Based on Françoise Sagan's controversial 1954 novel, published when she was only 18 years old, the new adaptation of Bonjour Tristesse follows teenage Cécile (Lily McInerny). Her relaxing summer with her father (Claes Bang) in the south of France is upended by the arrival of the enigmatic Anne (Chloë Sevigny), her late mother's friend.First-time filmmaker Durga Chew-Bose is a writer, editor, and filmmaker living in Montreal. Prior to making Bonjour Tristesse, her film writing and interviews have focused on a range of international directors, from Abbas Kiarostami to Mia Hansen-Løve, Mike Leigh, Olivier Assayas, and many more. She is a devoted
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a special screening of one of the best loved movies of the 20th century, Jerry Zucker’s smash hit supernatural fantasy, 'Ghost.' When the movie opened in the summer of 1990, it quickly captivated audiences and eventually became the highest grossing movie of the year, earning $505 million on a budget of just $23 million. When the movie hit home video in 1991, it also became the highest grossing film in the rental market for that year. The movie was nominated for five Oscars in 1990, including Best Picture, and it won awards for Bruce Joel Rubin’s original screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg’s
Since 2022 Laemmle Theatres has been the proud host of veteran film critic Stephen Farber's popular REEL TALK WITH STEPHEN FARBER screening series at the LAEMMLE ROYAL! See a variety of outstanding films from the U.S. and around the world, including many top awards contenders. Then meet the filmmakers for provocative and revealing discussions led by Stephen.Recent guests and titles have included Josh Margolin, writer-director of THELMA; Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Tara Mallen, Kelly O’Sullivan & Alex Thompson, stars and filmmakers of GHOSTLIGHT; Eric Bana and Robert Connolly, star and writer-director of FORCE OF NATURE: THE DRY 2
Next week we'll begin a Claude Lelouch retrospective at the Royal with a week-long engagement of his 1966 double Oscar and Palme d'Or winner A Man and a Woman, newly restored by Rialto Pictures. April 26 through April 30 we'll also screen his films Les Miserables, And Now My Love, Rendezvous, Cat and Mouse, La Bonne Année, and Bolero (Les Uns et les Autres)."A tender, visually stirring film of rejuvenating love between a widow and a widower: Trintignant and Aimée share a candid romance while balancing the demands of career and parenthood. It’s a touching, realistic look at a burgeoning adult romance, with each participant encumbered by a past
Starring Oscar nominee Steve Coogan, The Penguin Lessons is a poignant dramedy inspired by a true story, set against the backdrop of Argentina’s political turmoil in 1976. Tom (Coogan), a disillusioned Englishman, arrives in Buenos Aires to teach at a prestigious boarding school, expecting an easy experience. But as the city spirals into crisis, and his students remain unteachable, Tom’s life takes an unexpected turn when he rescues an oil-slicked penguin from a nearby beach. The bird’s surprising loyalty and unique presence forces Tom to confront his own repressed past and awaken to the responsibilities of both personal and political change
Born in 1994, Louise Courvoisier grew up in the Jura region of France before studying cinema at the Cinéfabrique in Lyon. Her graduation short, Mano a Mano, won first prize at the Cinéfondation at Cannes in 2019. Vingt dieux (Holy Cow) is her first feature film, a sentimental cheese epic set in the village of her childhood. It follows 18-year-old Totone. After the tragic death of his father, he's thrust into the unexpected and very adult role of looking after his younger sister and their failing family farm. He assumes even more responsibility when he enters a cash competition for the best Comté cheese made in this western part of the French Alps
