LA WeeklyA video store full of the same VHS tape, an MLK Day parade, a Satanic Mass and more to do and see in L.A. this week.
fri 1/13
“This is the stupidest incarnation of the American dream and it must be realized.” That's the mission statement of the organizers of video collective Everything Is Terrible!, who for nearly 10 years have collected approximately 14,000 VHS copies of Jerry Maguire, Cameron Crowe's hokey, 1996 movie about a shark-in-a-suit sports agent going through an identity crisis. Twenty years after they gave us several memorable catchphrases (forget the others, “I didn't shoplift the pootie” was the best), EIT! pays tribute to Tom Cruise and cast with The Jerry Maguire Video Store, an art installation modeled after a '90s-style video store comprising only VHS tapes. (They're also planning a permanent pyramid of the videos in the desert.) Among the performances for the duration of the exhibit include Yacht, Kate Berlant, Brandon Wardell, Chrome Canyon, Daedelus, DJ Douggpound, Yung Jake and a live score of another '90s film, Home Alone 2. iam8bit, 2147 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park; Fri., Jan. 13, 7 p.m.-midnight (through Jan. 29); free. jerrymaguirepyramid.com. —Siran Babayan
While many choreographers aspire to merge traditional and contemporary dance styles while mixing in traditional and contemporary theater, music, video and social media, Jacob Jonas actually does it, and does it very, very well. Jonas and his Santa Monica–based Jacob Jonas the Company display their masterful blending of street moves with ballet and modern-dance elements in three works inspired by the ways in which society views competition and considering questions of when to endure and when to let go. The evening also includes the premiere of Grey, supported by a grant from the J. Paul Getty Trust. Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills; Fri., Jan. 13, 8 p.m., $29-$79. (310) 246-3800, thewallis.org. —Ann Haskins
You needn't be superstitious to consider Friday the 13th a fitting occasion to watch a horror movie — or several. At the New Beverly, you'll have the chance to indulge in a particularly bloody marathon with the Dario Argento All-Nighter. The lineup won't be announced in advance, but one expects that at least a few of the giallo maestro's best-known works — Suspiria, Deep Red, The Bird With the Crystal Plumage — will be shown alongside more obscure offerings. All tickets will be sold online, so get thee to the New Bev website. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax; Fri., Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m.; $25. (323) 938-4038, thenewbev.com. —Michael Nordine
You like American Psycho? The first adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis novel was a little too PSA for my taste, but when Mary Harron's film came out in 2000, I think they really came into their own — commercially and artistically. The whole movie has a clear, crisp look, and a new sheen of consummate professionalism that really gives the scenes a big boost. He's been compared to Joan Didion, but I think Ellis has a far more bitter, cynical sense of humor. Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A.; Fri., Jan. 13, 11:59 p.m.; $11. (310) 473-8530, landmarktheatres.com. —Michael Nordine
sat 1/14
If last year made you feel forsaken by God (or any equivalent force of good in the universe), join your friendly local Satanists in embracing the darker side of life at Das Bunker's Satanic Mass. Described as a night of “personal and societal liberation,” attendees are encouraged to shed the shackles of non-secular society while enjoying a bloodletting ritual led by Coven of Ashes, an invocation ritual, live music, a demonic cat lecture by Paul Koudounaris, and stand-up comedy by “satanic politician” Steve Hill. It's a fundraiser for the Satanic Temple Los Angeles; funds will be put toward “women's reproductive-rights campaign, lawsuits concerning violations of the First Amendment, and providing education and assistance to individuals incarcerated in our for-profit prison system.” See, Satan isn't such a bad guy after all. Union Nightclub, 4067 W. Pico Blvd., Arlington Heights; Sat., Jan. 14, 9 p.m.-3 a.m.; $15-$66.60. dasbunker.org. —Gwynedd Stuart
Remember when the Super Friends tried to diversify by adding Apache Chief to its roster of white-as-hell superheroes, but then Apache Chief just sort of became their token friend of color? White Women feel his pain. Not, like, actual white women, but the UCB comedy team White Women, which is composed of individuals who are neither white nor female; in fact, they're an “all-black comedy group made up of the token black friends of every white comedian.” At White Women Present: Your Token Friend, the troupe will interview audience members about their token friends and then improvise sketches about their stories. The working theory: Token friends secretly love being the token friend. UCB Sunset, 5419 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood; Sat., Jan. 15, 9 p.m.; $13. (323) 908-8702, sunset.ucbtheatre.com/performance/51276. —David Cotner
