5.31.2012

American Cinematheque Presents: CRUELLY, MADLY, DEEPLY: The Films of RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER.

Between 1969 and his death at age 37 in 1982, brilliant enfant terrible German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder made 30 films and numerous television productions, including the 15-hour miniseries BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ. Even as he averaged two to three films per year, his work maintained a meticulous, rigorous style, marked by stunning shot composition, laser-precision blocking and deep characterization ranging from bitterly crystal clear to hypnotically allusive. Fassbinder returned to the same themes and fixations again and again: money, sex, pride and cruelty. Postwar Germany is often his cinematic landscape - the place of drained, falsified dreams where his characters make the most of things and act with their own best interests in mind. 

Fassbinder himself was plain, drug-addicted and gay; he had much in common with the outsiders he created. He was notorious for the same cruel nature seen in his films and behaved heartlessly toward those who loved and surrounded him. Still, over the course of his short, astonishing career, he collected a team of dazzling recurring players, including cinematographer Michael Ballhaus and actresses Hanna Schygulla, Margit Carstensen, Brigitte Mira and Irm Hermann. Whether the strain of working with the director was worth the staggering output is hard to say - Ballhaus “burned out” after THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN and went to work with Martin Scorsese. But, as film critic and ardent fan Roger Ebert wrote, “Fassbinder was a genius. That much everyone admitted.”

On the 30th anniversary of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s death, the American Cinematheque unveils a 16-film retrospective of his work, including ALI: FEAR EATS THE SOUL, THE BITTER TEARS OF PETRA VON KANT, LOLA, VERONIKA VOSS, FOX AND HIS FRIENDS, THE MERCHANT OF FOUR SEASONS, MOTHER KUSTERS GOES TO HEAVEN, THE AMERICAN SOLDIER, FEAR OF FEAR, SATAN'S BREW, CHINESE ROULETTE, EFFI BRIEST, BEWARE OF A HOLY WHORE, GODS OF THE PLAGUE and LOVE IS COLDER THAN DEATH. Many of these films are not available in home viewing formats in the U.S., so don't miss your chance to see them on the Big Screen!
The series schedule is listed below in chronological order. Please be sure to note whether films play at the Aero Theatre or the Egyptian Theatre.

All films are in German with English subtitles and will screen in 35mm prints.

BIO HERE

Tickets HERE

5.30.2012

At REDCAT - SANDRA BERNHARD: Sandrology 5.30. thru Sunday, 6.10., 2012


  Los Angeles premiere!

The revered and irreverent Sandra Bernhard appears at REDCAT for a special, intimate engagement of her latest show, I Love Being Me, Don't You? Backed by a smokin' rock band, Bernhard draws on her acclaimed new comedy recording of the same name to deliver her unforgettable blend of outrageous humor, cutting satire and fiercely energetic live performance. Since she first stepped on stage at the Comedy Store in the ‘70s, Sandra Bernhard has been challenging fans and critics with unforgettable stage shows, including Without You I’m Nothingreleased as a feature film, Excuses for Bad Behavior, Giving ‘Til It Hurts, Hero Worship, the Love Machine and Everything Bad and Beautiful. Described by WCBS as "Funny but foxy, super smart and slightly mad," Bernhard has delivered her edgy and incisive work in extended runs off-Broadway, as well as numerous tours throughout the U.S. and Europe.

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5.26.2012

At Carmichael Gallery | Yue Minjun, Mark Jenkins, Aakash Nihalani Opening Reception: Saturday, May 26, 6-9pm


Carmichael Gallery is pleased to announce an exhibition of limited edition works on paper from the series SMILE-ISMS by Yue Minjun and sculpture by Mark Jenkins and Aakash Nihalani. The exhibition will be on view from May 26 through June 30, 2012, with an opening reception on Saturday, May 26, 2012 from 6-9pm.

