Nathaniel BellThe 21st annual Arpa International Film Festival kicks off at the Egyptian Theatre with Monday Night at Seven, an intimate drama about an Iranian-American man's budding romance with a young woman from Mexico. The fest celebrates international cinema that promotes “global empathy and cross-cultural dialogue.” Opening-night festivities include a red-carpet reception at 6 p.m., the screening, a ceremony for the annual Lifetime Achievement Award (given this year to Edward James Olmos) and a post-screening reception in the courtyard. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Fri., Nov. 2, 8 p.m.; $40. (323) 466-3456, arpafilmfestival.com.
The Sin of Nora Moran; Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Saturday, Nov. 3
UCLA screens The Sin of Nora Moran, a 1933 “fallen woman” picture that employs a dizzying flashback structure to tell the story of a woman's descent into iniquity. Zita Johann (fresh from Universal's The Mummy) stars in this B-movie gem, part of the Archive's Down and Dirty in Gower Gulch series celebrating the artistic freedom of Poverty Row, the nickname given to the string of smaller studios that kept American cinemas full during the 1930s and '40s. The 65-minute film will be preceded by a Hearst Metrotone newsreel and an Ub Iwerks animated short, Balloon Land. A Q&A is scheduled with actress Cora Sue Collins. Raleigh Studios, 5300 Melrose Ave., Hollywood; Sat., Nov. 3, 7 p.m.; $10 (available online only). (310) 206-8013, cinema.ucla.edu.
The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo; Credit: City Projects
Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles (LACLA) inaugurates its annual program, Cine Nepantla, at the Vincent Price Art Museum. The free event “seeks to create a liminal, in-between space of transformation” through movie screenings and live music. Premiering tonight is The Rise and Fall of the Brown Buffalo, a biopic of Chicano lawyer-author-activist Oscar Zeta Acosta. (He was the inspiration for the Dr. Gonzo character in Hunter S. Thompson's drug-fueled memoir Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.) A post-viewing Q&A with director Phillip Rodriguez will follow. Singer-songwriter San Cha will provide live music for the event. Vincent Price Art Museum, 1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez, Monterey Park; Sat., Nov. 3, 2 p.m.; free. (323) 265-8841, lacla.org/cine_nepantla_2018.
Hell's Angels; Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Tuesday, Nov. 6
Jean Harlow is the star of the month at LACMA's Tuesday Matinees series, and Hell's Angels is first on the docket. A dazzling early talkie directed by Howard Hughes (with uncredited work by James Whale and Edmund Goulding), the film follows the fortunes of two brothers as they join the Royal Flying Corps during WWI. The dialogue is stilted (it was originally conceived as a silent) but the picture is pre-Code sexy, and the aerial sequences still astonish. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire; Tue., Nov. 6, 1 p.m.; $4. (323) 857-6000, lacma.org.
Sympathy for the Devil; Credit: ABKCO
Thursday, Nov. 8
Los Angeles Filmforum at MOCA presents the restored original cut of Jean-Luc Godard's rarely screened One Plus One. Better known under the title Sympathy for the Devil, this documentary on the Rolling Stones was tampered with significantly, provoking Godard to punch out producer Iain Quarrier upon its premiere at the National Film Theatre in London. A 4K restoration funded by ABKCO now allows us to see it the way it was originally intended, which will hopefully decrease the likelihood of physical violence. Cinematographer Tony Richmond will introduce the film. MOCA Grand Avenue, Ahmanson Theater, 250 S. Grand Ave., downtown; Thu., Nov. 8, 7 p.m.; $15. (323) 466-3456, lafilmforum.org.
Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.