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“I love reality’s ability to surprise until life often seems like an unrealistic movie, and reality itself acts like a wonderland.” Shemi Zarhin’s THE KIND WORDS Opens July 1st

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On July 1st we’ll open the quirky, wry dramedy The Kind Words at the Royal and Town Center. Nominated for 12 Israeli Academy Awards, the film follows three Jewish Israeli siblings – Dorona and brothers Netanel and Shai – who, in the wake of their mother’s death, learn the man who raised them is not their biological father. The revelation sends them on a trip from Israel across France to discover the truth about their real dad. The sixth feature from writer-director Shemi Zarhin explores an unraveling family secret and the bittersweet journey of self-discovery that follows.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JVwN5E2BPk

Zarhin wrote of his film: “I love stories where life is lived ‘on the edge.’ I love reality’s ability to surprise until life often seems like an unrealistic movie, and reality itself acts like a wonderland. I especially love the protagonists’ amazed, stunned expressions every time they are faced with a new, extreme turn of the plot. These expressions reveal the exaggerated, childish confidence they have in their day to day routines, as well as their distress in the face of any change or discovery. It makes me laugh, it makes me sad, and mainly it makes me love them very much.

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“But it also makes me worry: What will happen when they find out that the truth they are looking for is a pile of lies and prejudice? What will be their fate when they discover there is no consolation in the facts of the past, which only imprison the present and enslave the future? And love, even though it exists and is deep, is not always enough? And whether eventually they will realize that their lives and their identities depend solely on their desire?

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“A strange thing happened to me: the production of The Kind Words is long over and I find that I am still worried about the characters who have become my immediate family. Maybe it expresses concern that I have for my kids, myself, and for the place where I live. Dorona, Natanel and Shai, three little liars, three young Israelis who do not know how to love and do not realize that it was time to say goodbye to the past in order to reconcile and live in peace with the present and the future. True, they are blind and desperate, but they have courage, humor and a bit of hope. So although I am concerned I trust them. They are three very Kind Words.”

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Enjoy a Car-Free Day Exploring the Gold Line from South Pasadena to Azusa at 626 GOLDEN STREETS on June 26th

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626-logoExplore the San Gabriel Valley and celebrate the opening of the Foothill Gold Line extension at 626 Golden Streets, a car-free event on Sunday, June 26th from 8am to 2pm!

Modeled after other “open streets” programs like CicLAvia, 626 Golden Streets will temporarily open stretches of roadway from South Pasadena to Azusa for people to walk, jog, skate, bike, and more.

Communities participating include South Pasadena, San Marino, Arcadia, Monrovia, Duarte, Irwindale, and Azusa. Speaking of Azusa, head one block south of Azusa Downtown Station and you’ll find the future home of a Laemmle theater in Azusa! It’s the lot at the southeast corner of East Foothill Boulevard and North Azusa Avenue.

Seek out Activity Hubs along the 18+ mile route for free fitness classes (Zumba, yoga), activity booths, live music, food trucks, professional chalk artists, drum circles, cyclocross, Gabe the Sasquatch, and more!

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Seven Tips for Enjoying 626 Golden Streets:

  1. Golden Streets is a FREE event! But bring at least a few dollars to patronize local businesses, sample some of the SGV’s food, drink, and ride the Foothill Gold Line.
  2. YOU get to decide where you start and finish.
  3. All forms of non-motorized transportation are permitted. So if you’re thinking you’re about to look at what’s the best electric skateboards suitable for long-distance, have a think about bringing your old skateboard just for this instead!
  4. Golden Streets is NOT a race. There are no finisher medals or awards. Only smiles and miles of open streets.
  5. Share the road. Please exercise caution so everyone can have a safe, enjoyable day.
  6. Gold Line Station Activity Hubs will remain open until at least 3pm (South Pasadena hub to 4pm).
  7. Don’t forget to stop, enjoy, and take a picture! Share your best snapshots on social media with the hashtag #626GoldenStreets for a chance to win special one-time-only Golden Streets swag!

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For more information, visit: http://www.626goldenstreets.com!

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Anniversary Classics in June: William Friedkin with THE FRENCH CONNECTION and Russ Tamblyn and George Chakiris (Bernardo and Riff!) with WEST SIDE STORY

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I love New York in June. How about you? Well, this month we have two superb New York movies as part of our Anniversary Classics and some of the key talent behind them in person to talk about it.

