<<< March 27 - 30, 2003 >>>

From the adrenaline-stoked pyrotechnics of TOP GUN, THE ROCK and ARMAGEDDON, to the historical sweep of PEARL HARBOR, to the fierce military showdowns of CRIMSON TIDE and BLACK HAWK DOWN, Jerry Bruckheimer has established himself as one of the most phenomenally successful – and influential – producers of the past two decades. Bruckheimer is one of the few Hollywood producers with a signature style to his films, no matter what genre he’s working in: a mixture of explosive action, heartfelt sentiment, dazzling techno-magic and an uncanny sense of anticipating the zeitgeist of American culture.

Born into a lower middle class Detroit family in 1945, the son of German Jewish immigrants, Bruckheimer was instilled with the hardworking, blue collar values of his father and uncle. Although a tremendous fan of such David Lean epics as LAWRENCE OF ARABIA and BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, Bruckheimer first made a name for himself in the advertising world. But he soon abandoned his advertising career to follow his dream of working in the movies, and secured an associate producer gig on THE CULPEPPER CATTLE COMPANY (1972). Full-scale producer chores followed with Bruckheimer shepherding the Robert Mitchum-starring FAREWELL, MY LOVELY in 1975, and finally scoring his first major success with the Paul Schrader-directed AMERICAN GIGOLO in 1980. Close friends with maverick Don Simpson since their days as roommates in Los Angeles, the two paired up as a team in the early 1980’s and the rest is history. A string of astounding hits produced by the team followed, including FLASHDANCE, TOP GUN, the BEVERLY HILLS COP series, CRIMSON TIDE and BAD BOYS. Bruckheimer produced the blockbuster THE ROCK on his own in 1996 – his desire to one day work again with Simpson was cut short by the latter’s tragic death in January of that year. Since then, Bruckheimer has continued his hit streak with CON AIR, ARMAGEDDON, ENEMY OF THE STATE, BLACK HAWK DOWN and PEARL HARBOR, and has expanded into television with equal success with "CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION," "CSI: MIAMI" and "WITHOUT A TRACE."

We are very pleased to welcome producer Jerry Bruckheimer to the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre at the Egyptian for the first major U.S. retrospective of his films - !!

Thursday, March 27 – 7:00 PM

Double Feature:

THE ROCK, 1996, Buena Vista, 136 min. FBI chemical weapons specialist Nicolas Cage and ex-convict Sean Connery (the only man to successfully escape from Alcatraz, "The Rock"), are enlisted to break into the former prison when a disgruntled U.S. general (Ed Harris) goes over the edge, seizing the island with his elite commandos and threatening to attack San Francisco if his demands aren’t met. Bruckheimer’s first film after splitting with partner Don Simpson, THE ROCK is a mega-octane action machine, delivered with characteristic skill and humor by director Michael Bay, and acted by a superb cast including Cage, Connery, David Morse, Michael Biehn and William Forsythe.

ARMAGEDDON, 1998, Buena Vista, 144 min. Dir. Michael Bay. The killer-asteroid-from-space film to beat all others. Maverick drilling expert Bruce Willis is brought in with his team of hell-raising grunts (Steve Buscemi, Owen Wilson, Michael Clarke Duncan) to plant a nuclear bomb on a comet hurtling towards planet Earth. Bruckheimer and Bay raise the stakes to truly delirious proportions with the three-way family rivalry between Willis, protégé Ben Affleck, and Willis’ doe-eyed daughter, Liv Tyler. Discussion between films with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay (schedules permitting).

Friday, March 28 – 7:00 PM

Double Feature:

CRIMSON TIDE, 1995, Buena Vista, 116 min. Dir. Tony Scott. When rebels overrun a Russian ICBM missile site, a U.S. nuclear sub captained by Gene Hackman is dispatched to deal with the problem. A command to launch their nuclear warhead is radioed to the sub, but the follow-up message is interrupted when they’re attacked, thus setting in motion a ferocious test of wills between hawkish Hackman and more circumspect second-in-command Denzel Washington. A brilliantly acted, surprisingly thought-provoking military drama in the vein of FAIL-SAFE, with able support from Matt Craven, Viggo Mortensen and James Gandolfini.

