MARJORIE PRIME's Lois Smith to Appear in Person at the Aero Theatre This Month

Actress Lois Smith will appear in person to discuss MARJORIE PRIME and her earlier film work at the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, October 20-22, 2017.

Lois Smith was born in Topeka, Kansas, before moving to Seattle with her family at age 11. A stint at the University of Washington School of Drama put her on the road to an acting career. She got her first role in professional theater in the early 1950s in "Time Out for Ginger" on Broadway, and has continued to appear on stages around the globe. When Smith began working in New York, she appeared on live television in anthology programs and later guest-starred in numerous series, miniseries and TV films.

Naturally the big screen came calling; Smith's first film role was as the barmaid in EAST OF EDEN with James Dean. Talented and versatile, she has given terrific performances in a dizzying variety of films ranging from thoughtful drama (FIVE EASY PIECES, for which she won a National Society of Film Critics award) to Hollywood blockbuster (TWISTER, MINORITY REPORT).

Smith's latest film is closer at heart to the former, even if it shares some of MINORITY REPORT's futuristic concerns. Reprising her stage role, she plays the title character in MARJORIE PRIME, an 86-year-old woman living in Long Island who is provided with a holographic version of her deceased husband to slow her memory loss. It's a moving and nuanced performance that clearly draws from a lifetime of memories, and offers further evidence that Lois Smith is among the finest working actresses.

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Note: All films are at the Aero Theatre.

Friday, October 20, 2017 - 7:30 PM - Double Feature

TWISTER / MINORITY REPORT

Discussion between films with TWISTER director Jan De Bont and actress Lois Smith.

35 mm!

TWISTER

1996, Warner Bros., 113 min, USA, Dir: Jan de Bont

Though on the brink of divorce, husband-and-wife meteorologists Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt work together to test a new storm-warning system, braving some of the most destructive tornados in movie history as they try to stay a step ahead of rival storm chaser Cary Elwes. Oscar-nominated special effects send cows flying through the air and buildings tumbling to the ground in this blockbuster helmed by action specialist Jan de Bont and co-written by Michael Crichton.

35 mm!

MINORITY REPORT

2002, 20th Century Fox, 145 min, USA, Dir: Steven Spielberg

In 2054, murder has been virtually eliminated in Washington, D.C. by a "pre-crime" unit of the police force that uses three psychics to predict killings before they occur. Stunned to learn that he has been named as a future killer, the unit's chief, John Anderton (Tom Cruise), goes on the run, tracking down pre-crime creator Dr. Iris Hineman (Lois Smith) and psychic Agatha Lively (Samantha Morton) to find a flaw in the system before he's captured by his colleagues. Based on a short story by Philip K. Dick, this stunning sci-fi thriller costars Colin Farrell and Max von Sydow.

Saturday, October 21, 2017 - 7:30 PM

MARJORIE PRIME & EAST OF EDEN

Discussion between films with actress Lois Smith.

MARJORIE PRIME

2017, FilmRise, 98 min, USA, Dir: Michael Almereyda

Adapted from Jordan Harrison's play, this moving look at the intersection of human memory and artificial intelligence has Lois Smith reprising her stage role as the title character. In the early stages of dementia, 86-year-old Marjorie lives in Long Island with her daughter, Tess (Geena Davis), and son-in-law, Jon (Tim Robbins). At Jon's suggestion, Marjorie has been provided with a holographic version of her late husband to slow her memory loss - but the presence of a re-creation of her father doesn't sit so well with Tess. Co-starring Jon Hamm.

EAST OF EDEN

1955, Warner Bros., 115 min, Dir: Elia Kazan

James Dean is brilliantly cast as shy Cal, a pre-WWI teenager who can't escape from the shadow of his perfect brother, Aaron (Richard Davalos). Cal is also a rebellious black sheep who will do almost anything to gain the love of his strict father (Raymond Massey), a desire that may destroy those around him but may also, in the end, offer him his last chance at redemption. With a great cast that includes Julie Harris, Albert Dekker, Burl Ives and a cameo by Timothy Carey. In CinemaScope!

Sunday, October 22, 2017 - 7:30 PM - Double Feature

FIVE EASY PIECES / NEXT STOP, GREENWICH VILLAGE

FIVE EASY PIECES

1970, Sony Repertory, 96 min, USA, Dir: Bob Rafelson

This hard-hitting, brilliantly sarcastic drama follows Bakersfield oil rig worker Jack Nicholson on the run from his former life as a concert pianist (!), with country waitress girlfriend (and Tammy Wynette fan) Karen Black in tow. He returns to visit his Washington island home after his father has a stroke, and things come to a head when he seduces the fiancee (Susan Anspach) of his better-than-thou brother (Ralph Waite). One of the defining films of the New Hollywood, stunningly directed by Bob Rafelson and written by Carole Eastman (under the name Adrien Joyce). Co-starring the great Billy Green Bush as Nicholson's hapless, redneck friend and Fannie Flagg as Bush's loyal spouse. "...a masterpiece of heartbreaking intensity." - Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

NEXT STOP, GREENWICH VILLAGE

1976, 20th Century Fox, 111 min, USA, Dir: Paul Mazursky

Writer-director Paul Mazursky takes a semi-autobiographical look at his days as an aspiring actor in 1950s New York in this engaging dramedy. Against the advice of his mother, fresh-faced Lenny Baker moves to Greenwich Village, where he falls in with a surrogate family of oddballs as he chases stardom. Along with such veteran performers as Shelley Winters, Lois Smith and Lou Jacobi, aspiring actor Bill Murray made his big screen debut in a brief, uncredited role here.

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Regular Ticket Price (When a Special Ticket Price is not listed above): General Admission $12; Student/Senior $10; American Cinematheque Member $8. Note: If a special ticket price is in effect, then it will be listed next to the event. Tickets on www.Fandango.com for paid programs. For free public programs, see www.Eventbrite.com.

Established in 1981, the American Cinematheque is a 501 C 3 non-profit viewer-supported film exhibition and cultural organization dedicated to the celebration of the Moving Picture in all of its forms. At the Egyptian Theatre, the Cinematheque presents daily film and video programming which ranges from the classics of American and international cinema to new independent films and digital work. Exhibition of rare works, special and rare prints, etc., combined with fascinating post-screening discussions with the filmmakers who created the work, are a Cinematheque tradition that keep audiences coming back for once-in-a-lifetime cinema experiences. The American Cinematheque renovated and reopened (on Dec. 4, 1998) the historic 1922 Hollywood Egyptian Theatre. This includes a state-of-the-art 616-seat theatre housed within Sid Grauman's first grand movie palace on Hollywood Boulevard. The exotic courtyard is fully restored to its 1922 grandeur. The Egyptian was the home of the very first Hollywood movie premiere in 1922. In January 2005 the American Cinematheque expanded its programming to the 1940 Aero Theatre on Montana Avenue in Santa Monica.