Movie Alert - 7/8/2023
Here's all the good shit I highly recommend checking out.
Welcome to my cool movie alerts
If I have your email address or phone number, odds are you have gotten weird messages from me letting you know when there is an awesome screening happening that I think you would like. There are so many repertory theaters in LA it can be hard to keep up. But the great news for you is I look at their schedules daily, obsessively, and I will let you know when the good shit is on deck.
A little bit about my expertise in film format: I was a 35mm and digital projectionist at AMC Theaters. I’ve toyed around with 35mm, medium format, and other photo cameras. I’ve worked as a camera assistant and focus puller on digital video cameras for short films. I took a workshop in 3D digital production and projection. I focused on post-WWII American film at USC when I was part of the Critical Studies film program there and was deeply into researching the different print formats emerging at that time, like Cinemascope. I am extremely passionate about different types of film prints, and sharing them with people I like.
Here’s what I’m interested in this month.
70mm Fest at Aero
One of my favorite theaters in LA is the Aero in Santa Monica, which is hosting a 70mm Fest this month filled with some amazing prints. A lot of these are movies you won’t see showing on 70mm when they’re playing around LA, so seize the moment. You can view the full schedule here.
Some highlights:
Multiple Stanley Kubricks (Spartacus and 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Multiple Paul Thomas Andersons (The Master, Licorice Pizza, Inherent Vice — unfortunately Boogie Nights already happened a few days ago)
Lawrence of Arabia
Apocalypse Now (this is Martin Scorsese’s personal print) - but you have to be an American Cinematheque member to attend that one. I'm absolutely going.
Malcolm X (which I didn’t even know was 70mm)
There are some other good movies showing as part of the Fest, including Nope and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but I see these 70mm prints around LA frequently so I wouldn’t say this is a once in a lifetime chance.
Why is 70mm special?
It is much larger than the standard 35mm film format, and before a certain point where digital sound took over, contained much more expansive 6-track stereophonic sound. It’s just a more immersive experience with a bigger and better picture, historically reserved for spectacle. (Older 70mm is also different from the larger 70mm IMAX used now by filmmakers like Christopher Nolan.) Most 70mm films are released on 35mm just because 70mm projection isn’t available widely due to cost, so if you can see something shot on 70mm in a theater that’s equipped with 70mm projection, you’re in for a real visual treat.
IB Tech Prints at the New Beverly
Over at the New Beverly, there are some neat IB Tech prints showing this month. They always do their best to get IB Tech when available, which is awesome. I’ll explain why in a moment.
More on IB Tech
IB Tech is short for Imbibition Technicolor, which is a more labor intensive and expensive dye transfer process that happens in the lab. Standard color film (whether an old print or a modern print) fades over time, but IB Tech retains most of its original color for a very long time. It was really only used for special archiving because of the cost. You can watch this video about it to see how the dye works. Unfortunately, IB Tech as a technology has essentially gone extinct — so these prints are rare and limited in quantity.
16mm? In this Economy?
I’ve never been particularly knowledgeable or interested in formats smaller than 35mm, but I’m trying to learn more. This month, the Gardena Cinema is planning to show a 16mm Bruce Willis film. My favorite little spot, Lumiere Cinema in Beverly Hills, is going to show it as well. You’ll have to get a ticket to find out what it is, but I’m sure it’ll be fun.
4K Restorations
The Los Feliz 3 will be screening a new 4K restoration of Jean-Luc Godard’s Contempt. If you’re a Godard head, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Is it okay to like digital formats?
I am kind of a snob about print vs. digital, but even I can admire a good digital 4K restoration. It typically involves scanning a 35mm negative and restoring it digitally.
When done right, it can be truly magical. In this case, Contempt was restored by Studiocanal for its 60th anniversary. According to their press release, they used the original 35mm negative and the interpositive (the negative of the original negative), as well as the 2002 reference print which was re-worked by the director of photography, Raoul Coutard. It took 220 hours to restore this print, which according to Studiocanal had significant wear and tear defects that impacted color and lighting. It’ll allow people to see the movie exactly how it was intended to be seen, and that’s beautiful to me.
As a bonus, check out the careful process that David Lynch went through for the Inland Empire 4K Restoration (yes, it was originally shot on Mini DV):
