The American Cinematheque at the Aero and Egyptian Theatres
presents a two-week retrospective of the work of director Otto Preminger,
January 17 through 31, featuring several rarely seen films not yet available on
DVD.

Preminger, who died an octogenarian in 1986, was a
controversial, polarizing figure throughout his life — Hollywood’s
first truly independent producer/director. He was famous as a flamboyant,
outspoken personality (arguably no filmmaker other than Alfred Hitchcock had a
more recognizable public persona) and a self-promoter whose frequent on-set
tantrums were widely reported upon. Preminger also achieved fame on screen (via
Stalag 17), and as Mr. Freeze opposite
Adam West on television’s Batman.

One of the great masters of American film, Preminger worked
in a remarkable variety of forms, and it’s this diversity that is honored here:
musicals (Porgy and Bess), film noir
(Laura, Angel Face, The Thirteenth
Letter, Bunny Lake Is Missing),
romantic comedy (The Moon Is Blue), courtroom
drama (Anatomy of a Murder), political
exposé (Advise and Consent) and otherwise
epic drama (Exodus, Hurry Sundown). Though his relations with them may often have been
tempestuous, many actors did some of their finest work under Preminger’s
direction, and in-person guests for this retrospective include Carol Lynley (Bunny Lake Is Missing), John Phillip Law
and Robert Hooks (Hurry Sundown), Don
Murray (Advise and Consent) and Eva
Marie Saint (Exodus). Author Foster
Hirsch will also be selling and signing his new biography, Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King, on most nights of the
series.

The Aero Theatre
is located at 1328 Montana Avenue
in Santa Monica; the historic
Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712
Hollywood Boulevard,
between Highland
and Las Palmas,
in Hollywood.
Tickets for both venues are available through Fandango, but for 24-hour recorded information on tickets,
directions and each site’s upcoming schedule, phone (323) 466-FILM, or visit the Cinematheque’s eponymous
Web site by clicking here.

The American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre will host a special retrospective and tribute to filmmaker John Sayles, taking place the weekend of January 4 through 6. For the event, there will be in-person appearances by and Q&A sessions with Sayles to go along with a selection of some of his best movies,
including Lone Star, Baby, It’s You, City of Hope, Brother From Another Planet and his newest film, Honeydripper — the latter kicking off the feting.

From his beginnings as a
novelist and versatile screenwriter-for-hire (Jurassic Park IV is next on his plate in that regard) to his development into one of the
leading voices in American independent film, Sayles has demonstrated an increasingly
penetrating insight into contemporary life in his 16 films as a director. Capable of writing blue collar laborers, billionaire
moguls, would-be mothers and everyone in between, Sayles presents a vision of America
more varied in subject matter and tone than arguably any other working modern day filmmaker.

The Aero Theatre
is located at 1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. Tickets for all films and events are available through Fandango, but for 24-hour recorded
information on directions and the Aero’s upcoming schedule,
phone (323) 466-FILM. For an interview with Sayles, meanwhile, click here.

The NBC broadcast of the awards show itself may be in jeopardy, with actors not wanting to cross the picket lines of striking writers, but the five Golden Globe nominees for Best Foreign Language Film will screen at the Aero and Egyptian Theatres next week, before the directors of all the nominated films convene for a special seminar at the Egyptian on Saturday, January 12. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Persepolis, The Kite Runner, 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days and Lust, Caution will screen January 9 through 12 at the Aero Theatre, and on Saturday, January 12 at 1 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre, all five filmmakers will sit for a free-admission panel moderated by Screen International‘s Mike Goodridge.

The Aero Theatre
is located at 1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica; the
historic Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, between Highland and Las
Palmas, in Hollywood. Tickets for both venues are available through Fandango, but for 24-hour recorded
information on tickets, directions and each site’s upcoming schedule,
phone (323) 466-FILM, or visit
the Cinematheque’s eponymous Web site by clicking here.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art kicks off the new year by hosting a retrospective of Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-Dong’s work — spanning four movies and three evenings, January 3 through 5. Lee’s latest film, Secret Sunshine, won its lead the Best Actress prize at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, and is South Korea’s
foreign language submission for the Academy Awards. A former novelist
and recent Minister of Culture, Lee will be in attendance as LACMA
screens his four feature films — clear-eyed and nuanced
dramas all, depicting not only individuals faced with life’s random
complications but also the character of a changing nation — few of which have seen a proper theatrical release in the United States. Peppermint Candy kicks things off on Thursday, January 3, followed the next evening by Oasis; the slate concludes Saturday evening with a double-bill of Green Fish and the aforementioned Secret Sunshine. For more information, click here.

Photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber’s Academy Award-nominated documentary Let’s Get Lost, focusing on elusive trumpeter
and jazz legend Chet Baker, opens for an exclusive one-week engagement at the Nuart in Los Angeles on
January 11. Using excerpts from Italian B movies, rare
performance footage and candid interviews with Baker, peer-group musicians, friends,
ex-wives and children, Weber (no, not the oh-so-inspirational Illinois basketball coach) weaves together a fascinating and evocative portrait of Baker — a naturally gifted musician whose beautiful work helped introduced jazz to a whole new generation, even as his personal demons and troubles earned him the nickname of “the James Dean of jazz.” For more information, click here, or visit Bruce Weber’s eponymous site by clicking here.

For those looking for some post-holiday escape, the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre presents Rediscovered
Italian Classics, screening January 4-6. This all-too-short weekend showcases rare prints of some of
the most difficult-to-see Italian cinema classics — films that were
virtually ignored during their initial American releases. The line-up includes
a new 35mm print of Bernardo Bertolucci’s taboo-smashing Luna, starring Jill
Clayburgh, Fred Gwynne and Roberto Benigni; Luchino
Visconti’s The Leopard, starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale and Alain
Delon; and Valerio Zurlini’s Black Jesus, screening in an IB Technicolor print. Also screening is Michelangelo Antonioni’s
feature from 1982, Identification of a Woman, which was not exhibited widely in
America until the mid-1990s. Both Identification of a Woman and Luna are not
available on DVD.

The
historic Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, between Highland and Las
Palmas, in Hollywood. Tickets are available through Fandango, but for 24-hour recorded
information on directions, show times and the theater’s upcoming schedule,
phone (323) 466-FILM, or visit
the Cinematheque’s eponymous Web site by clicking here.

For those in the Southern California area, the Aero Theatre will host a special one-night, 7:30 p.m. screening of The Simpsons Movie this evening, December 8. Before and after the screening, there will be an exhibit of Simpsons artwork at the Every Picture Tells a Story art gallery across the street. The Aero Theatre
is located at 1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica; tickets are available through Fandango, but for 24-hour recorded
information on tickets, directions and the venue’s upcoming schedule,
phone (323) 466-FILM.

EDIT: Apparently this screening was last night, December 7. That’ll teach me to rely on an email from the Cinematheque…

Good news for David Lynch fans living in New York — the director’s groundbreaking debut film, Eraserhead, will celebrate its 30th anniversary by screening at the IFC Center, starting on Friday, December 7, for two weeks. A long-playing midnight sensation at the original Waverly Theater, film fans will enjoy a newly remastered print overseen by Lynch himself. For show times and to purchase tickets, click here, and select your preferred screening date.

For those in the Southern California area, the American
Cinematheque continues its seminar series for filmmakers on December 4 at 7:30 p.m. with the
panel discussion “Unraveling Independent Film Exhibition,” at the Aero Theatre. In this
frank discussion, you will learn about options that are available to you when
your film doesn’t sell outright to a major distributor — how it all works, what
it costs and what you as the filmmaker needs to know. Educate yourself about
booking, figures for spending and earning on a film, what it costs to
advertise, what is expected by the exhibitor (theater), and what materials you will
you need (including legal agreements) before you are ready to sell or exhibit
your film. Panelists include Bob Aaronson (Red Envelope Entertainment); Gary
Garfinkel (Showtime Networks); Mike McClellan (Landmark Theaters); Ted Sarandos
(Netflix); Barry Schuler (Former Chairman & CEO, AOL); and David Shultz, (Vitagraph
Films). A question and answer session will follow the panel, moderated by the Cinematheque’s
Margot Gerber.

Tickets are $20 for general admission, $15 for students and seniors
and $12 for American Cinematheque club members. The Aero Theatre
is located at 1328 Montana Avenue
in Santa Monica; tickets are
available through Fandango,
but for 24-hour recorded information on tickets, directions and the venue’s
upcoming schedule, phone (323) 466-FILM.

