NOTE FROM LB: Contrary to appearances, the Writers Guild of America West and Writers Guild of America East do much, much more for their members than lead them into battle with agents.
The combined Writers Guild of America sets minimum wages, administrates health and pension plans for its members (plans in which employers shoulder the heavy part of the financial load – thanks to the Guild), gives awards, throws parties, conducts seminars, holds hands, and has free screenings of contemporary films each month. Here’s what’s happening, screening-wise, in July:
From the WGAW’s Lips to Our Ears
via TVWriter™ News Service
Welcome to the Guild Screenings! Please feel free to visit your theater early, to schmooze and banter with your fellow scribes.
Summer is going full blast, and we have the big studio titles like SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME, THE LION KING, and ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD. There are acclaimed indies such as THE FAREWELL and SKIN. We also have some wonderful documentaries, MARIANNE & LEONARD: WORDS OF LOVE, MIKE WALLACE IS HERE, and JAY MYSELF. Finally, we have a special Q&A event: On Sunday, July 7, writer/director Riley Stearns will join us after his new comedy THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE. So skip the beach and visit your Guild Theater!
As always, members may bring TWO GUESTS to all regular screenings, except where noted. Seating is first come, first serve. We ask that members frequent the food and drink offerings from Homeboy Industries before the film. On weekends, we serve popcorn, beverages, salads, sandwiches, and fresh pastries. Only popcorn and water are allowed inside the theater, and patrons may not bring in outside food. Free parking is available on garage levels 4 and up. We’ll see you at the movies!
Sunday, July 7
11:00(3D) & 8:00(2D)
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame, Spider-Man must step up to take on new threats in a world that has changed forever.
Written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers
Based on the Marvel Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko
Produced by Kevin Feige, Amy Pascal
Directed by Jon Watts
Cast: Tom Holland, Samuel L. Jackson, Zendaya, Cobie Smulders, Jon Favreau, JB Smoove, Jacob Batalon, Martin Starr, Marisa Tomei, Jake Gyllenhaal
Rated PG-13, 128 minutes, Print Courtesy of Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios
Sunday, July 7
2:00
CHILD’S PLAY
A mother gives her son a toy doll for his birthday, unaware of its more sinister nature. Chucky’s back!
Screenplay by Tyler Burton Smith
Based on “Child’s Play” Screenplay by Don Mancini and John Lafia and Tom Holland; Story by Don Mancini
Produced by Seth Grahame-Smith, David Katzenberg
Directed by Lars Klevberg
Cast: Aubrey Plaza, Gabriel Bateman, Brian Tyree Henry
Rated R, 90 minutes, Print Courtesy of Orion Pictures
Sunday, July 7
5:00
THE ART OF SELF-DEFENSE
After a brutal mugging, a man takes up karate to better defend himself, but he falls under the spell of the dojo’s enigmatic leader. An audacious, offbeat comedy.
Q&A with Riley Stearns immediately following this screening.
Written and Directed by Riley Stearns
Produced by Cody Ryder, Andrew Kortschak, Stephanie Whonsetler, Walter Kortschak
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Alessandro Nivola, Imogen Poots
Rated R, 104 minutes, Print Courtesy of Bleecker Street
Saturday, July 13
11:00
MARIANNE & LEONARD: WORDS OF LOVE
A romantic look back at the relationship between the musician Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen, set against ’60s bohemia.
Produced by Nick Broomfield, Marc Hoeferlin, Shani Hinton, Kyle Gibbon
Directed by Nick Broomfield
Featuring: Leonard Cohen, Marianne Ihlen
This feature is a Documentary
Rated R, 102 minutes, Print Courtesy of Roadside Attractions
Saturday, July 13
2:00
THE MOUNTAIN
A shy young man goes to work for a maverick doctor specializing in lobotomies, in repressed 1950’s America.
Written by Rick Alverson, Dustin Guy Defa, Colm O’Leary
Produced by Sara Murphy, Ryan Zacarias, Eddy Moretti, Allison Rose Carter
Directed by Rick Alverson
Cast: Tye Sheridan, Denis Lavant, Hannah Gross, Udo Kier, Jeff Goldblum
This film is in English and French with English subtitles.
Not Rated, 106 minutes, Print Courtesy of Kino Lorber and Vice Studios
Saturday, July 13
5:00
SKIN
A young white supremacist makes the dangerous choice to leave the racist gang he joined as a teenager. With his former friends against him, he struggles to create a new non-violent life for himself. Winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the Toronto Film Festival.
Written and Directed by Guy Nattiv
Produced by Guy Nattiv, Celine Rattray, Trudie Styler, Jaime Ray Newman, Oren Moverman, Dillon D. Jordan
Cast: Jamie Bell, Danielle Macdonald, Mike Colter, Vera Farmiga
Rated R, 120 minutes, Print Courtesy of A24
Saturday, July 13
8:00
ANNABELLE COMES HOME
Demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll back to their home, placing her “safely” behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits, when Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room…
Screenplay by Gary Dauberman
Story by Gary Dauberman & James Wan
Based on Characters Created by Gary Dauberman
Produced by Peter Safran, James Wan
Directed by Gary Dauberman
Cast: McKenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga
Rated R, 106 minutes, Print Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema
Sunday, July 21
11:00(3D) & 2:00(2D)
THE LION KING
Simba, son of Mufasa, hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps. But Mufasa’s brother, Scar, betrays Mufasa and takes over the Pride Lands, forcing Simba into exile. Simba has to learn responsibility and bravery, to take back what is rightfully his.