Alan Rudolph’s 'Choose Me' Special 4K Restoration Screening Tribute to Bob Laemmle with costars Keith Carradine, Lesley Ann Warren, and producer David Blocker in person April 3.Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a special 4K restoration screening of writer-director Alan Rudolph’s 1984 comedy-drama fable 'Choose Me' as a tribute to the late Bob Laemmle, owner of Laemmle Theatres, who died in January. The film screens Thursday, April 3 at the historic Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles at 7:00 P.M. Costars Keith Carradine and Lesley Ann Warren will appear in person for a Q&A, joined by producer David Blocker. Bob Laemmle was
From Bilge Eberi's recent New York Magazine piece about the new restoration of Jean-Luc Godard's A Woman is A Woman:“I don’t know whether it’s a comedy or a tragedy,” Jean-Luc Godard said about his film A Woman Is a Woman in 1961, not long before it opened. “At any rate, it’s a masterpiece.” The director, who at the time had released just one feature, was being characteristically cheeky. Later in that same interview, he admitted that the movie was an uneasy mix of influences. Shot in CinemaScope and color, it was meant to be a spectacle, “a set designer’s film,” that he had deliberately improvised and rushed. Though A Woman Is a Woman (now on the
It says a lot that the grandest French movie theaters are designed by famous architects. (Renzo Piano designed the Pathé Palace in Paris.) Over the weekend, the New York Times published a fascinating glimpse into cinema's profound place in French culture and how that strength has led to a renaissance of moviegoing. "France was one of the few countries that saw an increase in movie theater attendance last year over 2023, with more than 181 million attendees, an uptick of nearly a million. Brazil, Britain and Turkey also saw an increase."One reason is the French version of American exceptionalism: The French people believe their culture is superb
The 2025 Oscars are in the history books. It was a good night, with a funny, skilled host in Conan O'Brien and a fairly equitable distribution of statuettes for some terrific movies. It was also a good night for theatrical exhibition, better known as good, old-fashioned moviegoing. As he did during his speech accepting the Palme d'Or last year in Cannes, Anora filmmaker Sean Baker gave a passionate, trenchant speech in favor of seeing movies as filmmakers have always intended them to be seen, in theaters. After accepting the Oscar for Best Director from filmmaker (and movie theater owner) Quentin Tarantino, Baker said the following to almost 20
If you still haven't seen some of the films honored at the Academy Awards on Sunday, you can still see all of the following this week: Anora (winner for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Actress), The Brutalist (Best Actor, Score, and Cinematography), Flow (Best Animated Feature), I'm Still Here (Best International Film), and No Other Land (Best Feature Documentary). All are fantastic and, as one social media user posted after listening to Sean Baker's speech extolling the virtues of seeing movies in movie theaters, "movies just hit different at the cinema."And if you've already seen these films, check out The Fishing Place
Before The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Peter Weir's estimable career took off with his eerie, languorous 1975 drama Picnic at Hanging Rock. A milestone for the Australian film industry, it has stood the test of time, and we are thrilled to open a week of screenings this Friday at the Royal. The keepers of world cinema at Janus Films have released a new 4K restoration of Weir's 1998 director's cut. Here's film critic J. Hoberman in the New York Times:"Once upon a time in Australia: Three schoolgirls and their teacher vanish in
Our movie-loving customers have votes for their favorite films of 2024! The top ten customer-chosen films are, in order from 1 to 10: Anora Conclave The Brutalist Dune: Part Two A Complete Unknown Emilia Pérez Wicked A Real Pain Challengers The SubstanceThe lucky randomly chosen winners for free passes (soon to be mailed) are:1) Jeff W.2) Mia S.3) Riley K.Congratulations to our winners and thanks to everyone for playing!
