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Stand up and cheer for TRUMBO! Under Jay Roach's direction with an Oscar-worthy script from John McNamara, and thanks to an Oscar caliber performance by Bryan Cranston, TRUMBO celebrates the 1st Amendment and the conviction of one man, with dignity, integrity, courage, bravery and intelligence. The Blacklist. Hollywood Ten. House Un-American Activities Committee. Dalton Trumbo. For many, these are just words, names. There is no historical sense of reference or context, let alone cinematic. But...
It’s a political powerhouse this week at the theater as we are treated to David Gordon Green’s “fictional” OUR BRAND IS CRISIS based on the 2002 Bolivian presidential campaign, plus a documentary that strikes a chord on a global scale, INDIA’S DAUGHTER. A documentary from Leslee Udwin (now an advisor to the United Nations Human Rights Commission on the “Equality Studies Global Initiative” and recipient of the 2015 Anna Lindh Human Rights Award), the latter goes beyond the world shattering 20...
ROOM When Emma Donoghue’s emotional telling of the story of a boy named Jack and his Ma hit the bestseller list in 2010, Donoghue already had a screenplay in the works. Wanting to challenge herself, and feeling the emotion that leaps off the page and into one’s very soul in reading the heart wrenching, gripping and ultimately joyous tear-jerker, Donoghue was at the ready when Hollywood came calling. Initially set completely within the confines of a tiny, windowless (but for an unreachable skylig...
"Kansas City Choir Boy," with music and lyrics by Todd Almond, featuring Almond and rock icon Courtney Love, begins performances with three previews Thursday, October 15 through Saturday, October 17 at 8 p.m., and opens Sunday, October 18 at 6:30 p.m at The Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. The show, which is a special DouglasPlus event, will run through November 8. Kevin Newbury directs this operetta, an "irresistible gem" said Joe Lynch of Billboard, which tells of lovers in small town Amer...
Kentwood Players will hold open auditions for Lorraine Hansberry's classic family drama "A RAISIN IN THE SUN" on Saturday November 14 from noon to 4 pm and on Sunday, November 15 from 6 pm to 9. Callbacks, if needed, will be Monday, November 16 at 7 pm. This is a non-equity, non-paid production directed by Harold Dershimer and produced by Kathy Dershimer by special arrangement with Samuel French. Performance dates are January 8 through February 13 on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at...
Center Theatre Group presents "Sandbox@CTG: An Open Conversation with Playwright Will Eno," in the rehearsal room at the Kirk Douglas Theatre for a special one-night-only DouglasPlus event on Monday, November 2 at 8 p.m. Eno, one of the most respected playwrights of his generation and a recipient of CTG's Fadiman Award for Playwriting, will be joined by Dr. Irving Biederman, USC Professor of Neurology and Psychology, to discuss and explore the subject of Eno's next play. The evening will begin...
Three finalists have been selected for Center Theatre Group's 2016 Richard E. Sherwood Award: Miwa Matreyek, Dr. Chantal Rodriguez and Kevin Williamson. Center Theatre Group recognizes and celebrates this year's finalists for their exceptional contributions to the Los Angeles theatre landscape and their potential as innovative and adventurous artists. The Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City is part of the Center Theatre Group. Created in memory of Richard E. Sherwood, the $10,000 award provides...
You had me at Michael Almereyda. For those unfamiliar with writer/director Michael Almereyda, he is a creator who thinks outside the box. With an eclectic mix of documentaries and short films to his credit as both writer and director, as well as countless articles and criticisms for some more erudite publications, possibly his most well known works are “Hamlet” in 2000 and then last year’s stunning “Cymbeline.” Almereyda sees words and their applicability to different times, different worlds an...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter The Los Angeles Master Chorale, led by Artistic Director Grant Gershon, opened the 2015-16 season, its 52nd, on September 26 at Walt Disney Hall with “The Russian Evolution,” a program of sublime Russian choral works grand and intimate. The program also included the West Coast premiere of Sofia Gubaidulina’s seminal The Canticle of the Sun based on the nature-centric writings of St. Francis of Assisi and composed for chamber choir, percussion and virtu...
Now in the heart of “awards season”, as the cinematic cream starts to rise to the top and the wheat separates from the chaff, the annual definition of “best” becomes clearer and the race for Oscar begins. But one category of film always seems to stand alone out of the fray and limelight and is quite often overlooked by not only distributors and theatre owners, but moviegoers - foreign language films. Each year, countries from around the globe chose one film from their country to submit for Osc...
As comes as no surprise, writer/director Ramin Bahrani breaks down the door of our collective moral compass with this cat and mouse thriller of corruption versus conscience - 99 HOMES. The very title of the film is enough of a nod to the unending debate over the 99/1 percent nomenclature describing the monetary imbalance in the US today, such that if you know nothing else going into this film, you know thematics will include this economic disparity at its core. With 99 HOMES, Bahrani focuses on...
Center Theatre Group is hosting Theatre Crash Course, a free workshop series for high school students interested in learning more about directing, acting, scenic design, lighting design or costume design. Students will collectively develop design concepts and investigate scenes from "Father Comes Home from the Wars (Parts 1, 2 & 3)," which will play at the Mark Taper Forum in April. Ideas will then be presented to friends and family at the final workshop. The workshop series will take place on...
