Landmark Theatres Film Club Q&A Podcast

Paul Greengrass (writer/director), Anders Danielsen Lie, Jonas Strand Gravli, Seda Witt (actors) and Pål Ulvik Rokseth (cinematographer) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Malina Saval (Variety). Film synopsis: In 22 July, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips, United 93) tells the true story of the aftermath of Norway’s deadliest terrorist attack. On 22 July 2011, 77 people were killed when a far-right extremist detonated a car bomb in Oslo before carrying out a mass shooting at a leadership camp for teens. 22 July uses the lens of one survivor’s physical and emotional journey to portray the country's path to healing and reconciliation.

David Denman (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Pete Hammond (Deadline Hollywood). Film synopsis: Puzzle is a closely observed portrait of Agnes (Kelly Macdonald), who has reached her early 40s without ever venturing far from home, family or the tight-knit immigrant community in which she was raised by her widowed father. That begins to change in a quietly dramatic fashion when Agnes receives a jigsaw puzzle as a birthday gift and experiences the heady thrill of not only doing something she enjoys, but being very, very good at it. Taken for granted as a suburban mother, her new passion unexpectedly draws her into a new world—where her life unfolds in ways she could never have imagined. Also starring Irrfan Khan and David Denman.

Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal (actors/writers/producers), Janina Gavankar (actor), Jess Calder and Keith Calder (producers) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Jenelle Riley (Variety). Film synopsis: Collin (Daveed Diggs, a Tony winner for Hamilton) must make it through his final three days of probation for a chance at a new beginning. He and his troublemaking childhood best friend Miles (Rafael Casal) work as movers in the rapidly-gentrifying neighborhood where they grew up. When Collin witnesses a police shooting, the two men’s friendship is tested as they grapple with identity and their changed realities. Longtime friends and collaborators, Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal co-wrote and star in this timely and wildly entertaining story about friendship and the intersection of race and class set against the lively backdrop of Oakland. Bursting with energy, style and humor, and infused with the spirit of rap, hip hop and spoken word, the dramatic comedy Blindspotting, boldly directed by Carlos López Estrada in his feature film debut, is a provocative hometown love letter that glistens with humanity.

Bo Burnham (writer/director) and Elsie Fisher (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Film synopsis: A rare film that perfectly captures the awkwardness of adolescence, the poignant comedy Eighth Grade stars newcomer Elsie Fisher as 13-year-old Kayla, who endures the tidal wave of contemporary suburban adolescence as she makes her way through the last week of middle school—the end of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year—before she begins high school. Co-starring Josh Hamilton. Written and directed by comedian Bo Burnham, making his feature debut.

Christopher Quinn (director) and Natalie Portman (narrator/producer) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Amy Kaufman (L.A. Times). Film synopsis: How much do you know about the food that’s on your plate? Based on the bestselling book by Jonathan Safran Foer and narrated by co-producer Natalie Portman, Eating Animals is an urgent, eye-opening look at the environmental, economic, and public health consequences of factory farming. Tracing the history of food production in the United States, the film charts how farming has gone from local and sustainable to a corporate Frankenstein monster that offers cheap eggs, meat, and dairy at a steep cost: the exploitation of animals; the risky use of antibiotics and hormones; and the pollution of our air, soil and water. Spotlighting farmers who have pushed backed against industrial agriculture with more humane practices, Eating Animals offers attainable, commonsense solutions to a growing crisis while making the case that ethical farming is not only an animal rights issue but one that affects every aspect of our lives.

Nick Offerman and Sasha Lane (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Liz Hannah (screenwriter, The Post). Film synopsis: The feel-good dramatic comedy Hearts Beat Loud, set in the hip Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook, stars Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”) as Frank, a single dad and record store owner preparing to send his hard-working daughter Sam (Kiersey Clemons, Dope) off to college, while being forced to close his vintage shop. Hoping to stay connected through their shared musical passions, Frank urges Sam to turn their weekly “jam sesh” into a father-daughter live act. After their first song becomes an internet breakout, the two embark on a journey of love, growing up and musical discovery. Co-starring Ted Danson, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner and Toni Collette. Directed and co-written by Brett Haley (The Hero, I’ll See You in My Dreams).