The Oscar nominations are out and it was another excellent cinematic year. As always, some categories will be more unpredictable than others. Last year, most contestants 59.5% thought Lily Gladstone would win Best Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon, while only 29.7% correctly divined that Emma Stone would win for Poor Things. This year, Best Picture may be the most challenging category; there are at least six real possibilities. That's where you come in because it’s time for our Umpteenth Annual Laemmle Oscar Contest! If you, dear cinephile, can accurately predict how the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will vote in
For those who don't like Valentine's Day, join us for an "anti-romantic" evening with Lina Wertmuller's Swept Away. Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 50th anniversary screening of the odd-couple arthouse sensation Swept Away. Lina Wertmüller’s provocative, fable-like two-hander brings together Mariangela Melato and Giancarlo Giannini for an oft-ugly battle of the sexes (and classes) cage match with the sparkling Mediterranean for a beautiful backdrop. Not long after setting off on a yachting expedition, Milanese millionairess Raffaella (Melato) finds herself stranded on an obscure island with the boat’s deckhand
Can you name your five favorite films released last year? Enter our contest here, use our handy-dandy drop-down menus to quickly choose five, and you'll automatically be entered into a raffle to win a gift card! Also, we'll create an overall customer top ten list from all the entries. In case you need your memory jogged, Greg Laemmle composed the following:*"I'm actually kind of glad that we are only asking for everyone's five favorite films this year. Yes, we will compile all the submissions and ultimately turn it into a Laemmle Patron Top 10 list, so maybe that's a cheat. But as I sit here looking at my top films from 2024, it's actually kind of
To honor our one-of-a-kind city and its amazing communities, we're giving you the gift of FREE MOVIES! Thanks to our amazing friends at NEON, catch any film at the Monica Film Center and Royal tonight and tomorrow absolutely free. Come take a much-deserved break and experience the joy of an arthouse film. The offer only applies in-person at the theater box offices. Take the money you would have spent on tickets and donate it to fire relief.
The Inside the Arthouse duo Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge recently interviewed Vermiglio filmmaker Maura Delpero. The conversation begins with her description of the movie's inspiration -- a dream and a nighttime visitation from her late father. A prize winner at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, the Hollywood Foreign Press has nominated Vermiglio for Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe, and the Academy shortlisted it for their Best International Feature prize. We are proud to open the film this Friday at the Royal.
Keeping a holiday tradition, this year Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present the 60th anniversary of the Joan Crawford camp classic Strait-Jacket (1964) for one night only, Monday, December 30, at 7:30 PM at the historic Royal Theater in West Los Angeles.Crawford, one of the great stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, had a career revival with the huge success of the psychological horror classic 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' in 1962. Looking for new roles, she apparently couldn’t miss an opportunity for self-parody when she chose to star as an axe murderess in the latest project from independent producer-director and
An angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner’s delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic, played by Nino Castelnuovo. When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through the lilting songs of the great composer Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time.“A glorious romantic confection unlike any other in movie history.” ~ The
Based on Françoise Sagan's controversial 1954 novel, published when she was only 18 years old, the new adaptation of Bonjour Tristesse follows teenage Cécile (Lily McInerny). Her relaxing summer with her father (Claes Bang) in the south of France is upended by the arrival of the enigmatic Anne (Chloë Sevigny), her late mother's friend.First-time filmmaker Durga Chew-Bose is a writer, editor, and filmmaker living in Montreal. Prior to making Bonjour Tristesse, her film writing and interviews have focused on a range of international directors, from Abbas Kiarostami to Mia Hansen-Løve, Mike Leigh, Olivier Assayas, and many more. She is a devoted
Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a special screening of one of the best loved movies of the 20th century, Jerry Zucker’s smash hit supernatural fantasy, 'Ghost.' When the movie opened in the summer of 1990, it quickly captivated audiences and eventually became the highest grossing movie of the year, earning $505 million on a budget of just $23 million. When the movie hit home video in 1991, it also became the highest grossing film in the rental market for that year. The movie was nominated for five Oscars in 1990, including Best Picture, and it won awards for Bruce Joel Rubin’s original screenplay and Whoopi Goldberg’s
Since 2022 Laemmle Theatres has been the proud host of veteran film critic Stephen Farber's popular REEL TALK WITH STEPHEN FARBER screening series at the LAEMMLE ROYAL! See a variety of outstanding films from the U.S. and around the world, including many top awards contenders. Then meet the filmmakers for provocative and revealing discussions led by Stephen.Recent guests and titles have included Josh Margolin, writer-director of THELMA; Keith Kupferer, Katherine Mallen Kupferer, Tara Mallen, Kelly O’Sullivan & Alex Thompson, stars and filmmakers of GHOSTLIGHT; Eric Bana and Robert Connolly, star and writer-director of FORCE OF NATURE: THE DRY 2
Next week we'll begin a Claude Lelouch retrospective at the Royal with a week-long engagement of his 1966 double Oscar and Palme d'Or winner A Man and a Woman, newly restored by Rialto Pictures. April 26 through April 30 we'll also screen his films Les Miserables, And Now My Love, Rendezvous, Cat and Mouse, La Bonne Année, and Bolero (Les Uns et les Autres)."A tender, visually stirring film of rejuvenating love between a widow and a widower: Trintignant and Aimée share a candid romance while balancing the demands of career and parenthood. It’s a touching, realistic look at a burgeoning adult romance, with each participant encumbered by a past
Starring Oscar nominee Steve Coogan, The Penguin Lessons is a poignant dramedy inspired by a true story, set against the backdrop of Argentina’s political turmoil in 1976. Tom (Coogan), a disillusioned Englishman, arrives in Buenos Aires to teach at a prestigious boarding school, expecting an easy experience. But as the city spirals into crisis, and his students remain unteachable, Tom’s life takes an unexpected turn when he rescues an oil-slicked penguin from a nearby beach. The bird’s surprising loyalty and unique presence forces Tom to confront his own repressed past and awaken to the responsibilities of both personal and political change
Born in 1994, Louise Courvoisier grew up in the Jura region of France before studying cinema at the Cinéfabrique in Lyon. Her graduation short, Mano a Mano, won first prize at the Cinéfondation at Cannes in 2019. Vingt dieux (Holy Cow) is her first feature film, a sentimental cheese epic set in the village of her childhood. It follows 18-year-old Totone. After the tragic death of his father, he's thrust into the unexpected and very adult role of looking after his younger sister and their failing family farm. He assumes even more responsibility when he enters a cash competition for the best Comté cheese made in this western part of the French Alps
Alan Rudolph’s 'Choose Me' Special 4K Restoration Screening Tribute to Bob Laemmle with costars Keith Carradine, Lesley Ann Warren, and producer David Blocker in person April 3.Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a special 4K restoration screening of writer-director Alan Rudolph’s 1984 comedy-drama fable 'Choose Me' as a tribute to the late Bob Laemmle, owner of Laemmle Theatres, who died in January. The film screens Thursday, April 3 at the historic Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles at 7:00 P.M. Costars Keith Carradine and Lesley Ann Warren will appear in person for a Q&A, joined by producer David Blocker. Bob Laemmle was
From Bilge Eberi's recent New York Magazine piece about the new restoration of Jean-Luc Godard's A Woman is A Woman:“I don’t know whether it’s a comedy or a tragedy,” Jean-Luc Godard said about his film A Woman Is a Woman in 1961, not long before it opened. “At any rate, it’s a masterpiece.” The director, who at the time had released just one feature, was being characteristically cheeky. Later in that same interview, he admitted that the movie was an uneasy mix of influences. Shot in CinemaScope and color, it was meant to be a spectacle, “a set designer’s film,” that he had deliberately improvised and rushed. Though A Woman Is a Woman (now on the
The 2025 Oscars are in the history books. It was a good night, with a funny, skilled host in Conan O'Brien and a fairly equitable distribution of statuettes for some terrific movies. It was also a good night for theatrical exhibition, better known as good, old-fashioned moviegoing. As he did during his speech accepting the Palme d'Or last year in Cannes, Anora filmmaker Sean Baker gave a passionate, trenchant speech in favor of seeing movies as filmmakers have always intended them to be seen, in theaters. After accepting the Oscar for Best Director from filmmaker (and movie theater owner) Quentin Tarantino, Baker said the following to almost 20
