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Dear Laemmle Fans,

Do you lie awake at night, tossing and turning in a cold sweat, craving the return of hot-buttered-popcorn? If so, Laemmle Theatres is here to help: you can stop by our North Hollywood location this weekend for our final PopCorn Pop-Up event of the year. Laemmle Virtual Cinema may be here to stay, but this weekend is your LAST CHANCE to fully realize the Laemmle-At-Home experience with a Movie Night Combo ($2 off with recent online film rental).

On that note… this week’s virtual lineup begins with the bio-doc Soros, highlighting the complicated career and public standing of the billionaire investor, philanthropist, and Holocaust-survivor for which it’s named. Other outstanding documentaries include Born To Be, concerning a pioneering hospital center for transgender medicine and surgery, as well as the investigative Romanian film Collective, a deep dive into corruption and fraud following a deadly nightclub fire in 2015.

The documentary train rolls on with Coded Bias, a fascinating foray into racial bias within facial-recognition algorithms, as uncovered by 29-year-old MIT Media Lab researcher Joy Buolamwini. Next up is Koshien, a touching Japanese film which follows a high-school baseball team as they compete for their national championship. Our final new documentary of the week is Manny Kirchheimer’s Free Time, an homage to New York City composed entirely of footage originally shot from 1958-1960.

We’re also offering a selection of new foreign dramas, from the refined French period-piece The Black Book of Father Dinis, to the “superbly imaginative” animated Japanese film No.7 Cherry Lane (Hollywood Reporter). There’s also the action-thriller Knuckledust, as well as two lighter entries: the independent romantic-comedy Modern Persuasion, and the absurdly fantastical and historically re-visionary Canadian black-comedy The 20th Century.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for Friday November 20 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

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Dear Laemmle Fans,

There’s mixed news on the Coronavirus this week, as new treatment approvals and encouraging reports of vaccine effectiveness have been overshadowed by rising case counts and positivity rates across the nation. As we approach the holidays, it’s important to maintain vigilance, and continue to practice the safety guidelines established by the medical community: keep washing your hands, keep wearing your masks, and keep watching movies on Laemmle Virtual Cinema. Or something like that…

New releases this week include the steamy romantic drama Monsoon, starring Henry Golding as a British man returning to Vietnam after fleeing the American war years prior. Other dramas include Dirty God, a character study and societal critique from the United Kingdom, and Antigone, a modern French-Canadian re-interpretation of the Greek tragedy.

Next up is Divine Love, a dystopian science-fiction romance set in a futuristic neon Brazil. Theres also the enigmatic thriller Make Up, from talented first-time director Claire Oakley, as well as today’s only new documentary: Queen of Hearts, concerning the groundbreaking feminist artist Audrey Flack.

We’re also offering a variety of excellent action-oriented films, a slight departure from our traditional programming. New releases include the WWII drama Recon, the satirical law enforcement training video Survival Skills, and the home-grown American thriller Blindfire, detailing the aftermath of a police shooting gone wrong. Last up in the genre category is a special presentation of Action USA, a re-release of the “extremely bonkers” 1980’s stunt film (Entertainment Weekly).

We conclude this week’s list of virtual titles with three other re-released classics: there’s 1985’s Smooth Talk (featuring a breakthrough role from a young Laura Dern), the French New Wave compilation film Six In Paris, and lastly Francisca, the opulent masterpiece from Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira. Whether you’ve seen these throw-back films or not, try watching any classic movie this weekend… though the times may have changed, the stories – and the lessons therein – remain the same.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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P.S. Make sure to stop by our Glendale location this weekend for some hot buttered popcorn, and more of your favorite movie snacks! We’ll be open on Friday from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, and on Saturday from 2:00 to 6:00 PM, as part of our Pop-Corn Pop-Ups program.

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for Friday November 13 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

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Dear Laemmle Fans,

To those of you who have never visited our blog before, welcome – this is a place where we share information about special events, discount opportunities, and new programs, as well as our weekly film releases. In order to save space in our email newsletter, my weekly update (this written post) has been relocated here, to the blog. You’ll be able to access my weekly update from a link in the email newsletter, or you can bookmark this page (blog.laemmle.com) for access at any time.

