ELI ROTH, SCOTT BECK, AND BRYAN WOODS 'HAUNT' THE EGYPTIAN WITH NEW HORROR FILM, by Judith Resell

“It’s more about the silence than the in-your-face effects,” commented Bryan Woods about writing and directing horror films. No one can say that with more authority than Woods and his long-time writing partner Scott Beck - they wrote the script for A Quiet Place (2018). “Sound design is as important as anything,” Woods concluded.

Woods and Beck appeared in-person for a Q&A following an advance screening of Haunt (2019) on September 7, 2019 at the Egyptian Theatre. Woods and Beck teamed as directors as well as screenwriters on Haunt. Eli Roth, one of the film’s producers, moderated the discussion. A screening of A Quiet Place capped the evening.

JOHN TRAVOLTA PLAYS A 'FANATIC' IN NEW FILM FROM LIMP BIZKIT'S FRED DURST, by Judith Resell

“You are not going to believe what you’re about to see,” said director Fred Durst to introduce the L.A. premiere of his film The Fanatic at the Egyptian Theater on Aug. 22, 2019. “It wouldn’t have happened without John Travolta. He is the superstar,” Durst continued, with Travolta at his side.

“It all started years ago with Fred’s idea,” Travolta said during the Q&A following the screening, adding that he contacted a few friends to finance the film for a small budget. “It can happen. We got it done,” Travolta said.

'SATANIC PANIC' ROCKS THE EGYPTIAN THEATRE IN L.A. PREMIERE, by Brian Carmody

The stage was set for the Los Angeles premiere of Chelsea Stardust's Satanic Panic, presented by BeyondFest and Fangoria, and red was the theme. Not simply of the carpet, though the parade of guests certainly did get some attention there. The whole theater was set, with an eager audience and a special Satanic photobooth courtesy of Flipbook Frenzy, complete with costumes and props for the audience to imitate dark ceremonies of their own. Temporary tattoos with the film's title and logo were distributed and subsequently displayed on fresh flesh. Cinematic Void was present with an ample selection of horror films on sale. A ritual night all around.

Photo by Robert Enger

That audience certainly appreciated the film, responding to its unique tone and splatstick with glee. Stardust appeared pleased, as did the cast and crew who joined her on stage, including actors Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O'Connell, Hayley Griffin, Ruby Modine, Arden Myrin, Hannah Stocking, AJ Bowen, Clarke Wolfe, and Jeff Daniel Phillips, as well as producers Amanda Presmyk and Adam Goldworm. Chelsea took us into what her process was before, during, and after making this film. She cited such influences as Jennifer's Body, Evil Dead, Drag Me to Hell, Deathgasm, and, of course, "motherf---ing SOCIETY."

ROSANNA ARQUETTE AND JULIE CARMEN CELEBRATE SCORSESE AND CASSAVETES AT THE EGYPTIAN, by Judith Resell

On May 23, 2019, Rosanna Arquette appeared at the Egyptian Theatre to talk about her role in Martin Scorsese’s After Hours (1985) along with Julie Carmen, who discussed her role in John Cassavetes’ Gloria (1980), as part of the "Scorsese/Cassavetes" series. Both actresses noted that their daughters were in the audience to enjoy the screenings of their mothers’ performances.

Photo by Bob Enger

ART DIRECTORS GUILD BRINGS JOE ALVES AND CLOSE ENCOUNTERS TO THE EGYPTIAN, by Judith Resell

“I sort of lucked out. The little shark movie became a bit hit,” said legendary production designer Joe Alves, the man who made the shark for Jaws (1975). Alves appeared for a Q&A hosted by the Art Directors Guild after a screening of Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), the second film he worked on with Steven Spielberg, at the Egyptian Theatre on June 23, 2019. 

Alves is the recipient of the 2020 Art Directors’ Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. In addition to screening Alves’ BAFTA-award-winning work in Close Encounters, the Egyptian showed a short film about his career in production design. 

