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Sunday, August 31, 2014

The Simpsons Take The Bowl Sounds Boring


Why not just get any of the voice actors to tell us about the event? Because, Matt Groening, Jim Brooks, David Silverman, Al Jean and Matt Selmanlack lack any showmanship anymore after growing fat and lazy in this video about The Simpson at the Hollywood Bowl.

The Simpsons Take The Bowl
September 12-14
Hollywood Bowl

Friday, August 29, 2014

Murder LA 000056

Diane Whipple
In 2002 Los Angeles hosted the trial of Marjorie Knoller and Robert Noel. Knoller and Noel, a married couple who operated a lawfirm out of their San Francisco apartment -- both lawyers -- couldn't get a fair trial in their hometown due to the infamy and ire resulting from their story.

If you were conscious of such things back in 2001, you may recall Diane Whipple, the lacrosse coach who was attacked and killed by dogs right outside the door of her own apartment, her keys still in the lock.

The Presa Canario dogs, Bane and Hera, belonged to Knoller and Noel. Well, that's who was looking after them, anyway. The "kids", as Marjorie referred to them in letters, actually belonged to Paul Schneider, an inmate serving a life sentence whom the couple met while doing legal work.

Illustration by Schneider
via SFGate
Apparently Knoller and Noel both fell for Schneider. They all shared a love of Tolkien and dogs, and the couple took advantage of attorney-client priviledge to send him romantic messages, including Marjorie professing her love in French and attaching cosplay photos of herself dressed in wigs and capes and such, and Robert eager to share his wife. Schneider reciprocated, drawing pictures of the three of them in fantasy settings with the dogs. Supposedly Marjorie wrote that she had engaged in sexual intercourse with Bane.

Schneider
Fun fact: according to a 2002 episode of documentary series Mugshots, Schneider, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, stabbed a lawyer in court with a knife he made in prison.

Shortly before the dog attack Knoller and Noel legally adopted Schneider as their son. Their 38-year-old son.

Shortly after the dog attack they insisted the dogs had never shown aggression towards humans but many neighbors contradicted this.

Knoller and Noel
At trial Marjorie claimed that she did everything she could to stop the attack, even throwing herself over Diane Whipple, to no avail, before securing the dogs again. Her lawyer showed a blown-up photo taken by the first responders of the blood-spattered Knoller. The prosecution responded that Knoller's account of getting the dogs under control and put away conflicted with the first responders, who saw one of the dogs still roaming the hallway.

Both dogs were put down. Robert Noel, who was not present during the attack, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. His wife was additionally found guilty of second-degree murder. The legal system has gone back and forth since on the murder conviction but after several appeals the California Supreme Court let it stand. She is still in prison.

Robert Noel has become a baker since being disbarred.

Whipple's keys in her door

Fangamer ♥ Attract Mode Preview

Here's Corey Lewis piece parodying Kiss by Tanya Chalkin

Don't Samus and Lara make the perfect couple?

Check out a preview of Fangamer ♥ Attract Mode taking place over at PAX. Love is the theme after the brutal conflict of the last art show.

Ian Wilding

Beta Testing Over New Nintendo 3DS and XL


After many long years of beta testing, after millions tested out inferior models, Nintendo is releasing the finally done New 3DS. This New 3DS, coming also in XL, will be faster than any previous model and have a C-Stick. Battery life is longer as well. Nintendo in it's infinite wisdom has titled it New 3DS, as not to confuse anyone.

Parents who don't understand 3DS or video games will easily be able to know the difference between 3DS original and New 3DS when the pop into a video game store or buy it online after being nagged to buy it for their kids. They won't just buy the first thing that says 3DS.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

SpectreFest 2014 New Horror Happens


SpectreFest returns to the Cinefamily with a wide range of special premieres, special guests and live music for LA's ever earlier starting Halloween season. Screenings and events start as early as next week, Sept 4 and cultivate again into a "Happy Halloween" celebration, the LA premiere of "The Badadook". Halloween night will continue with a sleepover marathon filled childhood terrors and surprise guests.

