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Indiewire on the Hit Swedish Comedy THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED: “This Film Is Like the Unruly Nordic Cousin of ‘Forrest Gump'”

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On May 8 we’ll be opening a film with what may very well be the longest title of any film we at Laemmle Theatres have shown in our 77-year history: THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED. Powered by the antics of a mischievous centenarian on the run, this blockbuster comedy abounds with irreverent charm.  After a long and colorful life working in munitions and getting entangled in the Spanish Civil War, the Manhattan Project, and other definitive events of the 20th century, Allan Karlsson finds himself stuck in a nursing home.  Determined to escape on his 100th birthday, he leaps out of a window and onto the nearest bus, kicking off an unexpected journey involving, among other surprises, a suitcase stuffed with cash, some wicked criminals, and an elephant named Sonya.  Like an unruly Nordic cousin of Forrest Gump, Allan’s youthful escapades and current adventures weave together into an offbeat treat for anyone who’s young at heart.  Starring beloved comedian Robert Gustafsson, this fanciful spin on world history is based on a best-selling novel and is the highest-grossing Swedish film of all time.

Indiewire just posted this exclusive clip from the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXMYZaqWdso

And here’s the film’s trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-k7DUQPHfQ
Robert Gustafsson in THE 100-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED. Photo courtesy of Music Box Films.

 

KNOW HOW Filmmaker and Cast in Person at the Music Hall Opening Weekend

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KNOW HOW is a film written and acted by foster care youth, ripped from the stories of their lives. Five youths’ worlds interweave as they confront loss, heartbreak, and growing up in this tale about transience and perseverance. Addie struggles to graduate from high school while her best friend Marie loses her grandmother. Megan copes with being taken from her abusive family and faces the harsh reality of living in a residential treatment center. All the while Eva works to be mother to her sister while their father falls deeper into a crack addiction. Austin is living on the street with his brother, barely able to feed himself. All of them must decide to survive or else fall victim to a broken system.

We open KNOW HOW May 15 at the Music Hall and the filmmaker and cast will be in attendance for several screenings that weekend:

Friday, May 15: Intro & Q&A 9:45 show w/ filmmaker Juan Carlos & Cast

Saturday, May 16: Intro & Q&A 9:45 show w/ filmmaker Juan Carlos & Cast

Sunday, May 17: Intro & Q&A 2:30 show w/ filmmaker Juan Carlos & Cast

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OizNbCyDf2o

ANTARCTIC EDGE: 70° SOUTH Q&A Opening Weekend at the Music Hall

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The new documentary ANTARCTIC EDGE: 70° SOUTH is a thrilling journey to the bottom of the Earth alongside a team of dedicated scientists. In the wake of devastating climate events like Superstorm Sandy and Hurricane Katrina, oceanographer Oscar Schofield teams up with a group of world-class researchers in a race to understand climate change in the fastest winter-warming place on earth: the West Antarctic Peninsula. For more than 20 years, these scientists have dedicated their lives to studying the Peninsula’s rapid change.

We open ANTARCTIC EDGE: 70° SOUTH May 15 at the Music Hall. Filmmaker Dena Seidel & co-producer Xenia Morin will introduce and participate in Q&A’s after the 7:20 PM screenings on Friday and Saturday, May 15 and 16. The Q&A will be moderated by Los Angeles World Affairs Council president Terry McCarthy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwBOijodAo4

Albert Maysles 1926-2015: “I happily place my fate and faith in reality.” We open his penultimate film, IRIS, on May 1st.

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Prolific, pioneering documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles passed away last month. With his late brother David he made such acclaimed films as Grey Gardens and Gimme Shelter. He described himself this way: “As a documentarian I happily place my fate and faith in reality. It is my caretaker, the provider of subjects, themes, experiences – all endowed with the power of truth and the romance of discovery. And the closer I adhere to reality the more honest and authentic my tales. After all, the knowledge of the real world is exactly what we need to better understand and therefore possibly to love one another. It’s my way of making the world a better place.” 

We are proud to open Mr. Mayles penultimate film IRIS on May 1st at the Royal and Playhouse 7 and May 8th at the Town Center 5 and Claremont 5. The film is a portrait of Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an out-sized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even at Iris’ advanced age, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. IRIS portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art and people are life’s sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment. Despite the abundance of glamour in her current life, she continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing during the Great Depression. “I feel lucky to be working. If you’re lucky enough to do something you love, everything else follows.”

The film is widely admired. “Albert Maysles has delivered a gem.” (Graham Fuller, Screen International) “An exuberant portrait” (Manohla Dargis, New York Times). “A joyous celebration of creativity and razor-sharp wit sustained into old age, as evinced by outspoken nonagenarian fashion icon Iris Apfel, IRIS also offers proof of Albert Maysles’ continued vitality as a documentarian.” (Ronnie Schieb, Variety) “A captivating salute.” (David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo8jwJ_2l0c

FELIX AND MEIRA Q&A’s Opening Weekend at the Royal and Town Center 5

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FELIX AND MEIRA is a calling card for its young director, Maxime Giroux; a story of an unconventional romance between two people living vastly different realities mere blocks away from one another. Each lost in their everyday lives, Meira (Hadas Yaron), a Hasidic Jewish wife and mother and Félix (Martin Dubreuil), a secular loner mourning the recent death of his estranged father, unexpectedly meet in a local bakery in Montreal’s Mile End district. What starts as an innocent friendship becomes more serious as the two wayward strangers find comfort in one another. As Felix opens Meira’s eyes to the world outside of her tight-knit Orthodox community, her desire for change becomes harder for her to ignore, ultimately forcing her to choose: remain in the life that she knows or give it all up to be with Félix. Giroux’s film is a poignant and touching tale of self-discovery set against the backdrops of Montreal, Brooklyn, and Venice, Italy.

