State of the Art House

The Music Hall lost its soul when it was split into three TINY rooms. It is not the "last great movie palace" but a crummy triplex.

Offbeat, creative, intelligent movies are more alive than ever. Aero, Egypitan, LACMA, UCLA, Silent Movie Theater, Arclight (now with three branches), Westside Pavilion, Bay Theater Seal Beach, Warner Grand San Pedro, Alex Theater Glendale, New Beverly. There is almost too much to choose from. Granted much of this is old movies, or once a week showings, but not all of it, by any means.

And towering over all of this is the AMAZING program, almost always sold out, at the Academy's theater in Beverly Hills.

Laemelle gets what it deserves. They operate dark, dingy, dirty, outdated theaters, and as they now admit, program crap for pay. Good riddance.

This map eludes all of Los Angeles http://bit.ly/f2qsxq

Glad to see LA Weekly and others picking up our story about the Music Hall originally written about in December in Beverly Hills Patch. http://patch.com/A-cR8p Patch is writing a review of films shown at the theater, and hoping to encourage more people to come out to their local theater to see a movie. Hope it's not too little too late.

Pre-Arclight and pre-Grove, Laemmle's were the only places you could see a handful of inspiring or quirky movies - think Velvet Goldmine which you couldn't see anywhere other than Encino, Downtown or Sunset when it came out, or Waking Ned Devine which you could only see at Sunset. I saw High Fidelity at Santa Monica and most recently The Damned United at Encino.

Laemmle leveraged their 'only arthouse chain in town' for the longest time, refusing to book films that would play in a regular chain while promising to play across all their theaters if granted an exclusive. And so their welcome death - and hurry up please - is because their theaters are disgusting hovels, with sticky floors, horrible mismatched seats, sound that matches 1970's transistor radios, and presentation where you could often barely make out the picture from the scratches - 'projectionists' (I am loth to call them that) who can barely operate their machinery - resulting in the wrong aspect ratio, clumsy lens changes, and they certainly didn't clean their gear properly - hence the scratches.

The hand-wringing about the homogenization of film culture is pap, I saw Harry Brown at Landmark on the Westside and it was by far the best presentation west of Arclight and I'll see anything at Arclight.

So hurry up and die you filthy sh*thouses, and be consigned to a phony lore.

Great article, much appreciated. A few thoughts:

• I second the comments of earlier poster Michelle Haas: The Downtown Independent has a great, if not always consistent, mix of indie offerings (a personal highlight was Werner Herzog's My Son My Son What Have Ye Done, with Herr Herzog himself in attendance for Q&As after two sold-out screenings).

And if you think Los Feliz is lousy with hipsters, try living in Downtown. They're everywhere, God bless 'em.

• It would have been nice to see a mention of Downtown's late, lamented (by me) Laemmles Grande, formerly tucked away on the backside of the Marriott Hotel on Figueroa, on the other side of Bunker Hill, and a casualty of the new Regal Stadium Cinemas 14 at LA Live.

A true 4-screen hole-in-the-wall, definitely worse for the wear, a funky smell and a leaky roof (like the equally-lamented Fairfax), but with good projection and sound, "my" Laemmles offered the usual Hollywood drek, at cheaper-than-Arclight prices, and so was a great place to see a matinee of something you kinda wanted to see but didn't want to trek up to Hollywood for and/or bust your wallet on.

But even better, it was a place where the chain would book some truly adventurous art-house, docs and foreign flicks, movies that they wouldn't even TRY to put into the Sunset 5, like Mexican filmmaker Carlos Reygadas' Japon and Battle In Heaven.

• Also, where is LACMA in all of this? I mention them only because they themselves screened Reygadas' third film, the mind-blowing Silent Light, for two ill-attended screenings a couple of years ago. Classic films and themed series are all well and good, but it'd be great to see the museum pick up some of these "only in NYC"-type movies, if just for "one night only"-style screenings.

The one element missing in the overall excellent article was the role of film festivals in L.A. I'll blow my own trumpet here: Downtown Film Festival L.A. (www.dffla.com), produced by the organizers of the celebrated Silver Lake Film Festival, is dedicated to showcasing indie and foreign films, the vast majority of which would never otherwise be seen in the "Film Capital of the World." Yes, it's only once a year (Sept. 21-25, this year). However, we're beginning a monthly arthouse film series in March in downtown L.A. for "eastside" audiences - to address the very concerns raised by Karina Longworth. Stay tuned!

I am a "hipster living in Los Feliz" and have to admit the Los Feliz 3 and the Vista are incredibly convenient and affordable because I can walk to both but I drive around all week long like a lunatic checking out screenings all over town 1) because I'm motivated and love film and 2) most of all for the up-close and personal access to my favorite filmmakers and getting the chance to speak to them one-one-one or by raising my hand at a screening (I'm not afraid to be "that guy") that not even NY provides. I spend at least a month out of the year in NY and while there are many more theatres catering to the indie crowd, they don't allow for these "meet the filmmakers" events I crave. In fact, it's one of the only advantages keeping me in LA over NY!

