Must-See in LA: Coppola’s ‘The Conversation’ Turns 50! Check Out This Week’s Top Movies!

Hi there! I’m Mark Olsen. I’m thrilled to present you with another edition of your regular guide to the universe of Exceptional Cinema.

Without a doubt, the most significant news this week came from an interview in the UK film publication Sight and Sound. Renowned director David Lynch announced his diagnosis with emphysema, which has restricted his mobility. “I’m confined to my home, whether I want to be or not,” he confessed.

Creator of such uniquely captivating films as “Blue Velvet,” “Wild at Heart,” “Lost Highway” and “Mulholland Drive,” Lynch was honored with an Academy Award in 2010. His last full-length film was “Inland Empire” in 2006, but he unveiled the 18-episode series “Twin Peaks: The Return” in 2017.

Through social media, the 78-year-old Lynch revealed he stopped smoking two years ago, noting, “I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed smoking, and I have a fondness for tobacco — its aroma, the act of lighting cigarettes, inhaling them — but this pleasure comes at a cost, and for me that cost is emphysema.”

Lynch added, “Recently, I underwent numerous tests, and the positive news is that aside from emphysema, I am in excellent health. I am filled with joy, and I have no plans to retire.”

Half a Century of ‘The Conversation’

In honor of its 50th anniversary, Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Conversation” is being re-released in a new 4K restoration from the original camera negative. Unlike many of his films, which Coppola has tweaked and revised for re-release, “The Conversation” has remained untouched. In the press notes for the new restoration, Coppola refers to it as “a film I have always taken pride in, I’ve never felt a need to enhance.”

The plot revolves around a San Francisco audio surveillance expert, Harry Caul (played by Gene Hackman), who becomes engrossed in a recorded conversation that reveals more than initially meets the ear. As Caul gets further entangled in a web of mystery and paranoia, he loses his identity and the strict professional boundaries he has set for himself. The cast also features Harrison Ford, Teri Garr, John Cazale, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Williams, and Allen Garfield.

“The Conversation” won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Remarkably, two of Coppola’s films — both “The Conversation” and “The Godfather Part II” — were nominated for best picture at that year’s Oscars. “The Godfather Part II” won, while Coppola was also nominated for the original screenplay for “The Conversation” and won for adapted screenplay and director for “The Godfather Part II.” (“The Conversation” also received a nomination for sound, for Coppola’s frequent collaborator, Walter Murch.)

As a stroke of luck, “The Godfather Part II” is screening in a rare I.B. Technicolor 35mm print at the New Beverly on Saturday afternoon, offering an opportunity to immerse oneself in the breadth of Coppola’s work from 1974.

In his original review from 1974, Charles Champlin wrote, “‘The Conversation’ is a film that, in my opinion, succeeds on every level: as a cautionary tale illustrating the terrifying potential of privacy infringements; as a complex and suspenseful storyline; as a compelling character study of a man held captive by his own sinister skills; as a social document rich in detail about the methods of electronic eavesdropping. From Harry’s loft lab to his girlfriend’s basement apartment, the San Francisco milieu is precisely captured.”

Reflecting on the film for The Times in 2022, Kenneth Turan wrote, “Harry may use reel-to-reel tape, but it is in its depiction of a world where everyone is listening all the time that ‘The Conversation’ truly feels both timeless and contemporary. The implications of that world for the observer as well as the observed certainly provides a lesson for our current era.”

NoBudge Introduces Indie Spirit to L.A.

The online streaming service NoBudge will host its inaugural in-person event in Los Angeles this Sunday and Monday at the Look Dine-In Cinema in Glendale. The short-film programs will vary each night, showcasing a total of 18 films, all from L.A. filmmakers, with half of them making their L.A. premiere.

Highlighting independent filmmaking on a shoestring budget, NoBudge was established in 2011 by actor and filmmaker Kentucker Audley, known for his roles in films such as “Strawberry Mansion” and “Sylvio” and his appearances in movies including “She Dies Tomorrow,” “Her Smell,” and “It Happened in L.A.” In a recent phone interview, the New York-based Audley mentioned that the site was initially meant to be a platform for feature films but gradually transitioned to mostly programming short films.

“Short films often don’t receive the recognition they deserve,” noted Audley. “And I believe they should be part of the conversation, especially if you’re interested in young filmmakers and emerging voices. That’s typically where you first make your mark. Making short films before diving into features, I think, greatly shapes a filmmaker’s voice and the clarity of their vision.”

Among the films in the L.A. program will be “Ladies,” written and directed by Allison Bunce, “Pizza Party,” directed by Gabe Ross-Reich and Eli Leonard, and “Deepfake Apology Video,” directed by Brooke Bundy and Jerzy Rose.

Those who have showcased their work at other NoBudge events include Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik (recent Oscar nominees for the screenplay to Todd Haynes’ “May December”), as well as Shaka King, Dasha Nekrasova, Lance Oppenheim, Charlotte Wells, Joanna Arnow, Andrew DeYoung, and India Donaldson. Actors Kate Berlant, Timothée Chalamet, Rachel Sennott, and Zazie Beetz have all starred in films that were featured on the site.

The name NoBudge could be interpreted as a shorthand for “no budget,” but it also signifies an unwavering commitment to independent thinking and the creative liberty that comes with a lack of traditional resources.

“That’s this dual meaning that often goes unnoticed,” said Audley. “Most times people immediately assume it’s about the money. And it is, to some extent. But it’s also very much about the ethos and it’s very much about approaching filmmaking from a place of creative integrity.”

