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Thursday, April 18, 2024

We Can't Wait For The Stories Tied To This

 

Twisters comes out July 19th.


Delicious Little Tokyo & VC Film Fest May

We know, we should be writing about Cinco De Mayo, May The 4th for Star Wars or Alien Day, April 26th for LV-426 where Xenomorphs were first encountered. BTW, check out Alien, the original film for it's 45th Anniversary Re-Release, that day only; in select theaters.

Instead we're dining on Delicious Little Tokyo. Taking place May 4th, you can take tasting tours, do workshops and play J-Town Bingo, which has you exploring the area to earn bingo spots and possibly win prizes. Oh, and the ultra specific Little Tokyo Pop-Up shop, so people no where you go to eat.

There's also some Children's Day Festival activities to check out, so plenty to do.

May 4
Little Tokyo
Free and $
 
and also taking place in May,
 
VC Film Fest going through May 1st-10th. Now, you might be saying, wait what's that? Because, it goes by a much older name -big reveal- Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF). Yes, our favorite too-long an acronym film festival has ditched its old moniker for VC Film Fest. Why, because Visual Communications been running it and it does seems easier to say aloud than LAAPFF. 

A wonderful huge collection of Asian films to see. We like seeing the weirder and strange stuff, so nothing we can recommend just eyeing it, but they have many movies to see.
May 1-10th
Multiple Locations

Both happening the start this May.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Weekly What To Do: Earth Day, 4/20 & Anime All-In-One


After Coachella, we have Miku to ourselves

Miku Expo
April 17th Wed.
Show 8:00pm / Door 7:00pm
Shrine Auditorium
$$ 

The website and Ticketmaster page just mmmm, chef's kiss on explaining anything about the show. The dang Ticketmaster page says it's for the 2020 tour.

Hatsune Miku is a Vocaloid, a voice synthesizer program; she's a digital pop idol very popular in Japan and here with certain audiences. Her shows are much more in tone with that of a Japanese pop idol and if you've seen anime, which usually has some version of an idol in it, you'd understand it's a fun spectacle. Lots of audience participation when it comes to cheering on the singer. More than likely you'll see other Vocaloids on stage either via a big screen/ screens or their version of holograms.

Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak
Opens April 18, 2024
Skirball Cultural Center
Admission
 
Explore the exclusive West Coast display of the largest and most complete exhibition of Jewish artist Maurice Sendak’s sixty-year career! Comprised of over 150 artifacts—including original paintings, drawings, videos, and objects—this landmark exhibition showcases the depth and breadth of his creativity.
 
Spy × Family Code: White is actually out April 18th and it looks like it won't be for one day. You might have a week to see it both subbed and dubbed in theaters. Get locations here.
 
April 18 – 21, 2024 in Hollywood
 
It's funny that Spaceballs is being screened as I believe it's the we don't know ...100th anniversary of Blazing Saddles, but if Mel Brooks is getting up to do it and at his age, let him do whatever he wants...It's good to be the King.
 
Festival Highlights include
"a closing night screening of 1987's comedy SPACEBALLS presented by writer and director Mel Brooks. The lineup for the weekend will also include:

• Steven Spielberg in Q&A with UCLA Film School’s Howard Suber ahead of the director’s cut of Spielberg's film CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)

• A LITTLE ROMANCE (1979) with star Diane Lane in conversation with TCM Host Ben Mankiewicz

• A cast reunion for LITTLE WOMEN (1994) featuring Trini Alvarado, Samantha Mathis and Eric Stoltz

• Filmmaker Nancy Meyers introduces the world premiere restoration of one of her favorite movies, NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959), completed by Warner Bros. and The Film Foundation

• A world premiere restoration of THE SEARCHERS (1956), completed by Warner Bros. and The Film Foundation, introduced by writer/director Alexander Payne

• Director David Fincher presenting a world premiere restoration IMAX® screening of his 1995 thriller SE7EN

• Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings introduces a U.S. premiere restoration of THE SMALL BACK ROOM (1949), restored by The Film Foundation and courtesy of Rialto Pictures

In addition, TCM and Warner Bros. will present THAT'S VITAPHONE!: THE RETURN OF SOUND-ON-DISC (2024). For the first time in more than 90 years, six hilarious, often outlandish, Vitaphone vaudeville shorts of the 1920s will be projected in 35mm, with sound played back from their original 16-inch discs on a turntable designed and engineered by Warner Bros. Post Production Engineering Department."
 