William Friedkin
William Friedkin

This year marks the 45th anniversary of THE FRENCH CONNECTION, the gritty and gripping police thriller that won five Academy Awards in 1971, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Gene Hackman, Best Screenplay and Best Director for our special guest, William Friedkin. One of the key figures in the American cinematic renaissance of the 1970s, Mr. Friedkin has directed such films as The Birthday Party, The Boys in the Band, the enormously successful The Exorcist, Sorcerer, To Live and Die in L.A., Rules of Engagement, and the more recent Killer Joe.

We’ll screen THE FRENCH CONNECTION on June 18 at the Fine Arts Theatre. Beyond its adrenaline-fueled chase scenes, the movie boasts acute characterizations and potent social commentary about the moral compromises that may be endemic to police work. It also stands as one of the most vivid renditions of a decaying New York City ever committed to celluloid. Roy Scheider and Bunuel favorite Fernando Rey (as the suave European criminal kingpin) co-star. Reviews were ecstatic. Judith Crist called it “a movie-movie supreme.” Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote that THE FRENCH CONNECTION was “a slam-bang, suspenseful, plain-spoken, sardonically funny, furiously paced melodrama.” Even highbrow Stanley Kauffmann, writing in The New Republic, hailed “the most exciting picture I’ve seen since Z.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwBbkSTfKa8

riffJune 29 won’t be just any night, because we’ll be celebrating the 55th anniversary of WEST SIDE STORY at the Fine Arts with Bernardo and Riff themselves, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. NOTE: Unfortunately, George Chakiris had to cancel for health reasons. One of the most honored and commercially successful of all movie musicals, WEST SIDE STORY earned a near-record 10 Academy Awards in 1961. The film version of the groundbreaking stage musical that re-imagined Romeo and Juliet in contemporary New York City retained and deepened the play’s emotional impact by bringing together a show business all-star team. The show’s director and choreographer, Jerome Robbins, worked with veteran filmmaker Robert Wise to transform the theatrical experience into electrifying cinema. Robbins and Wise reworked the classic Leonard Bernstein-Stephen Sondheim score and came up with fresh casting ideas for this ever timely story of racial prejudice and conflict. The stars of the movie included Natalie Wood, Oscar nominee Mr. Tamblyn, Oscar winner Mr. Chakiris, and Oscar winner Rita Moreno.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFahVIspakE

Our screening will be followed by a Q&A with the charismatic leaders of the movie’s rival gangs, the Jets and the Sharks. Mr. Chakiris (Bernardo) had been a dancer in several 1950s musicals, including Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and White Christmas. Following his Oscar-winning performance in WEST SIDE STORY, he appeared in such films as Diamond Head with Charlton Heston, Flight from Ashiya with Yul Brynner, and the Jacques Demy musical The Young Girls of Rochefort, co-starring Catherine Deneuve and Gene Kelly. He also has extensive credits in theater and television.  West-Side-Story-DI-3-1

George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn
George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn

Russ Tamblyn (Riff) played Elizabeth Taylor’s younger brother in Father of the Bride in 1950. He displayed his dance abilities in such musicals as Hit the Deck and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers and earned an Oscar nomination for his dramatic turn in the 1957 film, Peyton Place. His later work includes The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, the horror classic, The Haunting (also directed by Robert Wise), David Lynch’s cult TV series, Twin Peaks, and a cameo in Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained.

Both Q&A’s will be moderated by Los Angeles Film Critics Association president Stephen Farber.

Summer Camp: Every Throwback Thursday in June at the NoHo 7

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mommie-dearestJoin Laemmle and  Eat|See|Hear for Summer Camp at the NoHo 7 in North Hollywood! Every Thursday in June our Throwback Thursday (#TBT) series presents some of our favorite intentionally (and unintentionally) campy films from the last sixty years! It all starts Thursday, June 2nd with VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. Check out the full schedule below. For tickets and our full #TBT schedule, visit laemmle.com/tbt!

