Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
279
guest is going to sneak onstage and tr y out a ne w routine.
8001 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood.
&
323/656-1336.
www.laughfactory.com. Tickets $18-$30, plus 2 drink minimum.
6
MOVIES: PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM
This being L.A., the city is saturated with megaplexes catering to high-budget, high-profile
flicks featuring the usual big-ticket lures such as Hanks, Jolie, and DiCaprio. But there are
times when those polished H ollywood-studio stories just won 't do. Below are some non-
mainstream options that play movies from bygone eras or those with an indie bent. Consult
the
L.A. Weekly
(www.laweekly.com) to see what's playing when you're in town.
Film festivals are another great way to explore the other side of contemporary movies.
In addition to the American Film Institute's yearly November fete (see the “Los Angeles-
Area Calendar of E vents,” in chapter 3), the
Film I ndependent's
Los Angeles F ilm
Festival
(
&
866/345-6337
or 310/432-1240; www.lafilmfest.com) looks at what's new
in American indies, short films, and music videos during a w eeklong event in late June.
Each July since 1982, the
Gay and Lesbian F ilm Festival
(
&
213/480-7088;
www.
outfest.org), also known as Outfest, has aimed to bring high-quality gay, lesbian, bi, and
transgender films to a wider public awareness. In 1998, the festival became Los Angeles's
largest, with more than 32,000 audience members.
Promoting moving pictures as this countr y's great art form, the
American Cinema-
theque
in H ollywood (
&
323/466-3456;
www .egyptiantheatre.com) pr esents not-
readily-seen videos and films, ranging from the wildly arty to old classics. Since relocating
to the historic and beautifully r efurbished 1923
Egyptian Theatre,
6712 H ollywood
Blvd. in Hollywood, American Cinematheque has hosted sev eral film events, including
a celebration of contemporar y flicks fr om Spain, a tribute to the
femme fatales
of film
noir, and a retrospective of the films of William Friedkin. Events highlighting a specific
individual are usually accompanied b y at least one in-theater audience Q and A session
with the honoree.
The
Leo S. Bing Theater
at the
L.A. County Museum of Art,
5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los
Angeles (
&
323/857-6010;
www.lacma.org), presents a themed film series each month.
Past subjects hav e ranged fr om 1930s blonde bombshell films to Cold War propaganda
flicks to contemporar y British satire (complete with a 3-day
Monty Python's Flying Circus
marathon).
10
Cinema at the Cemetery
If you prefer your movie settings to be slightly macabre, boy are you in luck.
Every other Saturday in the summer, the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
hosts
civilized screenings of rarely seen movie classics, which are projected against the
cemetery's massive mausoleum wall. Guests are encouraged to arrive early for a
picnic on the lush lawn while listening to DJs spin records (Grateful Dead,
mostly). A $10 donation admission is suggested, and parking is free within the
cemetery. Bring a sweater, a flashlight, and—if you're having a picnic—bring a
trash bag as well. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located at 6000 Santa Monica
Blvd., between Gower Street and Van Ness Avenue. For more information, log on
to www.cinespia.org.
