The 10 best movies to see in L.A. this month
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We expect scary every October, but our local movie scene has really outdone itself this year, showcasing horror classics, cult faves and offbeat obsessions — and even an appearance by an Italian legend.
These screenings feature special guests, archival prints and other surprises. Consider our guide a handy catch-all of the best special screenings of the month, mostly reserved for older films with one slot devoted this time to a new release (a future all-timer) playing on a rare format.
Whatever plans may be, change them for the following 10 events.
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Showing Places
'All the President’s Men' (Vidiots, Oct. 3)
Eagle Rock Movie Theater
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
The life and legacy of Robert Redford, who died recently at age 89, demands an ongoing consideration, so it’s exciting to see tribute screenings already happening around the city. Launching a series dedicated to “Remembering Robert Redford,” Vidiots will have a 35mm screening of one of Redford’s most essential titles, 1976’s “All the President’s Men,” directed by Alan J. Pakula. Redford was deeply involved behind the scenes in bringing the project to the screen. The movie’s combination of political savvy, cultural engagement, cinematic craft and star-powered showmanship captured his specific interests while telling the story of how two reporters (Redford, Dustin Hoffman) broke the story that led to the resignation of a sitting U.S. president. (The Egyptian will also be showing the film in 35mm on Nov. 1.)
“All the Presidents Men” is playing Oct. 2 at Vidiots. Tickets here.
“All the Presidents Men” is playing Oct. 2 at Vidiots. Tickets here.
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‘Paranormal Activity’ (Academy Museum, Oct. 8)
Miracle Mile Museum
(Paramount Pictures / AP)
It’s still a horror movie you take home with you — one that’s already waiting there, especially if you ever find yourself unable to sleep at 3 a.m. Much like “The Blair Witch Project” before it, Oren Peli’s 2007 low-budget thriller found its way to a huge audience via creative means, becoming the dream scenario of any filmmaker making a cheap movie in a single location over a ridiculously short time. This screening will be accompanied by a conversation with Tamar Teifeld, a marketing specialist at Paramount, who will discuss how the phenomenon’s myth was brewed. Consider it a how-to.
“Paranormal Activity” is playing Oct. 8 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
“Paranormal Activity” is playing Oct. 8 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
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'They Live' / 'Josie and the Pussycats' (New Beverly, Oct. 10, 11, 12)
Fairfax Movie Theater
(Sunset Boulevard / Corbis via Getty Images)
Though on first glance this pairing seems an unlikely double bill, the fine folks at the New Beverly know what they’re doing, and this will make for an evening of subliminal messages and energizing subversion. Directed by John Carpenter (who also wrote the screenplay under a pseudonym), 1988’s “They Live” comes on like an alien invasion B-movie about a drifter (wrestler-turned-actor Roddy Piper) who becomes part of the resistance, but reveals itself to be an angry rebuke of Reagan-era greed. 2001’s “Josie and the Pussycats,” written and directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont, is an uproarious satire of pop culture consumerism as a small-time rock band (Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid and Rosario Dawson) come to realize the true aims of the record company that shoots them to stardom. (Parker Posey and Alan Cumming are camp delights as nefarious executives.) Though both movies are very much of their respective moments, they sadly still have a lot to say about our current one.
“They Live” is playing with “Josie and the Pussycats” on Oct. 10, 11 and 12 at the New Beverly. Tickets here.
“They Live” is playing with “Josie and the Pussycats” on Oct. 10, 11 and 12 at the New Beverly. Tickets here.
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‘One Battle After Another’ (Vista Theatre, now through Oct. 15)
Los Feliz Movie Theater
(Warner Bros. Pictures)
An explosion of revolutionary fervor and deep compassion for a generation that’s just now awakening, Paul Thomas Anderson’s movie is that good, even better than you’re hearing. The way to see it is any method that makes sense for you — though if you really want to get the full impact, make a trip to the Vista, where the movie is being projected in VistaVision, a special frame format that only a handful of theaters in America can accommodate. The result is a noticeably richer experience that may turn you on to the top-level glories of the theatrical experience. You can thank us later.
“One Battle After Another” is now at the Vista through Oct. 15. Tickets here.
“One Battle After Another” is now at the Vista through Oct. 15. Tickets here.
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'Three Days of the Condor' (Aero, Oct. 16)
Santa Monica Movie Theater
(Paramount Pictures)
Playing as part of the American Cinematheque’s Redford tribute series is 1975’s “Three Days of the Condor,” directed by the star’s regular collaborator Sydney Pollack. Redford plays a CIA employee whose job is to read books for possible coded messages. When he uncovers a plot involving the “Company” itself, his colleagues are all murdered and he must go into hiding. “Condor” plays as something of a twin reflection of “President’s Men,” in that where Pakula’s film ultimately believes in the power of journalism and the system’s ability to correct itself, Pollack finds only layer after layer of deception until there is no way to know who to trust or where to turn. Politics aside, Redford has rarely looked better in a film and images of his outfits from the film were widely shared as tributes after his death.