SpectreVision partners Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah and Josh C. Waller. are bringing the event back after enjoying it as much as the fans. Every event TTDILA attended last year they were in the audience.


SpectreFest
Sept 4-Oct 31
The Cinefamily
611 N Fairfax Avenue
Tickets start at $12; varies by event

What a delight to see grown women beat each other to death for a fiendish skinny weirdo and his fat wife. I was just watching Raze, which premiered at the festival last year. It, like many of the other films became cult hits after slowly being released by Magnet and IFC over the last year.

Now we have a whole new special screenings series with special guests to give us nightmares over the coming weeks leading to Halloween.

Starting off the strange and the scary is The Guest, having a free screening. If you missed it at Nextfest and the other free screening at USC, you yet again have another chance to catch it. A film from those who brought you "You're Next". Follow as a man claims to be dead soldier's friend and becomes a strange house guest.

Schedules permitting, Adam Wingard & Simon Barrett in person.

One of TTDILA's favorite directors, NachoVigolando, is having a Nacho Party! (feat. L.A. premiere of "Open Windows", plus "Confetti of the Mind: Nacho Vigolando Shorts") 

Elijah Wood starring in it probably has no bearing on why it's in the festival. In the film, Wood plays Nick, an obsessed fan who wins a date with his obsession Jill Goddard played by Sasha Grey. Jill refuses, the heartbroken Nick gets something else from Jill's campaign manager, the ability to view her at all times via computer.

Can't wait for the weird shots we get out of it and the sense of humor you get in a thriller from  Nacho Vigolando.

No word if Nachos will be served, but whatever, his films are always in good taste. 

Other highlights include a screening of Nightbreed Dir. cut with Clive Barker attending and the 30th Anniversary screening of Gremlins with Joe Dante. Both of which I'm fairly certain already happened in LA earlier this year and last year. Barker will have a special Show and Tell section, showing ogg his creepy collectibles. He'll also be leaving his sketchbooks to view designs for his early creepy creations.

Show & Tell w/ Clive Barker & "Nightbreed": Director's Cut

Gremlins (30th Anniversary!) 

Dead Snow 1 and 2 will have director Tommy Wirkola in person showing off how Nazi zombies can fight Communist zombies.

Kevin Smith's "Tusk" will be playing for one night with him in attendance. Based on a story that Kevin came up with during a podcast about an ad for someone willing to havefree room and board as long as they dressed like a Walrus.

Musical acts are strong with Chrome Canyon playing live to "Metropolis" again. Earlier in September, you have Polish experimental wizard Jacaszek playing live to "The Golem".

Check SpectreFest for updates on all the upcoming events. We merely lanced the boil on the growth of all that's going on.

LA Live Loyalty Program

If you head to LA Live often, people do, you have a new loyalty program to try out. The L.A. Live Downtown Preferred Loyalty Program will earn you points every time you eat at LA Live and for following LA Live on social media. Earn rewards like special menu items and cheap parking for special events.

Sign-up for free here

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Y2K@FE A Oculus Rift Art Show Opens Tomorrow

A quaint Oculus Rift art show will take place over the course of Cinefamily's Everything Is Terrible Festival 5;Aug 28-Sept 1 at The Cinefamily, 611 N Fairfax Avenue.

Glitch City is proud to present an Oculus art show with Cinefamily! Take a trip back to the 90’s when virtual reality was just a lawnmower mans fantasy. Come visit and experience mind altering virtual reality worlds at the Everything-Is-Festival. Featuring works from Buffalo Vision / Cyborg Dino / kittenjane / Because Games / BLENDO Games / Johnny Woods. Lounge is open from Aug 28th - Sept 1st. 

Joss Whedon X Gallery 1988

That's all so far.

