Picturehouse 441 & ACE are proud to be partnering on a series of live virtual Q&As as part of our mutual efforts to promote film literacy.
On Tuesday, September 26 join us for a Q&A with director Rob Marshall as he discusses his 2002 musical black comedy crime film Chicago. Based on the 1975 stage musical of the same name which in turn originated from the 1926 play of the same name, Chicago was critically acclaimed and went on to win six Academy Awards including an Oscar for Martin Walsh, ACE, for Best Editing. That year Walsh also won the ACE Eddie Award for the same film. This event will be a Zoom webinar on Tuesday, September 26 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
Join us for a Q&A with cinematographer Janusz Kaminski and the 1993 epic historical drama Schindler's List. Ideas for a film about the Schindlerjuden (Schindler Jews) were proposed as early as 1963. Unsure if he was ready to make a film about the Holocaust, Spielberg tried to pass the project to several directors before deciding to direct it. Often listed among the greatest films ever made, the film received universal acclaim and was also a box office success. It was nominated for 12 Academy Awards and won seven including Best Cinematography for Kaminski and Best Editing for Michael Kahn, ACE. Kahn also won the ACE Eddie Award that year for his work on the film. This event will be a Zoom Webinar on Friday, September 29 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
Join us for a Q&A with screenwriter Liz Hannah as she discusses her work on the political thriller The Post. Shot, cut, and released in a matter of months, The Post crackles with an intense urgency that propels the film forward at a breakneck pace. With a whip-smart screenplay by Liz Hannah and Josh Singer, this riveting film about Katherine Graham and Ben Bradlee's decision about whether or not to publish The Pentagon Papers is one of the great films about journalism, particularly calling to mind All the President's Men. Driven by an immensely satisfying, complex performance from Meryl Streep who is perfectly complemented by Tom Hanks, The Post is a suspenseful true-life drama that creates a disturbing but necessary dialogue between past and present. The event will be a Zoom Webinar on Tuesday, October 10 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
Join us for a Q&A with screenwriter Lawrence D. Cohen, as he discusses his work on the 1976 film Carrie. This Q&A was originally planned for August but has now been scheduled for October 16. Few Stephen King adaptations have had the heart and soul of Lawrence D. Cohen's humane, intelligent adaptation of Carrie, which is, at its core, the story of a teenage girl coming into her own body and struggling with the pressures of high school. Director Brian De Palma brings his signature style to the film making it a visually dazzling spectacle, but the great filmmaker never lets these visual flourishes drown out the human story. Grounded by Sissy Spacek's subtle, wrenching performance as the eponymous character and further buoyed by Piper Laurie's indelible comeback performance as Carrie's religious zealot of a mother, Carrie smartly realizes that a horror film is only as strong as the dramatic story it's built upon. The event will be a Zoom Webinar on Monday, October 16 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
Join us for a Q&A with director Jan de Bont, as he discusses his work on the 1994 film Speed. Reductively called "Die Hard on wheels", Speed, directed by Die Hard's cinematographer Jan de Bont, busts out from that film's shadow to become one of cinema's most acclaimed and successful action films. With star-making performances from Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock in the lead, Speed is a literal thrill-ride on wheels in which a madman plants a bomb on a bus that detonates if it goes under 50 mph. Crafted with supreme confidence by de Bont, Speed is the gold standard for blockbuster entertainment: bold, over-the-top, and a genuinely great piece of filmmaking.
join us for a Q&A with producer Robert Shaye as he discusses 1984 supernatural slasher film A Nightmare on Elm Street. Few films have had as much of an effect on horror cinema as Wes Craven's A Nightmare on Elm Street. Telling the story of a group of small-town teenagers terrorized in their dreams by knife-gloved murderer Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund, iconic), this classic combines clever visual effects and a memorably menacing villain to generate thrills. What makes A Nightmare on Elm Street stand far above almost all other horror films, though, is both its sheer inventiveness and genuine entertainment value. While Craven knew the importance of a real scare, he also knew that watching the film had to be a hell of a good time. Produced on a small budget by fledgling studio New Line Cinema and released to major critical acclaim and commercial success, Nightmare proved to be anything but for everyone involved. A Nightmare on Elm Street was edited by Patrick McMahon, ACE, and Rick Shaine, ACE.
