Landmark Theatres Film Club Q&A Podcast

Mindy Kaling (actor/screenwriter), Ike Barinholtz and Paul Walter Hauser (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz. Film synopsis: After almost 30 years, a groundbreaking talk-show host suspects she may soon be losing her coveted seat on late-night television unless she manages a game-changing transformation in the dramatic comedy Late Night, the first feature film from Emmy-nominated writer and producer Mindy Kaling (“The Office”). Legendary talk-show host Katherine Newbury (Oscar winner Emma Thompson) is a pioneer in her field. The only woman ever to have a long-running program on late night, she keeps her writers’ room on a short leash—and all male. But when her ratings plummet and she is accused of being a “woman who hates women,” Katherine puts gender equality on her to-do list and impulsively hires Molly Patel (Kaling), a chemical plant efficiency expert from suburban Pennsylvania, as the first and only female on her writing staff. With rumors swirling that Katherine is being replaced by a younger, hipper male host, she demands that the writers make her funny and relevant again. A lifelong fan, Molly is determined to prove she’s not just a diversity hire, but the one person who can turn her idol’s career around. Going against everything Katherine has staked her reputation on, she urges her to make the show more contemporary, authentic and personal, a move that could make Molly’s career—or send her back to the chemical plant for good. John Lithgow co-stars. Directed by Nisha Ganatra (Chutney Popcorn).

Jessie Buckley (actor/musician) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Jenelle Riley (Variety). Film synopsis: Jessie Buckley delivers a star-making performance as Rose-Lynn, a would-be country singer who dreams of leaving her rough life in Glasgow, Scotland for the bright lights of Nashville. Fresh out of a stint in prison, Rose-Lynn is a single mom with an ankle monitor, a curfew, and a concerned mother (Julie Walters), who wants her to focus more on her two children and less on her music. But when Rose-Lynn tries to hold down a housekeeping job, her boss (Sophie Okonedo) hears her singing and becomes an unlikely supporter, intent on getting her to Nashville despite the long odds. Caught between hope and responsibility, Rose-Lynn must find her place without abandoning her raw talent and grand ambitions.

Taron Egerton (actor) and Dexter Fletcher (director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Jenelle Riley (Variety). Film synopsis: Rocketman is an epic musical fantasy about the incredible human story of Elton John’s breakthrough years. The film follows the fantastical journey of transformation from shy piano prodigy Reginald Dwight into international superstar Elton John. This inspirational story—set to Elton John’s most beloved songs and performed by star Taron Egerton—tells the universally relatable story of how a small-town boy became one of the most iconic figures in pop culture. Rocketman also stars Jamie Bell as Elton’s longtime lyricist and writing partner Bernie Taupin, Richard Madden as Elton’s first manager, John Reid, and Bryce Dallas Howard as Elton’s mother Sheila Farebrother.

Andrew Slater (director) and Jakob Dylan (musician/executive producer) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Film synopsis: Echo in the Canyon celebrates the explosion of popular music that came out of L.A.’s Laurel Canyon in the mid-'60s as folk went electric and The Byrds, The Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield and The Mamas and the Papas gave birth to the California Sound. It was a moment (1965 to 1967) when bands came to L.A. to emulate The Beatles and Laurel Canyon emerged as a hotbed of creativity and collaboration for a new generation of musicians who would soon put an indelible stamp on the history of American popular music. Featuring Jakob Dylan, the film explores the beginnings of the Laurel Canyon music scene. Dylan uncovers never-before-heard personal details behind the bands and their songs and how that music continues to inspire today. Echo in the Canyon contains candid conversations and performances with Brian Wilson, Ringo Starr, Michelle Phillips, Eric Clapton, Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Graham Nash, Roger McGuinn and Jackson Browne as well as contemporary musicians they influenced such as Tom Petty (in his very last film interview), Beck, Fiona Apple, Cat Power, Regina Spektor and Norah Jones.

Dome Karukoski (director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Film synopsis: The epic biographical drama Tolkien explores the formative years of renowned author J.R.R. Tolkien (Nicholas Hoult), as he finds friendship, courage and inspiration among a fellow group of writers and artists at school. Their brotherhood strengthens as they grow up and weather love and loss together, including Tolkien’s tumultuous courtship of his beloved Edith Bratt (Lily Collins), until the outbreak of the First World War which threatens to tear their fellowship apart. All of these experiences would later inspire Tolkien to write his famous Middle-earth novels (The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit). Supporting cast includes Colm Meaney, Laura Donnelly, Genevieve O’Reilly, Pam Ferris and Derek Jacobi.

Kenneth Branagh (actor/director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz (Collider). Film synopsis: The year is 1613 and William Shakespeare (actor/director Kenneth Branagh, Henry V, Hamlet) is acknowledged as the greatest writer of the age. But disaster strikes when his renowned Globe Theatre burns to the ground. Devastated, Shakespeare returns to Stratford where he must face a troubled past and a neglected family. Haunted by the death of his only son Hamnet, he struggles to mend the broken relationships with his wife (Judi Dench) and daughters. In so doing, he is ruthlessly forced to examine his own failings as husband and father. His very personal search for the truth uncovers secrets and lies within a family at war. Ian McKellen also stars. Written by Ben Elton.