Among the many events I've attended over the past few years include seeing legends like Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola and Mel Brooks to indie filmmakers like Werner Herzog, Harmony Korine, The Duplass Bros. and Lena Dunham to Alexander Payne and David O. Russell just this past weekend. Awards season is the best part because you get to meet/greet full panels of writers/directors/producers, etc. and then of course events hosted by the Paley Center, WGA, film fests and so on that take place throughout the year. Sidebar: The TCM Classic Film Fest was amazing.

Email lists and tweets from Cinefamily, New Bev, American Cinematheque, The Landmark and The Arclight with info on these kinds of events and cool promotions (such as DVD/product giveaways, free tickets and CDs, etc.) keep me coming back the most. The Landmark is the best about the promotions. I've won Criterion DVDs and free movie tickets just by answering a simple trivia question or replying with a blank email.

I moved to LA four years ago and used to frequent the Laemmle chain and the departed Fairfax New Regency most often, again because I love film and will drive to the nearest theatre showing a film, but they simply do not have the kind of events/incentives or comfort the competitors mentioned in this article offer to keep me as motivated to come back for.

That said, I'd REALLY appreciate not spending $15 every time I want to see a first-run film by shelling out for The Arclight or The Landmark; and actually getting to see films like Tilda Swinton's or Rabbit Hole which are impossible to seek out.

Excellent overview of challenges facing art house films in current lamentable state of independent film distribution. With some glimmers of hope on how to solve the problem. It's a given that arthouse distributors and filmmakers don't have the money to throw at marketing that the studios do. What can replace that? Social media hasn't yet panned out as the panacea. It's day might come. Meanwhile, the best thing that an individual can do is support the indie houses that do exist and buy tickets. Small, but important gesture.

Excellent overview of challenges facing art house films in current lamentable state of independent film distribution. With some glimmers of hope on how to solve the problem. It's a given that arthouse distributors and filmmakers don't have the money to throw at marketing that the studios do. What can replace that? Social media hasn't yet panned out as the panacea. It's day might come. Meanwhile, the best thing that an individual can do is support the indie houses that do exist and buy tickets. Small, but important gesture.

Generally because of its dominant industry, Los Angeles is not a smart town; though lots of intelligent people reside here. The entertainment industry promotes stupidity because, in the American ideal, the diversionary tactics of show business serves as a tool of suppression targeting the masses of disaffected citizens. Think of the industry as a deviant means of escapism, a spectacle designed to inform others in distant lands of gross stereotypes attributed to despised groups, the effects of which assist in maintaining control for the ruling elite. American music, television and motion pictures are largely a collection of expressions mostly devoted to a dumbing down of a native population widely-admired world-wide to prevent insurrection. Fine art, especially art house fare such as documentaries, meaningful films and the like have the enlightening ability to inform and potentially begin the process of thought, awakening previously dormant intellects and increasing the risk of usurpation.

If someone had half the brain and the money source they would gut the Los Feliz 3. Make it a single screen first run true art house theater. It would blow the f- up. It has one of the best, if not THE best, location for that type of business.

Great piece. A very troubling confluence of factors. I think you hit on the secret, though: making a film an event. Cinefamily is the best example of that theory paying off. Arclight and The Landmark are posh enough with amenities/lounges to feel event-y even without themes or guest appearances.

The Laemmle situation troubles me the most. The Music Hall and Sunset 5 theaters feel so lifeless when I visit. Both locations are overdue for a decor facelift to be able to compete with flashy new theaters (I know, too expensive). On top of that, their employees seem utterly depressed. Their four-walling policy may be necessary for survival, but it certainly cheapens an already downgraded experience. I hope Laemmle can find a way to bring its brand back to life. Right now it seems to be too passive and tied to tradition to survive this challenging marketplace.

Hadrian Belove notes that the hipster crowd is poor, and knows how to download. I think those are key points for all programmers to bear in mind, and probably explains some of the successes for programming at the New Bev, Cinefamily and Cinematheque. Good programmers will be aware of stuff that is scarce, hard to find in downloadable form, or will offer something unique and special in the theater-viewing experience (ie. Cinematheque's 70mm series, or cast/director-attended screenings with post QA). If the home viewing experience is getting better in terms of quality (dvd, bluray, plasma screens, surround) and selection (netflix, bit torrent, etc), then the theatrical exhibitors need to step up their game to contend.Another note: later screenings might also help get more people in the theater. Or multiple screenings per night. It doesn't help if a film screens two nights, or even all week, if it is screening at 7:30. I have trouble making any screening before 9 or 930. That may or may not be true of others.

