Legendary Italian Composer Fabio Frizzi Comes to Los Angeles for the First Time - More Specifically to the Legendary Egyptian Theatre

Composer Fabio Frizzi.

Beyond Fest, Mondo, DeathWaltz Recording Co. and the American Cinematheque will present FRIZZI2FULCI LIVE with Fabio Frizzi in his debut Los Angeles performance, on Sunday, October 4, 2015 at 7:30 PM, as part of the annual Beyond Fest event at the Egyptian Theatre Hollywood. The genre film festival Beyond Fest runs October 1 - 10, 2015.

Legendary composer Fabio Frizzi comes to Los Angeles for the first time ever to perform his horror classics live. Complete with his 8-piece Frizzi2Fulci Orchestra,

Beyond Fest has partnered with Mondo and Death Waltz Recording Co. to bring the Italian maestro to Los Angeles where he will perform suites from Lucio Fulci’s classic Italian horror films including ZOMBI 2 (AKA ZOMBIE FLESH EATERS), SEVEN NOTES IN BLACK, THE BEYOND, CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD, MANHATTAN BABY and more. Orchestral performances will also be accompanied by live visuals derived from Fulci's iconic filmography.

BERNARD ROSE'S "IMMORTAL BELOVED" AT THE AERO, by Cassandra Bautista

On August 14, 2015, Mick Garris hosted an exclusive Q&A interview at the Aero Theatre with film director (and pianist!) Bernard Rose. Rose’s 1994 film Immortal Beloved is an intriguing biopic of Beethoven that spans the full spectrum of human emotion and, quite like Beethoven's music, leaves the audience wanting more.  The film concerns a quest to find Beethoven's mysterious heir to his belongings and riches, and is also an intimate account of Beethoven’s love life, his role as a caregiver, his place in history, and an invitation into the aristocratic society of his time. 

Rose opened by saying the film is based on his interpretation of Beethoven's life. He explained that at the time of the film’s release, certain Beethoven scholars took issue with some of his choices. “They attack the film on historical inaccuracies,” said Rose. “But that's inaccurate in itself because everything about Beethoven is disputed, starting with his date of birth. His father lied and said he was two years younger than he was to try and sell him as a child prodigy. Beethoven was so famous and difficult as a man that there were so many conflicting attempts to try and sabotage his reputation because he was this giant in music. It was very difficult to try and move through the different accounts, documents, and things so I went to Vienna and did original research. I did not base the film on any established biography. To me, his music was the single most important aspect of the research.  He never wrote his music to play in a concert; he wrote his music for people to learn and play themselves. It was an active direct communication with the listener. He was communicating with the person playing the piano. There is a kind of message that is transmitted through the music.”

JON FAVREAU AT THE AERO, by Gretchen Hustig

Over the weekend, Jon Favreau unveiled a poster and trailer for his new live-action version of The Jungle Book at Disney's D23 expo. On May 8, 2014, Favreau appeared at the Aero Theatre for a Q&A and screening of his film Chef.

 

 

 

On the eve of its release, anticipation filled the air as people lined up to see a sneak peek of Jon Favreau's latest directorial effort, Chef. The aroma coming from the Aero’s popcorn machine was especially tantalizing, a sign of what was to come this night at the theatre.  Favreau wrote, directed, and starred in the film and was also on hand for a Q&A.  Interviewed by journalist Jeff Boucher, Favreau talked about how excited he was for the movie to come out in theatres. 

WHO'S ON FIRST? ANYBODY? by Michael Schlesinger

A long, long time ago—by which I don’t mean around the time of GHOSTBUSTERS, but 70, 80, 90 years back—show biz had a hallowed tradition: the comedy team. These weren’t just actors who frequently worked together, like Adam Sandler and Kevin James, or Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, but actual, official teams, usually two men, their names separated by an ampersand, generally a comic and a straight man (though the latter could also be funny). Occasionally there were more than two, and even more occasionally, there was a woman (notably Gracie Allen), but two men were the norm.

 
We know them by their names: Laurel & Hardy, Abbott & Costello, Martin & Lewis, Wheeler & Woolsey, Olsen & Johnson, Burns & Allen and more. As well as the bigger groups: The Three Stooges, The Marx Brothers, The Ritz Brothers, and that huge aggregate variously known as The Dead End Kids, The Little Tough Guys, The East Side Kids, and The Bowery Boys. (That last bunch requires a flow chart.) But sadly, with a few exceptions (conspicuously the Stooges, arguably more popular now than in their heyday, if they ever actually had a heyday), most people born after Woodstock would not know them on sight.

