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7/4 @ 1pm–Midnight
 Mondo America!: The 1st Annual Cinefamily 4th of July BBQ Blowout Featuring The Fantastic Sights and Sounds of Virtual Fireworks and Other Movie Mayhem!
We'd like to invite you all to the best 4th of July party since the Capitol Celebration of 1778, when George Washington gave the United States Army an artillery salute and a double ration of rum! Well, we're gonna give you a quintuple ration of cinema with one of our signature Cinefamily compilation nights, which from here on out we're calling "mondo" nights. It's all planned out: an open door to our sweet back patio, good music, friends, and that most American of traditions--a BBQ! And if it gets too hot, just step inside our nice air-conditioned theatre, and catch our marathon film festival. "Mondo" means a world of weirdness built around a theme, and tonight's theme is America, so it's a patriotic free-for-all of film formats, from DVDs to 16mm industrials to 35mm features. We'll be keeping the fest alive all day and long into the night, just like our grill, so come whenever you like--check the itinerary, though, for some of the key moments you might not want to miss.
1PM: We light the grill. We begin the festivities. Remember, early arrivers stake out good seats. If you want a couch...
4PM: 4th OF JULY MYSTERY MUSIC MOVIE!
From our own personal collection, we're busting out a 35mm print of a rare '70s 4th of July musical celebration featuring tons of great country stars!
8:09PM: VIRTUAL FIREWORKS SHOW!
According to the Farmer's Almanac, the sun will set at 8:09 PM. We wouldn't want you to miss the fireworks, so we'll be screening best-of videos from international fireworks competitions, experimental films and enough jingoistic eye candy to make you oooh and aaah -- in your BRAIN. Bring a picnic basket.
10PM: JABBERWALK!
The climax of the night is an incredibly rare full-length actual Mondo movie (aka Italian shockumentary), Jabberwalk aka This Is America aka Crazy Ridiculous American People (turn that one into an acronymn for a cheap giggle), a skewered funhouse-mirror view of our culture through foreign eyes. Let's let Luigi explain: "Americanos! We Italianos love you, and your large country, with your dolce vita of USA! We want to help make-a much crazytime on your birthday. Happy Birthday, America! We have-a big party the way you like it, with lots of ketchup and dogs that are hot-a, and then we show you our movie about you, and what makes you big Ragu -- numero uno! It has the love we think about you: ceremony for the awards in big-a bellisimo porno, factories for make-a the dildoes, cocaina churches, a wonderful family eating meal together of worm spaghetti. Mmmm.....Mange! Mange the worms-a! And everyone has the guns! In the supermarket-a! On the honeymoon! Guns! Bang! Bang! Guns! After we film the world, looking for the things that make-a us laugh, we find the best right here. Abbodanza!"
Tickets - $12/$8 for members
7/6 @ 8pm
 George Kuchar in N.Y.C.
8/3 @ 8pm
George Kuchar in S.F.
“George and Mike Kuchar’s films were my first inspiration.”—John Waters
Starting at the age of twelve on their parents’ Bronx rooftop, George
Kuchar and his twin brother Mike created a series of absurd, homemade
epics that became underground film classics, probably to the brothers’ own
surprise. Made with their cast of misfits, drag queens, and overweight
women--in other words, stars!--the Kuchar brothers employed an original
lo-fi aesthetic that joyfully transformed every flaw into a charming
detail, and wallowed cheerfully in their own cheapness. George’s love of
trash, camp, and melodrama, infect every second of his crazed, unique
films. Aside from John Waters, his influence can still be felt in
filmmakers from Guy Maddin to David Lynch. The prolific nature of
George’s output made it hard for us to keep our program down to two
nights, but this is the best we could do. Enjoy.
Part 1: The NYC Years. Made during the heyday of the New York
Underground, these are the films that almost defined the term. And
they’re funny as hell. Films include: Hold Me While I’m Naked (1966),
Leisure (1966), Mosholu Holiday (1966), Color Me Shameless (1967), Eclipse
of the Sun Virgin (1967), Knocturne (1968), and House of the White People
(1968).
Dir. George Kuchar, 1966-68, various formats, 107 min.
Part 2: The SF Years. After George lost his job doing commercial art
work, he accepted a position as an associate professor at the San
Fransisco Art Insititute. Now on the West Coast, he not only continued
his own personal output, but began making films with his students, films
that range from the insane to the mildly pornographic, and often both.
And they’re funny as hell. Films include: I, An Actress (1977), Wild
Night In El Rio (1977), Prescription In Blue (1978), The Woman And The
Dress (1980), Yolanda (1981), Cattle Mutilations (1983), and Insanatorium
(1987).
Dir. George Kuchar, 1977-87, various formats, 125 min.
