We’re going to take a slightly different approach to our weekly events story this week, based on items of interest from our larger Buzz calendar. First, a few quick highlights for the next three days…and then a deeper, more thematic dive into one of my own favorite event categories – film.
Weekend Highlights
Friday‘s biggest event is probably the second installment of the Natural History Museum‘s special evening series for adults, First Fridays. Running from March through June, the monthly series combines live music, lively discussion, cocktails, food, and more. This season’s theme is “From Feelings to Pheromones,” which promises to “untangle the constructs of gender, feelings and pheromones.” Tonight’s installment, starting at 5 pm, is The Nature of Gender. The program features live music from Eyedress and Na-Kel Smith, a DJ set from mini bear, a discussion on sex and gender in nature, a “sensory lounge” featuring LAVA (Los Angeles Video Artist), Femme House, Albert’s Petite Sweets, Herbalaria, and more. Finally, if you do go, please note that there is a concert tonight at the nearby Los Angeles Colisuem, so expect extra traffic and plan accordingly.
Next, from 11 a.m.-2:50 p.m. on Saturday, Hollywood Heritage holds an opening event for its spring exhibit, Meet the Stars: 100 Years of MGM Studios and the Golden Age of Hollywood. According to the museum, “The exhibit culls from the private collections of over 20 motion picture memorabilia collectors to exhibit artifacts of the Golden Age of Hollywood – many items unseen by the public for decades!” Highlights include costumes (e.g. a Judy Garland ensemble from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS), rare studio artifacts, the Jean Harlow “Farewell to Earth” painting, and much more. The opening event also includes a pastry, fruit, and coffee buffet sponsored by Bristol Farms. Tickets are $25 for the public or $16 for museum members. (And, yes, you can become a member to get the discounted price.)
Finally, Sunday‘s highlight is the second performance (the first is Saturday at 7:30 pm) of a new production of Alice and Wonderland at the Wilshire Ebell Theater. The family-friendly show, which starts at 2 pm, invites you to “travel down the rabbit hole with Alice and join her madcap adventures in this spectacular Wonderland for all ages.” Creators Brooke deRosa and Paige Lehnert say the production, in which 18 cast members play more than 30 of your favorite characters, “closely follows the original book by Lewis Carroll and features a colorful cast of characters, stunning LED backdrops, all-new musical numbers, original costumes and interactive elements.” Tickets are available here.
Focus on Film
Those who read this column regularly may have noticed that for the last few weeks we’ve been adding a list of weekend film screenings at the end of each weekend events story. As noted in those stories, not only is Los Angeles the movie capital of the world, but our very own slice of central Los Angeles offers truly world-class film viewing of all kinds. In addition to the first-run films you can find anywhere, our readership area offers classic films, foreign films, cult favorites, kiddie matinees, overlooked gems, and many, many more…every day of every week, and sometimes with in-person visits from the filmmakers.
Our local-ish film offerings come from both film-focused venues like the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures or the American Cinematheque at the newly refurbished Egyptian Theater…and from smaller venues like Quentin Tarantino’s very own New Beverly Cinema, and organizations like the the Holocaust Museum LA, the Korean Cultural Center LA, the Autry Museum of the American West, and many more that include occasional films in their wider list of topical events. And we pull them all together for you on our Larchmont Buzz calendar.
So if you haven’t been out to a movie in a while, please consider going back to a local big-screen screening sometime soon. The more we patronize our beloved bricks-and-mortar film venues, the longer we’ll be able to keep them.
Here are the movies available in our general area this weekend. And for the week to come, remember that it’s easy to find and sort through the options any time you’re in the mood for movies. Just go to our Buzz calendar and search for “film”…or click this handy-dandy link, which does the work for you.
Friday
6:30 pm – Double Feature: Five Easy Pieces & King of Marvin Gardens – New Beverly Cinema
7:00 pm – 10 Things I Hate About You – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
11:59 pm – El Topo – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
11:59 pm – Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – New Beverly Cinema
Saturday
11:00 am – Where is the Friend’s House? – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
1:30 pm – Borderline – Autry Museum of the American West
2:00 pm – The Muppets Take Manhattan – New Beverly Cinema
6:30 pm – Double Feature: Five Easy Pieces & King of Marvin Gardens – New Beverly Cinema
7 pm – Blade Runner: The Final Cut – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
7:30 – Pink Flamingos (with John Waters in person) – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
10:00 pm – Critters – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
11:59 pm – Metropolis (animated, 2001) – New Beverly Cinema
Sunday
2:00 pm – The Muppets Take Manhattan – New Beverly Cinema
3:00 pm – The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
3:00 pm – Hag in a Black Leather Jacket & Roman Candles (with John Waters in person) – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
6:30 pm – Double Feature: Five Easy Pieces & King of Marvin Gardens – New Beverly Cinema
7:00 pm – Nostalghia – American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theater
7:30 pm – A Streetcar Named Desire – Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Have a great weekend…and don’t forget to check our Buzz calendar for even more great things to do, for all ages and interests, every day of the week!