Morgan Neville (director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz (Collider). Film synopsis: For over thirty years, Fred Rogers, an unassuming minister, puppeteer, writer and producer, was beamed daily into homes across America. In his beloved television program, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Fred and his cast of puppets and friends spoke directly to young children about some of life’s weightiest issues, in a simple, direct fashion. There hadn’t been anything like Mr. Rogers on television before and there hasn’t been since. Though he may be best known today as a soft-spoken, cardigan-wearing children’s television host, in reality, Fred Rogers’ career represents a sustained attempt to present a coherent, beneficent view about how we should best speak to children about important matters and how television could be used as a positive force in our society. In Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Academy Award-winning filmmaker Morgan Neville (20 Feet from Stardom) looks back on the legacy of Fred Rogers, focusing on his radically kind ideas. While the nation changed around him, Fred Rogers stood firm in his beliefs about the importance of protecting childhood. Neville pays tribute to this legacy with the latest in his series of highly engaging, moving documentary portraits of essential American artists.

Blake Jenner (actor) and Chas Allen (film subject) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Sam Fragoso (Vanity Fair, Talk East Podcast). Film synopsis: American Animals is the unbelievable but entirely true story of four young men who attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in U.S. history. In the middle-class suburbs of Lexington, Kentucky, Spencer (Barry Keoghan) is determined to become an artist but feels he lacks the essential ingredient that unites all great artists—suffering. His closest friend, Warren (Evan Peters), has also been raised to believe that his life will be special, and that he will be unique in some way. But as they leave the suburbs for universities in the same town, the realities of adult life begin to dawn on them and with that, the realization that their lives may in fact never be important or special in any way. Determined to live lives that are out of the ordinary, they plan the brazen theft of some of the world’s most valuable books from the special collections room of Spencer's college Library. Enlisting two more friends, accounting major Eric (Jared Abrahamson) and fitness fanatic Chas (Blake Jenner), and taking their cues from heist movies, the gang meticulously plots the theft and subsequent fence of the stolen artworks. Although some inside the group begin to have second thoughts, they discover that the plan has seemingly taken on a life of its own. Unfolding from multiple perspectives, and innovatively incorporating the real-life figures at the heart of the story, writer/director Bart Layton (The Imposter) takes the heist movie into bold new territory.

Wim Wenders (director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Mia Galuppo (The Hollywood Reporter). Film synopsis: Pope Francis - A Man of His Word, directed by three-time Academy Award nominee Wim Wenders (Buena Vista Social Club, Wings of Desire), is intended to be a personal journey with Pope Francis, rather than a biographical documentary about him. A rare co-production with the Vatican, the pope’s ideas and his message are central to the film, which sets out to present his work of reform and his answers to today’s global questions from death, social justice, immigration, ecology, wealth inequality, materialism, and the role of the family. In an era of deep distrust of politicians and people in power, when lies and corruption and alternative facts are the order of the day, Pope Francis - A Man of His Word shows us a person who lives what he preaches and who has gained the trust of people of all faith traditions and cultures across the world.

Sebastián Lelio (director) and Matthew Herbert (composer) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Pete Hammond (Deadline Hollywood). Film synopsis: Love is an act of defiance in the tender romantic drama Disobedience. Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) stars as a woman who returns to the orthodox Jewish community that shunned her for decades earlier because of her attraction to a childhood friend (Rachel McAdams, Spotlight). Once back, passions between the two women reignite as they explore the boundaries of faith and sexuality. Alessandro Nivola co-stars. Screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz (Ida) and director Sebastián Lelio (A Fantastic Woman, Gloria), based on Naomi Alderman’s book.