Tickets - $13/$9 for members
Kuchar in N.Y.C (7/6)
Kuchar in S.F. (8/3)
7/8 @ 8pm
 Sunrise (with live music by My Education [Austin, TX])
As part of The Cinefamily's ongoing attempt to merge modern music with silent film, the Austin, TX-based instrumental band My Education will appear live to perform the score they've written for F.M. Murnau's 1928 silent masterpiece Sunrise. In Murnau's morality tale, Anses (George O'Brien), a sensitive and easily-swayed farmer, falls under the spell of The Woman From The City (Margaret Livingston), a jezebel who convinces him to run off with her -- but only after he murders his innocent wife Indre (Janet Gaynor). Murnau used his expert German Expressionist techniques to craft a fairytale ride through the tortured mental landscape of a man caught between devotion and seduction, making Sunrise (widely regarded as one of the best films ever made) the most vibrant of all his Hollywood productions. My Education's densely textured accompaniment to the film, a mix of turbulent rock theatrics and lush ambient work, first premiered at Austin's legendary Alamo Drafthouse in 2007, and makes its L.A. debut at the Cinefamily.
Dir. F.W. Murnau, 1927, digital presentation, 95 min.
Tickets - $13/$9 for members
7/20 @ 1pm & 3:30pm
 Harold Lloyd Shorts
When Hal Roach came into a small inheritance and decided to start producing comedies, he immediately hired fellow extra Harold Lloyd to be his star. For years, they worked together looking for a successful public image for Lloyd (first going through "Willy Work" and "Lucky Luke" phases). Upon discovering his famous "glasses" character--an ambitious, go-getting man of the century!--it all fell into place. From there, they made a series of classics that made him one of the most popular stars in silent film history, with the sum grosses outmatching even Chaplin's. The glasses disarmed the aggression of his striving character enough for audience sympathy, paving the way for an incredible bounty of gags in these fast-paced films. Harold Lloyd liked something funny to be happening at all times, and succeeded at a phenomenally high rate. Come laugh it up, with a selection of some of his best shorts!
Tickets - $13/$9 for members
1pm
3:30pm
7/22 @ 8pm
 Young, Hot 'N Nasty Teenage Cruisers
Written, directed and starring L.A.'s own trashmeister Johnny Legend, this 1970s XXX-rated answer to Rock Around the Clock might be more accurately describe as American Groin-fitti--an astounding blend of red-hot cruisin' cupcakes, stick-shift stoners with boners and Mel Brooksian carnal comedy, all set to a then-revolutionary star-studded rockabilly soundtrack. The first film by Raunchy Tonk's own Johnny Legend documents the dawn of the mid-70s rockabilly, punk rock, and cruisin' scenes featuring vintage porn stars like Serena and the one and only John Holmes, and a blistering Rollin' Rock soundtrack produced by the legendary Rockin' Ronny Weiser, and featuring Alvis Wayne, Billy Zoom, Ray Campi, Chuck Higgins, Jack Cochran. Uncut and unscreened in over 20 years, with live appearances by Johnny Legend, Lynnie Legend, William Margold, and more!
Tickets - $13/$9 for members
7/28 @ 8pm
Members Only Screening
Sometimes we plan to screen something so rarefied, so special, so freakin' awesome, that we want to show it for free...but only for the chosen few. We can't even tell you what we're going to show. So, this Monday, July 21st, The Cinefamily is presenting another one of our "members only" screenings for our inner circle -- those who have officially joined the Cinefamily through a complicated series of rites: filling out a form, showing us an ID, and purchasing a membership. We can't let you know in advance what the night's program is, but we promise it's gonna be cool. A membership card gets you in the door!
Tickets - Free for members
7/29 @ 8pm
 TV Tuesday
There is no deeper well of secret guilty goodness than the thousands upon
thousands of made-for-TV movies, "special" episodes and weird commercials
that have passed through the airwaves and into the ether. We promise a
magical night where every short attention span-style flip of the channel
lands you on a different amazing piece of lost television you won't be
able to take your eyes off of. We've got at least two great '70s TV
movies, and a whole mess of other stuff you can barely remember from years
past, or can't believe existed. Bring your favorite snacks, snuggle up,
and join our couch, 'cause it's TV Tuesday!