THE AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE HONORS AMC THEATRES CHIEF EXECUTIVE ADAM ARON WITH THE 2019 SID GRAUMAN AWARD PRESENTED BY HILL VALLEY

Photo by frankieleon

The American Cinematheque announced today that AMC Chief Executive Officer and President Adam Aron will receive the 2019 Sid Grauman Award on behalf of AMC Theatres. The American Cinematheque Sid Grauman Award is Presented by Hill Valley. AMC Theatres will be honored for its achievements in the motion picture industry at the top of the American Cinematheque’s annual benefit award show where, this year, the non-profit organization will present its 33rd annual career achievement award, known as the American Cinematheque Award. The 2019 American Cinematheque Award recipient is Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron. The presentation of both the Sid Grauman and American Cinematheque awards will take place Friday, November 8, 2019 at The Beverly Hilton (9876 Wilshire Blvd.).

CHARLIZE THERON TO RECEIVE 33RD AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE AWARD AT GALA TRIBUTE ON NOVEMBER 8, 2019 AT THE BEVERLY HILTON

Photo by Nino Muñoz

The American Cinematheque announced today that the 33rd American Cinematheque Award will be presented to Academy Award-winner Charlize Theron at the Cinematheque’s annual benefit gala. The presentation will take place Friday, November 8, 2019 at The Beverly Hilton (9876 Wilshire Blvd.) in Beverly Hills, CA. The award presentation will be held in the International Ballroom and will include in-person tributes from some of Theron’s colleagues and friends. Other show participants will be announced as they are confirmed in the coming months. A second honor, the Sid Grauman Award will be bestowed on the same evening. The recipient has not yet been announced.

MIKE LEIGH BRINGS PETERLOO TO THE AERO, by Judith Resell

“My object is to put on the screen a world you can believe in,” explained director Mike Leigh at a screening of his historical drama Peterloo (2018) at the Aero Theatre in April. “A real, mortal, organic, living world.” Leigh discussed his latest film on the first night of a tribute to his work. He received a standing ovation for Peterloo and his outstanding body of work.

HARMONY KORINE BRINGS "GUMMO" AND "JULIEN DONKEY-BOY" TO THE EGYPTIAN, by Stephen Michaels

In anticipation of the release of his newest film, The Beach Bum, writer and director Harmony Korine visited the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood for two nights in March 2019 to discuss his work. For the first night of the retrospective, Korine spoke in between a double feature of his first film, Gummo, and its follow-up, Julien Donkey-Boy. Korine spoke about his childhood in Nashville, what led him to film, and his beliefs as a filmmaker.

Harmony Korine at the Egyptian Theatre on March 20, 2019. Photo credit: Silvia Schablowski

“My dad loved movies, so he would take me to movies when I was young,” Korine explained. “I was a skateboarder, so I’d skate during the day. At night, I would go [to the theater]…every day you could see a W.C. Fields movie or a Douglas Sirk film, or Buster Keaton. I just loved it so much. I just felt early on that I could do it.”

OSCAR NOMINEES VISIT THE AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE, by Judith Resell

February 2019 saw a host of special guests visiting both the Egyptian Theatre and the Aero Theatre to discuss Academy Award-nominated films in contention. From Shoplifters on Feb. 3 to Roma on Feb. 17, awards season has been action-packed at the American Cinematheque.

In anticipation of the big night, we wanted to share some of the best moments from the Q&As of the past month. Read on for the inside scoop on Bohemian Rhapsody, Green Book, Roma, and Shoplifters.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

The culmination of a ten-year effort to bring Freddie Mercury’s legacy to a whole new generation, Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), screened at the Egyptian Theatre on February 16, 2019. Two of the people behind that effort, producer Graham King and editor John Ottman, appeared after the screening for a Q&A.

