American Cinematheque is presenting double features of “Japanese Anime Gems” at the Egyptian Theater, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood. The schedule is as follows:
- Thursday, Feb. 26, at 7:30 p.m.: “Cowboy Bebop: The Movie” and “Trigun: Badlands Rumble.” Feature adaptations of two of the most visionary anime TV series.
- Friday, Feb. 27, at 7:30 p.m.: “Ghost in the Shell” and “Redline.” With the 1995 mystery “Ghost in the Shell,” Mamoru Oshii emerged as an animator who could formulate challenging questions at the same time as bravura action sequences. It’s followed by Takeshi Koike’s tale of intergalactic drag racers, “Redline.”
- Saturday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 p.m.: “Akira” and “Steamboy.” Katsuhiro Ôtomo’s revolutionary anime “Akira” matched motorcycle gangs with military scientists in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo; his follow up, “Steamboy,” filters similar themes through the prism of 1860s England.
- Sunday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m.: “Paprika” and “Tokyo Godfathers.” Satoshi Kon directed four features before his untimely death in 2010, including the “three men and a baby” tale “Tokyo Godfathers” and the multi-leveled dreamscapes of “Paprika.”
Other upcoming Japan-related films at the Egyptian:
- Friday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m.: “Battle Royale.” Director Kinji Fukasaku serves up an ultra-controversial, action-packed examination of the institutionalizing of violence that presages “The Hunger Games.” Forty-two students are stranded on an island with a weapon and an ultimatum — kill or be killed.
- Sunday, March 15, at 7:30 p.m.: “Hiroshima, Mon Amour,” starring Eiji Okada and Emmanuelle Riva. A new 4K restoration of director Alain Resnais’ first feature remains a high point in French cinema of the 1950s, and one of the most devastating love stories ever put on film; it’s paired with another Resnais masterpiece, “Last Year at Marienbad.”
- Sunday, March 22, at 5 p.m.: “1941.” Steven Spielberg’s first feature comedy will be revisited with the premiere of the director’s cut, featuring an all-star cast including John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, John Candy and Toshiro Mifune. Actor Tim Matheson and co-screenwriter Bob Gale will stop by for a Q&A after, with other guests to be announced.
Admission is $11 general (unless otherwise noted), $7 for Cinematheque members, $9 for seniors (65+) and students with valid ID. For more information, visit http://americancinematheque.com/.