“Three Days of the Condor” is playing Oct. 16 at the Aero Theatre. Tickets here.
“Three Days of the Condor” is playing Oct. 16 at the Aero Theatre. Tickets here.
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'Jennifer’s Body' (Academy Museum, Oct. 25)
Mid-Wilshire Movie Theater
(Doane Gregory / Twentieth Century Fox)
Few recent films have had quite the reversal of reputation as Karyn Kusama’s 2009 supernatural high-school thriller, which can now clearly be seen for the wise, witty gem it has always been. Overwhelmed at the time by the cultural backlash that swarmed both its star Megan Fox (fresh from the media firestorm of the “Transformers” franchise) and screenwriter Diablo Cody, after her meteoric ascent with the Oscar-winning “Juno,” initial audiences were unprepared for a savage horror-comedy about the traumas of navigating the world as a teenage girl. The bond of two best friends (Fox, Amanda Seyfried) is put to the test when, after a ritual sacrifice goes awry, one of them becomes a possessed succubus who must feed on human flesh. Kusama’s finely modulated direction keeps all the plates of the story spinning as the film moves between being funny, scary and surprisingly tender toward its characters. A conversation with Kusama, Fox and professor Tananarive Due, who specializes in horror, should make this a special evening.
“Jennifer’s Body” is playing Oct. 25 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
“Jennifer’s Body” is playing Oct. 25 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
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‘The Love Witch’ (Academy Museum, Oct. 25)
Mid-Wilshire Museum $$
(Steve Dietl / Oscilloscope Laboratories)
When the movie came out, a little over a decade ago, it played more like a comedy — closer to the Russ Meyer Playboy era it was both accurately re-creating and, to a degree, lampooning. But today, in our witch-saturated moment filled with everything from “Wicked” to this summer’s stealth hit “Weapons,” “The Love Witch” feels downright radical. This special 35mm screening is not one to be missed: The special guest will be filmmaker Anna Biller, who wrote and directed the movie, an achievement of smart take-no-prisoners feminism and an indictment of the male gaze (though gaze you will at the riotously confident Samantha Robinson).
“The Love Witch” is playing Oct. 25 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
“The Love Witch” is playing Oct. 25 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
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'Michael Clayton' (Academy Museum, Oct. 29)
Mid-Wilshire Movie Theater
(Myles Aronowitz / Warner Bros. Pictures)
The viral yard signs that cheekily declared Tony Gilroy’s 2007 “Michael Clayton” as a “vastly underrated cinematic masterpiece” are obnoxious, but they are also correct. “Michael Clayton” is everything you could want from an adult thriller: movie-star performances, sharp dialogue, smart plotting, a sleek visual style and the good sense to keep things moving. A never-better George Clooney plays an elite New York law firm’s in-house fixer, who comes to have second thoughts about his job mopping up other people’s messes. Following the recent success of the sharp second season of “Andor” (overseen by Gilroy), the film deserves a fresh look, as it now can be seen as both a career high point and a step on the path to other things. Gilroy will appear with producer Jennifer Fox to speak about the film along with a 35mm presentation.
“Michael Clayton” is playing Oct. 29 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
“Michael Clayton” is playing Oct. 29 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
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‘Deep Red’ (Academy Museum, Oct. 30)
Mid-Wilshire Movie Theater
(Academy Museum)
Dario Argento, the maestro of voluptuously styled Italian horror, will attend this screening of his pivotal 1975 giallo thriller, which is a bit like saying the pope is coming to your local church this weekend. That’s reason enough to clear your calendar, especially if you’re looking to boost your Halloween cred. The 4K restoration will play in the Academy Museum’s huge 950-seat David Geffen Theater, in which Goblin’s ominous organ-and-prog-rock-band score will echo. Some Argento superfans prefer his saturated follow-up movie “Suspiria,” but “Deep Red” is a perfect way into what might become your next obsession: an adventure into pure cinema.
“Deep Red” is playing Oct. 30 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
“Deep Red” is playing Oct. 30 at the Academy Museum. Tickets here.
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‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ (Walt Disney Concert Hall, Oct. 31)
Downtown L.A. Live Music Venue $
(Universal Pictures / Getty Images)
An annual Halloween tradition, the Walt Disney Concert Hall becomes a place of revelry for fans of silent cinema (definitely show up in costume). This year’s movie is Universal’s 1923 Lon Chaney classic, but the main attraction is — and always will be — organist Clark Wilson, sitting at the hall’s enormous pipe instrument and performing his own score to the film live. Many of Hollywood’s first superproductions were, indeed, horror — blockbusters before the term was invented. And even a century later, you can understand why: Submitting to the hush of a silent movie is its own kind of rapture. This is where spooky begins.
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is playing Oct. 31 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tickets here.
“The Hunchback of Notre Dame” is playing Oct. 31 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Tickets here.
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