“You go through it because you feel so passionate about it. You have the best team. It’s a labor of love to tell Freddie’s story,” King commented.  As a result, he feels “the filmmaking went to a level far beyond what anyone imagined.”

SPIKE LEE ON BLACKKKLANSMAN, TERENCE BLANCHARD'S SCORE, AND PRINCE by Judith Resell

BlacKkKlansman is nominated for six Academy Awards this year: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Original Score, and Best Film Editing.

How did Spike Lee get involved with the film BlacKkKlansman? He says, “Jordan Peele called me up with a six word pitch: ‘A black man infiltrates Ku Klux Klan,’” Lee told a packed house at the Egyptian Theatre last December after a screening of his film. The Lee retrospective also included screenings of his beloved films Malcolm X, Do the Right Thing, and Crooklyn. During the Q&A, Lee introduced two men who have been members of his filmmaking team for decades: composer Terence Blanchard and editor Barry Alexander Brown.

NORMAN JEWISON TALKS MICHEL LEGRAND AND MOONSTRUCK, by Susan King

A number of the top directors of the past half-century cut their directing teeth with live dramatic TV in the 1950s, including Oscar-winning directors Franklin Schaffner (Patton) and George Roy Hill (The Sting) and such acclaimed filmmakers as John Frankenheimer, Arthur Penn, and Sidney Lumet.

And so did Norman Jewison, who at 92 is one of the few filmmakers left who began in the 1950s. But Jewison didn’t go the dramatic route. He made his name in musical specials and series including the groundbreaking 1959 Tonight with Belafonte, 1960’s An Hour with Danny Kaye, 1962’s The Judy Garland Show, which also featured Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, and as an executive producer for several episodes of the 1963-64 The Judy Garland Show.

Music has always played a major part in his films, especially 1968’s The Thomas Crown Affair, which featured the Oscar-winning tune “The Windmills of Your Mind” by Michel Legrand and Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and Lalo Schifrin’s jazz score for his first dramatic film, 1965’s The Cincinnati Kid.

Jewison will undoubtedly be discussing his musical choices at the American Cinematheque’s tribute to the seven-time Oscar-nominated director/producer Feb. 8-10 at the Aero Theatre.

YORGOS LANTHIMOS AND COMMON DISCUSS THEIR "FAVOURITE" THINGS AT THE AERO, by Judith Resell

The Favourite is nominated for 10 Academy Awards this year: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress (x2), Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Film Editing.

Yorgos Lanthimos’ films are always unique, so of course his Q&A at the Aero Theatre on January 7, 2018, was one of a kind: he was interviewed by musician and actor Common! Common loved Lanthimos’ film The Favourite (2018) and wanted the chance to speak with the filmmaker.

Common kicked off the discussion with a question about how the director handled the film’s 18th century setting. “It felt modern in its own way, but you didn’t lose the period. How did you accomplish that?” Common asked Lanthimos of the film.

DAMIEN CHAZELLE, CLAIRE FOY, AND RYAN GOSLING AT THE AERO, by Judith Resell

“I knew so little about him. When I read the book, I couldn’t believe what an extraordinary life he led,” Ryan Gosling said of Neil Armstrong, the man he portrays in the Oscar-nominated First Man (2018). Director Damien Chazelle wanted to capture “what it actually took to get them to the moon: the deaths, the costs, the danger, the physicality of it—the brute toll it took physically and emotionally.” Both men appeared with Claire Foy at a Q&A after the movie screened at the Aero Theatre on January 8, 2019.

Foy commented that she thought of Armstrong as a “man’s man” until she got the part of Armstrong’s wife Janet and experienced the love she felt for Neil as a husband and father. Neil and Janet suffer the loss of their young daughter in the movie and then go on to raise two boys together. “At some point you create a fictionalized version of Janet,” Foy explained. She described her performance as Janet as focusing on a feeling of “betrayed” in the marriage, because Neil was gone so much and she was left on her own. “That wasn’t what she signed on for,” concluded Foy.

