Cinema Speakeasy

February 23, 2010 • 5:46 pm 0

March Program: Who Is KK Downey?

Cinema Speakeasy is ridiculously proud to present the festival favorite WHO IS KK DOWNEY?, a Kidnapper Films production.

Director Pat Kiely and producer Kieran Crilly will be in attendance at the screening.

INSTRUCTIONS

* Show up on FRIDAY March 5th, at 7:45PM
* Show up to the right place: Echo Park Film Center (1200 N. Alvarado St. 90026)
* Bring a bottle of something you wanna drink and share, $5, and a shifty look in your eyes

WHO IS KK DOWNEY? follows the story of two wannabes who decided they were sick and tired of trying to make a name for themselves the old-fashioned way. Terrance is trying to make it as a rock star, while Theo dreams of getting his first book published: ‘Truck Stop Hustler,’ a racy look at life on the streets as a junkie prostitute.

After a string of humiliations by both publishers and music critics, the two hatch a plan to turn Theo’s fictional book into an autobiography by having Terrance dress up as the story’s protagonist, KK Downey, and claim all the events as having happened to him.

All of a sudden the book nobody wanted becomes an overnight literary sensation, and Terrance has realized his dream of becoming famous. But at what price? Who is KK Downey? is a hilarious examination of media hype and hipster ideology as told by acclaimed Montreal comedy group Kidnapper Films.

Check out more at www.whoiskkdowney.com. TRT 90 minutes.

Filed under: Screening, Darren Curtis, Echo Park Film Center, film screening, Kieran Crilly, los angeles, Pat Kiely, Who Is KK Downey?

October 12, 2009 • 9:37 pm 3

November Program: 3 Short Films, A Workshop

November’s special instructions

Show up on Tuesday November 3rd, at 7:45PM
Show up to the right place: Echo Park Film Center (1200 N. Alvarado St. 90026)
Bring a bottle (of something you wanna drink and share), $5, and a shifty look in your eyes. Come with the password, for extra credit

Cinema Speakeasy just adores short films. And Cinema Speakeasy just adored studio critiques back in art school. So Cinema Speakeasy decided to combine the two, and allow us poor old hardworking adults another chance at a no-holds-barred feedback session, through its first ever short film workshop.

We have invited 3 of the most interesting short filmmakers in L.A. to showcase their most recent work, all hot of the presses — in some cases still ON the presses — and all ready for scrutiny. Unleash your inner pundit and join our discussion leader, Cinema Speakeasy’s own Georgi Goldman, as she guides us through this critical exercise. Just be sure to come prepared to give good constructive feedback. And hey, no haters.

KITTY KITTY
Dir. Michael Medaglia will be in attendance
Running time: 10 minutes
Kitty Kitty is short thriller about love, romance and brain parasites. Val’s boyfriend has been acting strange lately. She knows he is changing, but into what?

CIVIL
Dir. Weston Middleton
Producer/Editor Erik Adolphson will be in attendance
Running time: 16 minutes
Confederate Volunteer Higgins only ever fought one battle during his Civil War. What happens to a soldier when “for God and Country ” cease to seek the same end.

9 CHASSIDIC TALES: THE STORIES OF THE BAAL SHEM TOV- ep. 1
Dir. Tawd b. Dorenfeld will be in attendance
Running time: 16 minutes
A stop-motion puppet film, this is the story of Yaakov, a chassid of the Baal Shem Tov. With the help and guidance of his Rebbe, the Baal Shem Tov, Yaakov learned a most profound lesson, one which would change his life forever.

Why this is all so special

Creating films on small budgets with passionate, dedicated crews, short filmmakers of all stripes have one thing in common: A solid grasp of the economy of space. With that said, this restricted format provides the only opportunity for (most) filmmakers to test new methodologies, experiment with ideas, develop skills and — of course — tell stories in new, executable ways.

Curated by Saskia Wilson-Brown

Filed under: Screening, Cinema Speakeasy, Echo Park Film Center, Erik Adolphson, film screening, Georgi Goldman, Michael Medaglia, Pretty Pictures, Saskia Wilson-Brown, short film, Short film workshop, Tawd b. Dorenfeld, Weston Middleton

September 22, 2009 • 8:45 pm 0

October Program: Helvetica

October’s special instructions

Show up on Tuesday October 6th, at 7:45PM
Show up to the right place: Echo Park Film Center (1200 N. Alvarado St. 90026)
Come with the password, for extra credit
Bring a bottle (of something you wanna drink and share), $5, and a shifty look in your eyes

Helvetica Poster

HELVETICA by Gary Hustwit
TRT. 80 Minutes

“Everywhere you look you see typefaces. But there’s one you probably see more than any other one, and that’s Helvetica. You know, there it is, and it seems to come from nowhere. You know, it seems like air? It seems like gravity?”

A feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture, Helvetica looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.

Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day. The film was shot in high-definition on location in the United States, England, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France and Belgium.

Helvetica had its World Premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival in March 2007 and was nominated for a 2008 Independent Spirit Award in the “Truer Than Fiction” category.

http://www.helveticafilm.com/

Why this is all so special

It’s a film about a typeface. And it’s almost Saskia’s birthday.

October’s screening is curated by Saskia Wilson-Brown

Filed under: Screening, Cinema Speakeasy, film screening, Helvetica, october, typeface

June 12, 2009 • 8:03 pm 2

August Program: Visioneers

August’s special guest presenter
Georgi Goldman, topic TBD
Producer, Current TV

August’s special instructions
* Show up on Tuesday August 4th, at 7:45PM
* Show up to the right place 1200 N. Alvarado St. 90026
* Dress like you might explode at any moment. Hot hot hot.
* Or, dress very corporate. Happy happy happy.
* Bring a bottle (of something you wanna drink), $5, and a shifty look in your eyes
* Murmur your summertime password at the door (always, sotto voce)

August’s special film
VISIONEERS
by Jared Drake

First time feature filmmaker Jared Drake makes his directorial debut with this quirky black comedy set in the near future, and concerning a curious spike in cases of spontaneous human combustion. The Jeffers Corporation is the largest business in the history of mankind, and they got that way thanks to their strict philosophy of happiness through mindless productivity. But when people begin literally exploding due to unhappiness, Jeffers Corporation Level Three Visioneer George Washington Winsterhammerman (Zach Galifianakis) begins to fear that his time will come sooner rather than later. Judy Greer, Missi Pyle, and James LeGros co-star in an existential black comedy featuring music by Tim DeLaughter of the Polyphonic Spree.

Where you can learn more
http://www.visioneersthemovie.com
http://www.echoparkfilmcenter.org

visioneers

Why this is all so special
Visioneers is being self-distributed. That means that screenings like these, as well as festival runs, ARE the theatrical release. This is it. You won’t see it elsewhere. Except on a DVD, which you can purchase at visioneersthemovie.com. It’s democracy folks, and you gotta support it.

August’s screening is curated by
Saskia Wilson-Brown, Georgi Goldman

Filed under: Screening, B-side, DIY Distribution, film screening, Georgi Goldman, James LeGros, Jared Drake, Judy Greer, Missi Pyle, Saskia Wilson-Brown, Tim DeLaughter, Visioneers, Zach Galifianakis

We’re online!

Contact us anytime by emailing heythere@cinemaspeakeasy.com, or through the following fine online outlets.

Join Our Mailing List
On Kickstarter
On Vimeo
On Flickr
On Facebook
On Twitter