Nathaniel BellFriday, Nov. 9
AFI Fest has descended upon our fair city, bringing international master filmmakers into conversation with emerging talents. Keep an eye on the World Cinema lineup, where prestige pictures such as Hirokazu Kore-eda's Shoplifters (this year's Palme d'Or winner) and László Neme's Sunset (which took a prize at Venice) keep company with two episodes of the hotly anticipated series My Brilliant Friend, which premieres here ahead of its HBO debut. The lines are long but the tickets are free. afi.com/afifest.
Ash Is Purest White; Credit: Cohen Media Group
Saturday, Nov. 10
Jia Zhangke, perhaps China's most important contemporary filmmaker, will visit the Billy Wilder Theater for a screening of his new film, Ash Is Purest White. It follows a gangster's moll (Zhao Tao) as she serves time for being complicit in a job turned deadly. Jia will do a Q&A with UCLA professor Michael Berry after the screening. It's part of the China Onscreen Biennial, in its fourth year, of which Jia is artist-in-residence. UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Sat., Nov. 10, 3 p.m.; $10. (310) 206-8013, cinema.ucla.edu.
Sad Hill Unearthed; Credit: Zapruder Pictures
To the avid film buff, there is something irresistible about a famous movie set. For some, to stand where a celebrity has stood is a transporting — perhaps even spiritual — experience. This is the central conceit of Sad Hill Unearthed, a documentary about the volunteer effort to restore the sprawling cemetery set from Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (which screens at 7:30 p.m.; Sad Hill ticket holders will be admitted free to that show pending availability). “Sad Hill” sat moldering for nearly five decades until a group of cinephiles vowed to return the land to its original splendor. Director Guillermo de Oliveira and producer Luisa Cowel will do a Q&A after the screening. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Sat., Nov. 10, 5 p.m.; $12. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com.
Platinum Blonde; Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Tuesday, Nov. 13
Jean Harlow, the original blonde bombshell, skyrocketed to fame in the early 1930s with a series of sexy roles before dying at age 26 of a cerebral edema. The underrated Frank Capra comedy Platinum Blonde finds her at her wisecracking best as an heiress who lures a reporter into a romantic web. Harlow is the star of the month at LACMA's Tuesday Matinees series, where $4 buys you a seat at the Bing Theater. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire; Tue., Nov. 10, 1 p.m.; $4. (323) 857-6000, lacma.org.
Tron; Credit: Walt Disney Studios
Thursday, Nov. 15
Disney's 1982 blockbuster Tron was a trailblazing blend of computer-generated imagery and conventional quest narrative, and a rare example of that anomalous breed: the big-budget experimental film. Laemmle brings it back into theaters for a day as part of its Throwback Thursday series in partnership with Eat/See/Hear. Dress as your favorite computer program to enhance the experience. Laemmle NoHo, 5420 Lankershim Blvd., North Hollywood; Thu., Nov. 15, 7:30 p.m.; $12. (310) 478-3836, laemmle.com.
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