If you've never seen Cabaret, you may have a hard time believing that Bob Fosse won the Academy Award for Best Director over The Godfather's Francis Ford Coppola. If you have seen Cabaret — or any of Fosse's other films, such as All That Jazz and Star 80 — you know he deserved it. (Coppola won a couple years later for The Godfather Part II, anyway.) As tragic as it is vibrant, Cabaret takes a distinct approach to portraying the rise of the Nazis that's all the more affecting for how elliptical it is. (And who knew it would once again feel topical in 2017?) Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Sat., Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m.; $11. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com. —Michael Nordine
After being met with great acclaim at last year's New York Film Festival, Homeland (Iraq Year Zero) — Part 1 makes its way west. Abbas Fahdel returned from Paris to Iraq in the leadup to the war that began in 2003 and began shooting his vérité look at a country about to change forever; Part II of the 334-minute film screens on Sunday, and both events are free. UCLA's Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood; Sat., Jan. 14, 7:30 p.m.; free. (310) 206-8013, cinema.ucla.edu. —Michael Nordine
The Kingdom Day Parade marches through L.A. on Monday.; Credit: Brian Feinzimer
sun 1/15
Sloan Projects hosts a Solidarity and Sign Making Event prior to the Jan. 21 Women's Marches on Washington and L.A. Here's a chance for women and cool supportive others who are planning to attend either march to get primed to protest by sharing ideas, discussing message tactics and producing radical signage. Professional artists will be available to assist with creative concepts, and there'll be historical–protest sign reference, and music by DJ Petey. Basic supplies like poster board, markers, paint, brushes and tape will be provided; bring your preferred special materials such as canvas and spray paint for large banners. Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Ave., Gallery B5, Santa Monica; Sun., Jan. 15, noon-4 p.m.; free. (424) 744-8265, facebook.com/events/728077507349140. —John Payne
Cinefamily is all about Almodóvar this month. The latest offering in this 20-film series may be the most acclaimed: Talk to Her, which earned the Spanish auteur the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and a long-overdue nomination for Best Director. In it, two men form a friendship while caring for two comatose women in the same hospital. The battle of the sexes has always waged in Almodóvar's films, but Talk to Her almost feels like a truce. Cinefamily/Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., Fairfax; Sun., Jan. 15, 7 p.m.; $12. (323) 655-2510, cinefamily.org. —Michael Nordine
After Bernardo Bertolucci's recent confirmation (since backpedaled) that a controversial rape scene from Last Tango in Paris was unsimulated, you'd be forgiven for never wanting to think about the film again, let alone watch it. Those curious about the acclaimed, scandalous drama starring Marlon Brando and Maria Schneider can see what all the fuss is about at the Egyptian, where Tango screens on 35mm. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Sun., Jan. 15, 7:30 p.m.; $11. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com. —Michael Nordine
mon 1/16
The slogan of the 32nd annual Kingdom Day Parade is, “Now more than ever, we all must work together.” Hopefully the spirit of that message travels all the way from the streets of South L.A. to Washington, D.C., where just days later a man who refers to people who disagree with him as his “enemies” will be sworn in as America's 45th president. Celebrate the last few days of our first black president's final term while paying tribute to the greatest black civil rights leader of all time. Marching bands, community organizations and mounted police officers make for a fun procession. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard between Vermont and Crenshaw, Exposition Park/Vermont Square; Mon., Jan. 16, 11 a.m.-1 p.m.; free. kingdomdayparade.org/about-us.php. —Gwynedd Stuart
Most of us are familiar with Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech, however, the legendary civil rights leader's legacy goes much deeper than that. This year, the California African American Museum has planned a two-hour marathon reading of some of the great orator's less-well-known speeches and sermons as part of its Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration. This daylong event has something for everyone, including family activities such as button and poster making with MLK Jr. quotes and images, as well as DJs and food trucks serving up Central American, Caribbean and Southern soul food. Community-based and activist organizations will be on hand to help us keep Dr. King's message of social justice alive year-round. California African American Museum, 600 State Drive, Exposition Park; Mon., Jan. 16, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; free. (213) 744-7432, caamuseum.org. —Matt Stromberg
So where have you been for the past 36 years that you couldn't find out more about the Vietnamese experience? Make up for lost time at the 37th Annual Vietnamese Culture Night. Produced by the Vietnamese Student Union at UCLA, it's that rare chance to indulge in the nuances of a culture that's generally seen in America through lenses of either war or food. Students will unveil difficult subjects for discussion in both the Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American communities, and then delve deeper, with highlights of Vietnamese life through plays, songs and dances. Royce Hall, 10745 Dickson Plaza, UCLA, Westwood; Mon., Jan. 16, 7 p.m.; free. (310) 825-2101, vcn.vsubruins.com. —David Cotner