Points of Interest

‘Beyond the Valley of the Dolls’ in 35mm

The Academy Museum will present Russ Meyer’s infamously outrageous 1970 film “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” with a screenplay by future film critic Roger Ebert, on 35mm tonight. The film will be introduced by one of its stars, John LaZar, who, as the satyr-like music producer Z-Man, delivers the film’s most memorable line: “This is my happening and it freaks me out!”

Attempting to outline the plot of this film is somewhat futile. That said, it centers on three young women in a rock band who find themselves immersed in a world of Hollywood decadence and depravity.

In a surprisingly brief and critical review at the time, Charles Champlin wrote, “The crisis in Hollywood, born out of costly executive miscalculations, brings forth new miscalculations which may not be as costly in financial terms but could prove costly in other ways. Fox, in a desperate bid to stay afloat, turned to pioneering sexploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer for ‘Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,’ which fittingly is not a sequel but a cheap play on the title. … It is a distressingly sick mishmash of hyper-busty women, blatant innuendos, and sadistic violence.”

Champlin concluded, “There is a prevalent belief that success at any cost justifies any price. I reject this notion. No success is worth the damage inflicted on the human spirit by this trash.”

Joe Dante’s ‘Innerspace’

Joe Dante is a filmmaker who is all too often taken for granted. As one of the main graduates of Roger Corman’s unintentional film school, where promising young filmmakers were given the opportunity to learn on the job, Dante consistently delivers a wild, unpredictable energy that is exciting to witness. Dante himself will be at Vidiots on Saturday for a screening of his 1987 film “Innerspace.”

The film features Dennis Quaid as a test pilot participating in a specialized miniaturization project who accidentally gets injected into a hypochondriac played by Martin Short. Meg Ryan also stars as Quaid’s journalist girlfriend who unwittingly gets attracted to Short.

In Sheila Benson’s original Times review she wrote, “Dante doesn’t favor serene landscapes or uncluttered action sequences; he has a cartoonist’s perspective on life and he includes little appreciative nods to old films at every opportunity. … At two hours, ‘Innerspace’ is certainly packed with action, but it’s one of the few Spielberg-associated productions that doesn’t suffer from overwhelming grandeur (perhaps it’s the miniaturization theme). Despite being filled with technical marvels — Short’s rubber face stunt, the balancing car-chase sequence, the scenes inside the body, the diminutive master villains — it remains adept and warm-hearted, maintaining its human touch to the very end.”

‘L.A. Story’ in 35mm

This evening, Vidiots will be screening Mick Jackson’s 1991 film “L.A. Story,” featuring a screenplay by Steve Martin, on 35mm. As suggested by the title, the film is a loving and insightful tribute to Los Angeles, with Martin playing a local TV weatherman who has been unlucky in love.
During an interview for the film’s 30th anniversary in 2021 with Brian Tallerico, Martin spoke about the film’s mood, stating, “I believe, at heart, I am extremely sentimental. Hopefully, that’s a good thing. And romance has always been significant — the magic of romance. Initially, L.A. wasn’t particularly romantic to me, but over time I realized that it has these hidden gems — we even used them in the movie — these beautiful Moroccan courtyards in the heart of Hollywood. It’s a city of charm if you know where to look. The idea came to me while driving down a freeway and I saw these freeway signs and thought, ‘What if it spoke to me?’ The city was guiding me. The idea that they were all interconnected — not in a divine way, but in a guru-like way — inspired me to think romantically about the city.”

In his original Times review, critic Peter Rainer wrote, “‘L.A. Story’ has a completely unique spirit. It’s quirky yet deeply, helplessly romantic. It’s a film about infatuation — with women, with Los Angeles, with comedy. Mick Jackson, the Brit who directed Martin’s script, presents a carousel of familiar L.A. spots, but they’re transformed by the filmmakers’ passion. The imagery has a twist to it, as if we too were being captivated by it all. … They are on a quest for enchantment. And it’s this longing for enchantment that unifies the film’s patchwork of styles and moods. It’s a bewilderingly funny experience.”

What Else is New

Steve Martin Declines ‘SNL’ Offer

On the topic of Steve Martin, the star is currently nominated for an Emmy for his acting in “Only Murders in the Building” (as is co-star Martin Short). A new documentary about him, “Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces,” received five nominations, so he recently had a chat with our own Glenn Whipp.

Recently, there has been much speculation online that Martin should portray vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz on “Saturday Night Live” this season alongside Maya Rudolph as Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president.

Interestingly, Martin had just spoken to “SNL” producer Lorne Michaels earlier that day, who offered him the role of Walz. “I wanted to decline, and, incidentally, he wanted me to decline,” Martin told us. “I said, ‘Lorne, I’m not an impersonator. You need someone who can really capture the guy.’ I was chosen because I have gray hair and glasses.”

The potential time commitment also deterred Martin from accepting the role.

“It’s a continuing role,” Martin said. “It’s not as if you do it once, receive applause, and never do it again. Again, they need a real impersonator for that. They’re going to find someone really, really good. I’d be struggling.”

Complimentary Screening of ‘Between the Temples’

On Monday night, we’ll host a complimentary screening at the Landmark Theatres Sunset of the intergenerational romantic comedy “Between the Temples,” which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Following the film, I’ll moderate a Q&A with filmmaker Nathan Silver and stars Jason Schwartzman and Carol Kane. You can RSVP here.