Aero Theatre
1328 Montana Avenue,
Santa Monica, CA 90403 Map
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Series at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica

Special $5 Price For Seniors!

EASTWOOD WESTERNS
Mon, September 3 - Tue, September 25

The pre-eminent American icon of rugged individualism, self-reliance, and macho cool in the Western genre is a title Clint Eastwood has held pretty much unchallenged since his star-making turn in Sergio Leone’s first spaghetti Western, A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, in 1964, and then in two successive Leone classics, FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE (1965) and THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY (1966). Eastwood developed a powerful, unique style as director, and with his own revisionist Western sagas - HIGH PLAINS DRIFTER, THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, PALE RIDER and UNFORGIVEN - Eastwood has charted a course of integrity and excellence in one of the most expansive American film genres. Join us for a tribute to Clint Eastwood’s work with Westerns, which also includes Don Siegel’s TWO MULES FOR SISTER SARA. Special ticket price for seniors: $5!


UNDERWORLD U.S.A.: THE PULPY HEART OF SAM FULLER CINEMA
Fri, August 24 - Sun, August 26

An uncompromising tour-de-force in early American independent cinema who influenced a legion of directors as diverse as Quentin Tarantino, Wim Wenders and Jean-Luc Godard, director Sam Fuller (August 12, 1912 - October 30, 1997) pushed the boundaries of genre filmmaking with ripped-from-the-tabloids narratives and in-your-face close-ups, all the while depicting the grim heart and lower depths of American society. Included in our program are PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET, SHOCK CORRIDOR, THE NAKED KISS, FORTY GUNS, UNDERWORLD U.S.A. and THE STEEL HELMET.


Nadia Tass In Person! Free to Members!

MAGIC FROM MELBOURNE: THE MOVIES OF NADIA TASS
Thu, August 16 - Fri, August 17

Over the last 25 years, critically acclaimed Nadia Tass has become one of Australia's most respected and versatile filmmakers. Her acclaimed 1986 debut MALCOLM introduced the mix of humor and humanity that has become Tass’s hallmark. Whether directing Aussie indies like AMY, Hollywood fare like PURE LUCK, or theatrical productions in London, Tass creates works of emotional resonance that charm audiences all over the globe. Tass appears in person for two nights of double features of her work.


ERNIE: A TRIBUTE TO THE GREAT ERNEST BORGNINE
Thu, August 2 - Sun, August 19

From his big break in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY in 1953, to his Oscar-winning turn as the title character in Paddy Chayefsky and Delbert Mann’s MARTY, to his work in essential Westerns THE WILD BUNCH and JOHNNY GUITAR, Ernest Borgnine (January 24, 1917 - July 8, 2012) created an indelible gallery of unconventional but distinctly American characters. Join us for a 5-night tribute to the actor.


SPAGHETTI WESTERNS UNCHAINED
Thu, July 26 - Sun, August 12

Named for its Italian origins, the “spaghetti Western” was among the hottest dishes on the movie menu in the 1960s, with a group of brash, ambitious Italian filmmakers reinventing the most quintessentially American of genres. Stripping the form of its romantic patriotism and replacing it with bare-bones brutality and satire, the spaghetti Western incorporated widescreen framing, sweaty close-ups and expressive sound design (most often courtesy of composer Ennio Morricone), changing the way Westerns looked, sounded and felt. Small budgets bought plenty of bang for the lira, and relentless action and rootless antiheroes could be counted on to deliver appreciative audiences. Following Film Forum’s lauded program in New York, the American Cinematheque inherits this comprehensive salute to the spaghetti Western, and offers a look at the Wild West from a few thousand miles east.


IN SPECTACULAR DIGITAL CINEMA: CLASSICS AND RESTORATIONS ON THE BIG SCREEN
Thu, July 12 - Sat, August 4

To unveil the Aero Theatre's new state-of-the-art 4K digital projector, we have programmed a Summer of classic films, screening in gorgeous DCP presentations as you’ve never seen them at the Aero!