tue 1/17
Not long ago, comic books were relegated to the realm of kids' stuff. That has changed over the past few decades, as graphic novels rose through the ranks to become considered legitimate works of literature — and art. Tonight, La Luz de Jesus Gallery director and host of the weekly comics-centric podcast Pod Sequentialism Matt Kennedy discusses The Rise of Sequential Art, and how comic books and graphic novels took their rightful place in the pantheon of storytelling and drama, becoming a respected and profitable art form over time. The Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., downtown; Tue., Jan. 17, 7 p.m.; free. (213) 488-0599, lastbookstorela.com/events/rise-sequential-art-matt-kennedy. —David Cotner
In our 2016 Best of L.A. issue, we recognized Bobcat Goldthwait and Caitlin Gill's Crabapples comedy night for its generation-bridging abilities. Sure, Goldthwait (who used to be Gill's boss), and Gill (who used to be Goldthwait's assistant) have an age gap, but that hasn't kept the kindred spirits from making Tuesday nights funnier. The duo invite a slate of guests for the weekly stand-up showcase. The Improv, 8162 Melrose Ave., Hollywood; Tue., Jan 17, 10 p.m.; $8. (323) 651-2583, hollywood.improv.com. —Gwynedd Stuart
Another pre-Code romance starring William Powell and Kay Francis at LACMA: Jewel Robbery, which clocks in at just 68 minutes. Powell plays the thief to Francis' baroness, and in the process of trying to part her and her husband from their jewels, he realizes he's more interested in the woman than the wares. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire; Tue., Jan. 17, 1 p.m.; $4. (323) 857-6000, lacma.org. —Michael Nordine
wed 1/18
Drag queen extraordinaire and top Tupperware salesman Dixie Longate is a modern-day Brownie Wise, the original hostess who popularized Tupperware parties after WWII — except with copper-red hair and randy jokes about balls and screwing. An ex-con originally from an Alabama trailer park with three kids and three deceased husbands, the Florida-based Longate (boy name Kris Andersson) has been selling those signature plastic containers for the past 15 years. She starred in a two-month engagement at the Geffen Playhouse in 2014, the same year she toured the country in another one of her shows, Never Wear a Tube Top While Riding a Mechanical Bull (and 16 Other Things I Learned While Drinking Last Thursday). Tonight's Dixie's Tupperware Party will include games, raffles, demonstrations and, of course, Tupperware — everything from bowls and wine openers to cake trays perfect for storing your untouched holiday fruit cake, which will probably still be good in a year. Largo at the Coronet, 366 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Grove; Wed., Jan. 18, 8:30 p.m.; $30. (310) 855-0350, largo-la.com. —Siran Babayan
Bassem Youssef was a heart surgeon during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution when he began hosting an online political-satire show from his laundry room. Those YouTube videos led to Al-Bernameg (“The Program”), which ran for three seasons and poked fun at Egypt's political and social scene, becoming the most popular TV show in the country's history. He was compared to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, who's a genuine, gushing fanboy; both have appeared on one another's programs. Youssef was named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2013, the same year he was arrested and interrogated for insulting Islam and then-president Mohamed Morsi. Youssef now lives in Oakland and stars in his latest online series for Fusion, Democracy Handbook, in which he travels the United States, cracking wise about more American issues — freedom of religion, gun rights, immigration, etc. — often comparing his native and adopted homelands. In tonight's “The Joke is Mightier Than the Sword” discussion, Youssef will be looking at “the role of satire in revolution and giving modern account of the Middle East in totally new light.” UCLA, Royce Hall, 340 Royce Drive, Westwood; Wed., Jan. 18, 8 p.m.; $19-$39. (310) 825-2101, cap.ucla.edu. —Siran Babayan
thu 1/19
Unlike previous years, the fifth annual Riot L.A. comedy festival has upgraded from small clubs and theaters in downtown to larger venues, namely The Microsoft, Novo, Orpheum, and Theater at the Ace Hotel. The schedule is once again packed with stand-up, live podcasts, storytelling and other performances by headliners Bobcat Goldthwait, Eugene Mirman, Anthony Jeselnik, Rachel Bloom, Felipe Esparza, Nikki Glaser, Adam Devine, Kyle Kinane and Ali Wong, who will have appeared a whopping six times at the Ace (all of her shows are sold out). Among the highlights are KCRW's UnFictional Live; Literary Death Match with Mary Lynn Rajskub, Whitney Cummings and others; a screening of Blazing Saddles and discussion with Mel Brooks; and Dr. Katz Live, a live-action version of the Comedy Central animated show, with Jonathan Katz, Maria Bamford, Tig Notaro, Thomas Middleditch and others. Also new this year is the Super Deluxe Lot, featuring a Ferris wheel, games, DJs, comedian workshops, food trucks and a full bar. Various locations, downtown; Thu., Jan. 19, 7 p.m.-11:30 p.m. (also Jan. 20-22); $10-$39.50. riotla.com. —Siran Babayan
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