Results tagged “film”

Self Help Graphics holds the 36th Annual Dia de los Muertos Celebration at the East LA Civic Center tonight from 5-11 pm. The event features children's art workshops, art and crafts vendors, elaborate altars and local food. Guests will also enjoy a day of the dead fashion walk, live music from top local performers including Killsonic, L'Esprit d'Africque, Ollin, La Santa Cecilia and surprise special guests. One of evening's highlights a traditional public procession featuring people of all ages in colorful calavera face paint and attire. Also: Our guide to Dia de los Muertos events around the city.

    

We are certainly in a sea change when it comes to media, but for every time someone has cried that the end is nigh, books, newspaper, film--whatever is on its deathbed in a given news cycle--continues to push ahead, continues to march on. In the case of Hollywood, YouTube, Netflix and OnDemad have continued to pull film out of the theater, a process that began with VHS and video rental, and deeper into the home. These media and formats may seem better suited for shorter work, yet feature-length films still reign supreme. But with studios tightening their purse strings...

Today marks the start of the four-day Digital Hollywood Fall at the Loews Hotel in Santa Monica. There are waayy too many panels and speakers to mention, since the conference has multiple tracks on each day. But trust us, there are a lot of good sessions on the very long agenda. Tickets are $95-$300. If you can’t make it, then follow dhollywood on Twitter feed or the hashtag #DH09.

      

CIRQUE Cirque du Soleil’s latest show Kooza camps out under the blue-and-yellow Grand Chapiteau (big top) at the Santa Monica Pier through Nov. 29. Kooza tells the story of The Innocent, a sad loner searching of his place in the world. The show combines two circus traditions - acrobatic performance and the art of clowning.Tickets are $60-$135 depending on time and day of performance.

If you haven’t heard of Film Independent's Filmmaker Forum, it's best described as a three-day cinematic tornado of an event, that’s definitely worth getting caught up in, provided you can handle the price of admission, and you’re serious about gaining some kind of a foothold in the world of independent film. The event is thrown each year by the good folks at Film Independent, the non-profit arts organization also in charge of the Independent Spirit Awards, and Los Angeles Film Festival.

Director Roman Polanski may be sitting in a Zurich jail cell facing extradition to the United States, but that's not stopping him from finishing his film, The Ghost. He is giving instructions so that the film will be finished by February when it will premiere at the Berlin Film Festival.

If you’re an aspiring filmmaker, and you’ve got the money, get yourself down to the DGA on Sunset, for Film Independent’s FILMMAKER FORUM. Admission for Sunday is costly ($180 for members, $200 for non-members), but rewarding and interesting to say the least.

On-location shoots for advertisements may be on the rise, but filming in Los Angeles has been on the downtrend for some years now, thanks to incentives that lured shoots to Alabama, New York City, Canada and elsewhere. That might be good for complaining neighbors, but it's not for the larger picture that is Los Angeles' economy.

First, there was Rocky Horror. And in recent years, moviegoers have recited favorite lines and lyrics from such campy musical romps as The Sound of Music, Mamma Mia, and the musical episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. And now, the looming 20th anniversary of an 80s cult classic begged for an exuberant celebration of fans publicly displaying an affection so epic it would be deemed a fan flick phenomenon. Enter Troop Beverly Hills: The Experience, which is described by its organizer as a” sing-a-long, dance-a-long, quote-a-long, and if we're lucky, Shelley Long!”

Director Roman Polanski remains confined in a Swiss prison following his arrest this weekend while traveling to Zurich to receive a prestigious award for his film career. The 76-year-old Polish-born French citizen has been in exile in Europe since fleeing Los Angeles following his conviction in the rape case that found him guilty of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl.

When you hear the phrase “the Japanese Step Brothers” used to describe a movie, you’re probably a least a little interested. That is, if you’re anything like me, but you probably aren’t because my parents say I’m one in a million, so eat it. Not that the American version of Step Brothers is all that spectacular, it’s just that imagining the role of an inept, aging, homebody loser being played by a Japanese man is - intriguing. And Jimmy, the comic lead in White On Rice, certainly is all of the things described above - but this movie is no Step Brothers.

The opening shot of The Burning Plain is a stark one: a fully engulfed trailer in the middle of the desert, backed by rocky, dry mountains. The next scene is equally strong, as Charlize Theron awakes to gloomy surroundings, sporting a hangover and nothing else. There’s a moment where she makes it to a window, topless, in time to see a few school children notice her as they scurry off down the wet pavement. And then the next shot is...and then...followed by....

There’s an opening reception tonight for Bryan Cunningham’s Wander Lost exhibit at La Luz de Jesus Gallery starting at 8 pm. His inspiration for the art was born out of a road trip across America. He got sick of seeing gentrified towns with megastores and chain restaurants, so he got off the freeways and took forgotten roads with “mom & pop diners, picturesque motels and backyard shrines (to anonymous deities) that gave an indigenous face back to the road.”

Fig Restaurant in Santa Monica helps celebrate the Santa Monica Pier’s Centennial celebration next week with special menu items that are on a stick, on bread and in a basket. Specials include: Wagyu Corn Dogs ($9), Scotch Duck Egg ($7), Bratwurst on a Pretzel Roll ($9) and Blue Cheese Filled Buffalo Chicken ($9).

The Grammy Museum hosts bandleader and music icon Herb Alpert and singer Lani Hall tonight at 8 pm. The duo will talk about their careers, collaborative work and their new album together, Anything Goes. There will be a Q&A after the discussion, and they’ll perform a few songs. Tickets are $20; $15 for members.