FELIX AND MEIRA co-star Luzer Twersky will participate in Q&A’s after the 7:10 PM screenings at the Royal on Friday and Saturday, April 24 and 25 and at the Town Center after the 4:30 PM shows on Saturday and Sunday, April 25 and 26.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HFbAjkmeYQ

During the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, New Drama ‘1915’ Opens at the Music Hall, Playhouse and Town Center

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This year marks a solemn occasion, the centennial of the Armenian Genocide. There are, of course, many events around town dedicated to remembrance as well as action. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles is planning an ecumenical service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels on April 14. United Armenian Council of Los Angeles is planning a march on April 24 and a commemoration of the 25th. A complete list is here.

This Friday we will open the drama-thriller 1915 at the Music Hall, Playhouse and Town Center. The film follows a man on a mission to bring the ghost of this forgotten tragedy back to life. More than a cutting-edge mystery, 1915 is also an explosive call to action against the silence and denial that have fueled a century of genocide.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyo-G3dhMRM

Finally, there is still time to join and/or donate to this Sunday’s Walk to End Genocide at Pan Pacific Park, an extremely good cause supported by the Laemmle Charitable Foundation. Greg and Tish Laemmle will be there.

 

THE ROAD WITHIN Q&A’s at the NoHo and Music Hall this Weekend

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After the passing of his mother, Vincent (Robert Sheehan), a young man with Tourette syndrome, begins treatment at a center for those dealing with similar psychological disorders. Soon he finds company in Marie (Zoë Kravitz), a young woman at the center for her anorexia, and Alex (Dev Patel), his OCD-stricken roommate. These unlikely companions, with clashing personalities, find themselves on an eventful three-day journey that cements their friendship. With Dr. Rose (Kyra Sedgwick), the head of the center, and Vincent’s father (Robert Patrick) in pursuit, Vincent, Marie and Alex learn they’re perfectly capable of living their lives according to their own rules, while breaking some others in the meantime, in this coming-of-age road comedy.

The ROAD WITHIN filmmakers will be participating in Q&A’s all weekend at the NoHo 7 and Music Hall on the following schedule:

Friday April 17th

  • 7:30 PM Q&A with actor Robert Sheehan & Producer Brent Emery at Music Hall

Saturday April 18th

  • 2:30 PM Q&A with filmmaker Gren Wells at Music Hall
  • 7:30 PM Q&A with filmmaker Gren Wells and producer Michael Helfant at Music Hall
  • 7 PM with actress Ali Hillis and producer Brent Emery at the NoHo

Sunday April 19th

  • 1:40pm Q&A with filmmaker Gren Wells at the NoHo
  • 4:20pm Q&A with filmmaker Gren Wells, actor Robert Sheehan and producer Michael Helfant at the Noho
    2:30pm Q&A with with actress Ali Hillis and producer Brent Emery at the Music Hall

Cedars Sinai’s Jewish Wisdom & Wellness Screening of THE FAREWELL PARTY April 28 at the Music Hall

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Right to Die laws were back in the news following the November 1, 2014 death of Brittany Maynard. Maynard was a California resident who moved to Oregon to take advantage of that state’s Death With Dignity law. Since her death, two California State Senators have proposed a similar measure in California.

Serving as an entry point to discussing this issue is the hit Israeli comedy (yes, comedy), THE FAREWELL PARTY.

Together with Cedars Sinai Medical Center, we are pleased to offer an advance screening of THE FAREWELL PARTY on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:30 PM at the Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills. The screening is part of the Jewish Wisdom & Wellness program that is being produced by Cedars with events throughout the city.

Following the film, there will be a PANEL DISCUSSION in the theatre. Join Rabbis Susan Laemmle and Jason Weiner, ethicist Dr. Stuart Finder and grief expert Michele Prince, Director of OUR HOUSE Grief Support Center as moderator for a Jewish perspective on issues raised in the movie including aging with dignity, dementia, and end of life care. Although this is a movie, the issues in this movie are ones that many people have to deal with daily. Let’s take dementia for example. Living with a relative with dementia can be tough for many families, which is why some may take it upon themselves to place their elderly relative in a facility like Lakeside Manor Assisted Living, so they can be looked after better. It’s about making choices for the wellbeing of family and friends. The Farewell Party will be a film that many people will be able to relate to.

Tickets are $18 for the general public, but significant discounts are available for those purchasing tickets with their Premiere Cards. We will begin our regular engagements of THE FAREWELL PARTY starting June 5 at the Royal, Playhouse and Town Center, but we encourage you to take advantage of this early screening as the panel screening promises to address this complex issue in a way that will deepen the issues and emotions raised by the film.