For those in the Southern California area, the Aero Theatre will present a special one-night, in-person tribute to Samuel L. Jackson on Thursday, December 6, with screenings of Rod Lurie’s Resurrecting the Champ and Craig Brewer’s Black Snake Moan (what, no Snakes on a Plane?). The event begins at 7:30 p.m., and a discussion with Jackson will take place between films.

The Aero Theatre
is located at 1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica; tickets are available through Fandango, but for 24-hour recorded
information on tickets, directions and the venue’s upcoming schedule,
phone (323) 466-FILM.

One needn’t spend their Thanksgiving weekend at Kohl’s, sighing deeply while their sister/girlfriend/wife/mother weighs the pros and cons of four different throw rugs as a gift for their aunt. For those in the Southern California area, at least, respite comes in the form of a stunning, 70mm presentation of David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia. The 1962 epic — starring Peter O’Toole as T.E. Lawrence, the man who helped the  Arabs revolt against European and Ottoman hegemony — screens at multiple times on November 23 through 25 at the Egyptian Theatre, and on Sunday, November 25 at the Aero Theatre. For those looking to take in cinematographer Freddie Young’s expansive vistas or just enjoy all over again the winner of seven Academy Awards, this is the definitive big screen experience.

The
historic Egyptian Theatre is located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, between Highland and Las
Palmas, in Hollywood. The Aero Theatre, meanwhile, is located at 1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica; tickets to both venues are available through Fandango, but for 24-hour recorded
information on tickets, directions and the theaters’ upcoming schedules,
phone (323) 466-FILM, or visit
the Cinematheque’s eponymous Web site by clicking here.

For those who haven’t yet bought the DVD, and who live in or around Los Angeles
to boot, on Monday, November 5, Transformers screens at the
American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre. Well… pieces of it, at any rate.

Lasting approximately two hours, the Motion Picture Sound
Editors (MPSE) sound show gives audiences a behind-the-scenes look (and, yes, listen)
at the sound effects/editing work done for director Michael Bay’s summer blockbuster. Appearing
in person are editor/sound designer Ethan Van der Ryn (The Lord of the Rings trilogy) and sound designer Erik Aadahl (Superman Returns)
for an exploration of the sonic world of the action-packed science-fiction film;
clips from the movie will be screened with special “pre-dub” soundtracks,
showing off the variety of audio effects. As an
extra attraction, all sound will be played through a state-of-the-art audio
system developed by Meyer Sound Laboratories, allowing the audience to enjoy the
subtlety of differentiation of every bone-crushing aural effect. In addition,
animators from Industrial Light & Magic will be on hand to talk about how
they worked up the movie’s visual look, and recreated Autobots and Decepticons
for the 21st century.

All screenings are at the Lloyd E. Theatre at the
historic Egyptian, which is located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard, between Highland and Las
Palmas, in Hollywood.
Tickets are available through Fandango, but for more details phone (323) 466-FILM, or visit
the Cinematheque’s eponymous Web site by clicking here. For more information about the Motion Picture Sound Editors, meanwhile, visit their
web site by clicking here.

The American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre kicks off three one-night events with in-person guests this Friday, November 1, at 7:30 p.m., with
director Murray Lerner.

First up is the West Coast premiere of The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at Newport (2007, MLF, 83 minutes). This brand new film from Academy Award-winning director
Lerner (1981’s Best Feature Documentary, From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China) documents the remarkably swift metamorphosis
of troubadour Dylan from scrawny, Guthrie-inspired protest singer to iconoclastic rock
icon. Drawing from hours of previously unseen footage he
shot over several years at the Newport Folk Festival in the early-to-mid-1960s, Lerner shows Dylan’s development from his first Newport appearance in
the summer of ’63, through his legendary ’64 performances to his historic and
controversial ’65 appearance unveiling his new electric incarnation. The
footage has been newly transferred from the original negative with matching
audio restoration.

Next on the same bill is a special 40th anniversary screening
of Festival (1967, MLF, 90 minutes),
Murray Lerner’s acclaimed film which chronicled all the major artists at the
Newport Folk Festival 1962-1966, and illustrates how the festival was one of
the crucibles in which the early ’60s folk and blues boom evolved into the
folk-rock, blues-rock and psychedelic counter-culture of the late ’60s. Hear and
see Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Johnny Cash, Peter, Paul & Mary, Howling Wolf,
Judy Collins, Buddy Sainte-Marie, Odetta, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and
more! A discussion with Lerner will take place between films.

