Nathaniel BellFriday, Oct. 5
A tubercular 29-year-old Jean Vigo made one of the most beautiful films in French cinema, completing the editing process from his deathbed. Now L'Atalante, newly restored by Janus Films, will play a weeklong engagement at the Nuart. This restlessly inventive 1934 romance, about a young village girl's marriage to a barge captain, thrums with life from the very first frame and doesn't let up all the way through the final, transcendent aerial shot. Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A.; Fri., Oct. 5-Thu., Oct. 11, various showtimes; $12. (310) 473-8530, landmarktheatres.com.
Halloween; Credit: Universal Pictures
Saturday, Oct. 6
The American Cinematheque is serving up a killer triple feature on Saturday night, starting with Bob Clark's seminal 1974 slasher flick, Black Christmas. This will be followed by Halloween, John Carpenter's 1978 tour-de-force that sparked the slasher craze in America. Finally, the 2018 Halloween (a belated sequel to the original) premieres at 8 p.m., two weeks ahead of its official opening. Producer Malek Akkad will introduce, and Nick Castle (who played “The Shape,” aka Michael Myers) will be on hand for a live podcast by Shock Waves. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Sat., Oct. 6, 2:30 p.m.; $20. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com.
Sunday, Oct. 7
Ken Jacobs, one of the most crucial experimental filmmakers of the last half-century, will be in town for three events at different venues. His first appearance at LACMA's Bing Theater includes a discussion of his accumulated knowledge of stereoscopy, supported by clips from his decades-long career. Ken Jacobs: A Swim Through Space is co-presented with CalArts/REDCAT, Acropolis Cinema, L.A. Filmforum and 3-D SPACE, and coincides with LACMA's “3-D: Double Vision” exhibition. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire; Sun., Oct. 7, 1 p.m.; free with RSVP. (323) 857-6000, lacma.org.
Ken Jacobs' Nervous Magic Lantern; Credit: Ken Jacobs
Monday, Oct. 8
NYC-based multimedia artist Ken Jacobs returns to REDCAT to demonstrate his “Nervous Magic Lantern,” a homemade apparatus that submerges its spectators in a series of mesmerizing lights and shadows that flicker and dance around the room. Is it cinema? Strictly speaking, no. But it captures the excitement that led directly to the invention of film. Impossible to accurately describe, the show, titled Ken Jacobs: Metropolis Loom and The Black Maria Is Tuned Up, must be experienced in order to be believed. REDCAT, 631 W. Second St., downtown; Mon., Oct. 8, 8:30 p.m.; $12. (213) 237-2800, redcat.org.
The War Room; Credit: October Films
Tuesday, Oct. 9
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences presents a special 25th-anniversary screening of Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker's illuminating documentary The War Room. A privileged look inside an unfolding presidential campaign (Bill Clinton's, to be precise), the film still has relevant things to say about our current political system, its vagaries, triumphs, and pitfalls. Samuel Goldwyn Theater, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills; Tue., Oct. 9, 7:30 p.m.; $5. (310) 247-3000, www.oscars.org.
The Guests; Credit: Ken Jacobs
Legendary visual artist Ken Jacobs comes to the Downtown Independent for the West Coast premiere of his new film, The Guests. Working with an ancient Lumiere Brothers short as a sculptor works with clay, Jacobs crafts a 3-D experience that forces deep engagement with all facets of the film's surface and subject matter. Jacobs and his wife and collaborator, Flo Jacobs, will take part in a post-screening Q&A. Downtown Independent, 251 S. Main St., downtown; Tue., Oct. 9, 8 p.m.; $12. (323) 466-3456, lafilmforum.org.
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