John Chester (filmmaker/farmer) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Arohi Sharma (Policy Analyst, Natural Resources Defense Council). Film synopsis: A testament to the immense complexity of nature, the documentary The Biggest Little Farm follows two dreamers and a dog on an odyssey to bring harmony to both their lives and the land. When the barking of their beloved dog Todd leads to an eviction notice from their tiny Los Angeles apartment, John and Molly Chester make a choice that takes them out of the city and onto 200 acres in the foothills of Ventura County, naively endeavoring to build one of the most diverse farms of its kind in complete coexistence with nature. The land they’ve chosen, however, is utterly depleted of nutrients and suffering from a brutal drought. The film chronicles eight years of daunting work and outsize idealism as they attempt to create the utopia they seek, planting 10,000 orchard trees and over 200 different crops, and bringing in animals of every kind—including an unforgettable pig named Emma and her best friend, Greasy the rooster. When the farm’s ecosystem finally begins to reawaken, so does the Chesters’ hope—but as their plan to create perfect harmony takes a series of wild turns, they realize that to survive they will have to reach a far greater understanding of the intricacies and wisdom of nature, and of life itself.

Molly Shannon, Amy Seimetz and Susan Ziegler (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Kim Yutani (Director of Programming, Sundance Film Festival). Film synopsis: In the mid-19th century, Emily Dickinson is writing prolifically, baking gingerbread, and enjoying a passionate, lifelong romantic relationship with another woman, her friend and sister-in-law Susan...yes this is the iconic American poet, popularly thought to have been a recluse. Beloved comic Molly Shannon leads in this humorous yet bold reappraisal of Dickinson, informed by her private letters. While seeking publication of some of the 1,775 poems written during her lifetime, Emily (Shannon) finds herself facing a troupe of male literary gatekeepers too confused by her genius to take her work seriously. Instead her work attracts the attention of an ambitious woman editor, who also sees Emily as a convenient cover for her own role in buttoned-up Amherst's most bizarre love triangle. A timely critique of how women's history is rewritten, Wild Nights with Emily remains vibrant, irreverent and tender—a perhaps closer depiction of Emily Dickinson's real life than anything seen before.

Claire Denis (director/co-writer) and Robert Pattinson (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Justin Chang (Los Angeles Times). Film synopsis: High Life is a provocative, dazzling and eerily sexy science fiction drama from acclaimed French filmmaker Claire Denis (White Material, Trouble Every Day, Beau Travail), making her English-language debut. Monte (Robert Pattinson) and his baby daughter are the last survivors of a damned and dangerous mission to deep space. The crew—death-row inmates led by a doctor (Juliette Binoche) with sinister motives—has vanished. As the mystery of what happened onboard the ship is unraveled, father and daughter must rely on each other to survive as they hurtle toward the oblivion of a black hole. André Benjamin and Mia Goth also star.

Alan Elliott (ilmmaker) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Marcus Anthony Hunter (UCLA). Film synopsis: The never before seen movie featuring Aretha Franklin recording the most successful gospel album of all time, Amazing Grace. The documentary Amazing Grace is crafted from never before seen footage originally captured in 1972.

Anthony Maras (director/screenwriter), Jason Isaacs (actor) and John Collee (screenwriter) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz (Collider). Film synopsis: A gripping true story of humanity and heroism, Hotel Mumbai vividly recounts the 2008 siege of the famed Taj Hotel by a group of terrorists in Mumbai, India. Refusing to leave their guests, the renowned chef Hemant Oberoi (Anupam Kher) and a waiter (Academy Award-Nominee Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire, The Wedding Guest) choose to risk their lives to keep everyone safe. As the world watches on, a desperate couple (Armie Hammer, Call Me by Your Name and Nazanin Boniadi, “Homeland") is forced to make unthinkable sacrifices to protect their newborn child. Jason Isaacs co-stars.

Bruce Dern (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz (Collider). Film synopsis: Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in a rural Nevada prison who struggles to escape his violent past, is required to participate in an “outdoor maintenance” program as part of his state-mandated social rehabilitation. Spotted by a no-nonsense veteran trainer (Bruce Dern) and helped by an outgoing fellow inmate and trick rider (Jason Mitchell), Roman is accepted into the selective wild horse training section of the program. There, he rediscovers his own humanity in gentling an especially unbreakable mustang.

Matthias Schoenaerts (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Christy Lemire (RogerEbert.com). Film synopsis: Roman Coleman (Matthias Schoenaerts), a convict in a rural Nevada prison who struggles to escape his violent past, is required to participate in an “outdoor maintenance” program as part of his state-mandated social rehabilitation. Spotted by a no-nonsense veteran trainer (Bruce Dern) and helped by an outgoing fellow inmate and trick rider (Jason Mitchell), Roman is accepted into the selective wild horse training section of the program. There, he rediscovers his own humanity in gentling an especially unbreakable mustang.

Sebastián Lelio (writer/director) and Brad Garrett (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Christy Lemire (RogerEbert.com). Film synopsis: Gloria (Julianne Moore) is a free-spirited divorcée who spends her days at a straight-laced office job and her nights on the dance floor, joyfully letting loose at clubs around Los Angeles. After meeting Arnold (John Turturro) on a night out, she finds herself thrust into an unexpected new romance, filled with both the joys of budding love and the complications of dating, identity, and family. From Academy Award-winning director Sebastián Lelio (A Fantastic Woman, Disobedience) comes a sophisticated romantic comedy that shows love can strike at any time, relationships are never simple, and nothing can get you down as long as you keep dancing. Co-starring Michael Cera, Caren Pistorius, Brad Garrett, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Rita Wilson, Sean Astin and Holland Taylor.

Dan Fogelman (writer/director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz (Collider). Film synopsis: As a young New York couple goes from college romance to marriage and the birth of their first child, the unexpected twists of their journey create reverberations that echo over continents and through lifetimes in Life Itself. Director and writer Dan Fogelman ("This Is Us") examines the perils and rewards of everyday life in a multigenerational saga featuring an international ensemble including Oscar Isaac, Olivia Wilde, Antonio Banderas, Annette Bening, Olivia Cooke, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Laia Costa, Alex Monner and Mandy Patinkin. Set in New York City and Carmona, Spain, Life Itself celebrates the human condition and all of its complications with humor, poignancy and love.