About the artists:

Yue Minjun

Born in 1962 in Daqing, Heilongjiang Province, Yue Minjun’s most recent solo exhibitions include Yue Minjun at AroS Aarhus Kunstmuseum, Aarhus, 2011, The Spirit Scenes from Time Past at Shanghai Gallery of Art, Three on the Bund, Shanghai, 2010, Archeological Discovery in AD 3009at Today Art Museum, Beijing, 2009, The Grassland Series at Pace Prints, New York, 2008 and Yue Minjun at the Queens Museum of Art, New York, 2007, his first solo museum show in the United States. His work is currently featured in World Beats: Global Contemporary Art, on view at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts, Minneapolis through July, 2012.

Yue currently lives and works in Beijing.

Mark Jenkins

Born in 1970 in Washington, DC, Mark Jenkins’ most recent solo exhibition, Living Layers, opened at Wunderkammern, Rome in March, 2012. The project, produced in collaboration with MACRO (Museo d’Arte Contemporanea Roma), was augmented by a series of interventions in the public space. In addition to participating in group exhibitions at MAMA, Rotterdam and Thinkspace Gallery, Los Angeles, curated by Harlan Levey and Morgan Spurlock, respectively, 2012 has seen Jenkins create new urban sculptural works for the inaugural RVA Street Art Festival (Richmond, VA), Katowice Street Art Festival (Katowice), Escape The Golden Cage (Vienna) and Nova (Sao Paulo). Forthcoming festivals include WALK&TALK AZORES (Sao Miguel) and Bien Urbain (Besançon).

Jenkins currently lives and works in Richmond, VA.


Aakash Nihalani


Born in 1986 in Queens, NY, Aakash Nihalani has presented solo booths at the 2012 editions of both VOLTA NY and ART HK. The past year has also seen him lend his distinctive aesthetic to a number of creative corporate projects; recent partnerships include the design of transformative installations for Facebook’s New York offices, Colette in Paris and West Elm and Hudson Jeans’ pop-up boutiques in Georgetown and New York, respectively. He is currently one of three featured talents in LACOSTE L!VE’s widely promoted S/S 2012 campaign.

Nihalani currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY.

More Here...

5.24.2012

TONIGHT ! MAURICE SENDAK Tribute Show @ CINEFAMILY - FREE!

Ever so rarely we are graced with a voice of uncompromising imagination. Those purveyors of whimsy who draw no lines of demarcation between child and adult – who simply create, leaving behind enduring works that are equally enjoyed by children and adults alike. On May 8th we lost one of these rare, loud voices with the passing of Maurice Sendak, a shared hero of the Cinefamily and a man whose work “brought a new dimension to the American children’s book and…helped to change how people visualize childhood” (The New York Times). Whether by way of au naturelle turned dough-dressed darling Mickey’s adventures in the phantasmagoric night kitchen, neighborhood vamp Rosie’s brownstone stoop stage theatrics, the baby thieving goblins of Outside, Over There (which provided inspiration for Jim Henson’s Labyrinth), or the 10 sentence-short-but-lifetime-loved rumpus of hairy monsters and one wannabe feral child that is Where The Wild Things Are, Sendak’s wholly singular creations have left indelible marks on all of us.

Tonight Cinefamily will celebrate his life and legacy through clips, vintage animated adaptations, the Spike Jonze produced live-action/puppet short Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More To Life (featuring the voice talents of Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker), and the compelling, intimate Lance Bangs and Jonze helmed documentary Tell Them Anything You Want. Come over to the Cinefamily– and let the wild rumpus start!

More Here... 

5.23.2012

Tonight @ The Roxy - Delicious Vinyl Presents..."Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde 20th Anniversary Celebration".




Delicious Vinyl is celebrating the 20 year anniversary of the classic 1992 debut album Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde by pulling together original members and the creative team behind the album for a one night performance.

Founding members Fatlip, Slimkid3, Producers J-Sw!ft & LA Jay, plus special guests will perform the album & skits live from start to finish on May 23rd at the Roxy Theatre in Hollywood.

Delicious Vinyl co-founder Michael Ross, AKA "Mike Floss"who signed the band and executive produced the album, is spearheading this landmark event by rounding up artists involved in the making of the album, including legendary west coast grafitti artist SLICK, who designed the classic roller coaster themed album cover and  iconic logo.  SLICK will be Art directing the stage design and creating sets to be featured on stage. 

