A big wide world as ‘70mm Returns’
Things will get wild -- and wide -- this week with a tribute to the wide-screen epics of the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s at American Cinematheque’s Egyptian Theatre. The “Bigger Than Life: 70mm Returns” retrospective unfurls in grand style tonight with Sam Peckinpah’s seminal 1969 western “The Wild Bunch.” Friday’s blockbuster is David Lean’s 1962 multiple Oscar winner, “Lawrence of Arabia.” The screening is also a tribute to the film’s late composer, Maurice Jarre. Saturday’s double bill features the second -- and best -- in the “Mad Max” trilogy, 1981’s “The Road Warrior,” starring Mel Gibson, coupled with 1985’s underrated “Lifeforce.” Stanley Kubrick’s landmark 1968 sci-fi film “2001: A Space Odyssey” is on tap for Sunday. The festival concludes next Wednesday with Alfred Hitchcock’s deliciously erotic 1958 “Vertigo.” www.americancinematheque.com
Fresh ‘Watermelon’
The 1996 comedy “The Watermelon Woman,” the first theatrical feature directed by an African American lesbian, screens Monday at REDCAT. Cheryl Dunye, the director and star, will attend. www.redcat.org.
Before Bollywood
Treat Mom on her special day to sitar virtuoso Nishta Khan and guitarist and bandleader Jimmy Rip, who supply the live score for the recently restored 1929 silent “A Throw of the Dice,” screening Sunday at the Silent Movie Theatre. The drama was the third entry in a trilogy of silents made through a partnership between German director Franz Osten and Indian actor-producer Himansu Rai. www.silentmovietheatre.org.
Oshima, Part 2
Sometimes, when a body of work is large, it takes a while to soak it all in. That’s why the Cinematheque retrospective of Japanese filmmaker Nagisa Oshima, which began last month, kicks off its second half Friday at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Most titles for this portion have never been screened in L.A.
Kicking it off will be “Boy” and “Death by Hanging.” On tap for Saturday are two screenings of his only film in English, “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” with David Bowie and Tom Conti. The festival continues through May 23. www.lacma.org.
--
Only good movies
Get the Indie Focus newsletter, Mark Olsen's weekly guide to the world of cinema.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