All screenings are at the historic
Egyptian Theatre, located at 6712 Hollywood Boulevard,
between Highland and Las
Palmas.
Tickets are available on Fandango, but for more information, phone (323) 466-FILM, or visit the Cinematheque’s eponymous
Web site by clicking here.

As any fan of French noir cinema knows, Jean-Pierre Melville
was not alone in re-inventing the French crime film, or policier. To celebrate, the American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre presents “Crooks in Clover: Noir, French Style,” running October 19 through 28.

Like the American West
Coast jazz scene of the 1950s, the French crime film was the very definition
of cool — a quicksilver world of silent killers and speeding
Citroens. Two spellbinding weeks of mystery and murder from the
French masters, including many hard-to-see gems and 11 films not on DVD,
kick off on October 19 with a double bill consisting of Jacques Deray’s The Swimming
Pool (1969) and Rene Clement’s Joy House (1964), the latter starring Alain Delon as a callous
young card shark on the run from New York
gangsters.

Other titles include Costa-Gavras’ ultra-rare debut film, The Sleeping Car Murder, Claude
Chabrol’s The Champagne Murders, Melville’s Second Breath, Alain Corneau’s Serie Noire and Choice of Arms and Yves Allegret’s Riptide, among others. Tickets are available through
Fandango.com, but for more details, phone (323) 466-FILM, or visit the Cinematheque’s eponymous
Web site by clicking here.

The American Cinematheque celebrates the 85th anniversary of
the Egyptian Theatre, 85 years to the day from its original opening, on
Thursday, October 18, with a special screening of William Wellman’s classic Wings, the first movie ever to win the Academy Award for Best Picture.

The 1927 World War I epic, starring
Richard Arlen, Charles “Buddy” Rogers, “It Girl” Clara Bow and Jobyna
Ralston, features breathtaking aerial stunts blended with real battle footage. A special book signing with William Wellman, Jr., author of The Man & His
Wings: William A. Wellman and the Making of the First Best Picture, will precede the film, and Robert Israel will provide live musical accompaniment. Tickets are available through
Fandango.com, but for more details, phone (323) 466-FILM, or visit the Cinematheque’s eponymous
Web site by clicking here.

For those in Los Angeles, the Egyptian Theatre hosts an Art
Directors Society screening of director John Schlesinger’s Day of the Locust on Sunday, September 23 at 5:30 p.m. Starring Donald
Sutherland, Burgess Meredith and Karen Black as 1930s Hollywood players
suffering against the backdrop of the soulless yet glitzy façade of the
industry, the 1975 movie suffers frequently in celebration and remembrance due to the stacked slate of
other films of that year, but it’s a compelling work that holds up quite well. This
screening is a tribute to art director Richard MacDonald, and followed by a
discussion after the screening with his widow, Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth
Myers. Tickets are available through Fandango, but for more information, call (323) 466-FILM
and/or click here.

I’ve already touched on its copious nudity,
but for those in Los Angeles and wanting to see Radha Mitchell naked a few days
before their friends in other parts of the country, Feast of Love screens on Monday,
September 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre. The film stars Academy Award winner Morgan
Freeman and nominee Greg Kinnear, along with Billy Burke, Jane Alexander, Alexa
Davalos, Toby Hemingway, Selma Blair and the aforementioned Mitchell, and its screening will be followed by a discussion with Oscar-winning director Robert Benton. Tickets
are available through Fandango, but for more information, call (323) 466-FILM
and/or click here.

All My Loving, Tony Palmer’s groundbreaking 1968 documentary on
music and its effect on pop culture in the late ’60s, releases on DVD in
mid-September, with previously unseen footage from The Beatles, Cream, Jimi
Hendrix, The Who, Pink Floyd and many more. But in the run-up to the title’s
release, it will be screening at various locations throughout the United
States, courtesy of distributor MVD
Entertainment Group.

In New York City,
for $5 admission, the movie will screen at Pioneer Theater, 46 Avenue A, on
Saturday, September 1 at 10:45 p.m.
In Portland, on Saturday, September
8 at midnight, it will screen free to
the public (21 and over) at the Bagdad Theater & Pub, 430 N. Killingsworth.
Boston screens the film for $3
admission on Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15 at midnight, both evenings at the Coolidge Center
Theatre, 290 Harvard St. in
Brookline. Contact your local venue
for specifics, and for more information on screenings in Phoenix,
Houston and Seattle,
check back later in the week.