WATCH Like an Egyptian!

This post's title really makes no sense and I KNOW the Egyptian movie theater is technically in Hollywood, but it's just such a cool, hip thing to do in LA, I HAD to write about it.

Okay, so American Cinematheque (http://www.americancinematheque.com/) does these screenings at the Aero and Egyptian theaters and they are just WONDERFUL. Like, Noelia, Kalen and I went to a Saturday screening of Carlos and although it was like seven hours of my life, it was fantastic. Also, after the screening director Olivier Assayas and star Edgar Ramirez did a Q&A session (Edgar Ramirez is so foxy I can barely type his name without like, swooning), which was really informative and lovely. Anyway this time I went with Kalen to what I think was the second night in a series of films directed by Monte Hellman. Mr. Hellman (Monte?) was also there and did a Q&A at the end of the two films; we saw Two-Lane Blacktop and Ride in the Whirlwind.

I loved Two-Lane Blacktop so effing much and I really have to thank the magical Kalen Egan for introducing me to it. I confess to you (Mom) that I met Kalen because he was friends with Noelia and then I essentially forced him to spend time with me. I cannot sum up the man that Kalen is in one sentence, but he is WONDERFUL and I enjoy his company in general, but he is especially wonderful to watch movies with. He has seen basically everything and owns like, the entire Criterion collection and yet he can still enjoy a gem like Drive Angry 3D (Nic Cage's hair is NO JOKE in that movie) and will go with you to Jane Eyre (even though the usher will ask him what he did to deserve going to see it). It was Kalen that suggested this double-feature and I am DEFINITELY grateful.

I really just want you guys to go see the movie for yourselves, but Two-Lane Blacktop stars James Taylor (yup, that James Taylor) and Dennis Wilson (yup, from The Beach Boys) as two drifters who occasionally drag race for money. Warren Oates plays a G.T.O owner who races the guys across the country. There's also a pretty young girl involved. Oh, and did I mention that in the film, the guys look like THIS:



Yeah, I bet you were so confused picturing a bald James Taylor racing all over the USA for pink slips. It is just so awesome and well-written and 70's-cool. At one point I leaned over and whispered to Kalen "It's just like The Fast and the Furious!" and he responded "More like The Fast and the Existential," and of course, he was totally right. The Q&A came after this first film, and Monte Hellman was fine, if a little dry, but what is so fun about these screenings is all of the loonies that come out of the woodwork to "ask questions." I used quotations there, because most people don't ask questions so much as say things like "I auditioned for the role of the girl," or "I did union work in Goodfellas," and then just stare at the speaker expecting a reward or cookie or something. Kalen sort of adores these awkward moments, while I wish I could evaporate out of my chair as I mouth the words "I HATE YOU" to him. Anyway, it's a fascinating experience.

I did NOT enjoy Ride in the Whirlwind, which is a really boring western, even though the film has all of the required shoot-outs and whatnot. It does star Jack Nicholson, who actually wrote the screenplay, and to be fair to Jack, he looks like this in the movie:



I mean, this is why I did not fall asleep. Go to the Egyptian! Maybe look at the schedule first, but then go, GO!