One of the most acclaimed films of the past year, Los Angeles Plays Itself compiles footage from a wide range of sources to present a modern portrait of the oft-maligned mecca of the movie industry. Drawing from 1950s B-movies, science fiction classics, and urban films noir, Thom Andersen deconstructs both filmmaking and viewing in a work which posits the artifice of Hollywood imagery as factual documents. In the tradition of the great film essayists such as Chris Marker, Alain Resnais, and Agnes Varda, Andersen creates an entertaining, epic film essay in which setting becomes a character in its own right.