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Where To See Christmas Movies On The Big Screen In Los Angeles
Christmas is around the corner, which means it's time to catch the holiday classics on the big screen (as well as a few... oddities). Here are some of our favorite movie theaters across Los Angeles to bring/avoid the family this month.
70 Years of 'It's A Wonderful Life'
The Frank Capra classic has become the de facto Christmas Movie of America, and this year it celebrates its seventh decade of making everyone cry. The American Cinematheque will have four screenings of it this month (two each at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood and the Aero Theatre in Santa Moncia). And the Echo Park Film Center will be doing their annual free screening on December 17 (with cake!). Also, Cinefamily has a week-long run of the movie on 35mm, with more screenings TBA.
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'Die Hard,' Of Course
If It's A Wonderful Life is the canonized classic, then Die Hard has become the hip choice in the last twenty years as the best Christmas movie. At the very least, it's the best Los Angeles Christmas movie. Anyway, it'll be playing around town: in a pairing with Lethal Weapon on December 23 at the Aero, at the Arclight Hollywood on December 12, and on 35mm at The New Beverly Cinema on Christmas Eve.
Christmas On Fairfax
Cinefamily brings a little Christmas spirit to Fairfax Avenue, home to kosher markets and Canter's. Aside from their run of It's A Wonderful Life (mentioned above), they'll be screening two Christmas animation specials (one will include a potluck), a wonderfully disreputable French Christmas comedy about suicide, and... Love Actually. We're sure Canter's will be open on Christmas, before and after the screening of It's A Wonderful Life.
Christmas With Quentin
Tarantino's New Beverly Cinema always has great programming, no matter what time of year it is. December, of course, gives it that holiday spirit. Highlights at the New Bev this month include midnight screenings of A Christmas Story on Saturdays, a rare screening of the b-movie disaster Santa Claus Conquers the Martians on Christmas Eve and a double-feature of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and Gremlins 2 on December 23. Don't miss the Christmas horror triple-feature on December 20, which will include Black Christmas, Silent Night, Deadly Night and the Black Christmas remake. Tickets for this screening go on sale this Sunday—act fast, as they always sell out. All screenings will be on 35mm, of course.
Christmas With Kubrick
Aside from their Christmas programming, the New Bev is also doing a month-long series on the great Stanley Kubrick. It continues this week with the must-be-seen-on-the-big-screen Barry Lyndon. And next week there are screenings of The Killing, Lolita and A Clockwork Orange. They close out the run by going snowbound with Jack Nicholson in The Shining. Also, over at the Egyptian Theatre, there'll be a month-long showcase of an exclusive new 70mm print of 2001: A Space Odyssey. This leads us to wonder: where's Eyes Wide Shut?
Family Favorites
Need to take the kids too? The American Cinematheque will also screen kid-friendly Christmas movies this month at both the Egyptian and Aero theaters, with Elf, White Christmas and Jack Frost hitting the big screen.
Christmas At The Old Town Music Hall
El Segundo's gem of a theater, the Old Town Music Hall, brings us their usual December programming. This includes Laurel and Hardy's Babes in Toyland, as well as the theater's annual Christmas festival, which features comedy shorts and Scrooge, a rare silent adaptation of A Christmas Carol.
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