15 YEARS OF AGFA Presents:
THE CULT OF AGFA TRAILER SHOW
7:30 P.M. on Thursday, April 18th, 2024
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108
George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts Complex
900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPs REQUIRED.
 
There's nothing dreamier than the moment when the lights go down and the show begins. Now imagine capturing that feeling for 77 minutes of concentrated bliss. Exploding from the vaults of the American Genre Film Archive (AGFA), THE CULT OF AGFA TRAILER SHOW is a sequel to THE AGFA HORROR TRAILER SHOW... and AGFA's wildest mixtape yet.

This is a hallucinogenic journey through the most face-kicking, slime-slinging, fret-shredding cult film trailers that the unworld has ever seen. Meticulously constructed by the mad scientists at AGFA to resemble an otherworldly night at a mall multiplex, this compilation features rare trailers, commercials, and ephemera — all of which were preserved and scanned exclusively for this project.
 
 
an Evening of Stand-Up
Thursday, April 18th, 2024 at 7pm PST
1200 North Alvarado Street Los Angeles, CA 90026

Join us for an evening of stand-up comedy to help raise money to buy new chairs for our new space! This show will feature stand-up by Rachel Kaly, Jamie Loftus, Rachel Pegram, Kyle Mizono, and Spencer Turrubiarte, and will be hosted by Kel Cripe.
 
 
 
 
 
 
Taste of The Valley, returning to Westfield Topanga on Thursday, April 18th from 5-9pm.
 
Savor creations from the Valley's hottest eateries, including favorites like Burrata House, Katsu Sando, Dumpling Monster, Poke Me and many others. Plus, don't miss out on our specialty bars featuring premium selections from 818 Tequila, Bacardi, Foley Winery, Jim Beam, Fever Tree, and more.
 
APR 19-20
Lot 613
613 Imperial Street Los Angeles, CA 90021
$15
 
Come experience one of the largest pop-up art movements to hit North America over the past decade. Celebrate 15 years serving FREE PANCAKES and introducing you to some of the nation's leading  emerging artists.
 
April 19, 5PM – 10PM
The Autry Museum
ADMISSION: $5
 
Odd Nights at The Autry is a night market that offers a unique shopping and entertainment experience for visitors. It features a wide variety of local vendors selling everything from handmade crafts to vintage clothing, along with great music, food trucks, and other attractions.
What sets Odd Nights at The Autry apart from other night markets is its focus on local and sustainable products. 


Apr 19-20
Los Angeles Convention Center
$30 and up

*We've never heard of this one, so this looks like a starting Anime Festival. Check their website before going, because it looks like it's attached to a tattoo festival too.
 
"Welcome to ANIME NATION FEST! Get ready for an epic gathering of anime enthusiasts at the ANIME NATION FEST & COSTUME BALL. Immerse yourself in the vibrant world of anime, cosplay, and tattoo artistry. Discover a variety of anime merchandise from your favorite series, meet talented cosplayers showcasing their incredible costumes, and explore renowned artists from around the globe. Join us for an unforgettable weekend filled with fun, dress-up party, creativity, meet anime artists, and costume contests. See you there!"
 
April 19 · 10pm - April 20 · 2am
Catch One
4067 West Pico Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90019
$5 BEFORE 10:30PM,
 
 
 
 
 

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books is back on USC’s Campus to celebrate its 29th year! The festival will return with hundreds of events, beginning Saturday, April 20 through Sunday, April 21
 
 The festival is free to attend but panel tickets go on sale April 14th. Attendees can also purchase a “friend of the festival” package, which lets them reserve up to 20 panel tickets (plus some other perks) for $85.
 
Sat, Apr 20, 2024 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
Toriumi Plaza
Judge John Aiso Street &, 1st St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Free
 
 Join us for a day of sustainable crafts, community performances, and an opportunity to share your vision for the future of Little Tokyo. This celebration is free and open to everyone; however, RSVPs are encouraged. This event is part of Sustainable Little Tokyo's larger initiative of envisioning public spaces that are active and inclusive for community members of all backgrounds regardless of race, ethnicity, class, gender, age, ability or housing status. We strive to create an environment where everyone feels welcome and ask that participants join the event with an open heart.
 
