Ang Lee's collaboration with Zhang Ziyi in 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' alongside top films in Los Angeles.
Hey there! I'm your trusty movie guide, Mark Olsen**. Welcome to this week's edition of our exclusive journey into the world of only fabulous flicks.
The film industry was sent stirring last weekend with President Trump declaring plans to impose a brutal 100% tariff on movies produced outside the United States. The specifics of its implementation and applicability are up in the air, leaving many questions unanswered. As one movie exec put it, "Nobody knows, and I don't suspect we will for a while. Is it on domestically funded foreign productions? Is it on foreign-funded ones? Is the tariff on film revenues or film costs, or both?"
While many disagreed that a tariff was the magical solution to Hollywood's issues related to runaway production, as the days passed, there was a shift toward hope that this could possibly ignite something optimistic.
"It's great that the president is starting to pay attention," producer Jeffrey Greenstein said. "So let's have a real conversation about it and figure out the best way to start bringing movies back."
One idea is that perhaps some type of federal tax incentive could help steer things in the right direction. In a separate piece, journalists delved into California Governor Gavin Newsom's efforts to create such a program.
"Right now, the industry is teetering," UCLA professor George Huang said. "This would go a long way in helping right the ship and putting us back on course to being the capital of the entertainment world."
'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' in Analog Glory
Tonight, the Academy Museum is hosting a 35mm screening of the timeless classic, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," with director Ang Lee and star Zhang Ziyi present for a live conversation with Academy president Janet Yang.
Released in 2000, the film still holds the badge of glory as the highest-grossing non-English-language movie of all time in the U.S. and also bagged four Oscars. Set in 19th century China, the epic kicks off with a warrior (Chow Yun-Fat) parting with his cherished sword and bestowing it upon his lover (Michelle Yeoh). Sadly, the sword gets swiped, setting them off on a quest to retrieve it.
In his original critique of the movie, Kenneth Turan raved, "Films we can categorize, that's what we're used to. Good or bad, fiascoes or masterpieces, we put them in their place, every one. What we're not used to, what we haven't had much of at all, are films that transcend categorization, that remind us - simply, powerfully, indelibly - what we go to the movies for. Ang Lee's 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' is that kind of a picture."
"A delightful one-of-a-kind martial arts romance where astounding fight sequences alternate with passionate love duets, 'Crouching Tiger' is a fusion film from top to bottom," Turan gushed. "By blending emotional sophistication to the most exhilarating kind of Hong Kong-style acrobatic action, by having classical cellist Yo-Yo Ma and premier fight choreographer Yuen Woo-ping in the same film, 'Crouching Tiger' brings a unique national cinema fully into the world spotlight."
Reporter Scarlet Cheng spent time on the film set during its shooting in China, capturing the action as Chow was prepped to perform one of the movie's dazzling wire-work stunts. Action choreographer Yuen Woo-ping explained the reason behind performing the stunts for real instead of relying on computer assistance, saying, "It never looks quite right. It still requires people doing it."
Ted Kotcheff's Living Legacy
The American Cinematheque is honoring versatile genre director Ted Kotcheff, who recently bid adieu at the age of 94.
Though "First Blood," the film that catapulted Sylvester Stallone's John Rambo character into stardom, has already been screened in the series, there are still some gems in store. Tonight and tomorrow, the Los Feliz 3 will screen 35mm showings of the riotous comedy from 1989, "Weekend at Bernie's," starring Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy as two salesmen who stumble upon an invitation to Bernie's luxurious abode following the death of their shady boss. In an attempt to maintain the party, they manipulate everyone around them into believing Bernie is still very much alive. (Kotcheff makes a cameo as the father of one of the boys.)
In his original review of the film, Kevin Thomas wrote, "It can't truly be accused of possessing even the slightest shred of subtlety, but as a broad farce it's not only cleverly sustained but frequently hilarious. What's more, a weekend among the rich, the jaded, and the corrupt is just the perfect cup of tea for an acidic social satirist like Kotcheff."
"Fun With Dick and Jane," Kotcheff's 1977 film starring George Segal and Jane Fonda as a middle-class couple who turn to crime after losing their jobs, will screen on Thursday and May 17 at the Los Feliz 3.
Sights to See
'The Magnificent Ambersons' in 35mm
On Sunday afternoon, the American Cinematheque will screen Orson Welles' classic 1942 film "The Magnificent Ambersons" in 35mm. Based on a novel by Booth Tarkington, the movie revolves around a wealthy Midwestern family witnessing their fortunes fade as time marches away. The star-studded cast includes Joseph Cotton, Dolores Costello, Anne Baxter, Tim Holt, and Agnes Moorehead.
On July 8, 1942, Edwin Schallert wrote in the paper, "Whatever Hollywood powers-that-be have in mind about the future of Mr. Orson Welles as a picture-maker, there could be no outcome more disheartening, to my way of thinking, than to let him slip away from these studios and back to the confines of the stage. 'The Magnificent Ambersons' is proof positive that he should be retained in active service. Whatever values it might lack in humanness - and I'm sure I don't know what they are - it is a splendid technical achievement - indeed, one all but justifying the re-use of the 'magnificent' of its title."
