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What’s Playing? From ‘Donnie Darko’ to ‘Mamma Mia,’ Here’s Your Guide To The Movies Showing At Indie Theaters Around LA
Brain Dead Studios on Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles on March 31, 2024.
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Julie Leopo
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LAist
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Another weekend, another great slate of classic movies playing around Los Angeles! Here’s your weekly guide to screenings around the city.
And one of the historic venues in this city is turning 95! We’ll be shouting out a few extra screenings from Vidiots, in the historic Eagle Theatre, to celebrate. (And don’t worry, we didn’t forget Mother’s Day!)
For the music lovers
Night on Earth — presented by musician IAN SWEET
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Brain Dead Studios
Friday May 10 @ 7 p.m.
Tickets are $28, more info here.
Synopsis: We promise that tickets for screenings at Brain Dead Studios are usually $13, but this is a special event. Doors open at 7 p.m. for a special performance from indie pop auteur IAN SWEET at 8 p.m. Her fourth album, Sucker, came out near the end of last year. Then, there’s a screening of Night on Earth starting at 9:15 p.m. That’s a Jim Jarmusch film of vignettes about taxi drivers and their passengers in five different cities on the same night. With a soundtrack by Tom Waits, and a star-studded cast (Gena Rowlands, Winona Ryder, and Giancarlo Esposito among others), the film’s a great follow-up to the vibe IAN SWEET is setting. This all-ages show is a great chance to see the full range of events Brain Dead Studios can host.
You’ll like this if … you’re a fan of Jim Jarmusch’s comedy-drama-avant garde sensibilities, you like long thoughtful car rides after a night out or you’re looking for a night of music in an unexpected venue.
For the emo kids
Donnie Darko
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The David Geffen Theater at the Academy Museum
Friday, May 10 @ 7:30 p.m.
Tickets are $10, more info here.
Synopsis: The sci-fi horror teen angst cult classic comes to one of the biggest screens in town. When troubled teen Donnie Darko (a young Jake Gyllenhaal in an incredible performance) sleepwalks and just barely misses getting crushed by an airplane engine in his bed, things start to get weird. Hallucinations, time travel, and an undercurrent of darkness in quiet suburbia ensue.
You’ll like this if … you loved Jake Gyllenhaal’s performances in Nightcrawler, or you’re into David Lynch films like Blue Velvet.
For the Cronenberg fans
Scanners
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Vidiots
Friday, May 10 @ 9:45 p.m.
Tickets are $12, more info here.
Synopsis: A big weekend for sci-fi horror! When a man with lethal telepathic abilities is abducted by a private military company, he discovers he’s not alone. Some “scanners” are trying to take over the world, and others are trying to stop them. Like a lot of Cronenberg, there’s body horror, there’s thoughts on big corporations and there’s a lot of stuff that’ll blow your mind … literally.
You’ll like this if … you’re into other Cronenberg films like The Fly, other body horror classics like The Thing or even the Raiders of the Lost Ark face-melting ending.
For movie theater lovers
Cinema Paradiso
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Vidiots
Saturday, May 11 @ 3:15 p.m.
Tickets are $12, more info here.
Synopsis: As the Eagle Theatre celebrates its 95th anniversary, why not watch a love letter to movie theaters? This Italian masterpiece celebrates the escape of a movie theater — young Salvatore spends all of his free time at a local movie theater, befriending the projectionist, Alfredo, who instills in him a love of film so deep, Salvatore eventually becomes a filmmaker himself. A film charged with revitalizing the Italian film industry, there’s no greater love letter to cinema.
You’ll like this if … you love movies about movies (La La Land, Boogie Nights, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Sunset Boulevard ) and you have a taste for coming-of-age stories and international film.
For the dancing queens
Mamma Mia!
American Cinematheque at The Aero
Sunday, May 12 @ 2 p.m.
Tickets are $8 for members, $13 for general admission, more info here.
Synopsis: Happy Mother’s Day! You can dance, you can jive, you can see a musical that’s ultimately about the love between a mother and daughter and the life they’ve built on a fabulous Greek island while navigating love! Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and more stars sing ABBA hits in this immensely charming movie musical.
You’ll like this if … you like fun. No, really.
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