Earth Day — Celebrate Earth Day with NHM with a day full of programming, hands-on activities, getting up close with scientists and specimens, meeting Spongebob, and so much more!! The Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County protect and share more than 35 million specimens and artifacts, the largest natural and cultural history collection in the western United States. By understanding the world around us, past and present, we gain a better appreciation for our planet and for all who share it. 
Schedule: Sunday, April 21, 11 am–3 pm 
Admission: Free with Museum admission | Free for Members
Sunday, Apr 21, 2024
10am - 3pm 
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
152 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
Free and open to all

The Plant Sale returns to The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA for its second year. Artist Alika Cooper's itinerant collaborative event brings together artists and growers from across the Los Angeles basin to celebrate and sell plants & related wares. The event will also feature a Sustainable Skillbuilding composting workshop from 12-1pm led by Compostable LA’s founder Monique Figueiredo. During this interactive conversation, participants will have the opportunity to ask a compost expert all of their burning questions, learn how to embrace this new habit, and hone their skills further!
 
Sunday, April 21, 2024 9am - 4pm
Connecting Culver City, Palms, Mar Vista, and Venice
Free
 
CicLAvia – Venice Blvd includes four (4) Hubs filled with plenty of activities and programs along the route. Hubs are walking zones (mandatory bike dismounts) and meeting points along the route with the Venice Beach Hub located at Windward Circle; Mar Vista Hub located on Venice Blvd near Beethoven St;  Palms Hub located on Venice Blvd near Huron Ave; and the National Hub located on Venice Blvd west of National Blvd. Hubs offer family-friendly activities, restrooms, free water refilling stations, free basic bike repair, bike parking, and first aid. Free pedicab rides are available at each information booth. Use the CicLAvia digital map to plan which businesses, local gems, activities along the route, and Hubs to check out during the event.

 
10th Annual Bob Baker Day
Sunday, April 21, 2024
10 AM - 5 PM
Los Angeles State Historic Park
Free, but RSVP
 
Join us for all day festivities, puppet shows, games, and more at the 10th Annual Bob Baker Day! Celebrate Bob Baker’s 100th Birthday and BBMT’s 60th Anniversary at LA State Historic Park on April 21st.
 
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 5919 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028
$15.00 

Everything this cast says, sings, and dances will be made up on the spot in this high-wire completely improvised musical. This month, we tackle DUNE.
Cast: Mary Lou, Jiavani, Jack Norman, Philip Labes with a full improvising live band!

Weednot Noir
April 20 @ 10:30 pm - 11:45 pm
Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre 5919 Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90028
$15.00 

PINOT NOIR is a wine-fueled improvised murder mystery that the performers will never remember and the audience will never forget. Each improviser brings an unopened bottle of wine to the show (or a special, non-alcoholic drink if they’re sober) and they have until the end of the set to finish it.

BUT this time, they’re celebrating 4/20, by trading grapes for grass. So tighten your trench coats and light up those jazz cigarettes as some of the best improvisers in LA attempt to solve a murder mystery while impaired by some of the strongest weed in LA.

Brain Dead Studios
$30

35mm can be beautiful, but 16mm is *personal*.  This six-feature marathon of Hollywood erotic thrillers is packed full of cheerfully promiscuous femme fatales, goofball fall guys and an avalanche of illicit oodling and canoodling.  Made at the apex of the genre (’84-’94), these horny noir-ish contraptions come straight from the archives of Secret Sixteen: L.A.’s siqqest collection of this wondrous film format.





15 YEARS OF AGFA Presents:
HARD TICKET TO HAWAII (1987)
7:30 P.M. on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024
Norris Cinema Theatre at the Frank Sinatra Hall
3507 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90007
FREE ADMISSION. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. RSVPs REQUIRED.

Followed by a Q&A with Producer Arlene Sidaris
 
Bullets! Bikinis!! Radioactive pythons exploding out of toilets!!! No film captures the playful chaos of action cinema’s golden age like director Andy and producer Arlene Sidaris’ undisputed masterpiece. An inexhaustible geyser of top-notch sex and violence, HARD TICKET TO HAWAII exists beyond entertainment’s maximum limits. The Agency is a tough-as-nails, tech-savvy squad of physically ideal humans (led by Playboy icon Dona Speir and “Bold and the Beautiful” soap legend Ronn Moss) who defend Hawaii’s Molokai Island from diamond smugglers, narcotics slingers, and a skateboarding maniac armed with an inflatable sex doll. Tirelessly and shirtlessly, they deal out homicidal justice at every turn—unleashing helicopters, motorcycles, and deadly frisbees to ensure the safety of every bronzed boytoy and babe on the beach. If you see only two movies in your lifetime, it should be because you watched this twice.
 
