| Special One Night Events &
Limited Engagements, Sneak Previews in January:
http://www.myspace.com/americancinematheque
Wednesday, January 6 - 7:30 PM
The Cinematheque re-opened the Aero Theatre five years ago. In
thanks for your support, please join us for a free Anniversary screening and reception:
SHERLOCK JR., 1924, 45 min. Buster Keaton’s sublime
comedy about reality and illusion, where projectionist Buster literally dreams himself
into the detective movie he’s screening! Clip
Thursday, January 7 - 7:30 PM
Thank you Max Palevsky Screening.
THE THIN RED LINE, 1998, 20th Century
Fox, 170 min. Director Terrence Malick’s adaptation of James Jones’ novel is an
intensely poetic vision of paradise lost in the South Pacific during WWII, a cosmic vision
of man at war with himself and nature. With a mindboggling cast including Sean Penn,
Adrien Brody, Jim Caviezel, George Clooney, Woody Harrelson, Elias Koteas, Nick Nolte and
John C. Reilly. Producer Grant Hill to introduce the
screening. Trailer
Sunday, January 10 - 7:30 PM
Live Commentary! PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, 2009, Paramount, 86 min. Dir. Oren Peli.
Made on a minuscule budget, director Oren Peli's supernatural thriller became the breakout
success of 2009, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars worldwide. A "found
footage" chiller in which Micah and Katie - and the audience - get a lot more than
they bargained for when their suspicions about evil spirits prove to be all too well
founded. Director Oren Peli and producers Jason Blum and
Steven Schneider will comment on the making of this film DURING the screening.
Saturday, January 23 - 7:30 PM
Shirley Jones In Person! 50th Anniversary!
ELMER GANTRY, 1960, MGM Repertory, 146 min. Dir.
Richard Brooks. The recipient of three Oscars, including Best Actor for Burt Lancaster and
Best Supporting Actress for Shirley Jones, whose formidable turn as prostitute Lulu Bains
is unforgettable. Elmer Gantry (Lancaster) is a manipulative traveling salesman who falls
hopelessly in love with a dynamic, evangelist preacher (Jean Simmons). He insinuates
himself into her fire-and-brimstone roadshow, but a temptress (Jones) from his past
inconveniently shows up to complicate matters. Discussion
following with actress Shirley Jones.
Trailer
Thursday, January 28 - 7:30 PM
Larry Karaszewski Presents: Frank Pierson In Person! DOG DAY AFTERNOON, 1975, Warner Bros., 130 min. Frank
Pierson won the Oscar for Original Screenplay. Put-upon everyman Al Pacino, squeezed in
the vise of pressures from his dysfunctional family and his transsexual lover (Chris
Sarandon), finally cracks, robbing an NYC bank with shell-shocked vet John Cazale (THE
DEER HUNTER), to finance Sarandon’s sex-change operation. Based on a true story, DOG
DAY AFTERNOON is one of director Sidney Lumet’s most acutely observed and
compassionate slices of life in the Big Apple. Discussion
following with Frank Pierson. Trailer
Thursday, January 28 – 10:00 PM
CITIZEN COHN, 1992, HBO, 115 min. Dir. Frank Pierson.
Pierson’s chilling and sometimes darkly comic look at Joseph McCarthy’s chief
counsel Roy Cohn, told through a series of flashbacks as he lay dying of AIDS. James Woods
is phenomenal as the arrogant and self loathing tactician. A frightening glimpse of
frightening times. Free Screening. DVD presentation. Frank
Pierson Clip
Friday, January 29 - 7:30 PM
Monty Python Double Feature! MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL, 1975,
Rainbow Releasing, 91 min. Dirs. Terry Gilliam & Terry Jones. Python's $250,000 epic
features Graham Chapman as King Arthur, John Cleese as Sir Lancelot the Brave and Eric
Idle as Sir Robin The-Not-Quite-So-Brave. From the limb-impaired Black Knight, to the
immortal Knights who say Ni, killer rabbits, the Black Beast of Aarrgghh, and the
extremely rude Frenchman, HOLY GRAIL is one of the most quoted cult classics.
MONTY PYTHON’S THE
MEANING OF LIFE, 1983, Universal, 107 min. Dir. Terry Jones. Grand Prix winner at
the Cannes Film Festival. Includes a first look at Terry Gilliam's (BRAZIL, 12 MONKEYS)
innovative directorial style with the gorgeously surreal opening sequence "Crimson
Permanent Assurance." Pushing comedy boundaries to their extreme, the cast of
Monty Python sing, dance and vomit their way into retirement.
Saturday, January 30 - 7:30 PM
It’s a Full Moon! Join us for a
Werewolf Triple Feature: SILVER BULLET,
1985, Paramount, 95 min. Dir. Daniel Attias. In this adaptation of Stephen King's CYCLE OF
THE WEREWOLF, Corey Haim plays a young man in a wheelchair convinced that there's a
werewolf stalking the citizens of his town. Enlisting the aid of his alcoholic uncle (Gary
Busey) and older sister (Megan Follows), Haim takes on the beast.
AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON,
1981, Universal, 97 min. Dir. John Landis. A horror masterpiece by writer-director John
Landis that is both funny and tragic. Two American college kids (David Naughton and
Griffin Dunne) are attacked by a werewolf while backpacking through Europe; the one who
survives quickly realizes the horror is just beginning when the spirit of his dead friend
appears and warns him that he too will soon be howling at the moon. Rick Baker's
Oscar-winning make-up effects help shape one of the scariest movies ever made.
THE HOWLING, 1981, Stuart Lisell, 91
min. TV anchorwoman Dee Wallace, traumatized after acting as bait for a Hollywood serial
killer’s bloody demise, takes a sojourn in an Esalen-type retreat -- only to find the
entire New Age community is made up of werewolves! Directed with tremendous energy and
black humor by genre specialist Joe Dante (and co-written by indie film godfather John
Sayles), this tongue-in-cheek chiller features a Who’s Who of great genre character
actors. Courtesy of the Academy Film Archive. Director
Daniel Attias (SILVER BULLET) In Person for discussion following the first feature.
Sunday, January 31 - 7:30 PM
Live Commentary! BETTER OFF DEAD, 1985, Hollywood Classics, 97 min.
"Savage" Steve Holland's directorial debut is an inventive, hilarious comedy
that features the first noteworthy performance by a then-unknown John Cusack. Cusack plays
Lane Meyer, a teenager who becomes despondent when his girlfriend dumps him for a jock.
Convinced he has nothing to lose, he embarks on a suicidal ski run. Also features Diane
Franklin, Curtis Armstrong and Aaron Dozier. "Savage"
Steve Holland, Curtis Armstrong, Diane Franklin, and E.G. Daily will comment on the making
of this film DURING the screening. |