Movie Hype: Everything Is Terrible Festival 5, Young Frankenstein 40th Anniversary and more

Movie Hype is a section of TTDILA that conquers the film industry. Letting you plan ahead for future special screenings in LA. We find the strangest, the most-outdated, post-modern, heart-breaking and funny films for you. We scour the net for strange new films for you to pick up, look at and go, "What we're they on and where can I get some!"

Before getting into the returning mess that we love to see unfold, Everything Is Terrible Festival 5, we'll go over some special screenings in LA and some sad news for the freedom of film in China, no not Transformers 4 cross-promotion.

A classic of comedy is having a special screening thanks to the Academy, Mel Brook's Young Frankenstein. It may be one of your only chances to see Mel Brooks alive and making the funny. Mel Brook's will be there, yes sir or ma'am or whatever we have now. It's five bucks.


Young Frankenstein 40th Anniversary
Tuesday, September 9 at 7:30 pm
Samuel Goldwyn Theater
8949 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
$5

This special screening doesn't just hold Mel Brooks, its got Cloris Leachman;Frau Blücher, Teri Garr;Inga and producer Michael Gruskoff. They will most likely joke non-stop on stage.

This comedy is probably one of the funniest films ever made, though it may have done better in October for the special screening, who doesn't want to see Frankenstein dance, damn you, dance during Halloween! Gene Wilder and Marty Feldman alongside Peter Boyle as The Monster tear up Transylvania in this farce making fun of the constantly redone Hollywood monster franchise. Everyone of the actors captures your attention from their hilarious scenes, their personality to their characters own screw-ups and foibles.

Gene Wilder as Dr. Frederick Frankenstein is summoned back to his ancestor's work and revives a new monster. Every scene is a send-up, every moment a modern day meme. Shot in black-in-white and using the original sets from Frankenstein the film captures the style of the Georgian while exuding Mel Brooks outlandish comedy style.


Here's a quote from the LA Times with an interview on how the film came to be 

"I was in the middle of shooting the last few weeks of Blazing Saddles somewhere in the Antelope Valley, and Gene Wilder and I were having a cup of coffee and he said, I have this idea that there could be another Frankenstein. I said not another — we've had the son of, the cousin of, the brother-in-law, we don't need another Frankenstein. His idea was very simple: What if the grandson of Dr. Frankenstein wanted nothing to do with the family whatsoever. He was ashamed of those wackos. I said, "That's funny."

On a sadder note, we have Levitated Mass opening next weekend.

Levitated Mass
Starts September 5
Nuarte Theater

Remember the $10 million spent on putting a giant boulder at LACMA? Levitated Mass is a documentary of how the boulder got there. If you're white and love watching documentaries on Netflix then I suggest you wait until it's on Netflix.

Director Doug Pray, and I pray he is an eccentric weirdo to hear, will be at two showings Fri & Sat, September 5 & 6 at the Nuarte.

The film follows the boulders journey and the eccentric artist Michael Heizer, the man behind the boulder, sadly not crushing him. Hey, why not have that as his final piece, have the boulder crush him! Pray tells us the tale that we saw on local news as the boulder made it's way through LA, finally resting at LACMA, not being very interesting or inspiring.

We have a tiny hope the film makes fun of the whole thing.

If it doesn't, we truly hope you don't take anyone not particularity interested in art as it will only push them further away. You're frankly a monster to make anyone go to this who thinks it's something more fun.

The Beijing Independent Film Festival, though far from LA is a way to connect with other lovers of film across the world. That's why it's appalling that the Chinese government stopped the festival from happening yet again this year. Strange rules and childish actions by the government have stopped it in the past. In 2012, power was cut to the screening venue. This year men were just blocking the entrance for the venue with a note saying the festival was no longer allowed by the Xiaopu Village Committee.

Films weren't approved by government censors, which due have strict policies.

Where it attempted to be held was no large venue. China is undergoing a huge transformation of entertainment with brand new theaters popping up for it's huge population. These theaters will only play what the government allows.

via

On that terrible going on in China, let's go over Everything Is Terrible Festival 5. It starts this week at the Cinefamily. Changed to the Everything is Festival, in some sort of lame attempt not to hurt the feelings of the films and people involved the festival, it will always be the Everything Is Terrible Festival.