Extra:
 
UCB, a cheapo comedy show almost every night, see comedians before they make podcasts and have
stories about the UCB and before they hit the big time.
 


American Cinematheque-A celebrated independent theater group that brings both the talent and catalog of films to make for some of LA's best movie nights.

Check out classics and cult movies just a few stories above street level. Rooftop Movies at The Montalbán.


 New Bev-Tarantino owned independent theater with old school style

Cinelounge - Hollywood based tiny theater, showing off indies you've never heard of
 
Brain Dead Studios-manages to fill its schedule almost every night
611 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
 
Vidiots -A one-of-a-kind hub for film lovers, filmmakers, and everyone curious about cinema. A small theater is more than made-up for with the constant content and special screenings.
4884 Eagle Rock Blvd
 
 
Art
 
March 2-Sept 1
Japanese American National Museum
100 North Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Admission $

Giant Robot Biennale 5 features artists Sean Chao, Felicia Chiao, Luke Chueh, Giorgiko, James Jean,
Taylor Lee, Rain Szeto, and Yoskay Yamamoto, among others. Since 2007, JANM has partnered with Eric Nakamura, founder of Giant Robot, to produce the Giant Robot Biennale, a recurring art exhibition that highlights diverse creative works celebrating the brand’s ethos.
 
 
March 9, 2024 – September 8, 2024
Bowers Museum 
$ Admission
 
 Never-before-seen at a museum and making its American debut, Asian Comics: Evolution of an Art Form presents the largest ever selection of original artworks from Asian comics, displayed alongside their printed, mass-produced forms. This exhibition is a vivid journey through the art of comics and visual storytelling across Asia. From its historical roots to the most recent digital innovations, the exhibition looks to popular Japanese manga and beyond, highlighting key creators, characters,

Monday, April 15, 2024

Game Hype: Square Enix Pop-Up Shop & Harold Halibut

At the end of the month you have a very short time to enjoy the Square Enix Pop-Up Shop in Little Tokyo. It will be there during Delicious Little Tokyo, May 4th.

Harold Halibut is out tomorrow, April 16th, 2024. On current gen Steam, PlayStation and XBox. We're currently reviewing it, so expect one in the near future and have to say it looks amazing.

Anime Hype: Spy × Family Code: White, Anime Riverside & Anime Expo 2024

 Let's go over some anime events you should know are coming up this April into the Summer.

Spy × Family Code: White is actually out April 18th and it looks like it won't be for one day. You might have a week to see it both subbed and dubbed in theaters. Get locations here.


Anime Riverside is taking place June 1st and 2nd back at the Riverside Convention Center.
SATURDAY - 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM
SUNDAY - 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM

This comes from the same people who pull off Anime Pasadena. We went last year and were impressed by the scope of the event. Read about it here: Anime Riverside 2023: Starts Off Summer Right!

 

And, of course, Anime Expo is taking place July 4-7th @ the LA Convention Center. The largest anime convention in the country always impresses. Look for their billboards around LA and updates from us here as we get more news on the event

Friday, April 12, 2024

Game Hype: Children of the Sun, The Rogue Prince of Persia, Screams & More

 

Children of the Sun is out now and has style pouring out the bullet holes.

"In this tactical third-person puzzle-shooter you assume control of one bullet, guiding it through increasingly complex and challenging levels to kill cultists, trigger traps, and reshape the environment. Every shot counts and ruthless precision is rewarded. Taking down THE CULT is deeply satisfying; doing it with style even more so."
 
The Rogue Prince of Persia is in Early Access on Steam May 14th. Did not expect this from Evil Empire, maker of Dead Cells. It looks addictive.

Here's some more stuff we found online that has us interested:

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Cartoon Network Stairwell

Ever wonder what the Cartoon Network stairs looked like? You can now see them fully digitized. If you don't read the article or haven't been keeping up, Warner Bros decided to axe the Cartoon Network building, selling it, losing a decades worth of memories and by many accounts a great place to make cartoons. However, the Cartoon Network stairwell that has multiple cartoonists drawings from years and years of people drawing on it was digitized and preserved for you to look at. 

 Hopefully, someone can now mod it into a video game.