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New Book of Film Criticism: RAINER ON FILM

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On June 1, Santa Monica Press will release Rainer on Film: Thirty Years of Film Writing in a Turbulent and Transformative Era. It is film critic Peter Rainer’s first collection and includes his writing about many movies seen on Laemmle screens. From Santa Monica Press:

“This collection of Peter Rainer’s film criticism spans the course of his illustrious thirty-year career, which dates back to the early 1980s. It is drawn from a wide range of publications, including the Christian Science Monitor, the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Los Angeles magazine, the Los Angeles Times, New Times, and New York magazine, and is arranged thematically with chapters such as “Overrated, Underseen,” “Issues (Mostly Hot Button),” “Comedies (Intentional and Unintentional),” and “Literary and Theatrical Adaptations.” Rainer covers films both well-known and obscure and writes in depth about many film auteurs—Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, the Coen brothers, Mike Leigh—and New Generation icons, such as Sofia Coppola and Paul Thomas Anderson. No film buff’s collection is complete without this comprehensive compilation that showcases the best work from a master contemporary film critic.

“Peter Rainer is the film critic for the Christian Science Monitor, a columnist for Bloomberg News, the president of the National Society of Film Critics, and a regular reviewer for FilmWeek on NPR. Previously, he was the film critic at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, the Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles magazine, New York magazine, and New Times Los Angeles, where he was a finalist in 1998 for the Pulitzer Prize in Criticism. In 2010 he won the National Entertainment Journalism Award for Best Online Entertainment Critic.”

 

Manohla Dargis on Cannes 2013 Thus Far

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The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis has a new dispatch from Cannes, and as usual she is utterly compelling in her analysis of the art and business of movies. Click here and you’ll find her piece along with a wealth of links to the New York Times’ coverage of the world’s most important film festival.

Yes, that was James Franco sitting behind you in LEVIATHAN

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Devourer of media (and world famous Oscar co-host) James Franco wasn’t satisfied just reading a book about video games while listening to Daft Punk in the lobby of our Music Hall 3 theater in Beverly Hills. No, he needed more and jumped right into a screening of LEVIATHAN… which he LOVED.

“This is life. Man versus nature. Man’s machines. Man’s mastery of the planet. Man’s destruction of the planet. Man’s ushering in of the apocalypse. But it is also beautiful.”

You can read his full review at vice.com

While LEVIATHAN is no longer in L.A. theaters, we encourage you to add it to your Netflix queue.

Kenny Turan in Cannes on Asghar Farhadi’s new film THE PAST

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One of the best films we played last year was the Iranian domestic drama A SEPARATION. It was devastating in its depiction of a marriage in crisis and fascinating as a look into Iranian society far more nuanced and up close that what we get in the news media.

That’s why it’s exciting to hear that the director’s follow-up film is being screened at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival. This weekend the L.A. Times’ Kenneth Turan published a piece about Asghar Farhadi and THE PAST. Read it here and know that you’ll very likely see the film at your local Laemmle theater later this year.

 

Indiewire: “Roller Girl and Oil Rigs: Mondo Releases Paul Thomas Anderson Movie Poster Series”

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Mondo, which creates limited edition screen printed posters for thier favorite classic and contemporary films, always far more interesting than the poster produced by movie studios, just released a series of posters for the films of one of the best contemporary American filmmakers, Paul Thomas Anderson. And their for sale at relatively affordable prices! See them here.

Steven Soderbergh’s “State of Cinema” address

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Recently retired from filmmaking, Steven Soderbergh delivered a terrific, funny, passionate and dead-on “State of Cinema” address at the San Francisco Int’l Film Fest in which he lamented the decline of Hollywood movies. He began by saying “the problem is that cinema as I define it and as something that inspired me is under assault by the studios and from what I can tell with the full support of the audience.”

Another highlight: describing meetings with the studio executives he disdains: “I want to jump up on the table and scream and go ‘do you know how lucky we are to be doing this? Do you understand that the only way to repay that karmic debt is to make something good, is to make something ambitious, is to make something beautiful, something memorable?'”

http://vimeo.com/65060864

Via Indiewire.

The New Look of Laemmle.com is Coming!

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Dear Laemmle Patrons,

It’s a time of transformation for Laemmle and I’m pleased to have this opportunity to share some exciting new developments with you. First and foremost, there’s our new location, the Laemmle NoHo 7! This state-of-the-art theater opened last December at 5240 Lankershim Blvd. in the heart of the North Hollywood arts district. The venue features seven screens, digital projection, stadium seating, and is only two blocks from Metro. With the NoHo 7, we look forward to contributing to the burgeoning arts and cultural scene in North Hollywood and the broader East Valley region.

On the virtual front, we have a brand new website in the works. It will include features such as Premiere Card ticket purchasing and reloading, site customization tools, staff reviews, theater blogs, and a slew of other enhancements. Once there has been some details relayed back to us by the web design team, that can handle website design in Vaughan and similar locations for example, we’ll get back to you with some more features and benefits of the newly designed site!

We’ve also seized this moment to update our logo and other communications with an aesthetic and attitude that better reflects who we are today and where we’re heading. The new header on this website is just the beginning. You’ll see further evidence of the new look in the coming days as we transition everything from our flyers and email newsletter to our for-sale merchandise and even employee uniforms (don’t be afraid to tell ’em how smart they look!).

As you may have heard, after two decades serving the Hollywood area we were unable to come to terms on a lease extension and have closed our Sunset 5 theater. We leave with fond memories and a deepening commitment to exhibiting quality film throughout Los Angeles. When the time is right, we will be back. In the meantime, we look forward to the imminent NoHo opening as well as other future projects where we’ll be taking on the role of both landlord and tenant.

Of course, these are just the highlights. To stay fully current with all things Laemmle, make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and on our forthcoming blog. As always, we welcome and value your feedback.

On behalf of my father, Robert Laemmle, and our entire staff I want to thank you for your continued support of independent cinema in Los Angeles. We invite you to join with us as we embark on a new era for Laemmle. It’s one that will combine renewed energy and upgrades in services and facilities and with the one essential and unchanging thing that makes us who we are – our passion for exhibiting intelligent films to discerning audiences such as yourself.

See you at the movies!

Greg Laemmle