If you still haven't seen some of the films honored at the Academy Awards on Sunday, you can still see all of the following this week: Anora (winner for Best Picture, Director, Original Screenplay, Editing, and Actress), The Brutalist (Best Actor, Score, and Cinematography), Flow (Best Animated Feature), I'm Still Here (Best International Film), and No Other Land (Best Feature Documentary). All are fantastic and, as one social media user posted after listening to Sean Baker's speech extolling the virtues of seeing movies in movie theaters, "movies just hit different at the cinema."And if you've already seen these films, check out The Fishing Place
Before The Year of Living Dangerously, Witness, The Mosquito Coast, Dead Poets Society, The Truman Show, and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, Peter Weir's estimable career took off with his eerie, languorous 1975 drama Picnic at Hanging Rock. A milestone for the Australian film industry, it has stood the test of time, and we are thrilled to open a week of screenings this Friday at the Royal. The keepers of world cinema at Janus Films have released a new 4K restoration of Weir's 1998 director's cut. Here's film critic J. Hoberman in the New York Times:"Once upon a time in Australia: Three schoolgirls and their teacher vanish in
The Oscar nominations are out and it was another excellent cinematic year. As always, some categories will be more unpredictable than others. Last year, most contestants 59.5% thought Lily Gladstone would win Best Actress for Killers of the Flower Moon, while only 29.7% correctly divined that Emma Stone would win for Poor Things. This year, Best Picture may be the most challenging category; there are at least six real possibilities. That's where you come in because it’s time for our Umpteenth Annual Laemmle Oscar Contest! If you, dear cinephile, can accurately predict how the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences will vote in
For those who don't like Valentine's Day, join us for an "anti-romantic" evening with Lina Wertmuller's Swept Away. Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present a 50th anniversary screening of the odd-couple arthouse sensation Swept Away. Lina Wertmüller’s provocative, fable-like two-hander brings together Mariangela Melato and Giancarlo Giannini for an oft-ugly battle of the sexes (and classes) cage match with the sparkling Mediterranean for a beautiful backdrop. Not long after setting off on a yachting expedition, Milanese millionairess Raffaella (Melato) finds herself stranded on an obscure island with the boat’s deckhand
To honor our one-of-a-kind city and its amazing communities, we're giving you the gift of FREE MOVIES! Thanks to our amazing friends at NEON, catch any film at the Monica Film Center and Royal tonight and tomorrow absolutely free. Come take a much-deserved break and experience the joy of an arthouse film. The offer only applies in-person at the theater box offices. Take the money you would have spent on tickets and donate it to fire relief.
The Inside the Arthouse duo Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge recently interviewed Vermiglio filmmaker Maura Delpero. The conversation begins with her description of the movie's inspiration -- a dream and a nighttime visitation from her late father. A prize winner at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, the Hollywood Foreign Press has nominated Vermiglio for Best Foreign Language Film Golden Globe, and the Academy shortlisted it for their Best International Feature prize. We are proud to open the film this Friday at the Royal.
Keeping a holiday tradition, this year Laemmle Theatres and the Anniversary Classics Series present the 60th anniversary of the Joan Crawford camp classic Strait-Jacket (1964) for one night only, Monday, December 30, at 7:30 PM at the historic Royal Theater in West Los Angeles.Crawford, one of the great stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood, had a career revival with the huge success of the psychological horror classic 'What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?' in 1962. Looking for new roles, she apparently couldn’t miss an opportunity for self-parody when she chose to star as an axe murderess in the latest project from independent producer-director and
An angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. She plays an umbrella-shop owner’s delicate daughter, glowing with first love for a handsome garage mechanic, played by Nino Castelnuovo. When the boy is shipped off to fight in Algeria, the two lovers must grow up quickly. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through the lilting songs of the great composer Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time.“A glorious romantic confection unlike any other in movie history.” ~ The