Everything Is Terrible Festival 5
Aug 28-Sept 1
The Cinefamily
611 N Fairfax Avenue
$12


In the years past we've seen a women on stage eat a burger from McDonald's and spit it out, then it was passed around to the audience. That was Thu Tran of Food Party, and the eccentric and strange moments should continue on this year. Semi-celebrity types and comedians behind the scenes from big name comedy projects have special events. They'll be showing some of the worst films ever made to your delight to laugh at all over memorial weekend.

There's so much to highlight from just going to be gross to might bore you to death.

No live streaming, like last year, for shame Cinefamily. It let TTDILA fall asleep and have the weirdest dreams.

One of the starting films, Samurai Cop, is so beloved for it's badness that fans wrote to the Red Letter Media team to tell them it's star, Joe Marshall, was still alive. Considered the crown jewel of bad 90's movies, Samurai Cop is a tale of two partners tackling the Yakuza with bad jokes and puns slicing you throughout the film. Those jokes may not be funny, but the acting and everything else in the film is.


You could possibly piss yourself while seeing it with a big audience. The film takes on elements of 80's genre classics such as buddy cop, Yakuza, martial arts and action all rolled into one.

The film is attempting for a sequel decades later over on Kickstarter. Samurai Cop 2: Deadly Vengeance looks to be the perfect SyFy channel action movie with out any sci-fi elements.

This special showing will have a cast reunion.
  
Thurs, 8/28, 10:30pm: Samurai Cop (star Matt Hannon in person)

Getting over to what these movies inspired we have Cinefamily’s Most Outrageous Video Games 2 and man was it boring last year. Technical problems aside, those hosting had minimal personality, if you called what they did hosting.

Showing off the worst in gaming is done numerous times online, why no online entity of game smack-downs was asked to show off is bothersome to think about. What they'll show this year and let the audience play is anyone's guess.

This year it's presented with Glitch City LA, indie game making dudes based in Culver City.

Fri, 8/29, 7:30pm: Cinefamily’s Most Outrageous Video Games 2 

 Kyle Mooney & Nathan Fielder’s YouTube Treasures with Schrab & Harmon’s Found Crap + The Search For Weng Weng (L.A. premiere!) let you look at what comedians laugh at.


Mooney and Fielder both known for getting stuff to go viral and winning the award for most awkward to be around will be showing off what they've found on YouTube. They'll also be guest judge for the Found Footage Battle Royale. Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon have been making funny shows and hosting Channel 101 for years. They'll be showcasing a film with internet fame about the shortest man shooting a gun on screen. The Search for Weng Weng will most likely have you falling out of your seat about the history of a short little dude who made very bad Bond spoofs.

Oh, the ol' codger Dr. Demento is showing off too

Sun, 8/31, 7:00pm: Kyle Mooney & Nathan Fielder’s YouTube Treasures

Mon, 9/1, 6:30pm: Schrab & Harmon’s Found Crap + The Search For Weng Weng (L.A. premiere!)

Prison Pit might gross you out enough to become an Adult Swim show. I'm sure Johnny Ryan has tried pitching the adventures of a horrible mutated monster man creature trying to survive a prison world inhabited by other horrible mutated monster men. If you though bad hentai could be gross, you've never seen Ryan working it with his cartoony style and simple language of "f-word" and "c-word" being used in his comics. Ultraviolence is on the menu!

Sat 8/30, 2:45pm: Prison Pit: Book One panel/screening (Johnny Ryan, Blake Anderson and more in person)

My Lunch With Kobayashi features the L.A. premiere of Hungry, a film about that guy who can eat a lot of hot dogs. They stole his title and won't let him participate in the hot dog eating championship anymore, because he wouldn't sign a contract with the food eating league. It may sound like a comedy film, but it isn't, it's a documentary on Takeru Kobayashi and two other prominent competitive eaters. Just writing that was hard to do.

