Nathaniel BellWelcome to L.A. Weekly's Movie Guide, your look at the hottest films in Los Angeles theaters this week — from indie art-house gems and classics to popcorn-perfect blockbusters and new movies garnering buzz. Check here every week before you make your big-screen plans.
Limited/art-house
Friday, March 22
The Eyes of Orson Welles is an intelligent and absorbing example of the cine-essay that explores a hitherto underexplored aspect of the legendary filmmaker: his drawing and painting. Mark Cousins, architect of the brilliant 15-hour documentary The Story of Film: An Odyssey, was granted exclusive access to Welles' personal artwork, and he uses these rare artifacts as a point of access into their creator's mercurial psyche. The result is provocative, cerebral, political and, for anyone claiming to be a Welles fan, essential. Michael Moore is one of the executive producers. Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A.; Fri.-Thu., March 22-28, various showtimes; also Sat.-Sun., March 23-24, at Laemmle Playhouse, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; $9-$12. (310) 478-3836, laemmle.com.
Skid Row Marathon; Credit: OWLS Media
Skid Row Marathon will be released in select theaters after playing the festival circuit, where it garnered several audience awards. It's the inspiring story of Craig Mitchell, a Los Angeles criminal court judge who trained a team of marathon runners composed of addicts and ex-cons from L.A.'s notorious Skid Row. Director Mark Hayes took four years to document this narrative, and his down-and-dirty camerawork provides a refreshingly honest view of the city and its denizens. The film opens two days before the annual L.A. Marathon. Doug Blush and Gabriele Hayes produced. Gabriele and Mark Hayes, along with Mitchell and other guests, will participate in Q&As on Friday, March 22, after the 7:50 p.m. show and on Saturday, March 23, after the 3:15 p.m. show. Laemmle Playhouse, 673 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena; Fri.-Thu., March 22-28, various showtimes; $9-$12. (310) 478-3836, laemmle.com.
Sunset is the sophomore effort from Oscar-winning Hungarian director László Nemes.; Credit: Sony Pictures
Hungarian filmmaker László Nemes burst onto the international scene several years ago with Son of Saul, his harrowing 2016 Oscar winner about life and death in the Auschwitz gas chambers. His sophomore effort, Sunset, takes an equally visceral approach to the story of a young woman (newcomer Juli Jakab, who bears a striking resemblance to Emma Watson) coming into her own in Budapest in the years leading up to WWI. The narrative seems to land squarely in the wheelhouse of someone like Jane Campion, but Nemes, working with co-screenwriters Clara Royer and Matthieu Taponier (co-writer and editor, respectively, of Son of Saul), brings his own distinct style and perspective to this bracing piece of European history. Laemmle Royal, 11523 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A.; Fri.-Thu., March 22-28, various showtimes; $9-$12. (310) 478-3836, laemmle.com.
Also opening Friday, March 22: The Dirt; Dragged Across Concrete; The Eyes of Orson Welles; Hotel Mumbai; Out of the Blue; Ramen Shop; Relaxer; Skid Row Marathon; Sunset; Trading Paint; Triple Threat; Working Woman; Us
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