The Moviegoer, July 22-28
Los Angeles Filmforum Director Fernando Llanos will be on hand for the Los Angeles premiere of his 2014 documentary Matria about his own grandfather, a larger-than-life figure who fought alongside Pancho Villa, was president of the National Charro Association, and trained fighters in Mexico during World War II after rumors of a Nazi invasion. Spielberg Theatre at the Egyptian, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Theater, (323) 466-3456; Filmforum, (323) 377-7238. July 22, 7:30 p.m. $10; $6 for students and senior citizens; free for Filmforum members.
One Sings, the Other Doesn’t New digital restoration of Agnés Varda’s 1977 “feminist musical,” which chronicles the friendship of two Frenchwomen, a free-spirited folk singer and a young mother, against the backdrop of France’s women’s rights movement. Acropolis Cinema, Downtown Independent, 251 S. Main St., Los Angeles. July 24, 8 p.m. $12.
Pioneers: First Women Filmmakers Actress Illeana Douglas hosts the first evening of very early works by female writers and directors, which kicks off with The Red Kimona, a 1925 melodrama about a young woman forced to work in a brothel, co-directed by Walter Lang and Dorothy Davenport. With short films made between 1915 and 1921 by Grace Cunard and Helen Holmes. The series continues July 28 with films by prolific silent film director Lois Weber. American Cinematheque, Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, (323) 466-3456. July 27, 7:30 p.m. $8-$12.
A Salute to Mickey and Judy America’s sweetheart Judy Garland followed up her “Wizard of Oz” success with a slate of popular teen-dream musicals with Mickey Rooney: Director Busby Berkeley’s Babes in Arms (1939), Strike Up the Band (1940) and Babes on Broadway (1941) and Girl Crazy (1943). Garland’s future husband Vincente Minnelli directed her musical sequences in “Strike Up the Band.” Great music by Rodgers and Hart, George Gershwin and others. Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo, (310) 322-2592. “Babes in Arms,” July 27, 8:15 p.m.; “Strike Up the Band,” July 28, 2:30; “Babes on Broadway,” July 28, 8:15 p.m.; “Girl Crazy” (1943), July 29, 2:30 p.m. $10; $8 for ages 62+. No credit cards.
Eat See Hear Outdoor Film Series Mel Brooks’ 1974 Blazing Saddles is a comedic send-up of the good ol’ classic American Western and the endemic racism often embedded in those films. With Richard Pryor, Gene Wilder, Madeline Kahn and Slim Pickens. Brooks plays two roles, one as a Yiddish speaking tribal chief. Autry Museum, Wells Fargo Theater, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, (323) 667-2000. Eat See Hear, Autry Museum, 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, (323) 667-2000. July 28; gates, 5:30 p.m.; movie, 8:30 p.m. $8-$21.
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