Landmark Theatres Film Club Q&A Podcast

Michael Shannon (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Steve Weintraub (Collider). Film synopsis: In the timely thriller 99 Homes, charismatic and ruthless businessman Rick Carver (Michael Shannon, Take Shelter, “Boardwalk Empire”) is making a killing by repossessing homes—gaming the real estate market, Wall Street banks and the U.S. government. When he evicts Dennis Nash (Andrew Garfield), a single father trying to care for his mother (Laura Dern) and young son (Noah Lomax), Nash becomes so desperate to provide for his family that he goes to work for Carver—the very man who evicted him in the first place. Carver promises Nash a way to regain his home and earn security for his family, but slyly seduces him into a lifestyle of wealth and glamour. It is a deal-with-the-devil that comes with an increasingly high cost—on Carver's orders, Nash must evict families from their homes. As Nash falls deeper into Carver's web, he finds his situation grows more brutal and dangerous than he ever imagined. Directed and co-written by Ramin Bahrani (Goodbye Solo).

Davis Guggenheim (Director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Landmark Theatres' Dan Gorski. Film synopsis: He Named Me Malala is an intimate, inspirational portrait of Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai, who was targeted by the Taliban and severely wounded by a gunshot when returning home on her school bus in Pakistan's Swat Valley. The then 15-year-old (now 18) was singled out, along with her father, for advocating girls’ education, and the attack on her sparked an outcry from supporters around the world. She miraculously survived and is now a leading campaigner for girls’ education globally as co-founder of the Malala Fund. Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth, Waiting for Superman) shows us how Malala, her father Zia and her family are committed to fighting for education for all girls worldwide. The film gives us an inside glimpse into this extraordinary young girl’s life—from her close relationship with her father who inspired her love for education, to her impassioned speeches at the UN, to her everyday life with her parents and brothers.

Roger Deakins (Director of Photography) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Landmark Theatres' Dan Gorski. Film synopsis: In Mexico, sicario means hitman. Sicario is also the name of this searing, emotional thriller that descends into the intrigue, corruption and moral mayhem of the borderland drug wars. In this lawless border area stretching between the U.S. and Mexico, an idealistic FBI agent (Emily Blunt) is enlisted by an elite government task force official (Josh Brolin) to aid in the escalating war against drugs. Led by an enigmatic consultant with a questionable past (Benicio Del Toro), the team sets out on a clandestine journey—forcing Kate to question everything that she believes in order to survive. Directed by Denis Villeneuve (Prisoners, Incendies).

Geeta Patel (writer/director), Janet Eckholm (producer) and Samata Narra (co-executive producer) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Josh Peck (actor). Film synopsis: Meet the Patels is a laugh-out-loud, real-life romantic comedy about Ravi Patel, an almost-30-year-old Indian-American who enters a love triangle between the woman of his dreams... and his parents. Filmed by Ravi’s sister in what started as a family vacation video, this hilarious and heartbreaking film reveals how love is a family affair. Fresh out of a breakup with his secret white girlfriend, who his parents knew nothing about, and freaked out that he’s almost 30 and single, Ravi goes on a family vacation to India with his head and heart spinning. Ravi is willing to do whatever it takes to find love—but there’s one tricky detail to consider: In his family, everyone has the last name Patel. Patels marry other Patels. It’s not incest, it means they are from the same 50-square mile radius in India. Struck with how overwhelmingly happy the marriages are of his Patel family and friends, Ravi enters a fool-proof Patel matchmaking system and embarks on a worldwide search for another American Patel just like him. Witty and brutally honest, this comedy explores the questions with which we all struggle: What is love? How do we find it? And even then, how do we keep it? (Partially subtitled)

Leslye Headland (writer/director), Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Landmark Theatres' Dan Gorski. Film synopsis: Can two serial cheaters get a second chance at love? After a one-night stand in college, New Yorkers Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) meet by chance twelve years later and discover they each have the same problem: because of their monogamy-challenged ways, neither can maintain a relationship. Determined to stay friends despite their mutual attraction, they make a pact to keep it platonic, a deal that proves easier said than done. Fresh, funny and full of witty insights about modern love, this hilariously heartfelt film co-stars Amanda Peet, Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne and Jason Mantzoukas.

