SoCal classic movies, Sept. 11-18: ‘Blazing Saddles,’ ‘Basquiat,’ ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ and more
SoCal classic movies, Sept. 11-18: ‘Blazing Saddles,’ ‘Basquiat,’ ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ and more
Classic films, film festivals, event screenings, restorations and revivals
Welcome to the latest edition of TV or Not TV’s curated guide to classic movies, events and revivals, film festivals and more screening in LA and OC this week. I’m Matt Cooper, former listings coordinator for the Los Angeles Times’ Calendar.
Roll ’em!
‘A Scanner Darkly’ They should have just said “no” to this one particular drug in Richard Linklater’s Rotoscope-animated 2006 adaptation of the Philip K. Dick thriller. With Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder, Woody Harrelson and Robert Downey Jr. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. 4th St., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 11. $13. thefridacinema.org
‘The Stranger and the Fog’ A lonely widow takes up with the mystery man who drifted ashore in her small coastal village in a new 4K restoration of Bahram Beyzaie’s hallucinatory 1976 fable. With Parvaneh Massoumi. In Farsi with English subtitles. Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 11-12. Also at Laemmle Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Blvd., Encino. 6:50 p.m. Wednesday-Thursday, Sept. 11-12. $7-$13. laemmle.com
‘The Last Starfighter’ An Earth-dwelling teen (Lance Guest) with top-flight arcade-game skills finds himself fighting in a battle in a galaxy far, far away in 40th anniversary screenings of Nick Castle’s 1984 sci-fi adventure tale. Laemmle NoHo 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12. Also at Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A. 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16. $16; VIP package, $100. laemmle.com
‘An American Werewolf in London’ And his hair was perfect: David Naughton plays the titular ill-fated tourist turned lycanthrope in John Landis’ effects-laden 1981 horror comedy. Jenny Agutter and Griffen Dunne also star. Presented in 35mm. Vista Theatre, 4473 Sunset Blvd., Los Feliz. 11:59 p.m. Friday-Saturday, Sept. 13-14. $13.50, $16. vistatheaterhollywood.com
‘Basquiat’ Jeffrey Wright portrays the acclaimed but ill-fated Brooklyn-born artist who rose to fame in the 1980s in a special black-and-white re-release of Julian Schnabel’s star-studded 1996 bio drama. With David Bowie, Christopher Walken, Courtney Love, et al. Laemmle NoHo 7, 5240 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood. 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Friday-next Thursday, Sept. 13-19. $10-$16. laemmle.com
‘Snakes on a Plane’ Commercial aviation and herpetology don’t mix in this just-go-with-it 2006 thriller starring Samuel L. Jackson, Kenan Thompson and Julianna Margulies. Vidiots Eagle Theatre, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Highland Park. 9:55 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. $9-$12. vidiotsfoundation.org
‘Paris, Texas’ New 40th anniversary 4k restoration of Wim Wenders and screenwriter Sam Shepard’s evocative 1984 drama starring Harry Dean Stanton, Dean Stockwell and Nastassja Kinski. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. 4th St., Santa Ana. Various days, dates and times, Sept. 13-23. $10, $13. thefridacinema.org
Also at American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14.; and American Cinematheque at the Los Feliz 3. 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 and 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 26. $10, $15. americancinematheque.com
‘Sunrise’ The film series “Hollywoodland: The Origins of the Studios” continues with three showings of F.W. Murnau’s masterful 1927 silent-era fable about love and redemption. With George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor. Presented in 35mm. Academy Museum, Ted Mann Theater, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 2 p.m. Friday, Sunday and next Wednesday, Sept. 13, 15 & 18. $5-$10. academymuseum.org
‘Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!’ A salute to Spanish auteur Pedro Almodóvar includes this saucy 1990 romp starring Antonio Banderas and Victoria Abril. In Spanish with English subtitles. Brain Dead Studios at the Silent Movie Theater, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A. 9:45 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13. $12. studios.wearebraindead.com
‘L.A. Confidential’ Guy Pearce, Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey play three of LAPD’s finest, circa 1953, in Curtis Hanson’s noir-ish 1997 crime drama based on the James Ellroy novel. Danny DeVito and Oscar winner Kim Basinger also star. Gardena Cinema, 14948 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena. 6 and 9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14. $14.64. eventbrite.com
‘La La Land in Concert’ Composer Justin Hurwitz conducts as an orchestra and jazz band perform his Oscar-winning score live-to-picture to accompany two outdoor screenings of Damien Chazelle’s 2016 romantic musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Los Angeles State Historic Park, 1245 N. Spring St., downtown L.A. Gates: 4:30 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, Sept. 14-15; movie: 7:30 p.m. $49-$195. streetfoodcinema.com
‘Pee-wee’s Big Adventure’ They stole his bike … he wants it back: The late, great Paul Reubens brought his beloved man-child character Pee-wee Hermann to the big screen in Tim Burton’s delightfully silly 1985 comedy. With E.G. Daily and Phil Hartman. Cinespia at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood. Gates, 6:15 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14; movie, 8 p.m. $27.69. cinespia.org
‘Blazing Saddles’ Cleavon Little and Gene Wilder ride once more in 50th anniversary screenings of Mel Brooks’ riotous and raunchy 1974 western spoof; Brooks, Harvey Korman, Madeline Kahn and Slim Pickens also star. Fathom Events, various theaters (see website). 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday and 7 p.m. next Wednesday, Sept. 15 & 18. $18 and up. fathomevents.com
‘Inland Empire’ Laura Dern is a long way off the 10 in David Lynch’s even more surreal than usual 2006 mystery drama about a Hollywood actress whose latest role takes her to some unexpected places. Jeremy Irons and Justin Theoux also star. Vidiots Eagle Theatre, 4884 Eagle Rock Blvd., Highland Park. 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15. $9-$12. vidiotsfoundation.org
‘Mutiny on the Bounty’ Charles Laughton is the imperious Capt. Bligh and Clark Gable the mutinous Fletcher Christian in this 1935 re-telling of a notorious incident aboard an 18th century Royal Navy merchant vessel making its way across the South Pacific. Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo. 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15. $10, $12. (310) 322-2592. oldtownmusichall.org
‘Oppenheimer’ Cillian Murphy reunited with “Batman Begins” director Christopher Nolan to portray the father of the atomic bomb in Nolan’s Oscar-winning 2023 historical drama. With Florence Pugh, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey, Jr. Presented in 70mm. Fine Arts Theatre, 8556 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15. $10. fineartstheatrebh.com
‘Casino’ The house always wins in Martin Scorsese’s violent, Vegas-set crime drama starring Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Sharon Stone. Presented in 35mm. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-next Thursday, Sept. 17-$11.25, $14.25; advance purchase recommended; limited tickets available at the door. thenewbev.com