June 2: Valley of the Dolls

A cinematic take on a 1960s best-seller, VALLEY OF THE DOLLS traces the ups and downs of three young women as fame, booze, pills, and men consume their lives. Well-bred, small-town Anne Welles (Peyton Place star Barbara Parkins) arrives in New York eager for fame but settles for a job assisting theatrical attorney Henry Bellamy (Robert H. Harris). The job leads her to cross paths with Helen Lawson (Hollywood veteran Susan Hayward), the grand dame of Broadway musicals, and Neely O’Hara (Patty Duke), an up-and-coming performer whom Lawson unceremoniously boots from her latest show. As the pressures of fame and failed romance take their toll on all three women, they take refuge in food, sex, liquor, and pills — especially Neely, who becomes downright monstrous (the titular “dolls” are the uppers and downers to which she becomes hopelessly addicted). BUY TICKETS.

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June 9: Female Trouble

A riotously funny bad-taste epic from director John Waters, Baltimore’s “Prince of Puke,” FEMALE TROUBLE tells the depraved life story of obese criminal Dawn Davenport (Divine), from her bad-girl youth as a go-go dancer on Baltimore’s infamous Block to her death in the electric chair. Mink Stole is terrific as Dawn’s bratty daughter Taffy, conceived following a romp on a junkyard mattress with a fat derelict in soiled underpants (also played by Divine). Mary Vivian Pearce and David Lochary co-star as crazed owners of a beauty-parlor who are convinced that “crime equals beauty,” and they take Dawn under their wings, forcing her to mainline liquid eyeliner to enhance her appeal. Edith Massey steals the film as Dawn’s obsessive neighbor, Ida, who wants her nephew to be gay because heterosexuals lead “sick and boring lives.” A hilariously appalling film, Female Trouble is just as disgusting and far funnier than Waters’ previous Pink Flamingos, if not as notorious. BUY TICKETS.

June 16: Mommie Dearest

MOMMIE DEAREST, best-selling memoir turned motion picture, depicts the abusive and traumatic adoptive upbringing of Christina Crawford at the hands of her mother, movie star Joan Crawford. One thing is certain: You’ll never look at a wire hanger the same way again! BUY TICKETS.

priscilla-posterJune 23: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

In THE ADVENTURES OF PRISCILLA, QUEEN OF THE DESERT, the usually menacing British actor Terence Stamp does a complete turnaround as Bernadette, an aging transsexual who tours the backwaters of Australia with her stage partners, Mitzi (Hugo Weaving) and Adam/Felicia (Guy Pearce). Their act, well-known in Sydney, involves wearing lots of makeup and gowns and lip-synching to records, but Bernadette is getting a bit tired of it all and is also haunted by the bizarre death of an old loved one. Nevertheless, when Mitzi and Felicia get an offer to perform in the remote town of Alice Springs at a casino, Bernadette decides to tag along. The threesome ventures into the outback with Priscilla, a lavender-colored school bus that doubles as dressing room and home on the road. Along the way, the act encounters any number of strange characters, as well as incidents of homophobia, while Bernadette becomes increasingly concerned about the path her life has taken. BUY TICKETS.

June 30: Auntie Mame

AUNTIE MAME began as a novel by Patrick Dennis (AKA Ed Fitzgerald), then was adapted into a long-running Broadway play by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee. In this 1958 film version, Rosalind Russell recreates her stage role as Mame Dennis, the flamboyant, devil-may-care aunt of young, impressionable Patrick Dennis. Left in Mame’s care when his millionaire father dies, young Patrick (Jan Handzlik) is quickly indoctrinated into his aunt’s philosophy that “life is a banquet–and some poor suckers are starving to death.” Social-climbing executor Dwight Babcock (Fred Clark) does his best to raise Patrick as a stuffy American aristocrat, but Mame battles Babcock to allow the boy to be as free-spirited as she is. In 1974, Auntie Mame was remade as the musical Mame starring Lucille Ball. BUY TICKETS.

“What are you doing in my closet, Jeffrey Beaumont?” David Lynch’s BLUE VELVET, Restored for Thirtieth Anniversary Screenings.

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BVposterThere’s something going on behind the white picket fences of Lumberton, North Carolina. And after stumbling upon a severed human ear in a field, mystery loving college student Jeffrey Beaumont (Kyle MacLachlan) is determined to find out what. Teaming up with the daughter (Laura Dern) of a local police detective, Jeffrey’s investigation leads him into a strange world of sensuality and violence, with the intrigue of the missing ear seemingly stemming from the relationship between a troubled nightclub singer (Isabella Rossellini) and a sociopathic sadomasochist (Dennis Hopper).

See BLUE VELVET on the big screen June 1st at the Claremont, Playhouse, NoHo or Monica Film Center to celebrate the 30th anniversary of David Lynch’s masterpiece of a sleepy small-town caught in the grips of the American nightmare.

