| A Lennon Time is Guranteed for All! A
Celluloid Celebration of John Lennon's 70th Birthday
This
is an Egyptian Theatre Exclusive!
John Lennon loved movies. It was in a Liverpool cinema that he first encountered Elvis
Presley onscreen. It led to John taking up music as his rock 'n' roll ticket-to-ride out
of the nowhere that was post-war Liverpool. One year later he was playing live to 400
villagers at a church garden party when he met Paul McCartney - the Big Bang that led to
the Beatles. And exactly 10 years after that, he and Paul (together with George and Ringo)
were playing live to 400 million members of the global village as they performed
"All You Need Is Love." No scriptwriter would have dared to write such an
implausible scenario. Yet it all happened in what Derek Taylor rightly described as the
20th century’s greatest romance. Celebrate the 70th anniversary of John Lennon’s
birth with a rich mix of features and documentaries that capture the insouciant charm,
biting wit and inspiring music that has endeared Lennon to every generation to encounter
his unique genius. And under it all, the films also show the emotional scars and pain that
he channeled into his music and activism. From the exuberant lightning-caught-in-a-bottle
of WHAT’S HAPPENING! to the giddy pop art of HELP! ... From the
insightful IMAGINE to the heart-breaking mind games played on him revealed in THE US VS
JOHN LENNON - his fearless honesty and passion shine like a beacon. TWO OF US
poignantly captures the last time John and Paul met, while our L.A. premiere of NOWHERE
BOY portrays their first meeting, the evolution of the Beatles and the entire
backdrop of John’s complex childhood in a way that helps the audience
"understand the little child inside the man." And we’re truly blessed to
have his original band mates the Quarrymen performing a full concert on opening night
(after NOWHERE BOY). A splendid time is guaranteed for all! Celebrate the 70th
anniversary of John Lennon’s birth with a rich mix of features and documentaries that
capture the insouciant charm, biting wit and inspiring music that has endeared Lennon to
every generation to encounter his unique genius.
For more info, please visit: www.ModsAndRockers.com
Thursday, September 30 - 8:00 PM
Movie & Concert 70th Birthday Salute to John Lennon!
In Person: Director Sam Taylor-Wood & star Aaron Johnson Los
Angeles Premiere! NOWHERE BOY, 2010, The
Weinstein Co., 98 min. Dir. Sam Taylor-Wood. This dramatic and poignant story of a teenage
John Lennon follows his struggles with the complexities of his home life and his
initiative to start the band The Quarrymen as his rock 'n' roll ticket to ride out of his
painful circumstances. Starring Aaron Johnson and Kristin Scott Thomas. Discussion between the film and concert with director Sam Taylor-Wood,
star Aaron Johnson plus the Quarrymen and Beatles scholar Martin Lewis.
Special ticket prices: $25 general, $23 student/senior; and $20 Cinematheque members. No
passes accepted. Following: The Quarrymen will play a full set of the songs
they performed with John, Paul and George in the early days. Trailer | Buy Tickets
Friday, October 1 – 7:30 PM
Double Feature: Ultra-Rare Documentaries!
WHAT’S HAPPENING! THE BEATLES IN THE USA,
1964, Maysles Films, 81 min. The Maysles Brothers were commissioned by UK TV network to
document The Beatles' first U.S. visit. After completing the 30-minute program, they
fashioned the wealth of material they'd shot into a full-length feature - but their
hoped-for theatrical release in 1964 was quashed because of contractual conflicts. The
original full-length film - as shot, edited and directed in 1964 by the Maysles Brothers -
has rarely been seen anywhere.
MIGHTY GOOD! THE BEATLES 1976, Isolde Films, 60 min.
British enfant terrible Tony Palmer first befriended John Lennon in 1963. In 1968, Lennon
instigated Palmer's film "All My Loving," which provocatively documented the
massive cultural earthquake of late ‘60s music. Thrilled with that, Lennon suggested
in 1972 that Palmer make a PBS "Civilization"-type series chronicling 20th
century popular music. Palmer took up the challenge and both Lennon and McCartney assisted
him in producing this first-ever overview documentary about The Beatles as one of the
series' set-pieces.
"Things They Said Today:
Reflections on A Hard Day's Night", 2002, Shenson Films, 35 min. Dir. Martin
Lewis. A penetrating documentary about the instigation, production and release of the
Beatles' first movie. With rare scenes and exclusive interviews. Buy Tickets
Saturday, October 2 – 7:30 PM
Double Feature: Ultra-Rare L.A. Screening of the
Digitally Restored 1965 Classic! HELP!,
1965, Apple, 81 min. Dir. Richard Lester. Now recognized as a pop-art classic in the
Lester canon, HELP! overflows with sumptuous mid-era Beatles tunes and the charismatic
cheek and charm of the Fab Four - who incidentally (by their own admission) were high as
kites throughout the shoot! This digitally restored print has only screened once before in
L.A. Don't miss this special salute to John. Trailer
L.A. Premiere! TWO OF US, 2000, Aaronson/Falk Prods, 89 min. Director Michael
Lindsay-Hogg who had directed The Beatles early promotional music films and their 1970
swansong LET IT BE, made this charming dramatization of the true-life last encounter
between John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Nineteen years after these musical blood brothers
first met, what would be their last time together is charming, funny, insightful and
poignant. Introduction by Beatles scholar
Martin Lewis. Jared Harris ("Mad Men") who plays John Lennon and
executive producers Bob Aaronson and Leon Falk in person for discussion with THE TWO OF
US. Buy
Tickets
Sunday, October 3 – 7:30 PM
Double Feature: IMAGINE: JOHN
LENNON, 1988, Warner Bros., 100 min. Director Andrew Solt sifted through hundreds of
hours of footage to shape this evocative and definitive portrait of John Lennon. Narrated
by Lennon himself, using the wealth of interviews he gave during his life, the film
somehow crams in the 10 Beatles years, 10 solo years and 20 formative years that preceded
their fame.
THE U.S. VS JOHN LENNON, 2006, Lionsgate, 99 min.
Dirs. David Leaf & John Scheinfeld. That John Lennon was feared by the president of
the United States speaks volumes. This powerful documentary explores the illegal abuse of
power by Richard Nixon’s White House to sic the FBI on Lennon and reveals Lennon's
courage in the face of all that Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover did to try to muzzle him. Trailer | Buy Tickets |
