'Hood #22: Rancho Park for a Star-Studded Movie Screening

Full disclosure: I'm claiming this neighborhood retroactively.  Usually, I wouldn't allow that, but I went to a screening of Wes Anderson's wonderful film The Grand Budapest Hotel at the Landmark Theater five days ago. I thought I couldn't count it toward my 'hood challenge because I'd already "done" West LA, but now I realize the theater—which is part of the Westside Pavilion— is actually in Rancho Park.  So Rancho Park it is!

Anyway, Tuesday evening my well-connected, movie buff friend Kate invited me to go with her to the screening, which included a Q & A afterwards.

The Landmark is in central Rancho Park at the corner of Pico and Westwood Boulevards, only about a mile from where I live in Palms.  Poor Kate had to battle rush hour traffic from Glendale, so I got there early, picked up the movie passes, loaded up on popcorn, saved seats, and then stood at the entrance of the theater waiting for Kate.  As I waited, Angelica Huston breezed past me just as the movie was starting.  (You think she'd recognize me by now; I see that woman everywhere.)

The movie was a delight from beginning (well, we missed about five minutes) to end.  I highly recommend it!  Seriously, go right now to the theater! Go!  (If you don't want to take my word for it, the LA Times called it "a four star delight.")

The Q & A afterwards included director Wes Anderson, one of the lead actors Tony Revolori (who played a lobby boy) and the film's set designer.

I lead a very humble, un-star studded life (other than the aforementioned frequent run-ins with Angelica Huston) so I get a big kick out of stuff like this.

I think the Landmark is a hotbed of screening activity because I noticed quite a few screenings were going on that night, and it seems to be a regular thing.  My new goal is trying to figure out how to finagle my way into more of them.

Maybe Ms. Huston can put in a good word for me.