In other news, the presidential election is finally behind us, although results are still too close to call. It may be several days before we know any more information, and many are struggling to manage their anxiety in the meantime. My personal recommendation is this: turn off the news, switch your TV to Laemmle Virtual Cinema, and escape with one of this week’s excellent new independent films (CLICK HERE for support on how to connect your TV).

We begin with The German Lesson, adapted from the seminal post-war novel of the same name. Other dramas include Luxor, starring Andrea Riseborough in an archaeologically-themed romance, and Ainu Mosir, the Japanese coming-of-age film presented by Ava DuVernay’s Array. We’re also offering the modern-day Christmas drama The Family Tree, and a re-release of Raining in the Mountain, the 1979 period piece from prolific wuxia director King Hu.

Moving towards funnier fare, we have Call Me Brother, starring long-time Saturday Night Live writer Andrew Dismukes, who just joined the show’s cast last month as it’s newest featured member. Next on the comedy list is 18 to Party, described by one critic as the would-be “lovechild” of John Hughes’s and Richard Linklater’s filmmaking. Other genre films include the Oakland-based dark thriller Disrupted, from indie filmmaker Andre Welsh, and the twisted Swedish horror film Koko-Di Koko-Da.

New documentaries this week include The Tree Man, which digs deep into the roots (pun intended) of Rolling Stones pianist and noted environmentalist Chuck Leavell. There’s also Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Talking, from CNN presenter and radio host Michael Smerconish, as well as Sky Blossom, a candid look at the millions of teens caring for injured veterans in family homes across America. Last up is Frederick Wiseman’s Hospital, the final film in our retrospective promoting his newest effort, City Hall (also available).

Lastly, while we’re glad to see that our new platform seems to have addressed many of your concerns, we understand that there are some in our audience who are still having difficulty accessing Laemmle Virtual Cinema. In addition to our pre-existing automated support functions, we’re now available for LIVE-CHAT support, several hours every day. You’ll see an optional pop-up chat window on your screen whenever a qualified representative from Laemmle Theatres is available to speak.

That’s all for now – leave a comment below, and we’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible.

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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P.S. Make sure to stop by our Pasadena location this weekend for some hot buttered popcorn, and more of your favorite movie snacks! We’ll be open on Friday from 4:00 to 8:00 PM, and on Saturday from 2:00 to 6:00 PM, as part of our Pop-Corn Pop-Ups program.

In addition to our usual offerings, you can pick up a $3 LARGE POPCORN SPECIAL, and show proof of a virtual cinema purchase to redeem a $2 MOVIE NIGHT DISCOUNT. I’m not a mathematician, but that adds up to a pretty good deal (no recount necessary).

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for Friday November 6 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.

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Dear Laemmle Fans,

2020 has been an exceptionally difficult year for us all, but Tuesday night offered a silver lining: after thirty-two long years, the Dodgers finally regained their rightful position as World Series champions! And if you’re wondering what to watch now that the baseball season has ended, Laemmle Virtual Cinema has a variety of upcoming films in the pipeline which you can track (and even pre-purchase) on our new platform.

We begin this week’s virtual selections with The Donut King, Alice Gu’s standout documentary about Cambodian-immigrant-turned-pastry-magnate Ted Ngoy. Next up is prolific documentarian Frederick Wiseman’s City Hall, a four-hour-long expose on the inner workings of local government. Other docs focus on Philadelphia Eagles fans during their 2017 Super Bowl run, the re-emergence of “vogue” dancing in the United Kingdom, a record-breaking father-son ultra-marathoning team, and a diplomatic mission in the Egyptian desert (also by Frederick Wiseman).

Narrative offerings include the historical drama Radium Girls, the chilling Spanish indie Madre, and a re-mastered version of Fellini’s 1954 classic La Strada. There’s also the Italian drama Alone With Her Dreams, as well as A Place Among the Dead, the genre-bending art film from first-time director Juliet Landau (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).

All the best,

Greg Laemmle

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Laemmle Virtual Cinema
New Releases for October 30 • Click posters for “Watch Now” instructions.