Ross, "I have always wanted the band to perform this record in its entirety, but heads have never been on the same page.  Finally, me and J-Swift decided to take matters into our own hands and put the celebratory performance into motion. We got Fatlip and Slim Kid Tre. J-Swift will be on the piano and LA Jay on the tables. I'm sure Quinton will make an appearance as well. Who knows who else will show up.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the record than performing it live for the fans. It's gonna be a Bizzare night for sure. 4 Better or 4 Worse."

Kanye West " My favorite album of all time is The Pharcyde's "Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde" 

More Here... Here... and Here...







5.22.2012

At The Trepany House - One Night Only - LIZZ WINSTEAD (Creator of the Daily Show) May 23 @ 8p.


   
ONE NIGHT ONLY!
LIZZ FREE OR DIE: THE BOOK, THE TOUR
An Evening of Politcal Satire w/ Lizz Winstead
PLUS a Reading From Her New Book "Lizz Free or Die"

Co-Creator of The Daily Show, Lizz Winstead returns to Trepany House for a night of some of the best political comedy in the country. This incredible satirist gives her brilliant take on all the latest news with an amazing razor sharp wit, which helped shape The Daily Show and Air America Radio.

And to make the evening even more special, Lizz will close out the night with a book reading and signing of her first collection of essays, Lizz Free or Die, which was released on May 10th, 2012. It is a droll and dark collection that has been called "shrewdly observant, linguistically adept, bravely soul-baring, and caustically smart." Funny and biting, honest and poignant, this no-holds-barred collection gives an in-depth look into the life of one of today's most influential comic voices.
Wednesday May 23rd at 8p.


GET TICKETS HERE -









5.14.2012

At CINEFAMILY - Czech Film Festival 2012 - May 16, through May 23rd.




Czech Film Fest 2012

Co-presented by Czech Film Center, the General Consulate of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles & ELMA

See what’s new in contemporary Bohemian film making with this series featuring the directorial debut of late playwright/former Czech president Vaclav Havel, award-winning narrative and documentary films, and director Q&As. Plus, in addition to the line-up of brand-new films, they'll also have archival 35mm screenings of vintage Czech masterpieces!

More Here...

5.01.2012

Tonight at the NEW BEVERLY - Peter Sellers in THE PARTY


THE PARTY - Starring Peter Sellers , Claudine Longet, Gavin Macleod, J. Edward McKinley, Denny Miller,  and Steve Franken - Directed by Blake Edwards; screenplay by Blake Edwards & Tom Waldman and Frank Waldman; Music by Henry Mancini

 The film opens in the desert, and it is revealed that a film crew is filming an ambush scene for a costume epic similar to Gunga Din. Unknown Indian actor Hrundi V. Bakshi (Sellers) has a small role in which he sounds a bugle to start the attack. Ignoring directions, he continues to play even after being shot dozens of times, and he does not stop even after the director (Herbert Ellis) yells cut. Bakshi continues to hamper the filming, until he accidentally blows up an enormous set, a fort rigged with explosives for an upcoming scene depicting its attack. The director fires Bakshi immediately and calls the studio head, General Fred Clutterbuck (J. Edward McKinley), about the mishap. Clutterbuck writes down Bakshi's name in order to blacklist him, but he inadvertently writes Bakshi's name on the guest list of his upcoming dinner party.

During the
opening credits, Bakshi receives his invitation in the mail and drives to the party at Clutterbuck's home. Upon arrival at the party, Bakshi tries to rinse dirt off his shoe in a large fountain that flows through the house, but he loses his shoe. He spends about five minutes trying to retrieve it as it floats through the house and gets launched onto a serving platter.

