Under normal circumstances, this time of year is the time to go to the movies as often as possible to see all the prestige Oscar bait-y stuff coming out. While things are not normal in any way this year, this week does provide you with several opportunities to watch movies and hear from the filmmakers behind them, plus a virtual road trip to the Ohio River Valley.
Arts & Culture
If you, like me, really miss going to a movie theater – especially the Alamo Drafthouse downtown (and more importantly their fried pickles and alcoholic milkshakes) – on Saturday, November 28th at 5:30 p.m. you can join the Alamo virtually for a watch party and live Q&A with the director of Zappa: a documentary “about the life and times of the brilliant and genuinely maverick musician Frank Zappa.” Zappa’s director, Alex Winter, constructed the film from more than a thousand hours of footage from Zappa’s personal vault.
Another virtual film event happening this week, on Tuesday, December 1st at 5:00 p.m., is a discussion with actors Colman Domingo, Glynn Turman, and Michael Potts about the new film adaptation of August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom presented by the California African American Museum in conjunction with its exhibition Men of Change: Power. Triumph. Truth. The film also stars the late Chadwick Boseman, and will premiere on Netflix on December 18th.
If you’re up for a double feature on Tuesday, join KCET Cinema Series’s screening of Wild Mountain Thyme on Tuesday, December 1st at 7:00p.m. followed by a Q&A with the stars Emily Blunt, Jamie Dornan, Jon Hamm, Christopher Walken, and Dearbhla Malloy, and writer/director John Patrick Shanley.
A cool movie event to attend IRL is a special screening of the 1925 silent comedy The Freshman at the Hollywood Legion Theater Drive-In on Saturday, November 28th at 5:30 p.m. A live keyboard accompaniment will be provided by Retroformat Musical Director Cliff Retallick, and an appearance will be made by Suzanne Lloyd Hayes, the granddaughter of the film’s star Harold Lloyd.
On Friday, December 4th you can catch LACMA’s screening of The New Bauhaus, a documentary “about art, vision, and perseverance in a tumultuous time.” The film follows László Moholy-Nagy, who, like many Bauhaus masters, was displaced from Nazi Germany and found refuge in the United States. The screening will be followed by a conversation with director Alysa Nahmias.
Community & History
Every year around this time, our favorite Los Angeles sightseeing tour company, Esotouric, “organizes an all-day excursion to celebrate co-owner Richard Schave’s birthday and honor the preservation people who keep local landmarks alive.” In place of their usual actual road trip this year, they’re virtually hitting the road with The United States Of Preservation: Esotouric’s Ohio River Valley Virtual Vacation Road Trip Webinar on Saturday, November 28th at 12:00 p.m. to “visit with some fascinating folks who care for historic places in the Ohio River Valley and to learn about their local landmarks.”
If you want to celebrate some real hometown heroes and get in the holiday spirit, from now through December 24th, head to Dodger Stadium for the Dodgers Holiday Festival: “a drive-through holiday experience with a light show, LED video displays, fake snow and interactive displays that honor the boys in blue.” Tickets must be purchased in advance, and cost $55.
Another way to get in the holiday spirit is through shopping, and supporting local and small businesses at the Unique Markets Holiday Pop Up at ROWDTLA Saturday, November 28th and Sunday, November 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $10, and must be purchased in advance to keep capacity at 30%.
One local small business to support this holiday season is Chevalier’s, which this week hosts three book discussions. On Tuesday, December 1st at 7:00 p.m., hear Tanya Acker, co-star of the nationally syndicated and Emmy-nominated show Hot Bench, talk about her book Make Your Case, which “demystifies civil litigation and lays out an expert’s guide to legal proceedings inside the courtroom and out, giving readers professional insider information they need to find their winin a lawsuit.” On Thursday, December 3rd at 7:00 p.m., Marla Jo Fisher, the author of the Frumpy Middle-Aged Mom column, which runs in eleven of the Southern California News Group’s newspapers, including the Orange County Register, discusses her book…aptly titled Frumpy Middle-Aged Mom. And on Friday, December 4th at 7:00 p.m., listen to director Ken Kwapis on his book But What I Really Want To Do Is Direct, which “tackles Hollywood myths through Ken’s highly entertaining experiences. It’s a rollercoaster ride fueled by brawls with the top brass, clashes over budgets, and the passion that makes it all worthwhile.”
Local Government
The Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council Sustainability Committee Meets on Tuesday, December 1st at 7:00 p.m. and on Thursday, December 3rd at 6:30 p.m., the GWNC is holding a Special Board Meeting to discuss Neighborhood Council elections. The Wilshire Center Koreatown’s Outreach Committee meets Monday, November 30th, at 6:30 p.m. and its Economic Development Committee meets Thursday, December 3rd, at 6:30 p.m. And last, but certainly not least, Mid City West’s Public Safety & Preparedness Committee meets Thursday, December 3rd at 8:00 a.m.
