SECRET MOVIE CLUB presents
Part of our MILLION DOLLAR MOVIES Series, Saturday, May 28, 2022
LOCATION: The Million Dollar Theater Movie Palace, 307 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90013
**We will open doors 1 HOUR before each screening.
SPECIAL NOTE: We're working to secure the extended editions but please be ready we may screen theatrical editions depending on 35mm print availability. Either way, we're going to Mordor!
10am THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING(2001, co-wri/dir by Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, 178mns-208mns, 35mm)
*Audience will have approx 1-1.5 hrs for lunch. Please check back in here as we'll be adding a Grand Central Market lunch token asap which can be redeemed at Grand Central Market next door.
3p THE TWO TOURS (2002, co-wri/dir by Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, 179mns-223mns, 35mm)
*Audience will have approx 1-1.5 hrs for dinner. Please check back in here as we'll be adding a Grand Central Market dinner token asap which can be redeemed at Grand Central Market next door.
8p RETURN OF THE KING (2003, co-wri/dir by Peter Jackson, New Line Cinema, 200mns-251mns, 35mm)
IMPORTANT NOTES:
****As of April 1, 2022, we are now enacting the following post COVID surge protocols in line with CDC and LA County recommendations and our own discretion:
-We still ask that everyone bring their vaccinations cards (physical or digital on your phone) and/or a negative PCR level test within the last 72 hours and be ready to show proof of such vaccination and/or PCR test at the door.
-MASKS are now strongly recommended but not required for all AUDIENCE who are fully vaccinated. However, we will continue to REQUIRE MASKS for all AUDIENCE who are not vaccinated.
HOW TO:
1)PRE-ORDER ANY CONCESSIONS OR MOVIE MERCHANDISE you would like from the additional Add-Ons. You can pick up all concessions & merchandise at our tables in our lobby prior to the screening.
We will be able to sell concessions & merchandise at the theater. But it will make everything much quicker and easier if you pre-order!
2)PLEASE BE AWARE THAT ANYONE EXHIBITING COVID OR FLU LIKE SYMPTOMS AT THE DOOR, WILL BE OFFERED COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS TO A FUTURE SHOW AND ASKED TO RETURN WHEN HEALTHY. So please, if you’re feeling sick, just write us at community@secretmovieclub.com and we’ll offer you complimentary tickets to a future screening when you’re healthy. Let’s all do our part to beat this thing so we can go back to the complete movie going experience!
Today, we go on the journey of a lifetime. A cinematic voyage Secret Movie Club has wanted to take for years. And now, finally, we leave the Shire on the perilous trip to Mordor.
That's right y'all, we're screening Peter Jackson's entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on 35mm in one day. At LA's very first movie palace.
And we'll have lunch and dinner tokens (stay tuned for those) so you can eat, drink, be merry at the Grand Central Market next door for the entire event.
When this live action trilogy was announced, it was far from being the slam dunk it might seem in retrospect. Peter Jackson was still considered a bit of an auteur gore-fest comedy director from New Zealand. The trilogy had never really had a full adaptation prior (the animated version of the 1970's only got through part of The Two Towers). And the copyright issue was such a nightmare, producers sued each other even after the movies came out.
But Peter Jackson burned with the fire to bring his sensibility to this story. And he had the brilliant realization that he should shoot the entire trilogy ALL at once in New Zealand's gorgeous locales to make the risk as manageable as possible.
Each movie, while remarkably faithful to the books, also showcased Peter Jackson's unparalleled ability to simultaenously scare, shock, thrill, and endear himself to the audience.
Fellowship of the Ring tells the start of the story as humble hobbit Frodo and his friend Sam Ganges are visited by wizard Gandalf and told they must embark on a journey to destroy a ring hobbit Bilbo Baggins has had in his possession since Bilbo's own adventures a generation before.
The forces of evil, headed by an unspeakably powerful and regenerating Sauron based in the evil dark land of Mordor, are gathering to avenge a loss generations ago that brought peace to Middle Earth.
Soon Frodo, Sam, and Gandalf are joined by world hardened yet good hearted warrior Aragorn (in a star-making turn by Viggo Mortenson), arrow shooting elf Legolas (hearthrob Orlando Bloom), axe wielding salty dwarf Gimli, and fellow hobbits Pippin and Merry , to form a fellowship to get the ring to the mountains of Mordor where it must be destroyed to stop the evil.
The Two Towers picks up right at the moment that the Fellowship has been scattered and divided. In this episode (this programmer's personal favorite of the three), we follow several stories at once as we see what has befallen of our Fellowship as they still struggle to get to Mordor. Frodo and Sam especially are trailed by a pathetic yet dangerous creature named Gollum (Andy Serkis in the role that proved to the world a CGI character could be emotionally engaging) who once possessed the ring. All the storylines converge at the fortress of Helm's Deep where the remaining members of the fellowship are challenged by the now fully assembled armies of darkness-thousands upon thousands of blood thirsty orcs-in what is still ONE of the greatest battle sequences in all of cinema.
Finally, in Return of the King, we see the sacrifices everyone must make to have any chance to prevent the now almost fully strong evil lord Sauron who can now see everything and know everything from possessing the ring which, if he gets it, will give him COMPLETE DOMINION over all living things.
While Aragorn, Gandalf, and the other members of the fellowship work to distract Sauron, Frodo and Sam, near exhaustion, despair, and death, finally make their way into Mordor where Sauron's great evil touches their very hearts.
A stunning conclusion to a generation's greatest trilogy. Join us at the Million Dollar Theater for a day of cinema and a journey as epic as the imagination. On 35mm!
Best always,
Craig Hammill
35mm Secret Movie Club Founder.Programmer
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR OUR IN-DOOR THEATER SCREENINGS
REFUNDS:
We can offer refunds up to 24 hours before showtime. Please request a refund through Eventbrite and we will process ASAP. After that, no refunds. Sorry.
However if something last minute comes up and you can’t make the screening, for whatever reason, just write us at: community@secretmovieclub.com and we’ll offer you complimentary tickets to a future screening.
HELPFUL MILLION DOLLAR THEATER MOVIE PALACE PARKING TIPS:
If you are attending any or all movies on any given day, you can go to ADD ONS and pre-order an all day $6 Grand Central Parking Lot Pass (while SUPPLIES last). The Grand Central Parking Lot is at the corner of 3rd Street and Hill Street just 1 block from the Million Dollar Theater entrance on 3rd & Broadway.
HOW WILL OUR STAFF MAKE SURE THE THEATER IS AS SAFE AS POSSIBLE
Anyone not observing safe current protocols will kindly be asked to leave. On top of this, we’ll be making announcements at the head of each screening to make sure everyone understands the rules & regs!
HOW CAN WE STAY ON TOP OF NEWLY ANNOUNCED 35MM SCREENINGS, EVENTS, ETC?
You can follow us on Facebook: @secretmovieclub35mm or Instagram/Twitter: @secretmovieclub
You can also subscribe to our weekly email newsletter by writing us at community@secretmovieclub.com and using the header “SUBSCRIBE ME TO NEWSLETTER”.
HOW CAN I CONTACT YOU IF I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS:
You can always email us at community@secretmovieclub.com with any other questions, concerns, thoughts, recommendations.