Picturehouse 441

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.

Tune in on Thursday, January 18, to watch a Q&A with editor Nick. Houy, ACE, as he discusses the editing of the 2023 hit Barbie. After the one-two punch of Lady Bird and Little Women, filmmaker Greta Gerwig took on her biggest project yet: Barbie. A triumph of imagination, Barbie cleverly uses the eponymous character and Ken to explore the roles of women in society and the challenges they face. Cut by longtime Gerwig editor Nick Houy, ACE, the film moves at a breakneck pace, perfectly in sync with Gerwig’s unique rhythms. Both the highest grossing and one of the most critically acclaimed films of 2023, Barbie is destined to influence the next many years of cinema, but it will be hard to replicate the infectious energy of the inimitable original. This event will be a Zoom Webinar on Thursday, January 18 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

Picturehouse 441 and ACE are proud to be partnering on a series of live virtual Q&As as part of our mutual efforts to promote film literacy.
Join us for a Q&A with screenwriter Hampton Fancher, as he discusses his work on science fiction film Blade Runner: The Final Cut. Upon its release in 1982, Blade Runner opened to mixed reviews and middling box office in a cut that reeked of studio intervention. A decade later, Ridley Scott released a director’s cut that more closely aligned with his vision, and it was immediately hailed as a landmark work of cinema (this was followed by the 2007 final cut, Scott’s preferred version). A potent mix of film noir, science fiction, and dystopian drama, Blade Runner is an uncommonly intelligent work, written by Hampton Fancher and David Webb Peoples and edited by Terry Rawlings, ACE, and Marsha Nakashima, that asks major philosophical questions about what makes human beings human. The event will be a Zoom Webinar on Tuesday, January 23 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

Join us for a Q&A with screenwriter William Wisher, as he discusses his work on 1991 science fiction action film Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The Terminator was a landmark of sci-fi cinema, but like with his previous film, Aliens, filmmaker James Cameron wanted to outdo the original with his sequel. A bigger badder better Terminator film, Terminator 2: Judgment Day ups the ante in every way, taking risk after risk and paying every one off in spades. With Arnold Schwarzenegger as a heroic terminator, Linda Hamilton in full badass mode and editing by Conrad Buff, ACE, Mark Goldblatt, ACE, Richard A. Harris and Dody Dorn, ACE (Special Edition), T2 delivers brains and brawn in equal measure while single-handedly revolutionizing cinematic VFX. Chock-full of brilliant one-liners and given a big heart by Cameron and co-writer William Wisher, T2 stands as one of the great American action epics that has lost none of its power. The event will be a Zoom Webinar on Monday, January 29 at 8PM ET/5PM PT.

*ACE Members and Newsletter subscribers, please check your email for the registration link.*

Join us for a Q&A with editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis, ACE, as he discusses his Oscar-nominated work on 2023's Poor Things. A wonderfully odd concoction courtesy of Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos, Poor Things is a provocative, delightful tale of a reanimated adult woman, Bella Baxter, with the brain of a baby who begins to explore the world and find herself in a steampunk version of 19th Century England. Working with largely the same team as his previous film, The Favourite, including genius longtime editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis, ACE, Lanthimos has created a tale of female empowerment that crackles with wit from Tony McNamara’s screenplay and a career-best performance from the chameleonic Emma Stone. And enough cannot be said about the work of Mavropsaridis whose sharp, unpredictable style brings out the best in everyone’s work, culminating in one of 2023’s very best films. The event will be a Zoom Webinar on Thursday, February 15 at 4PM ET/1PM PT.