Danny DeVito on directing 'Hoffa' and 'taking the final blow' for working people

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Set us as preferred Part of what makes Beyond Fest such an exciting event is the elastic unpredictability of what fits within the festival’s purview.The recent meta-slasher “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” shown at the resolution of an old VHS tape? Obviously.

A new 4K restoration of Ken Russell’s notorious 1971 religious shocker “The Devils”? Of course.But how about the West Coast premieres of Alex Gibney’s new Elon Musk doc “Musk” or James Gray’s upcoming crime drama “Paper Tiger”? It may take a moment but they both make sense too.As does “Hoffa,” the 1992 drama, both gritty and glamorous, about the life of labor organizer Jimmy Hoffa, who is now largely known for the mysterious and still unexplained circumstances of his disappearance in 1975.Directed by Danny DeVito from a screenplay by David Mamet, “Hoffa” stars a bracing, bruising Jack Nicholson in the title role, exploring the tender ideals beneath his tough-guy exterior in a story told with epic sweep.The film will be shown on Saturday at the Egyptian Theatre from one of the very small number of 70mm prints made at the time, screening in the format for the first time in more than 30 years.

DeVito himself has never seen the film in 70mm, so he will be there watching with the audience before appearing for a Q&A along with the film’s cinematographer Stephen Burum, composer David Newman, prop master Emily Ferry and costume designer Deborah Lynn Scott.Beyond Fest will also be screening “Drag,” the new comedic thriller produced by DeVito and his children Jake and Lucy DeVito (Lucy also co-stars).Danny DeVito will also be present for a rare theatrical screening of “Hot Dogs for Gauguin,” filmmaker Martin Brest’s 1972 student short starring the then-unknown actor.During a recent Zoom interview, DeVito said, “It’s a big...