REMEMBERING SAMUEL FULLER, JOHN FORD, AND MARVIN PAIGE WITH CONSTANCE TOWERS, by Susan King

Marvin Paige (1927-2013) was a legendary casting director who possessed the most extraordinary Rolodex of phone numbers of leading players during the golden age of cinema - akin to the Holy Grail. And he was a great friend of the American Cinematheque, who was able to bring many of these stars to events at the Egyptian and Aero Theatres. Many classic Hollywood actors were indebted to him for keeping them working in the 1970s and '80s on General Hospital, which he cast.

Every year since his death, the Cinematheque and Don Malcolm’s MidCentury Productions have presented one of Paige’s favorite films to honor the week of his birthday. This year, the Egyptian is screening the deliciously entertaining 1964 Sam Fuller drama The Naked Kiss, starring Constance Towers in an iconic performance as a prostitute who wants to get out of the world’s oldest profession and moves to a seemingly perfect small town to reboot her life. But she soon discovers that the little town is not quite as idyllic as it seems.

Towers' career also included stage musicals like Carousel and The King and I (opposite Yul Brynner) and she was married to actor/U.S. ambassador John Gavin for over four decades until his death last year. She will be interviewed by Foster Hirsch at the Egyptian screening on Jan. 27.

The delightful, vibrant 85-year-old actress recently chatted over the phone about working with Fuller, Ford, and Brynner.

A TEAM IN PASSIONATE ACTION: RUTH GORDON AND GARSON KANIN, by Rosanne Welch

On Saturday, January 12, the Egyptian Theatre will host a screening of the Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy classic Adam's Rib. After the film, various contributors to the book When Women Wrote Hollywood: Essays on Female Screenwriters in the Early Film Industry will appear in person for a signing. Below is an excerpted essay from the book by Rosanne Welch that explores the screenwriting team of Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin.

AMANDA
Listen Adam. I know that deep down you agree with me with all I believe and want and hope for. We couldn’t be so close if you didn’t. If I didn’t feel you did.

—Adam’s Rib by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin

From the start Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin had a writing career like few other writers in the Hollywood of the 1940s and 1950s. Their career earned them praise as “probably the greatest pure screenwriting collaboration in all Hollywood history." They wrote all four of their films as original screenplays on speculation, not under the auspices of a particular studio producer, and the same personal friend, George Cukor, directed all four films. This resulted in the fact that none of their films underwent major studio rewrites by other writers. Gordon and Kanin were involved in the production of each film beginning in pre-production and all the way through filming and post- production periods; a privilege not granted to many screenwriters then or now.

ALEXANDRA BYRNE'S COSTUMING SECRETS, by Judith Resell

“I designed 2,000 costumes!” exclaimed Alexandra Byrne as she discussed her work for Mary Queen of Scots after a screening of the film at the Aero Theatre on December 5, 2018. Byrne won an Oscar for her work on Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) and designed the costumes for Elizabeth (1998) as well. Byrne explained that she uses costumes to tell the contrasting stories of the queen so close to her heart - Elizabeth - and Queen Mary of Scotland.

“The nugget of the film is when the two queens meet,” Byrne said. Although the queens have been bitter rivals, in this scene Byrne uses color to forge a link between the two, with Elizabeth dressed in burnt orange to match the rust of Mary’s armor.

'TIS THE SEASON FOR CHRISTMAS MOVIES, by Susan King

The holiday season is in full swing at the American Cinematheque with screenings at the Egyptian and Aero of such yuletide favorites as 1958’s Auntie Mame (co-presented with Outfest); 2003’s Elf; the beloved 1946 classic It’s a Wonderful Life; and such offbeat fare as 1992’s Batman Returns and 1984’s Gremlins.

This season, film writer/historian Jeremy Arnold will be on hand at the Aero Theatre to present a series of holiday films. Besides introducing the programs, he will also sign copies of his new book, Turner Classic Movies: Christmas in the Movies.