Paul Weitz (writer/director), Lily Tomlin and Sam Elliott (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Pete Hammond (Deadline Hollywood). Film synopsis: In the acerbic comedy Grandma, Lily Tomlin stars as Elle Reid, a misanthropic grandmother who has just gotten through breaking up with her girlfriend. That’s when her granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner) unexpectedly shows up needing $600 before sundown. Temporarily broke, Grandma Elle and Sage spend the day trying to get their hands on the cash by making unannounced visits to old friends and flames—rattling skeletons and digging up secrets in the process. Also starring Marcia Gay Harden, Judy Greer, Laverne Cox, Sam Elliott, Nat Wolff and John Cho, Grandma is written and directed by Paul Weitz (About a Boy, In Good Company, American Pie).

Patricia Clarkson and Ben Kingsley (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Scott Mantz (Access Hollywood). Film synopsis: Inspired by a true story, Learning to Drive stars Patricia Clarkson and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley (Gandhi) in a feel-good comedy about an improbable friendship. Wendy (Clarkson) is a fiery Manhattan author whose husband has just left her for a younger woman; Darwan (Kingsley) is a soft-spoken taxi driver from India on the verge of an arranged marriage. As Wendy sets out to reclaim her independence, she runs into a barrier common to many lifelong New Yorkers: she's never learned to drive. When Wendy hires Darwan to teach her, her unraveling life and his calm restraint seem like an awkward fit. But as he shows her how to take control of the wheel, and she coaches him on how to impress a woman, their unlikely friendship awakens them to the joy, humor and love in starting life anew.

Roger Allers (director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Film synopsis: Celebrated Lebanese author Kahlil Gibran’s timeless verses, among the most popular volumes of poetry ever written, have been given enchanting new form in this painterly cinematic adventure about freedom and the power of human expression. The breathtaking animated feature, written and directed by Roger Allers (The Lion King), intersperses Gibran’s elegant poetry within stunning animated sequences by Tomm Moore (The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea), Nina Paley (Sita Sings the Blues), Bill Plympton (Guide Dog), Joann Sfar (The Rabbi’s Cat) and more. Set in a Mediterranean seaside village, Kamila (voice of Salma Hayek, who also produces) cleans house for exiled artist and poet Mustafa (Liam Neeson), but the more difficult job is keeping her free-spirited young daughter, Almitra, (Quvenzhané Wallis) out of trouble. The three embark on a journey meant to end with Mustafa’s return home—but first they must evade the authorities who fear that the truth in his words will incite rebellion. Score by Gabriel Yared, with featured music from Damien Rice, Glen Hansard (Once) and Yo-Yo Ma.

James Ponsoldt (director) and Jason Segel (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Amy Nicholson (L.A. Weekly). Film synopsis: The End of the Tour tells the story of the five-day road trip and interview between novelist and Rolling Stone reporter David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg) and acclaimed novelist David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), which took place right after the 1996 publication of Wallace’s groundbreaking epic novel, Infinite Jest. As the days go on, a tenuous yet intense relationship seems to develop between journalist and subject. The two men bob and weave around each other, sharing laughs and also possibly revealing hidden frailties—but it’s never clear how truthful they are being with each other. Ironically, the interview was never published, and five days of audio tapes were packed away in Lipsky’s closet. The film is based on Lipsky’s critically acclaimed memoir about this unforgettable encounter, written following Wallace’s 2008 suicide. Both Segel and Eisenberg reveal great depths of emotion in their performances and the film is directed with humor and tenderness by James Ponsoldt (The Spectacular Now), from Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies’ insightful and heartbreaking screenplay.

Rebecca Brando and John Battsek (Producer) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Landmark Theatres' Dan Gorski. Film synopsis: Marlon Brando was one of the most acclaimed and influential actors of all time, and also one of the most elusive and enigmatic. Throughout his life he privately recorded his thoughts about life, work and philosophy on tape; out of that stash of over 200 hours of reflective commentary filmmaker Stevan Riley has skillfully crafted this powerful confessional autobiography from beyond the grave, told in Brando’s own words. Brando tells of his unstable childhood, his rocky relationship with his demanding father, the tragic deaths of his children, his early devotion to Stella Adler and The Method, his sensational Broadway triumph in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” his rapid rise in films where he hoped to bring a new realism, his disillusion with and scorn for the movie industry and his search for inner tranquility. Listen to Me Marlon is a fascinating, unique and riveting portrait of an unforgettable man.

