jazz on a Summer’s Day.’ http://www.fowler.ucla.edu
The Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s ‘Outdoor Films: A Tim Burton Sampler’ continues Friday evening at Hancock Park with the 1996 stop-motion hit ‘James and the Giant Peach,’ based on the children’s book by Roald Dahl.
Also continuing Friday evening at LACMA’s Leo S. Bing Theater is the ‘Once Upon a Time in the Middle East’ series. Friday’s double bill is 2009’s ‘The White Meadows’ and 2006’s ‘Climates.’ Saturday’s early screening is the 1940 Technicolor production of ‘The Thief of Bagdad.’ The later program is 1979’s ‘Alexandria, Why?’
LACMA’s Saturday monster movie matinees features 1961’s ‘Mothra.’ http://www.lacma.org
New Beverly Cinema presents two Woody Allen films not directed by Allen this Friday and Saturday: 1976’s ‘The Front,’ directed by Martin Ritt, and 1972’s ‘Play It Again, Sam,’ helmed by Herbert Ross. Set for Sunday and Monday is a sniper double bill: Peter Bogdanovich’s 1968 thriller ‘Targets,’ with Boris Karloff, and Larry Peerce’s 1976 film ‘Two-Minute Warning’ with Charlton Heston. Wednesday’s offerings are two gripping film noirs: 1957’s ‘Nightfall,’ with Aldo Ray and Brian Keith, and 1954’s ‘Pushover,’ with Fred MacMurray and Kim Novak in her feature debut. http://www.newbevcinema.com
The Devil’s Night Drive-In in downtown L.A. Saturday evening presents the 1987 film ‘Less Than Zero,’ starring a very young Robert Downey Jr. http://www.devilsnight.com
The Outdoor Cinema Food Fest Summer 2011 continues Saturday at Exposition Park with a screening of David Fincher’s 1999 film ‘Fight Club,’ starring Brad Pitt and Edward Norton. http://www.outdoorcinemafoodfest.com
Cinespia at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery will showing movies from dusk to dawn starting Saturday at sundown. The evening opens with D.A. Pennebaker’s seminal 1968 rock documentary, ‘Monterey Pop.’ http://www.cinespia.org
Amoeba’s Monday Movies at Space15Twenty presents a Beastie Boys film night, which features the long-form video for the single ‘Make Some Noise’ and the L.A. premiere of the video for ‘Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win.’ http://www.amoeba.com
Movies on the Terrace 2011 at the Century City Mall presents the original 1984 ‘Footloose’ with Kevin Bacon on Wednesday. http://www.westfield.com
— Susan King