Donovan Leitch’s musical The Dark Root of the Dream is a mix of glam rock, literature and theatre, and it take to Largo’s stage tonight at 8 pm. Written by Leitch and guitarist Larry Cordola, the songs center around the character Mr. E, the fictional son of poet Virginia Woolf. “After his mother commits suicide early in the boy’s life, E is raised by gypsies, going on to become an egotistical, disillusioned rock star. Subsequently, Mr. E struggles to fill the void left by his mother’s death - with drugs, music and love. Once all these fail, he is forced to confront his darkest dreams in order to survive.” Tickets are $20.

To the shock of the film community last month, LACMA announced that come October, the beloved weekend film series would discontinue due to budget constraints. That prompted some advocacy and strong words from many, including director Martin Scorsese. "It comes as no surprise to me that the public is rallying," he wrote in an open letter printed in the LA Times. "People from all over the world are speaking out, because they see this action - correctly, I think - as a serious rebuke to film within the context of the art world."

Amoeba holds its weekly Monday night series of music-related films in the courtyard of Space15Twenty. Tonight’s free screening is Trouble The Water, an award-winning look at Hurricane Katrina.Tia Lessin and Carl Deal tell the story of an aspiring rap artist and her husband who survive the storm and then take a chance for a new beginning. The DVD comes out tomorrow from Zeitgeist Films, and will be made available for early sale at the screening. The movie starts at 8 pm.

Grand Performances at California Plaza features Adaawe, a six-member international group of women - from Kenya, Morocco, Brazil and the United States - who blend drums, percussion and voices with high-octane funk, Gospel-infused lyrics and pure joy. The event is free.

If you’re old enough to remember the TV show thirtysomething, then you might be intrested in checking out the reunion for the angst-filled show tonight at 7 pm at the Paley Center. During its four seasons, the show broke new ground for the portrayal for the babyboomers forced to grow up. To commemorate the show and the release of the season 1 DVD, the Paley Center hosts the series’ cast and creative team, including creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick and actors Peter Horton and Timothy Busfield, with additional panelists to be announced. Tickets are $20 ($15 for Paley Center members).

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents “Infinite Animation: The Work of Adam Beckett” tonight at 8 pm at the Linwood Dunn Theater. Beckett (1950-1979) was an animator and visual effects artist whose career straddled the line between art film and the special effects industry. He worked on big budget films like Star Wars and Piranha, but he’s more remembered for his experimental art films.

The 48th Annual Sunland-Tujunga Watermelon Fest starts this afternoon at 5 pm. On tap for the fest: a watermelon carving display, watermelon eating contest, watermelon seed spitting contest, watermelon recipe contest and the royal coronation of the Watermelon Festival Queen! There’s also a food court, wine and beer garden, artisan exhibits, carnival rides, arcade games, pony rides, petting zoo and more. The festival lasts through the weekend. Admission is $1 and will enter you in a nightly prize drawing.

Laurie Sandell presents and signs her graphic novel The Impostor's Daughter: A True Memoir tonight at 7 pm at Book Soup. It’s a true story of a woman who loves and fears her larger-than-life father. But she discovers that her Dad isn’t the man he claimed to be and three decades of his lies unfold.

The movement to save the axed Film Program, chiefly its Weekend Film series and much of the museum's film-related endeavors, has been taking place swiftly where most movements do their work these days: Online. There is a Save Film @ LACMA blog, Twitter, Facebook fan page, and online petition. Now add this video to the list of efforts underway to urge the Los Angeles County Museum of Art to keep their film program alive.

There’s a free Hip Hop Get Down J.A.M. session at the Ford Amphitheater tonight at 7 pm with artists from Culture Shock LA, Crewest Gallery, Aesthetics Crew and the Scratch DJ Academy who’ll demonstrate the four elements of hip hop: breakdancing, deejaying, emceeing and graffiti art. This is a fun event for all ages, and bring a picnic to enjoy on the Ford grounds beforehand.

     

In what turned out to be an unhappy coincidence of timing, the Hollywood Outdoor Cinema presented a screening of the classic 1986 teen flick about love, class consciousness and the prom, Pretty in Pink. The film's screenwriter, Johh Hughes, died suddenly last Thursday in NYC at 59, which has prompted a wave of cinematic nostalgia, many of whom made their way to the parking lot of the empty Circuit City on Sunset Blvd. in Silver Lake this weekend to attend the screening.

Councilman Greig Smith hosts a movie night tonight -- National Night Out -- with free hot dogs, popcorn and "Kung Fu Panda" tonight at Northridge Park. The dogs come courtesy of CPAB and LAPD and will be served at 6:30 pm. The movie starts at nightfall. There will also be free popcorn until 9 pm, free drawings for prizes, face-painting for kids, booths with public safety information, LAPD mounted police and underwater diving units, games, activities, and more. For more information, call Councilman Smith's office at 818.756.8501 or visit his website.

Stacy O’Brien was working as a biologist at Caltech when an injured baby barn owl was brought in. The little owl would never be strong enough to survive in the wild alone, so O’Brien takes the owl in, giving her an opportunity to study the animal in-depth. But Wesley the owl teaches the biologist a few things about life and living, too. O’Brien discusses and signs Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl at Vroman’s in Pasadena tonight at 7 pm.

A year ago, the LA Times was predicting a major comeback of sorts for Westwood, the Los Angeles neighborhood most associated with UCLA. But if the comeback is to involve classic movie houses, the comeback looks grim. This week the Mann Festival closed down, and preservationists are on standby, prepared to battle the possible loss of the Mann's Village and Bruin, according to the Times.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced yesterday that after four decades, they were ending their much-loved weekend film series, but hopes to reassure fans and patrons that they aren't abandoning film altogether, reports the LA Times.