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Frank Henenlotter is the J. D. Salinger of exploitation cinema - a few game-changers and he's gone. Sure, Brain Damage (about a hallucinogenic space worm), Frankenhooker (a romantic retelling of Frankenstein with dismembered hookers) and the Basket Case series (horror-comedies starring homicidal siamese twins) may not be required reading at your local high school, but his latest, Bad Biology, is required viewing at your local Cinefamily. It's a black-humored, black-hearted love story, with an oversized genitalia, an overabundance of clitorides, and more mutant babies than a playdate with Trig Palin. And if that's not enough to get your butt in the seat, Frank himself will make a rare in-person appearance. He'll also be at Burbank's Dark Delicacies earlier in the day, in case you want two signatures before he disappears again.
In other news, some Academy says there's some films that might win some awards, or something. By day, Jeff Bridges is nominated for crash-and-burned rocker Bad Blake. By night, he's already won (our hearts) for crash-and-burned detective-of-sorts Jeff Lebowski. For your consideration, the Art Theatre features both films, and the opportunity to put yourself before the judges with bowling and a costume contest! The New Beverly features the midnight movie cum best-picture nom Inglourious Basterds, as well as last year's Austrian submission, Revanche. And, even though it has nothing to do with best-picture nom District 9, District 13: Ultimatum benefits from my trying to create buzz for a District 9 upset. It's also got lots of guys flying into other guys' faces. Never a bad thing.
Full list appears below. See you at the movies!
All Week
Creation (2009) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)
District 13: Ultimatum (2009) (Laemmle's Sunset 5)
Thursday 2/4
Eve and Josh Present: Films About Friendship (w/ filmmakers) (Echo Park Film Center)
Husbands (1970) / Gloria (1980) (New Beverly Cinema)
The In-Laws (1979) / Silver Streak (1976) (w/ director Arthur Hiller) (Aero Theatre) (Delightful Streak: A Two-Day Tribute to Arthur Hiller)
Legion (2010) (Arclight Hollywood) (Arclight Sherman Oaks) (21+ screening)
National Security (2010) (world premiere) (Egyptian Theatre) (Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival)
Night Flight Presents: A Tribute to New Wave Theatre (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (Post-Punk Junk)
The Most Dangerous Man in America (2009) (free event w/ Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith) (Melnitz Movies)
Friday 2/5
Big Bands Festival (Old Town Music Hall)
The Big Lebowski (1998) (midnight show w/ big screen bowling and costume contest) (Art Theatre of Long Beach)
Brighton Rock (1947) (Nuart Theatre)
Dead Birds (2004) (w/ Alex Turner and Simon Barrett) (Nuart Theatre) (Cine-Insomnia Midnight Movie)
Eggshells (1968) (midnight drive-in screening) (Steve Allen Theater)
Heiran (2009) (UCLA Film & Television Archive @ Hammer Museum) (20th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema)
Hotel Atlantico (2009) (USA Premiere) (Egyptian Theatre) (Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival)
Inglourious Basterds (2009) (midnight show) (New Beverly Cinema)
One Day in the Life of Andrei Arsenevich (2000) / The Sacrifice (1986) (LACMA)
The Out of Towners (1970) / Plaza Suite (1971) (w/ director Arthur Hiller) (Aero Theatre) (Delightful Streak: A Two-Day Tribute to Arthur Hiller)
Poor Pretty Eddie (1975) / The Loners (1972) (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (Cultra Video Presents: The Art of Exploitation)
Revanche (2008) / The Virgin Spring (1960) (New Beverly Cinema)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (midnight show w/ live performance) (Laemmle's Fallbrook 7)
The Third Man (1949) (Nuart Theatre)
Saturday 2/6
Bad Biology (2008) (w/ Frank Henenlotter) (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (HFS: 2009)
The Bicycle Thief (1949) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7)
Big Bands Festival (Old Town Music Hall)
The Big Lebowski (1998) (midnight show) (Art Theatre of Long Beach)
Brighton Rock (1947) (Nuart Theatre)
Cinema, Aspirins and Voltures (2005) (Egyptian Theatre) (Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival)
Daisies (1966) (Cinefamily @ Silent Movie Theatre) (Czech Your Head)
The End of Poverty? (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
Invictus (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt With Nazis (2008) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (2001) / The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) / The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) (Aero Theatre)
Meeting Andrei Tarkovsky (2008) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
The Messenger (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
No One Knows About Persian Cats (2009) (UCLA Film & Television Archive @ Hammer Museum) (20th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema)
Now Boarding (2009) (USA Premiere) (Egyptian Theatre) (Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival)
Paulista (2009) (Egyptian Theatre) (Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival)
Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' By Sapphire (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
Rethink Afghanistan (2009) (w/ Thom Hartmann, Robert Greenwald and Anand Gopal) (Downtown Independent)
Revanche (2008) / The Virgin Spring (1960) (New Beverly Cinema)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (Sins O' The Flesh Midnight Show) (Nuart Theatre)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) (Midnight Insanity Midnight Show) (Warner Grand Theatre)
Running Scared (2006) (New Beverly Cinema) (New Beverly Midnights)
The Third Man (1949) (Nuart Theatre)
A Town Called Panic (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Sunset 5) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7)
Vincere (2009) (preview screening) (LACMA)
Sunday 2/7
Asterix in Amerika (1994) (Goethe-Institut) (Kinder Kino)
The Bicycle Thief (1949) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7)
Big Bands Festival (Old Town Music Hall)
Circles of Confusion: Hollis Frampton (Part 5) (Los Angeles Filmforum) (Egyptian Theatre)
The End of Poverty? (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
Invictus (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) (Nuart Theatre)
Keeper of Promises (1962) (Egyptian Theatre) (Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival)
Killing Kasztner: The Jew Who Dealt With Nazis (2008) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
Meeting Andrei Tarkovsky (2008) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex)
The Messenger (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Monica 4-Plex) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
Moon Over Miami (1941) / Second Honeymoon (1937) (Aero Theatre)
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (1985) / A Program of Three Stooges Shorts (New Beverly Cinema)
Peeping Tom (1960) (Nuart Theatre)
Precious: Based On The Novel 'Push' By Sapphire (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Town Center 5)
A Town Called Panic (2009) (weekend morning show) (Laemmle's Sunset 5) (Laemmle's Playhouse 7)
Tradition of Killing Lovers (2004) (UCLA Film & Television Archive @ Hammer Museum) (20th Annual Celebration of Iranian Cinema)
Veronica (2009) (Egyptian Theatre) (Hollywood Brazilian Film Festival)
That's all for this week. Why the Frank Henenlotter devotion? His film titles encapsulate my life story, and I really appreciate that. You should probably fear that.
Compiled, as always, by the amazing and diligent Edward Yerke-Robins (and family!)