Sat, 8/30, 11:45am: My Lunch With Kobayashi (feat. L.A. premiere of Hungry)


Check for even more of the most terrible here



Weekly What To Do: Labor Day Weekend Music and Anime

Music

Made in America Festival
August 30-31
Grand Park
200 N. Grand Ave.
Starts at $185

The city of LA is getting $850,000 for letting the Grand Park host huge talent over the course of two days this weekend. Those not attending, be reminded traffic and parking will be a nightmare nearby. There's an estimated 50,000 to be in attendance.




Aug. 30 - Sept. 1
The Queen Mary
Starts at $15
Parking $15
The Queen Mary

For the first time ever, Shoreline Jam will extend into a two-day concert event and the Long Beach Funk Fest will traverse from the streets of Downtown Long Beach to the Queen Mary Waterfront Event Park for its sixth year to make for an unforgettable Labor Day Weekend of live music.

Outside


LA County Fair
Aug 29-Sept 28
1101 W McKinley Ave
Pomona, CA 91768
Starts at $12 for adults; $8 for kids
Prices higher for Labor Day Weekend

The LA County Fair returns to a place not that easy to get to for most people in LA, Pomona. The fair has something to offer everyone with carnival rides and games, food vendors from all over and  of course, barnyard pig races. This might be one of the few times you or your children see animals in person. That's right, real life cows!

Don't forget about the concert series and horse racing. They are tied together, but man I'd love to see that music video.
 

 

Food & Drink

Aug 29-31
Paramount Pictures Lot
Starts at $25 


The Taste, its annual celebration of Southern California’s vibrant, influential culinary scene, returning to Paramount Pictures Studios’ iconic backlot over Labor Day weekend. Reflecting The Times’ distinctive coverage of all things edible, each of the five events will showcase the chefs, restaurants and bartenders at the heart of L.A.’s food, dining and cocktail culture and include unlimited tastings from the city’s best eateries, specialty drinks, wine seminars and live demos.  


Monday, September 1
1-8 p.m.
Whiskey Red's
13813 Fiji Way
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
Tickets are $10 for general admission and $45 for the buffet

Whiskey Red's will savor the season at the first annual Labor Day California Clambake and Cookout fundraiser on the largest outdoor patio in Marina del Rey. Angelenos will enjoy a taste of the Midwest and New England with a traditional clambake and cookout/BBQ, complete with an all-you-can-eat seafood buffet, whiskey tastings, s'mores, food and drink specials, including $3 PBR, live music DJ, cornhole games and more to celebrate the long weekend and raise money for Heal the Bay.

Art

Opening Reception:
Saturday, August 30th, from 7-10PM 
CHG Circa

The Art Collector Starter Kit features all new 12" x 12" works from an impressive line up of new and established artists working in the New Contemporary scene.

Featured artists include: SHAG (Josh Agle), Sas Christian, Colin Christian, Michael Hussar, Miss Van, Natalia Fabia, Brandi Milne, LOLA, Tokidoki, Paul Frank Sunich, Sylvia Ji, Hikari Shimoda, Jennybird Alcantara, Melissa Forman, Nicomi Nix Turner, Victor Castillo, Nathan Ota, Yosuke Ueno, Bumblebeelovesyou, Hueman, Bob Dob, So Youn Lee, Will Barras, Redd Walitzki, Tom Bagshaw, Yukino Fukumoto, Alexandra Manukyan, Beau Stanton, Camilla d’Errico, Carlos Ramos, David Stoupakis, Joey Remmers, Nouar, Richard J. Oliver, and RISK.

Film


August 27, 2014, 7:00 P.M.
The Ray Stark Family Theatre, SCA 108, George Lucas Building, USC School of Cinematic Arts, 900 W. 34th Street, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Free

Followed by a Q&A with Simon Barrett
Synopsis:
"A mysterious soldier befriends the family of a fallen comrade and quickly makes himself an indispensible part of their lives, but the secrets he’s hiding put them all in danger in The Guest, a nail-biting, retro-stylish thriller from director Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett (You’re Next, A Horrible Way to Die)."