“Still enraptures and confounds. Three decades after its initial release, David Lynch’s BLUE VELVET has lost none of its power to derange, terrify, and exhilarate.” – Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

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The Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival Honors Laemmle Theatres at the May 18 Opening Night Gala

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On Thursday, May 19 Laemmle family matriarch Alyse Laemmle will turn 100 years old! Coincidentally, the night before is the opening night gala of the L.A. Jewish Film Festival at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, where Bob and Greg Laemmle will accept an honor on behalf of the company founded in 1938 by Max — Bob’s father, Greg’s grandfather — and Max’s brother Kurt. The ceremony comes after the red carpet and reception and before a screening from the thrilling Israeli spy series False Flag. Join us! You can buy tickets here.

The statement from the LAJFF Executive Director Hilary Helstein:

“The Laemmle Theaters has been a valued partner of the L.A. Jewish Film Festival since our inaugural year in 2006. You have helped us grow in size and scope and we are grateful for your continued support over these early years. Our mission has always been to use film as a way to educate and build community; to build a sustainable cultural arts program of “Jewish” cinema to engage the Jewish community, but more importantly reach the greater LA community and engage in a multicultural dialogue. The Laemmle Theaters has continually helped us to achieve our goals each year.

“As a four-generation family business, Laemmle has established an empire of successful theaters and built something unique in the greater Los Angeles region. The L.A. community has come to rely on Laemmle’s innovative programming and reputation for showing quality cinema, in addition to your ability to showcase films and filmmakers promoting themes of interfaith and interethnic understanding.

The L.A. Jewish Film Festival and Jewish Journal are honored to recognize you and your team publicly for your continued support of our program and mission and for all that you have succeeded in creating for the greater L.A. community in bringing the best in international cinema to Los Angeles.”

Thank you, Hilary! The honor is ours.

Viva La Raza: A Celebration of Latino Culture on the Big Screen Every Throwback Thursday in May

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Join Laemmle and Eat|See|Hear for Viva La Raza, a month-long celebration of Latino culture on the big screen every Throwback Thursday (#TBT) in May at the NoHo 7 in North Hollywood! Many of these films did not receive the attention they deserved when first released. We’re excited to have the opportunity to shine a light on these movies and the culture they represent.

Acompaña a Laemmle y a Eat|See|Hear para Viva La Raza, una celebración de La Cultura Latina en la pantalla grande cada Jueves del mes de Mayo que es parte del programa Throwback Thursday (#TBT) en el cine NoHo 7 en North Hollywood! Muchas de estas películas no recibieron la atención merecida cuando primero estrenaron. Estamos emocionados de tener la oportunidad de enfocar y celebrar la cultura que estás películas representan.

selenaMay 5: SELENA

Viva La Raza kicks off with SELENA! This biopic concentrates on Selena’s relationship with her family and her rise to fame, dealing only briefly with her tragic death. Selena Quintanilla was a major figure in Tejano music, a Grammy-winning recording artist, a beloved star in the American Southwest and Mexico, and seemed poised to cross over into mainstream popularity on the U.S. pop charts when she was murdered on March 31, 1995 by the president of her fan club. SELENA was produced with the participation of the Quintanilla Family (Abraham was executive producer), and Selena’s own recordings were used on the soundtrack. Click here to buy tickets. And don’t forget to dress to impress!

¡Viva La Raza se inicia con Selena! Esta película biográfica se centra en la relación entre Selena y su familia y en su esencia a la fama, tratándose sólo brevemente en la trágica muerte de la artista. Selena Quintanilla fue una figura importante en la música Tejana, artista ganadora del Premio Grammy, querida en el Suroeste de los Estados Unidos y en México, la artista apunto de cruzar su carrera a las listas de éxitos en los Estados Unidos fue asesinada en 31 de Marzo de 1995 por su propia presidente de club de fans. SELENA fue producida con la participación de la familia Quintanilla (Abraham fue productor ejecutivo), y las grabaciones originales de Selena fueron utilizadas en la banda sonora. Pulsa aquí para comprar tus boletos. ¡Y no se te olvide vestirte para impresionar!

bornineastlaMay 12: BORN IN EAST L.A.