I think the article missed a few key points in why films don't even make it to LA. A lot of it has to do with the theaters themselves. Revival theaters like the New Beverly, Egyptian and Cinefamily need to get off the underground high horse and bring new art house films to their viewing public. I'm not saying they need to flip their schedule, just be open to it on a monthly basis. I've seen so many theaters ran into the ground simply because they get obsessed with sticking to ONE style of programming. These theaters have a dedicated following. People WILL come out. The second point, being someone who used to book films, I can tell you that it's like beating a brick wall with LA. The LA theaters are just tough, way too tough for their own good. It's so hard to break through their skin and get booked. And forget the Laemmle. They will just turn you down in hopes that you'll fork over the cash yourself. They're hooked on four walling. It's like crack to them. There came a point in time where we just stopped calling them as I suspect many others did.

nit-pick: cinema, to me, is the movie-going experience. you don't watch a cinema; if you "go to a cinema", it is the theatre being referenced, not the film. thus, the story _is_ about LA cinema, but not as a "capital of cinema", but "capital of film/movies", and the rebirth of cinema.

second picked nit: using TINY FURNITURE as proof that NY beats LA is just weird - it would be similar to something like LOS ANGELES PLAYS ITSELF did well in LA and not in NY as proof of the superiority of LA's film culture. TF is a NYC film, of course it will outgross any other market's run.

i would have liked a bit more thought going into how each city fosters or develops their film-going cultures (and what thee cultures are) - what works where and why. obviously there are some suggestions in this direction, but fleshing it out seems to be what the piece is asking for.

Some European movie theaters have turned their lobbies into cafes/wine bars instead of the usual , dull, expensive concession/pop corn stand. Also: in big cities, Europeans walk, take the bus, subway, or bike to the theater. L.A.'s parking hell does nothing to help small theaters so they have to work harder to attact customers. As for TV vs. theatre: nothing compares to seeing a film on the big screen, but the endless trailers, chatty patrons, and crappy popcorn can make any moviegoing experience a pain in the ass these days. And don't even get me started on the amount of trash left behind on the floor after a screening. Just wondering: do people throw pop corn, cups and candy wrappers on the floor at home? Didn't think so.

the movies are around, if you bothered to get off your butts and look for them. and by the way, silent movie theatre does not have exclusive rights to independent and foreign cinema. they may have had cache in the past, before the deluge of hipsters decided that it was the cool place to hang for bragging rights.

sorry, but plenty of cinephiles get out and actually get to watch these movies without fanfare and bragging rights.

With 55" tv's projected to sell for under US$600 by the end of this year, it may not be long before you eulogize studio-produced film moviehouses as well. One hopes Greg L. and his ilk are looking at alternative ways to display this "art" content. An On Demand option devoted to, say, documentaries might draw $3, $4, or $5 per viewer for well-reviewed material. Maybe this can generate revenues that offset the loss of the group audience experience.

(If your spell-checker allows "preceed," you should have it fixed.)

American Cinematheque is not nearly as involved with the indie/foreign world at all. It'd be such a shame to see Laemmele's go... Great piece! We are still lacking what NYC has and in the times we are in it seems as though we'll continue to starve for these features, in the shadow of the Big Hollywood fare.

Also, what's up with the lack of ANY screenings after 10:30 pm, except for the odd Arclight big-budget suckfest and the occasional Cinefamily culty thingy? Nite Owls of LA, unite!

I've lived in LA for nearly 20 years (!) and have seen one theater after another disappear-- the Mann Westwood 4-plex, the Plaza, the Festival, the National, etc. I'm overjoyed for Hadrian at the Cinefamily and Phil and the crew at the New Beverly (no longer the frightening run-down place it once was), but the truth is that they've put their hearts and souls into their programming and their advertising; I wouldn't have known anything about DOGTOOTH if I hadn't gotten the Cinefamily's email bulletin with Hadrian basically saying "Stop The Presses!" I feel bad about the Music Hall, but that, much like the late, lamented Fairfax, is also a victim of under-promotion and nonexistent parking. There's barely anywhere to park on Wilshire (or, in the case of the Fairfax, Beverly) and forget going during the day at all if you're not willing to run out to a meter every hour. It makes going to the show all the more difficult. I'm hoping the Laemmle Theaters hold out and I'm praying for the Crest, maybe my favorite theater in LA, to stay open. These are tough times for small-scale exhibitors, but the folks at the Cinefamily, the New Bev and (to a lesser extent) the American Cinematheque have made moviegoing less of a chore and more of a fun event.

How come you didn't mention the Downtown Independent? Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance is just wrapping up a run there, to packed-out crowds. Yeah, it's small. But it's got a rich history (it's built on the site of the Toei Linda Lea using two of the late great movie house's walls) and it has the potential of being a place to go for an movie event experience. It's only a couple of blocks away from Little Tokyo so it's easy to make it a really awesome night. This place has great potential. Yeah, support your local art house movie theatre!!!

Please do not feed the hipsters!

Please move further east, Cinefamily! The cinéhipsters over at USC are eager to join the gang, but Fairfax can be a schlep.