Hello! I’m Mark Olsen. (And I’m Joshua Rothkopf, adding a few more entries in Mark’s absence while he enjoys a well-earned vacation.) Welcome to another edition of your regular field guide to a world of Only Good Movies.
Today marks the Los Angeles release of “Anora,” director Sean Baker’s neo-screwball comedy, one with a secret, sad loneliness about it. Maybe you’ve seen the mysterious billboards on Sunset over Seventh Veil. (The movie’s about a stripper.) Or heard that the film won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. The only way to get the full experience is to go see the thing. You won’t feel like you wasted your time.
Reviewing for the paper, Glenn Whipp singles out actor Mikey Madison and her complex portrayal of the title character. It’s “a star-making performance, leaning into Ani’s audacity while revealing the fragile façade, the vulnerabilities and self-deception lurking underneath… You won’t root harder for another character this year.”
And Tim Grierson spoke to Baker at the historic Gardena Cinema, a location the filmmaker chose himself. “I’m interested in any single-screen or just independently owned mom-and-pop theaters,” Baker told us, happy to prowl around the aisles, the projection booth, even a small “crying room” built for unruly children whose parents can’t tear their eyes off the screen.
More offices and restaurants should have crying rooms, we say. Until then, we’ll just have to suffer the screams and shrieks of Halloween horror as one communal audience. Isn’t that the fun of it?
The best movies in L.A. for Halloween
Carlos Villarías and Lupita Tovar in the 1931 Spanish-language version of “Drácula.”
(LA Opera)
The vibrant moviegoing scene in Los Angeles really comes alive (undead?) for Halloween. From the super-spooky and the ultra-rare to kid-friendly or mega-scary, whatever vibe you are looking for can be found at one of the city’s movie theaters throughout October.
Vidiots has been leaning especially hard into the season, with a broad array of Halloween-themed movies. On Oct. 19 will be Paul Maslansky’s 1974 Blaxploitation-horror mash-up “Sugar Hill” on 35mm. Other titles between now and Oct. 31 include Kenny Ortega’s “Hocus Pocus,” Werner Herzog’s “Nosferatu,” William Castle’s “House on Haunted Hill,” Tobe Hooper’s “Poltergeist,” Takashi Miike’s “Audition” on 35mm and Rusty Cundieff’s “Tales from the Hood.”
Kathy Najimy, left, Bette Midler and Sarah Jessica Parker in the 1993 comedy “Hocus Pocus.”
(Disney)
On Halloween itself, Vidiots will show John Carpenter’s original 1978 “Halloween,” their theater in Eagle Rock being just a few miles away from where the film was shot in South Pasadena.
“It is so fun to program for Los Angeles audiences during this time of year,” said Amanda Salazar, director of programming at Vidiots, in an email. “It is a city that is built around creativity and a deep love for world-building and make-believe. Much of the inspiration comes from the city and our community’s love for the holiday.”
The American Cinematheque will be spotlighting three films by the Brazilian director José Mojica Marins, creator of the character known as Coffin Joe who went on to be known as a national boogeyman akin to Jason or Freddy in the U.S. The character first appeared in 1964’s “At Midnight I’ll Take Your Soul” and among his other appearances are in 1967’s “This Night I’ll Possess Your Corpse” and 1970’s “Awakening of the Beast.” These films have become real faves of international horror aficionados and this chance to see Marins’ work in a theater shouldn’t be missed.
The Cinematheque is also screening George Romero’s groundbreaking “Night of the Living Dead” at the Egyptian on Oct. 27, which should provide plenty of classic suspense for anyone looking to get into the Halloween spirit.
Cinematic Void at American Cinematheque will have a 35mm screening of Stephanie Rothman’s stylish and sexy 1971 “The Velvet Vampire” on Oct 21.
At Videotheque in Highland Park, there will be a showing on Oct. 30 of Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz’s “Messiah of Evil,” which has recently emerged from cult status to a wider recognition as a vital piece of ’70s independent horror. The story concerns a small town overrun by a cult.
On Oct. 26, 28 and 30, the Academy Museum will have 4K screenings of George Melford’s Spanish-language 1931 “Drácula” starring Carlos Villarías and Lupita Tovar — notoriously shot during the evenings on the same sets the Tod Browning’s version starring Bela Lugosi were using during the day. On Oct. 26, there will also be a 70th anniversary screening of Jack Arnold’s “Creature from the Black Lagoon” in 3D.