When accidentally caught up in an Immigration Department raid, an American-born Hispanic is “returned” to Mexico. Speaking virtually no Spanish, he is reduced to working a variety of jobs for a crooked saloon owner to make the money to pay for his “illegal immigration” back into the United States. BORN IN EAST L.A. was written and directed by Cheech Marin. In addition to Marin, the film also stars Daniel Stern, Jan-Michael Vincent, Kamala Lopez, and Paul Rodriguez. Click here to buy tickets.

Detenido (o Capturado) por el Departamento de Inmigración, un Hispano nacido en Estados Unidos es accidentalmente “devuelto” a México. Prácticamente sin poder hablar nada de Español tiene que hacer una variedad de puestos de trabajos para el propietario torcido de un salón para poder ganar dinero y pagar por su viaje de regreso “ilegal” a los Estados Unidos. Born in east L.A. fue escrita y dirigida por Cheech Marin. Además de Marin, la película también protagonizada por Daniel Stern, Jan-Michael Vincent, Kamala Lopez, y Paul Rodriguez. Pulsa aquí para comprar boletos.

mifamiliaMay 19: MI FAMILIA

Featuring Jennifer Lopez in her first major big-screen role, Gregory Nava’s MI FAMILIA traces three generations of the Sanchez’s, a Mexican-American family living in East Los Angeles. Beginning in the 1930s, the film outlines the struggles faced by a recently immigrated married couple raising a family. Focus shifts to their son as he starts his own family in the 1960s. While Lopez’ role was uncredited, she was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for her performance. Mi Familia has also been released under the titles My Family, Mi Familia, Cafe con Leche, and East L.A. Click here to buy tickets.

Presentando la película que puso a Jennifer López en la pantalla grande por primera vez, MI FAMILA por Gregory Nava, tres generaciones de la familia Sánchez, una familia Mexicana-Americana quien vive en el Este de Los Ángeles. Empezamos en los 1930s, la película nos enseña los esfuerzos de la pareja recién emigrada quienes tratan de crear una familia. El enfoque cambia a su hijo quien empieza su propia familia en los 1960s. Aunque el papel de López fue sin acreditar ella fue nominada por un premio Independent Spirit por su actuación. Mi Familia también ha sido publicada bajo los títulos My Family, Mi Familia, Café con Leche y East L.A. Pulsa aquí para comprar boletos.

americanmeMay 26: AMERICAN ME

Edward J. Olmos made his directorial bow with the powerhouse crime saga AMERICAN ME. Olmos stars as street-gang leader Santana, who during his 18 years in the infamous Folsom Prison rules over all the drug-and-murder activities behind bars. Upon his release, Santana goes back to his old neighborhood, intending to lead a peaceful, crime-free life. But his old gang buddies force him back into his old habits. Olmos shot the Folsom sequences on location, using actual prisoners as extras and bit players. Click here to buy tickets.

Edward J. Olmos hizo su arco a director con fuerza motriz con la saga de crimen AMERICAN ME. Olmos protagonista como Santana, líder de una pandilla callejera quien durante sus 18 años en la prisión de Folsom gobierna sobre todas las actividades de drogas y asesinatos en la prisión. Ya liberado, Santana regresa a su viejo barrio, con la intención de vivir una vida tranquila, libre del crimen. Pero sus viejos amigos pandilleros le obligan regresar a sus hábitos pasados. Olmos filmo escenas en Folsom usando prisioneros como extras y también como actores secundarios. Pulsa aquí para comprar boletos.

OUR LAST TANGO opens Friday in Santa Monica and Pasadena! Enter to win the Soundtrack on CD!

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OUR LAST TANGO is a story of love between the two most famous dancers in tango’s history. And the story of their tremendous love of tango. María Nieves Rego (81) and Juan Carlos Copes (84) met when they were 14 and 17, and they danced together for nearly fifty years.

In OUR LAST TANGO Juan and María tell their story to a group of young tango dancers and choreographers from Buenos Aires, who transform the most beautiful, moving and dramatic moments of Juan and Maria’s lives into incredible tango-choreographies.

OUR LAST TANGO opens Friday, April 22nd at the Monica Film Center in Santa Monica and the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena.

Enter to Win the Soundtrack

The film’s soundtrack features original music by Luis Borda, Sexteto Mayor and Gerd Baumann. We’re giving away three soundtrack CDs! Enter to win using the form below!

OUR LAST TANGO CD Soundtrack Giveaway

Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmnY22lNr6M