Bakshi has awkward interactions with everyone at the party, including Clutterbuck's dog Cookie. He meets famous
Western movie actor "Wyoming Bill" Kelso (Denny Miller), who gives Bakshi an autograph. Bakshi later accidentally shoots Kelso with a toy gun, but Kelso does not see who did it. Bakshi tries to feed a caged macaw some bird food from a container marked "Birdie Num Num." He ends up dumping the food everywhere as two guests stare. Bakshi then accidentally activates a panel of electronics that control the intercom, a fountain (soaking a guest), and a retractable bar (which Bakshi closes while Clutterbuck is sitting at it). After Kelso hurts Bakshi's hand while shaking it, Bakshi sticks his hand into a bowl of crushed ice containing caviar. While waiting to wash his hand in the bathroom, he meets aspiring actress Michèle Monet (Longet), who came with producer C.S. Divot (Gavin McLeod). Bakshi shakes Divot's hand, and Divot then shakes hands with other guests, passing around the fishy odor, even back to Bakshi after he has washed his hand.

Dinner is served, but at Bakshi's
place setting right by the kitchen door, his chair is missing. He gets a very low chair that puts his chin near the table. Several mishaps occur while an increasingly drunk waiter named Levinson (Steven Franken) tries to serve dinner and fights with the other staff. During the main course, Bakshi's roast Cornish game hen accidentally catapults off his fork and becomes impaled on a guest's tiara. Bakshi asks Levinson to retrieve his meal, but the woman's wig comes off along with her tiara, as she obliviously engages in conversation. Levinson ends up brawling with other waitstaff, and dinner is disrupted.

Bakshi apologizes to his hosts, then needs to go to the bathroom. He wanders through the house, opening doors and barging in on various servants and guests in embarrassing situations. He ends up in the back yard, where he accidentally sets off the
sprinklers. At Divot's insistence, Monet gives an impromptu guitar performance of "Nothing to Lose," to impress the guests. Bakshi ends up upstairs, where he takes a toy gun from Clutterbuck's young son. He then uses it to save Monet from Divot's unwanted sexual advances by dislodging Divot's toupee with the gun. Bakshi finally finds a bathroom, but he breaks the toilet, drops a painting in it, gets toilet paper everywhere, and floods the bathroom. To avoid getting caught, Bakshi sneaks out on the roof and falls into the pool. Monet leaps in to save him, and they force him to drink alcohol to warm up. Bakshi has never had alcohol before, and he struggles to put on a dry red terry cloth jumpsuit. He finds Monet crying in the next room and consoles her. Divot bursts in and demands Monet leave with him. Monet says no, and Divot cancels her screen test for him the next day. Bakshi convinces her to stay and have a good time with him. They return to the party in borrowed clothes as a Russian dance troupe arrives. The party gets wilder, and Bakshi offers to retract the bar to make room for dancing. He accidentally opens a retractable floor with a pool underneath, causing guests to fall in the pool. Levinson makes more floors retract, and more guests fall in. Clutterbuck's daughter arrives with friends and a baby elephant painted with hippie slogans. Bakshi takes offense and asks them to wash the elephant. The entire house is soon filled with soap bubbles from the cleaning.

Back at his home, Divot suddenly realizes that Bakshi is the fired actor who blew up the set, and he races back to the party. As the band plays on, Clutterbuck tries to save his suds-covered fine art paintings. The air conditioning blows suds everywhere as the guests dance to hippie music, and Clutterbuck's distraught wife falls into the pool twice. Divot pulls up as police and fire department personnel work to resolve everything. Bakshi apologizes one last time to Clutterbuck as Divot reveals who Bakshi is, but Clutterbuck accidentally chokes a waiter instead of Bakshi. Kelso gives Bakshi an autographed photo and
Stetson hat as Bakshi and Monet leave in Bakshi's Morgan three-wheeler car. Outside her apartment, Bakshi and Monet appear on the verge of admitting that they love each other, but agree to meet the next week. Bakshi gives Monet the hat, and she says he can come get it any time. Bakshi then drives off as his car backfires

The Party
1968, USA, 35mm, 99 minutes


B/W -  I Love You, Alice B. Toklas

Directed by Hy Averback; Screenplay by Paul Mazursky & Larry Tucker; Starring Peter Sellers, Jo Van Fleet, Leigh Taylor-Young, Joyce Van Patten, David Arkin; Music by Elmer Bernstein -

1968, USA, 35mm, 92 minutes



More Here...