The Moviegoer, Oct. 15-21
Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA at the Academy As a teenager, America Ferrera made an impressive big-screen debut in Real Women Have Curves, a 2002 coming-of-age comedy-drama set on the eastside of L.A. Ferrera’s Ana faces the usual challenges of being a teen — grappling with body-image issues and the puzzling dynamics of dating — while also dealing with issues particular to immigrant communities. Lupe Ontiveros co-stars as Ana’s strong-willed, traditional mother. Discussion to follow with Ferrera, director Patricia Cardoso, co-writer Josefina López (who wrote the play of the same name) and others. Samuel Goldwyn Theater, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Oct. 16, 7:30 p.m. $3-$5. pstlala.oscars.org
Meeting Death: Conversations with Mortality A new film series about good versus evil and the nature of mortality begins with director William Dieterle’s superb 1941 Faustian cautionary tale, The Devil and Daniel Webster. Walter Huston is wickedly good as the devilish Mr. Scratch, who, after buying the soul of a down-and-out sad-sack farmer, faces off with none other than noted orator and U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster (Edward Arnold), who must plead his case in front of a most unusual jury. Legendary film composer Bernard Herrmann won his only Academy Award for this film. Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 449-6840. Oct. 20, 5:30 p.m. Free with museum admission ($12; $9 ages 62+). www.nortonsimon.org
A Lois Smith Primer A true retrospective on this American treasure could easily run a few weeks, such is the depth of Smith’s six-plus-decade-long career. Dutch action director Jan de Bont cast the Kansas-born Smith as the scene-stealing Aunt Meg in his 1996 mega-hit Twister, screening Oct. 20 with Steven Spielberg’s 2002 futuristic sci-fi thriller Minority Report, featuring Smith as the inventor of a morally dubious technology meant to prevent future crimes. There will be a discussion with De Bont and Smith between the films. On Oct. 21, Smith stars in Marjorie Prime, released this year, as an octogenarian widow who reconnects with a holographic, and much younger version of her husband, played by Jon Hamm. It screens with her feature debut, Elia Kazan’s 1955 classic, East of Eden. Discussion with Smith between the films. American Cinematheque, Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 260-1528. “Twister and Minority Report,” Oct. 20, 7:30 p.m. “Marjorie Prime” and “East of Eden,” Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m. “Five Easy Pieces” and “Next Stop, Greenwich Village,” Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. $12; $8 for Cinematheque members. www.americancinematheque.com
Anthony Hopkins Double Feature Creepy dolls and malevolent clowns are no match for Fats, the homicidal ventriloquist’s dummy in director Richard Attenborough’s 1978 psychological thriller Magic, adapted by William Goldman from his own novel. Hopkins stars as the damaged ventriloquist. Also on the bill, Jonathan Demme’s 1991 tense and stylish horror classic, The Silence of the Lambs, propelled by the sheer terror of Hopkins’ perfectly controlled performance as the genius serial killer, Hannibal Lecter. Jodie Foster won her second Oscar as the young FBI agent whose task it is to mine Lecter for information. New Beverly, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, (323) 938-4038. Oct. 20-21, 6:30 p.m. $8. www.thenewbev.com
What is a Western? Film Series Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2009 classic There Will Be Blood, an epic morality tale about greed, ambition, guilt, and false piety, stars Daniel Day Lewis as a turn-of-the-20th century oilman. Autry Museum, Wells Fargo Theater, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, (323) 667-2000. Oct. 21, 1:30 p.m. Free with museum admission ($14; $10 for students with ID and ages 60+). Reservations recommended. theautry.org
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