The LA Opera has commissioned a new score for Melford’s “Drácula” from two-time Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla (“Brokeback Mountain”) that will be performed along with the movie at the gothic-themed United Theater downtown on the 25th, 26th and 27th.
The LA Philharmonic will also put on a screening on Halloween of F.W. Murnau’s classic 1922 “Nosferatu” at the Walt Disney Concert Hall with a performance by Clark Wilson on the venue’s massive pipe organ. It’s a good time to refresh: Robert Eggers’ remake is due at Christmas.
Nell Tiger Free in the movie “The First Omen.”
(Moris Puccio / 20th Century Studios)
Perhaps it’s no surprise that the Vista Theater’s Video Archives Cinema Club is showing some of the biggest rarities of the season, including “From Beyond the Grave,” “The Skull” and “Twisted Nerve.”
The New Beverly will have a fantastic double bill on the 22nd, 23rd and 24th of two of the biggest horror hits of the year, with Osgood Perkins’ “Longlegs” and Arkasha Stevenson’s “The First Omen.” The retro vibes of both films should be enhanced by their presentation in 35mm.
The New Beverly will also screen “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre” on the 25th, 26th and 27th from a 35mm print that is part of the Texas Chain Saw Massacre Collection at the Academy Film Archive (just reflect on that for a moment). On the 30th and 31st, the New Beverly will screen a double bill of the underrated “Halloween III: Season of the Witch” and “Trick ’r Treat.”
Even the most dark-hearted of horror fans should find themselves beaming at all there is to go see this spooky season. As Vidiots’ Salazar put it, “Movies, especially ones that elicit such visceral reactions as scary movies, are meant to be shared together or [forgive my corniness] scared together.”
We like the way you think, Amanda.
Points of interest
The Micheaux Film Festival
Renee Montgomery in the documentary “A Radical Act: Renee Montgomery.”
(Roku)
Running from Oct. 21-27 is the Micheaux Film Festival, named after the pioneering Black independent filmmaker Oscar Micheaux, known for such films as 1920’s “Within Our Gates” and 1931’s “The Exile.”
The festival was started by filmmakers Noel Braham and Courtney L. Branch in 2018 and it has grown steadily year by year. This is the first time the event is anchored at the Culver Theater in Culver City. After last year’s attendance of 4,000 people, Braham and Branch are projecting to see 4,300-4,500 people attend this year.
In a recent interview, Braham explained the festival’s mission by saying, “We see ourselves as a cultural hub where we want to take on stories from around the world with the goal and hope of bringing together opposite and polarizing viewpoints which hopefully will lead to not only conversation and understanding but most importantly connection, which we feel is greatly lacking not just in Los Angeles but in our society as a whole.”
An image from Nida Chowdhry’s “Anxious,” playing as part of the 2024 Micheaux Film Festival.
(Micheaux Film Festival)
The festival will open with Sandrine Orabona’s documentary “A Radical Act: Renee Montgomery,” about the first WNBA player to be both a co-owner and executive of a WNBA team. Other notable titles include Lovell Holder’s “Lavender Men,” based on a short film that previously screened at the festival, in which the stage manager of a small theater daydreams about a gay love affair involving Abraham Lincoln.
Nida Chowdhry’s “Anxious” is a dark comedy about a woman grappling with her anxiety attacks. Pamela Bright-Moon’s documentary “Respect My Crown: The Rise of African American Women in California Politics” surveys the contributions over 170 years that Black women have made to the growth and leadership of the state.
The festival will close with Byron Manuel’s psychological thriller “Swoon.” Among the festival’s panel discussions and talks will be a career spotlight with writer-producer-director Penny Prentice, the showrunner of “Insecure.” Other events include an acting workshop, panels on socially impactful storytelling, entertainment law, film festival strategy, music supervision, film financing and a talkback session with Braham and Branch.
“Since our founding, we essentially started to create this space and platform specifically focusing on independent filmmakers,” said Braham. “For us, our mission and vision is very simple: Lead with help, elevate with value and close the knowledge gap between indie and industry. So we also really pride ourselves on providing tangible knowledge and educational courses to make sure that our audience and community, they’re getting insight into information and sources that otherwise they may not get access to.”