Chloé Zhao (writer/director), Brady Jandreau (actor), Joshua James Richards (cinematographer) and Alex O'Flinn (editor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Peter Debruge (Variety). Film synopsis: Talented young rodeo rider and horse trainer Brady Blackburn (Brady Jandreau) suffered a severe head wound when a horse badly crushed his skull at a rodeo and put him in a three-day coma. His doctors have told him he must quit riding, at the risk of his life, but as Brady recuperates at his family’s rundown ranch he wrestles with whether or not he can give up riding, the thing he loves most, that defines his life. In an attempt to regain control of his fate, Brady undertakes a search for new identity, trying to redefine his idea of what it means to be a man in the heartland of America. Quiet and rugged, newcomer Jandreau is a magnetic screen presence. The beautiful wide-open South Dakota landscape is lovingly photographed by Joshua James Richards, cinematographer of God’s Own Country. Writer/director Chloé Zhao (Songs My Brother Taught Me) has based the heartfelt, emotionally powerful story on Jandreau’s own life, casting other members of the Jandreau family (father Tim and little sister Lilly) playing versions of themselves. Nominated for 5 Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Picture. Winner of the CICAE Art Cinema Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Craig Gillespie (director), and Margot Robbie and Allison Janney (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Rebecca Ford (Hollywood Reporter). Film synopsis: Based on the unbelievable but true events, I, Tonya is the wild and crazy saga of American figure skater Tonya Harding and one of the most sensational scandals in sports history. Hilarious, shocking and tough, the film will, surprisingly, make you care about a character who has been written off by most. Though Harding was the first American woman to complete a triple axel in competition, her legacy was forever defined by her association with an infamous, ill-conceived, and even more poorly executed attack on fellow Olympic competitor Nancy Kerrigan. Margot Robbie (Goodbye Christopher Robin, The Wolf of Wall Street) gives a dynamite performance as the fiery Harding, with a mustachioed Sebastian Stan as her impetuous, unreliable ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and scene-stealing Allison Janney riveting as her acid-tongued, diamond-hard mother, LaVona Golden. I, Tonya is an absurd, irreverent, and piercing portrayal of Harding’s life and career in all of its unchecked—and checkered—glory. Also starring Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser and Bobby Cannavale. Directed with gusto by Craig Gillespie (Lars and the Real Girl, The Finest Hours, Million Dollar Arm), from an original screenplay by Steven Rogers. Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actress (Janney).

Max Winkler (writer/director) and Zoey Deutch (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Henry Winkler and Lea Thompson (Max's Father and Zoey's Mother). Film synopsis: Mixing dark comedy and teenage angst, Flower stars Zoey Deutch as Erica, a rebellious, quick-witted, 17-year-old firecracker living with her single mom Laurie (Kathryn Hahn) and mom’s new boyfriend Bob (Tim Heidecker) in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley. When Bob’s mentally unbalanced son Luke (Joey Morgan) arrives from rehab to live with the family, Erica finds her domestic and personal life overwhelmed. With Luke and her sidekicks Kala (Dylan Gelula) and Claudine (Maya Eshet) in tow, Erica acts out by exposing a dark secret of high-school teacher Will (Adam Scott), with perilous results; their teenage kicks become a catalyst for growing up in unexpected and unpredictable ways. Director/co-writer Max Winkler (Ceremony) and co-writer Matt Spicer (Ingrid Goes West) re-imagine an unproduced script by Alex McAulay, creating a star vehicle for blossoming talent Zoey Deutch (Before I Fall, Why Him?) and elevating the teen movie to new heights.

Armando Iannucci (director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz. Film synopsis: The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from director/co-writer Armando Iannucci (In the Loop, “Veep”). Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale). But as they bumble, brawl and backstab their way to the top, just who is running the government? Combining palace intrigue with rapid-fire farce, this audacious comedy is a bitingly funny takedown of bureaucratic dysfunction performed to the hilt by a sparkling ensemble cast that also includes Paddy Considine, Rupert Friend, Jason Isaacs, Olga Kurylenko, Michael Palin and Andrea Riseborough.

David Oyelowo (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Piya Sinha-Roy (Entertainment Weekly). Film synopsis: An exhilarating mix of dark comedy, white-knuckle action and dramatic intrigue, Gringo joyrides into Mexico, where mild-mannered businessman Harold Soyinka (David Oyelowo, Selma) finds himself at the mercy of back-stabbing business colleagues back home, local drug lords and a morally conflicted black-ops mercenary. Crossing the line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal, Harold battles to survive his increasingly dangerous situation in ways that raise the question: Is he out of his depth—or two steps ahead? Also starring Joel Edgerton, Amanda Seyfried, Charlize Theron, Thandie Newton and Sharlto Copley.