THE RESURRECTION OF BIFFLE AND SHOOSTER, by Michael Schlesinger

Michael Schlesinger, an ardent admirer of 1930s comedy teams, took his adoration to the next level by creating the fictional but historically uncanny comedy team of Biffle & Shooster. A collection of all-new shorts featuring the duo will screen this Sunday, August 16, at the Egyptian Theatre. Below, Schlesinger fleshes out the "origins" of the team.

Some people look at Biffle and Shooster and say, “Why?”

Others look at Biffle and Shooster and say, “Why not?”

CORKY HALE IN PERSON FOR LADY SINGS THE BLUES 8/20

The American Cinematheque is honored to welcome musician Corky Hale to the Aero for a rare 35mm screening of Lady Sings The Blues, about the life of Billie Holiday.

Jazz vocalist/instrumentalist Corky Hale was born in a small Midwestern farm town and started taking piano lessons at age three. Her music career started just a few years later when, on a family vacation in Florida, bandleader Horace Heidt heard her picking out tunes on a hotel lobby piano and decided to feature Hale in his show.  She soon began studying piano at the Chicago Conservatory, and later the harp. While in college, Corky was hired as a harpist for Liberace and spent three years accompanying him on his TV show and on tour.

"I BUILD THE TOWER" SCREENING AND PANEL, by Cassandra Bautista

This year - and more specifically, this date - marks the 50th Anniversary of the 1965 Watts Rebellion. In remembrance of this occasion, the Aero Theatre hosted an anniversary screening of Ed Landler's documentary I Build the Tower. A dynamic panel discussion, orchestrated by Rosie Lee Hooks of the Watts Towers Art Center, followed the film and included Landler; Watts-based filmmaker Ben Caldwell; Watts-based artists Charles Dickson and Judson Powell; historians Luisa Del Giudice and Gerald Horne; and poet Ojenke.

L-R: Rosie Lee Hooks, Gerald Horne (seated), Ed Landler, Luisa Del Giudice, Ben Caldwell, Ojenke, Charles Dickson

I Build the Tower gives insight into the life of Sabato Rodia, the creator of the world-renowned Watts Towers. It is a demonstration of the power of one person's contributions to society. The film shows how Rodia's vision, strong will, and amazing work ethic has inspired and motivated people globally. In addition, it chronicles his thoughts and steps in building the Watts Towers. It also demonstrates a life of change and personal struggles, a love for community, the desire to make something out of this world, and touches on social injustice.

IN PRAISE OF THEY ALL LAUGHED, by Scott Nye

They All Laughed plays Saturday, August 8th at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica on a double bill with Bogdanovich’s Saint Jack, as part of a four-night tribute to the filmmaker. On Sunday, he will appear in person to present and discuss his new film, She’s Funny That Way, which will screen alongside One Day Since Yesterday: Peter Bogdanovich and the Lost American Film, a documentary by Bill Teck that extensively explores the making and legacy of They All Laughed.

Inherent to Peter Bogdanovich’s films is his appreciation for the old-fashioned way of doing things. The downside to this is that they can sometimes feel imitative, the way The Last Picture Show, Paper Moon, At Long Last Love, or What’s Up, Doc? seem more eager to create a new John Ford, Preston Sturges, Ernst Lubitsch, or Howard Hawks picture than to create, well, a Peter Bogdanovich picture (which doesn't keep the finished products from being great). His personal interests and concerns beyond the cinema peek through the edges of these designs, but they remain somewhat schematic. They All Laughed changes that. Here, at long last, is a film of his that could not come from anybody else, that is not tied to nostalgia; it creates its own.

WATTS RIOTS 50TH ANNIVERSARY: I BUILD THE TOWER SCREENING & PANEL DISCUSSION

Los Angeles’ recognition of the 50th anniversary of the Watts Uprising gives us a unique opportunity to better understand the recent violence underscoring the continuing practices of inequality in our country. Join us for a screening of I BUILD THE TOWER, Edward Landler and Brad Byer’s definitive feature documentary on the Watts Towers and their creator, Sabato Rodia. Made with exclusive access to Rodia’s family and the cooperation of the Watts community, the film follows Rodia’s life through the creation of his monumental mosaic-covered spires and their recognition as an architectural and sculptural masterpiece.

PETER MEDAK AT THE EGYPTIAN

 

Friday evening, July 31, the Egyptian Theater featured a very special appearance by Hungarian-born director Peter Medak. Following a special screening of his cult thriller The Changeling, part of the American Cinematheque’s “80’s New Wave Horror” week, Medak took some time to sit down and chat with a near-full house of movie goers.

Medak’s best known film, The Changeling stars George C. Scott as an emotionally scarred man who moves into a historic Seattle mansion after witnessing the death of his wife and daughter in a car accident. Uncertain if he is dealing with anxiety and grief or paranormal activity (following some strange events), Scott’s character starts to piece together a grisly storyline of his new home’s dark past.