Screenplay by Jeff Nathanson
Based on the “The Lion King” Screenplay by Irene Mecchi and Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton
Produced by Jon Favreau, Jeffrey Silver, Karen Gilchrist
Directed by Jon Favreau
Voice Cast: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver, Florence Kasumba, Eric André, Keegan-Michael Key, JD McCrary, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, James Earl Jones
FAMILY MATINEE: Members may bring up to 3 guests (ages 3 and up) to these screenings.
Rated PG, 118 minutes, Print Courtesy of Disney
Sunday, July 21
5:00
MIKE WALLACE IS HERE
A look at the career of legendary “60 Minutes” newsman Mike Wallace.
Produced by Avi Belkin, Rafael Marmor, John Battsek, Peggy Drexler, Christopher Leggett
Directed by Avi Belkin
Featuring: Mike Wallace
This feature is a Documentary
Rated PG-13, 94 minutes, Print Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Sunday, July 21
8:00
TEL AVIV ON FIRE
A witty comedy commenting on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Salam, a Palestinian living in Jerusalem, works on a popular soap opera. He gets ideas for the show from the commander at his daily check point, and his TV career takes off.
Written by Dan Kleinman and Sameh Zoabi
Produced by Amir Harel, Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto, Bernard Michaux, Patrick Quinet
Directed by Sameh Zoabi
Cast: Kais Nashif, Lubna Azabal, Yaniv Biton
This film is in Arabic and Hebrew with English subtitles.
Not Yet Rated, 100 minutes, Print Courtesy of Cohen Media Group
Friday, July 26
8:00
LIGHT OF MY LIFE
A decade after a pandemic has wiped out half the world’s population, a father struggles to protect his daughter against a man’s world.
Written and Directed by Casey Affleck
Produced by Teddy Schwartzman, Casey Affleck, John Powers Middleton
Cast: Anna Pniowsky, Casey Affleck, Tom Bower, Elisabeth Moss
Rated R, 119 minutes, Print Courtesy of Saban Films and Paramount Pictures
Saturday, July 27
11:00
JAY MYSELF
An intimate portrait of renowned photographer and artist Jay Maisel, who, after 48 years, begrudgingly sells his home — the 35,000 square?foot, 100?year?old landmark building in Manhattan known simply as “The Bank.” The film documents Jay’s monumental move, representing the end of an era in New York City.
Written by Josh Alexander
Produced by Henry Jacobson, Emma Tammi, Bette Wilkes
Directed by Stephen Wilkes
Featuring: Jay Maisel
This feature is a Documentary
Not Rated, 79 minutes, Print Courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories
Saturday, July 27
2:00
THE FAREWELL
A Chinese family discovers their grandmother has a terminal illness and decides to keep her in the dark, scheduling a fake wedding celebration so that they can all gather before she dies. Based upon a true story.
Written and Directed by Lulu Wang
Produced by Daniele Melia, Marc Turtletaub, Peter Saraf, Andrew Miano, Chris Weitz, Jane Zheng, Lulu Wang,
Anita Gou
Cast: Awkwafina, Tzi Ma, Diana Lin, Zhao Shuzhen
Rated PG, 98 minutes, Print Courtesy of A24
Saturday, July 27
5:00
OTHERHOOD
Three mothers who are long-time friends and empty nesters decide to drive to New York City to reconnect with their adult sons. In the process, they realize their sons are not the only ones whose lives need to change.
Screenplay by Mark Andrus and Cindy Chupack
Based on the Novel “Whatever Makes You Happy” by William Sutcliffe
Produced by Cathy Schulman, Jason Michael Berman
Directed by Cindy Chupack
Cast: Angela Bassett, Patricia Arquette, Felicity Huffman, Sinqua Walls, Jake Hoffman, Jake Lacy, Afton Williamson, Heidi Gardner, Frank de Julio
Rated R, 120 minutes, Print Courtesy of Netflix
Saturday, July 27
8:00
STUBER
A detective recruits his Uber driver into an unexpected night of mayhem, where the mild-mannered man desperately tries to hold onto his life and his five-star rating.
Written by Tripper Clancy
Produced by Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Directed by Michael Dowse
Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Dave Bautista, Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino,
Karen Gillan
Rated R, 105 minutes, Print Courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox
Sunday, July 28
10:30 & 5:00
ONCE UPON A TIME…IN HOLLYWOOD
In 1969 Los Angeles, a faded television actor and his stunt double strive to achieve fame and success in the film industry during the final years of Hollywood’s Golden Age.
Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino
Produced by David Heyman, Shannon McIntosh, Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Al Pacino
Not Yet Rated, 159 minutes, Print Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Sunday, July 28
2:00
THE NIGHTINGALE
In 1825, a young Irish convict woman chases a British officer through the rugged Tasmanian wilderness, bent on revenge for a terrible act of violence he committed against her family. Along the way, she enlists the services of an Aboriginal tracker, who is also marked by trauma. From Jennifer Kent, writer/director of The Babadook.
Written and Directed by Jennifer Kent
Produced by Kristina Ceyton, Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky
Cast: Aisling Franciosi, Sam Claflin, Baykali Ganambarr, Damon Herriman, Harry Greenwood, Ewen Leslie, Charlie Shotwell, Michael Sheasby, Charlie Jampijinpa Brown, Magnolia Maymuru
WARNING: THIS FILM CONTAINS EXTREMELY GRAPHIC VIOLENCE. VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED.
Rated R, 136 minutes, Print Courtesy of IFC Films
Sunday, July 28
8:30
CRAWL
A young woman, attempting to save her father during a Category 5 hurricane, finds herself fighting for her life against rising floodwaters and a pack of gigantic alligators.
Written by Michael Rasmussen & Shawn Rasmussen
Produced by Craig Flores, Sam Raimi, Alexandre Aja
Directed by Alexandre Aja
Cast: Kaya Scodelario, Barry Pepper
Rated R, 87 minutes, Print Courtesy of Paramount Pictures