On December 20, Arnold will present the acclaimed drama The Lion in Winter, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Set in 1183, it stars Peter O’Toole as Henry II and Katharine Hepburn as his estranged wife Eleanor of Aquitaine reuniting for the holidays.

Arnold returns on December 21 for a double bill of the 30th anniversary of the blockbuster action-flick Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis, and the 1950 rarity The Trail of Robin Hood starring Roy Rogers. The latter has been restored in 4K by Paramount Archives from the original 35mm Trucolor negatives and positive separations.

And on December 22, he’ll be presenting the most traditional of the quartet: Vincente Minnelli’s magical 1944 Technicolor musical Meet Me in St. Louis, starring Judy Garland, Tom Drake, and Margaret O’Brien, who won a juvenile Oscar for her endearing performance.

PRESENTERS ANNOUNCED FOR THE AMERICAN CINEMATHEQUE AWARD EVENT

It won’t be long now until the American Cinematheque bestows its 32nd annual Award on four-time Academy Award-nominee Bradley Cooper. A glittering cast of famous friends are lined up to toast and roast the A Star Is Born filmmaker. Patricia Clarkson, Sam Elliott, Zach Galifianakis , Jennifer Garner, Ed Helms, Lady Gaga, Brian Klugman, Sienna Miller, Sean Penn, David O. Russell, and Vince Vaughn will appear in person to fete Cooper at the Cinematheque’s annual benefit gala. Culminating the evening, Sean Penn will present the 32nd American Cinematheque Award Sponsored by GRoW @ Annenberg to Cooper, on stage at The Beverly Hilton (9876 Wilshire Blvd.) on Thursday, November 29, 2018. The award presentation will be held in The Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom in Beverly Hills, CA. The Title Sponsor is GRoW @ Annenberg.

At the top of the award show, the American Cinematheque will honor Dolby Laboratories as the recipient of the 4th Annual Sid Grauman Award, presented to Doug Darrow. This award is presented by Hill Valley.

LUBITSCH, PICKFORD, AND THE MAKING OF ROSITA, by Cari Beauchamp

The American Cinematheque  re-opened the landmark 1922 Grauman's Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on December 4, 1998, following an extensive restoration and renovation of the historic movie palace. This December, the organization celebrates its 20th anniversary at the Egyptian Theatre, by screening a new digital restoration of the 1923 Mary Pickford  film ROSITA, directed by Ernst Lubitsch. ROSITA will be accompanied by a live orchestra, directed by the renowned musicologist Gillian Anderson. Anderson  reconstructed the film’s original score by working from a cue sheet preserved by the George Eastman Museum.  This event marks her return to the Egyptian 20 years after she conducted on the night of the grand re-opening of the theatre. In honor of the occasion, we are republishing a 2017 article by Cari Beauchamp that explores the making of Rosita. To learn more about Mary Pickford click here.

The Museum of Modern Art, with cooperation from the Mary Pickford Foundation, has restored Ernst Lubitsch’s Rosita (1923), starring Mary Pickford, from the last known surviving nitrate print found at Gosfilmofond in Russia. The Pickford Foundation provided access to our 35mm elements and The Film Foundation and The Mayer Foundation also cooperated with MoMA on the restoration.

Rosita had its restoration premiere during a “pre-inaugural evening” before the Venice Film Festival on August 29, and it will be wonderful to have the film (and the original orchestral score they are recording for it) available to audiences again.

A variety of stories have grown up around Rosita over the years; in fact, the Venice press release says, “The film was, by all accounts, a major critical and commercial success on its first release, but in later years Pickford turned against it, for reasons that still remain mysterious.” Actually, the story isn’t really “mysterious” at all, but is nuanced and a bit complicated, so this seems as good a time as any to revisit Rosita and Mary’s thinking about it.