ENEMY OF THE STATE, 1993, Buena Vista, 131 min. Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott ratchet up conspiracy paranoia to the nth degree as labor lawyer Will Smith unknowingly comes into possession of a video disc showing a crime being committed by National Security Agency chief Jon Voight. When Smith has his assets frozen, his family put in jeopardy and has to go on the run, he receives help from an unlikely source: renegade surveillance expert Gene Hackman (playing a distant cousin to the role he assayed in Coppola’s THE CONVERSATION). Discussion between films with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and editor Chris Lebenzon (schedules permitting).

Saturday, March 29 – 5:00 PM

"CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION," 2000, CBS-TV, 60 min. (Series Pilot). Television’s number one series, the Emmy Award nominated "CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION" is a fast-paced drama about a passionate team of forensic investigators trained to solve crimes the old-fashioned way -- by examining the evidence. They are on the case 24/7, scouring the scene, collecting the irrefutable evidence and finding the missing pieces that will solve the mystery. Gil Grissom (William Petersen), the senior forensics officer, heads the team of investigators at the Criminalistics Bureau in Las Vegas. The team includes single parent Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), who has to juggle a job she loves with the responsibilities of motherhood; Warrick Brown (Gary Dourdan), a top analyst with insider knowledge of the gambling world; and Nick Stokes (George Eads), a charming yet ambitious crime-solver. The CSI team members also work closely with Captain Jim Brass (Paul Guilfoyle), their former chief, now assigned to Homicide; Greg Sanders (Eric Szmanda), the tech analyst who processes the evidence; and medical examiner Dr. Robbins (Robert David Hall). Discussion following with producer Jerry Bruckheimer, series creator Anthony Zuiker, pilot director Danny Cannon, and writers Ann Donahue and Carol Mendelsohn (schedules permitting).

Saturday, March 29 – 7:15 PM

Double Feature:

TOP GUN, 1986, Paramount, 110 min. Tom Cruise’s cocky novice pilot must grow up and hone his chops as a fighter ace while smitten with flight instructor Kelly McGillis and bumping heads with hard-as-nails rival Val Kilmer. The first of several mega-watt collaborations between Bruckheimer and director Tony Scott, TOP GUN was the perfect American action film for the 1980’s. With Anthony Edwards, Tom Skerritt.

BEVERLY HILLS COP, 1984, Paramount, 105 min. Dir. Martin Brest. The second major success from the Bruckheimer/Simpson team (after FLASHDANCE), BEVERLY HILLS COP catapulted comic Eddie Murphy to superstardom and established the template for every fish-out-of-water style action comedy made since. Freewheeling laughs punctuated with fast-paced, tongue-in-cheek violence. With Judge Reinhold.

Sunday, March 30 – 5:00 PM

Double Feature:

BAD BOYS, 1995, Columbia, 118 min. Dir. Michael Bay. Put-upon family man Marcus (Martin Lawrence) and swinging bachelor Mike (Will Smith) are Miami police detectives who must not only track down a huge cache of heroin stolen from their station’s evidence room, but also convince Julie (Tea Leoni), the only witness to their friend’s murder, to testify. A riproaringly profane action comedy with a brilliantly depraved Tcheky Karyo as their twisted nemesis.

REMEMBER THE TITANS, 2000, Buena Vista, 113 min. Dir. Boaz Yakin. A soulful, true-life drama set in 1971 of Virginia’s first integrated high school football team headed by a black coach (Denzel Washington in another powerhouse performance). Their struggle to not only play together as a unit, but ultimately enjoy doing so is an inspirational reflection on the trials of a less-enlightened time in American history. With Will Patton.