Everything Is Terrible Festival 5
Aug 28-Sept 1
The Cinefamily
611 N Fairfax Avenue
$12


In the year's past we've seen a women on stage eat a burger from McDonald's and spit it out, then it was passed around to the audience. That was Thu Tran of Food Party, and the eccentric and strange moments should continue on this year. Semi-celebrity types and comedians behind the scenes from big name comedy projects have special events. They'll be showing some of the worst films ever made to your delight to laugh at all over memorial weekend.

Starts Fri, Aug 29th
Limited Release
Downtown Independent
Laemelle Royal 
Cost varies

Anime in theaters continues with Naruto heading to the big screen, believe it!


"ROAD TO NINJA - NARUTO THE MOVIE dives into the past and takes viewers on a fateful adventure depicting how Naruto and Sakura prevent one of their mortal enemies from stealing the Nine-tailed Fox Demon sealed inside the young ninja and fans will not want to miss this special opportunity to catch all the action in this special multi-city theatrical premiere," says Charlene Ingram, VIZ Media Senior Marketing Manager, Animation.



Starts Friday August 29, one week run 
English-Dubbed & English-Subtitled Versions
Nuart Theatre


The second film by Hiroyuki Okiura (director of Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade and animator on Ghost in the Shell and Akira) is a wonderfully expressive, beautifully hand-drawn tale that combines whimsy and kinetic humor with deeply felt emotion and drama. The last time teenager Momo saw her father before his sudden death they had a fight—and now all she has left to remember him by is an unfinished letter with only the words "Dear Momo."



in Japanese with English subtitles
Midnight
Nuart Theatre

One of the most iconic anime films ever.


Starts Friday August 29-Sept 4

Arena Cinema Hollywood 
1625 N Las Palmas Ave  
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Old-school messed-up Italian horror mad new.

From directing duo Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani (AMER), comes this homage to the masters of classic Italian Giallo horror. Dan returns home to find his wife is missing. With no signs of struggle or break-in and with no help from the police, Dan’s search for answers leads him down a psychosexual rabbit hole. THE STRANGE COLOR OF YOUR BODY’S TEARS is a bloody and taut fantasia of suspense that leaves the viewer entranced in this highly original erotic thriller. Official Selection: Locarno International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, New Directors/New Films, AFI Fest.


Saturday, August 30, 
Midnight
New Beverly Cinema
7165 W. Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90036
$8

New Beverly Midnights & @moviedude18 present the 25th anniversary screening. Co-star Luke Edwards is scheduled to appear IN PERSON for a Q&A! One of the most well rembere gamer movies ever. It's so bad!






The Big Picture: Hitchcock!

Sunday, Aug. 31, 7:30 p.m.
Hollywood Bowl
2301 N. Highland Ave
Starts at $12

Suspense! Sinister plots! Mistaken identities! This year's Big Picture is a thrilling tribute to the classic films of Alfred Hitchcock. Mesmerizing, haunting and psychologically gripping scores by Bernard Herrmann (Vertigo, North by Northwest), Dimitri Tiomkin (Strangers on a TrainDial M for Murder) and more will be played live while spellbinding scenes are projected on the Bowl’s big screen.

Games

Gateway 2014
August 29-Sept 1
Hilton Los Angeles Airport
5711 W. Century Blvd., Los Angeles
Starts at $15

Why not play board games all weekend?Meet up and play any old titles or new ones over the course of four days of cards, dice and sometimes mouse traps.
The Great Summer Pokémon Festival
Saturday, Aug. 30, 1-9 p.m.
Chin's Push
4917 York Blvd
Highland Park
$4 admission, free if in costume, $6 tournament fee

The guy behind KChung is at it again with another Pokemon event. Play the games;old-school and new. Check out a tiny art show too.

Comic Sale