Some terrific movies to bite into this weekend at the box office. Bloody, violent, pushing the envelope in every direction, directors Eli Roth and Denis Villeneuve fascinate with strong story, spectacular imagery and in the case of Villeneuve’s SICARIO, Oscar-worthy performances starting with Emily Blunt. THE GREEN INFERNO Eli Roth returns to the director’s chair for the first time since “Hostel” and it’s not a moment too soon. As producer of the acclaimed “Aftershock”, Roth shifted focus...
It’s a powerhouse of cinema this weekend with social commentary, activism, action and an historical biopic all brought to life thanks to riveting, well-crafted and intelligent filmmaking. From the mind-blowing, blood letting mutilation and government manipulation in SICARIO to the eye-opening wonders of this beautiful world and man’s need to take responsibility for his own actions to save ourselves from extinction as eloquently shown in RACING EXTINCTION to a kick ass young adult dystopian post-...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter It was the summer of 1964 when Gary Lewis & The Playboys were discovered by producer Snuff Garret. Before long, with the producer/arranger team of Garrett and Leon Russell behind them, they took their first single, “This Diamond Ring,” straight to #1. After their second hit titled “Count Me In” went to #2, Lewis and the band proved that they would be a continued success. They followed with more Top 10 songs such as “Save Your Heart For Me,” “Everybody...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter After 50 years of hit song-making and international album sales well into the multi-millions, it’s safe to say that esteemed Canadian singer-songwriter and musician Gordon Lightfoot resides with some very exclusive company atop the list of all-time greats. And he will be bringing his incomparable voice and greatness to the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills on October 2. The hits from his extensive song catalog he will be performing are such immortals like ...
"The Object Lesson," created and performed by Geoff Sobelle and directed by David Neumann, opened Wednesday, September 9 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Performances continue through October 4. Actor-illusionist-inventor Sobelle ("all wear bowlers" and "Elephant Room") returns to the Douglas and transforms the space into an epic storage facility of gargantuan proportion. Boxes are stacked to the ceiling and audiences are free to roam and poke through the clutter in this immersive...
The Oscar race just got real with the release of Oren Moverman’s TIME OUT OF MIND. Boasting a tour de force performance by Richard Gere that is arguably the finest of his career, and one which should potentially garner him a Best Actor nomination, and unparalleled cinematography by Bobby Bukowski, TIME OUT OF MIND should be assured not only recognition comes awards time, but secure a place in the annals of cinematic excellence. TIME OUT OF MIND is masterful. George is lost; lost to society and l...
It's Game, Set, Match for BREAK POINT! For many, the game of tennis can be as boring as watching paint dry, or a ball endlessly bounce. For others, it’s an exciting, riveting, emotionally charged sport with nuance, intelligence and skill. What that means is that making a film set in the world of tennis is pretty much going to align with one of those perceptions. In the case of BREAK POINT, it’s definitely the latter as co-writers Jeremy Sisto and Gene Hong together with director Jay Karas del...
I can’t remember the last time there was a weekend with two action films opening that had me this excited. The first, NO ESCAPE, solidifies what I first suspected back in 2001; that Owen Wilson does some of his best work when he goes “behind enemy lines”. The second, UNSULLIED, marks the directorial debut of former NFL star, Simeon Rice, and proves he is a winning force to be reckoned with both on and off the gridiron! NO ESCAPE Stepping out of their known comfort zone, with NO ESCAPE the Broth...
Kentwood Players presents Don Nigro’s comedic murder mystery “RAVENSCROFT” from September 11 to October 17 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2pm at the Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Avenue in Westchester. The production is directed by Sheridan Cole Crawford and produced by Larry Jones by special arrangement with Samuel French. Featured in the cast are Deborah Ishida, Jennifer Marion, Jessica Marshall-Gardiner, Scot Renfro, Kati Schwartz, and Andrea Stradling. In this stylish, witty mystery-thriller, a detec...
A big summer for horror fans as the “Summer of Blumhouse” continues with SINISTER 2! Already providing us with “Insidious Chapter 3", “The Gallows” and “The Gift”, Blumhouse continues to terrorize us with genuine jump in your seat fright with SINISTER 2. And as we know from other Blumhouse banner franchises, one need not have seen the first film to appreciate and understand the sequel. However, just to bring you up to speed, 2012's “Sinister” introduced us to Bughuul, a demon of imposing physi...
Sister community Theater groups Kentwood Players and Theatre Palisades are working in tandem this summer to present all three plays in Neil Simon's Eugene Trilogy, It begins with "Brighton Beach Memoirs" by Kentwood Players from July 10 through August 15, the just added staged readings of "Biloxi Blues" at Theatre Palisades on Saturday, August 29 at 8 pm and by Kentwood Players on Sunday, August 30 at 7pm, and ending with "Broadway Bound" at Theatre Palisades from September 4 through October 11...
“The Object Lesson,” written and performed by Geoff Sobelle and directed by David Neumann, opens the Center Theatre Group’s 12th season at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Previews for the West Coast premiere begin September 4 and the opening is set for September 9. Performances continue through October 4. Actor-illusionist-inventor Sobelle (“all wear bowlers” and “Elephant Room”) returns to the Douglas and transforms the space into an epic storage facility of gargantuan proportion. Boxes are stacked to the ceiling and audiences are...
With the big summer blockbusters behind us, now is the time to sit back and take a look at some little gems you might ordinarily miss in your movie-going adventures. The past few weeks, I’ve shared some engaging and insightful “Must See” documentaries with you as well as a variety of narrative and animated features. This week I continue that path with a look at the inspiring and visually arresting documentary MERU and a lovely little indie which premiered at Los Angeles Film Festival now makin...