Tickets - $8/ $5 for members
8/5 @ 8pm
 Dublab: VisionVersion
VisionVersion is a new film project from the far-out minds at Dublab, who are focused on sharing elevated music moments through motion picture
magic. Their collective of wide-eyed directors are filming amazing artists
performing live in exciting locations around Los Angeles, and so far they've
shot VisionVersion features with: Tom Brosseau (Fat Cat Records), Stevie
Jackson (Belle & Sebastian), Rain Machine aka Kyp Malone (TV on the
Radio), Why? (Anticon), Health, Baby Dee (Drag City), Ariel Pink (Paw
Tracks), Over the Atlantic (Carpark Records), Don Cavalli (Everloving),
Excepter (Paw-Tracks), Langhorne Slim (Kemado Records), Cluster (German
space rock legends) and Lucky Dragons (Marriage Records). We're excited
to unveil these creative efforts for the first time on the big screen here at the Cinefamily. To
make this special screening even more memorable we'll be filming a live
VisionVersion episode with a surprise band immediately following the
films. This will be an incredible VisionVersion within a VisionVersion!
Tickets - $13/$9 for members
8/12 @ 8pm
 Jem Cohen Films
Filming always, and everywhere, Jem Cohen has collected countless hours of poetic images of the universe on 16mm. His films give us insight into our world--they challenge us to stop, to focus. In his rarely-seen feature Chain, he shows how the bleak specifics of where we live, shop and eat deplete our relationship with character and personal identity. Actual malls, theme parks, hotels and corporate centers worldwide are joined into a monolithic “superlandscape” that shapes and circumscribes the lives of two distinct inhabitants: one a businesswoman researching the international theme park industry for her home company, and the other a young drifter, illegally living and working on the fringes of a shopping mall. Preceding Chain are three lyrical short films by Cohen: the political statement Little Flags, the ode to travel Blessed Are The Dreams Of Men, and the beautiful Lucky 3, a portrait of Elliott Smith.
Tickets - $13/$9 for members
8/17 @ 8pm
 Our Gang Shorts
We all remember the beloved set of Our Gang characters -- Spanky, Alfalfa, Buckwheat and the rest -- from frequent airings of shorts on local TV, but did you know that there were also eighty-eight silent shorts produced in the 1920s featuring those Little Rascals? Created by film pioneer Hal Roach, the Our Gang shorts make for endlessly fun viewing, as we watch these scraggly, streetwise, mischievous kids do their thing: tussling with snotty rich kids, making trouble, and having a good time. Noted for the naturalism of the children's performances (Roach started the series with the offspring of his various employees at the studio) and their multi-racial cast, the Our Gang films continue to charm both kids and their parents. Kids get in half price!
Tickets - $13/$9 for members
8/19 @ 8pm
 TRYPPS
TRYPPS
TRYPPS
TRYPPS
TRYPPS
Co-presented by Cinemad
Blasting out of Chicago, experimental filmmaker Ben Russell makes vibrant,
“tryppy” films as emotional as they are beautiful to sink in to. His Black
and White Trypps subjects range from elliptical trees in high contrast to
a crowd at a Lightning Bolt show to a Richard Pryor performance blown out
visually. Russell will also perform The American War (#10), a
16mm double-projection live performance involving film loops, mixer
feedback, a delay pedal, and a homemade light-sensitive synthesizer.
WARNING: This show contains visuals that may be harmful to those with
epilepsy.
Dir. Ben Russell, 2005-2008, 16mm/35mm, 60 min.
Tickets - $13/$9 for members
8/24 @ 7:30 & 9:30pm
 The Amazing Mr. Bickford
The title is not an exaggeration. Bruce Bickford's art--a hallucinatory
stop-motion amalgamation of Peter Pan, Ray Harryhausen, and The Wild
Bunch--is nothing short of amazing. Frank Zappa first used the incredible
talents of self-taught claymation wizard Bickford as visual companions to
his music in the film Baby Snakes, and continued this collaboration in The Amazing Mr. Bickford.
On the film's original VHS cover, Zappa exclaimed, "Bruce Bickford is a
genius!...Few other home video products can compare with the years of
effort and attention to detail contained in less than an hour of The
Amazing Mr. Bickford. It is a show that will be watched again and again,
freeze-framed, and gasped at for years to come." Bruce Bickford will be
in attendance for a Q&A after this incredibly rare screening.
Dirs. Bruce Bickford & Frank Zappa, 1987, digital presentation, 60 min.
Tickets - $14/ $10 for members
7:30pm
9:30pm
8/26 @ 8pm
 Cas'l and Other Unreleased Bruce Bickford Films
While the greater mass of animator Bruce Bickford's work seen by the
public consists of the films he made while working for Frank Zappa, he
never stopped working, either before or after his employ. We will screen
some of Bruce's early Super-8 experiments as a teenager, as well as his
unfinished 45-minute opus Cas'l, the inspired result of years of solitary
work, featuring a live score by The Gaslamp Killer. Also, Bickford will
perform on of his "blues raps", with musical accompaniment by Gerry
Fialka.
Tickets - $14/ $10 for members
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