Join us for a Q&A with producer/editor Mary Sweeney as she talks about her work on the surrealist neo-noir mystery film Mulholland Drive. When David Lynch's TV pilot failed to be picked up as a series, he expanded it into the surreal puzzle box that is Mulholland Drive. Describing this weird, wild, wonderful film is an exercise in futility - as is trying to fully make sense of it. And that's much of the reason why this film has endured and sparked much debate. Mulholland Drive is a brain-teaser of a film that finds both Lynch and longtime producer/editor Mary Sweeney working at their respective peaks, crafting a dazzling dream of a film that is both endlessly enjoyable and haunting.
Join us for a Q&A with director Mark Waters, as he discusses his work on the 2004 teen comedy film Mean Girls. What Clueless was to teens of the '90s, Mean Girls is to teens of the '00s: endlessly quotable, endlessly funny, and, most importantly, endlessly relatable. While successful upon its release, Mean Girls' true success came in the years after its release when it developed a huge following of fans of all ages and genders who connected to its story of a nice girl who falls in with a crowd of mean girls. Written by Tina Fey and edited by Wendy Greene Bricmont, ACE, Mean Girls will live on as long as there are divisions between good and bad girls in high school. The event will be a Zoom Webinar on Thursday, November 16 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
Join us for a Q&A with screenwriter Terence Winter, as he discusses his work on the 2013 biographical black comedy crime film The Wolf of Wall Street. An outrageous, uproarious epic about immoral stockbroker Jordan Belfort, The Wolf of Wall Streetfinds Martin Scorsese in top form working from a razor-sharp, blackly funny screenplay from Terence Winter. As Belfort, Leonardo DiCaprio runs through the full range of his ample talents, and he's given brilliant support by Jonah Hill and a breakout Margot Robbie whose career exploded after audiences experienced her dynamite work here. While the film runs a full three hours, Wolf darts forward like a bullet train, moving from one indelible set-piece to another, all while building into a powerful whole, thanks to the masterful editing by Thelma Schoonmaker, ACE. A monstrous, frequently misunderstood masterpiece, this damning indictment of American greed is one of the great films of the modern day that has unfortunately increased in potency in the decade since its release. The event will be a Zoom Webinar on Tuesday, November 28 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
On Monday, January 8 join us for a Q&A with director Justin K. Thompson, as he discusses 2023 American animated superhero film Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is another audacious, immersive feat of filmmaking that matches the already-astonishing original and ups the ante with its ambition and visual innovation. Grounding its high-flying story with humanity and some genuine pain, this film goes weirder, darker, trippier than its predecessor, deepening the story it set up in surprising ways. Edited by Mike Andrews, ACE, it’s obvious that this Spider-Verse came from a place of love and passion which helped make it one of 2023's essentials. This event will be a Zoom webinar on Monday, January 8 at 8PM ET/5PM PT. Please RSVP by Monday, January 8, 3PM ET/12PM PT.
For questions, please contact Picturehouse 441 Programmer, Joshua Handler (joshua@picturehouse441.com).
On Tuesday, January 16 join us for a Q&A with screenwriter Brian Helgeland, as he discusses his work on the 1997 crime film L.A. Confidential. A modern-day noir that pays loving homage to ‘40s detective films while giving it a distinctly modern sensibility, L.A. Confidential takes James Ellroy’s bestseller and adapts its labyrinthine plot into something more digestible yet no less complex and compelling. For their adaptation, Brian Helgeland and his co-writer Curtis Hanson (who also directed), won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay and for her performance, Kim Basinger won Best Supporting Actress. Editor Peter Honess, ACE, was nominated for Best Film Editing. Hard-hitting and ruthlessly intelligent, L.A. Confidential is neo-noir at its finest and the kind of mid-budget, adult-oriented film rarely seen anymore. This event will be a Zoom webinar on Tuesday, January 16 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.