Morgan Neville (director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Ted Mundorff, CEO/President of Landmark Theatres. Film synopsis: In the summer of 1968, television news changed forever. Dead last in the ratings, ABC hired two towering public intellectuals to debate each other during the Democratic and Republican national conventions. William F. Buckley Jr. was a leading light of the new conservative movement. Gore Vidal, a Democrat and cousin to Jackie Onassis, was a leftist novelist and polemicist. Armed with deep-seated distrust and enmity, Vidal and Buckley believed each other’s political ideologies were dangerous for America. Like rounds in a heavyweight battle, they pummeled out policy and personal insult—their explosive exchanges devolving into vitriolic name-calling. Live and unscripted, they kept viewers riveted. Ratings for ABC News skyrocketed, and a new era in public discourse was born. Directed by Robert Gordon and Academy Award-winner Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet from Stardom), Best of Enemies unleashes a highbrow blood sport that marked the dawn of pundit television as we know it today.

Omar Sy (actor) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Deadline Hollywood's Pete Hammond. Film synopsis: Award-winning actor Omar Sy (The Intouchables, Jurassic World) stars in this richly entertaining chronicle of an undocumented kitchen worker battling deportation from his adopted home in Paris. When Samba (Sy) is suddenly ordered to leave France, he enlists the help of Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), an emotionally vulnerable immigration advocate with little experience but plenty of heart. As the immigrant aspiring chef and the burned-out corporate executive tentatively explore an unexpected bond, they inspire each other to reinvent themselves. A vibrant comedy full of tender humor and heartfelt optimism, Samba is directed by Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano (The Intouchables). (Fully subtitled)

Sir Ian McKellen and Laura Linney (actors) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Ted Mundorff, CEO/President of Landmark Theatres. Film synopsis: Mr. Holmes is a new twist on the world's most famous detective. In 1947, an aging Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellen) returns from a journey to Japan, where, in search of a rare plant with powerful restorative qualities, he has witnessed the devastation of nuclear warfare. Now, in his remote seaside farmhouse, Holmes faces the end of his days tending to his bees, with only the company of his housekeeper (Laura Linney) and her young son, Roger (Milo Parker). Grappling with the diminishing powers of his mind, Holmes comes to rely upon the boy as he revisits the circumstances of the unsolved case that forced him into retirement, and searches for answers to the mysteries of life and love—before it's too late. Directed by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Dreamgirls).

Sean Baker (director/co-writer) and Chris Bergoch (co-writer) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by film critic James Rocchi. Film synopsis: It's Christmas Eve in Tinseltown and working girl Sin-Dee (incandescent newcomer Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) is back on the block. Upon hearing that her pimp boyfriend (James Ransone, Starlet, “Generation Kill”) hasn't been faithful during the 28 days she was locked up, Sin-Dee goes on a mission to track him down and set him straight, with her best friend Alexandra (newcomer Mya Taylor) tagging along hoping to cool her down. Their rip-roaring odyssey leads them through various subcultures of Los Angeles, including an Armenian family dealing with their own repercussions of infidelity. Director Sean Baker (Starlet, Prince of Broadway) brings rich texture and intimate detail to worlds seldom seen on film. For Tangerine he opted to shoot on an iPhone with wide-screen adapter, and the results are spectacular: fluid and intimate, the film bursts off the screen with energy and style. A decidedly modern Christmas tale told on the streets of L.A., this acclaimed dramatic comedy defies expectation at every turn.

Asif Kapadia (director) at The Landmark in West Los Angeles. Moderated by Deadline Hollywood's Pete Hammond. Film synopsis: Amy tells the incredible story of six-time Grammy winner Amy Winehouse—in her own words. Featuring extensive unseen archive footage and previously unheard tracks, this strikingly modern, moving and vital film shines a light on the world we live in, in a way that very few can. A once-in-a-generation talent, Amy Winehouse was a musician that captured the world’s attention. A pure jazz artist in the most authentic sense—she wrote and sung from the heart using her musical gifts to analyze her own problems. The combination of her raw honesty and supreme talent resulted in some of the most unique and adored songs of the modern era. Her huge success, however, resulted in relentless and invasive media attention which, coupled with Amy’s troubled relationships and precarious lifestyle, saw her life tragically begin to unravel. Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27. Directed by Asif Kapadia (Senna).