However, on Aug. 24, 1942, Norbert Lusk wrote, "Apparently there's a desire on the part of some to hail Mr. Welles as the savior of the screen or at least one of its most brilliant trailblazers, but he refuses to come through quite. Actually, his picture is a dull, pretentious bore which, in essence, states nothing except the folly of scoffing at new inventions like the automobile, and that if one is arrogant to one's fellow man, one is bound to get his 'come-uppance.'"
'Vox Lux'
If you're in search of a reminder of the early works of Brady Corbet, with his recent "The Brutalist" having claimed three Oscars, then swing by Brain Dead Studios for a screening of his 2018 masterpiece, "Vox Lux." Natalie Portman offers a wickedly unhinged performance as a fading pop star grappling with her career while also parenting a teenager in a world increasingly marked by senseless violence.
I had a chance to chat with Corbet, Portman, actors Jude Law, Raffey Cassidy, and others for a story about the film when it was initially released.
Perhaps hinting at the loftier ambitions to come in "The Brutalist," Corbet said at the time, "And I think that we actually have to reach for bigger ideas in order to move anyone, because we're all just so accustomed to seeing the same thing over and over again. It's rare that something really shoots for the moon. And since things are so tough right now, we should really attempt to try and make stories better and be bolder."
Keep an eye out for a tribute to Corbet and his partner Mona Fastvold as part of the upcoming "Bleak Week," including another screening of "Vox Lux" on Thursday, June 5.
In Other News
'Pavements' at the Nuart
The brand-new documentary, "Pavements," is hitting screens in Los Angeles this weekend. Directed by Alex Ross Perry, the film encapsulates the essence of '90s indie rock pioneers Pavement by incorporating documentary footage of their 2022 reunion tour with a stage musical, a museum, and a biopic all crafted exclusively for the project. The result is a genuinely unique, cohesive tale that a more conventional telling of the band's story could never capture.
There will be Q&As at multiple weekend shows at the Nuart with Perry, band member Scott Kannberg, actors Jason Schwartzman, Tim Heidecker, and Logan Miller. John C. Reilly will moderate a Saturday night Q&A.
I delved into the film's unconventional approach to the rock doc. In discussing the overall strategy, Perry explained, "I wanted to make a movie from the perspective of Pavement [being] - as we say onscreen in the film - the world's most important and influential band, because that is literally true to 100,000 white Gen-X nerds. So what if the movie takes that not as a premise but as a fact? And builds a fictional world where this music has inspired these other things people build as shrines to their favorite musicians - a museum, a Broadway show, a crappy biopic? Let's just do that and presume that is the cultural footprint of Pavement."
The film caters well to longtime fans and newcomers alike. But for anyone bogged down by what's real or not in the film, band member Bob Nastanovich offers, "If it confuses people, then I'm pretty easy to contact. I can tell them what's real and what's not real."
Reviewing the flick for The Times, Scott Tobias wrote, "At a little over two hours long, 'Pavements' can feel a little like the band's notoriously misshapen 1995 opus 'Wowee Zowee,' a double album with only three sides. Yet the perfectly imperfect shape of 'Pavements' is similarly tailored to those who appreciate the band's creative unruliness. It also feels like an apt companion to Perry's last fiction feature, 2018's 'Her Smell,' which strongly alludes to the life of Hole's lead singer Courtney Love and pays off a chaotic two-hour drama with a breathtakingly lovely final act."
- Hollywood's plans for business may face a setback with the proposed 100% tariff onmovies produced outside the United States, leaving many questions unanswered.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom is working on a federal tax incentive program in an attempt to steer the industry back to its rightful place as a capital of entertainment.
- The Academy Museum is hosting a 35mm screening of the classic film, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," with director Ang Lee and star Zhang Ziyi present for a live conversation with Academy president Janet Yang.
- Ted Kotcheff, a versatile genre director who recently passed away at the age of 94, will be honored by the American Cinematheque.
- The riotous comedy "Weekend at Bernie's," starring Jonathan Silverman and Andrew McCarthy, will be screened tonight and tomorrow at the Los Feliz 3 as part of the tribute to Kotcheff.
- On Sunday afternoon, the American Cinematheque will screen Orson Welles' classic 1942 film, "The Magnificent Ambersons," in 35mm.
- Natalie Portman offers a wickedly unhinged performance in Brady Corbet's 2018 masterpiece, "Vox Lux."
- The brand-new documentary, "Pavements," directed by Alex Ross Perry, is hitting screens in Los Angeles this weekend, encapsulating the essence of '90s indie rock pioneers Pavement.
- The proposed tariff has stirred conversation about possible solutions, with some suggesting that a federal tax incentive could help steer things in the right direction for the entertainment industry.
