Series

L.A. Scams Itself

The allure of the glitz and glamour of the City of Angels has crafted an idea of Los Angeles of sun, celebrity, and movie magic. But underneath its shine, L.A. rests on a history of suspect urban planning, simmering racial tensions, corrupt politics, and infamously untrustworthy policing and legal systems. Combined together, this tense milieu has led to some of cinema’s most scathing indictments of place, space, and society. Curated in the tradition of classic films like The Big Sleep, Chinatown, In a Lonely Place, and Double Indemnity, L.A. Scams Itself presents four films that expose the complicated truths about one of America’s most mythologized cities.

Screenings include:

10.18, 7pm: L.A. Confidential | Curtis Hanson's searing neo-noir tackles police corruption, the dark underbelly of Classic Hollywood, and the fight for the soul of the City of Angels alongside star-making performances from a stellar ensemble cast.

10.25, 7pm: The Nice Guys | Simply the best "1970s buddy cop-neo-noir-comedy-starring-Ryan Gosling-and-Russell Crowe-that-is-beloved-by-cinephiles-critics-and-the-internet-alike" there is.

11.8, 7pm: The Long Goodbye | Robert Altman's idiosyncratic film ranks among the smartest and most satisfying Marlowe mysteries, complete with a compelling lead performance from Elliott Gould.

11.15, 7pm: Inherent Vice | Stoner hippie and private detective Doc Sportello gets wrapped up in 1970s Los Angeles’ criminal underworld while investigating the disappearance of a former girlfriend. 10th anniversary screening.