A British artist plays with time, while an L.A. painter who would have been nearing 90 shows up at a space that has featured young artists until now.

5. Out of focus on purpose
Sometimes pixilation can be romantic. In London-based Cyrus Mahboubian’s show at De Re Gallery, two Polaroids of a model — young, brunette and perfect for some lusty film that Éric Rohmer might have made in the 1970s — have been scanned and enlarged. As a result, the girl's a little blown out, as is the greenery behind her, which creates just the right effect. 8920 Melrose Ave., W. Hlywd.; through Oct. 22. (310) 205-7959, deregallery.com. 

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4. Film from all directions
When Japanese artist-filmmaker Makino Takashi performs his film Space Noise 3-D, the big screen shows what looks like the cosmos shot in 16mm, with other footage projected from a different direction flickering across that cosmos. Live music plays, and the audience at the Spielberg Theatre will be given 3-D glasses to wear. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd.; Sun., Oct. 19, 7:30 pm. (323) 377-7238, lafilmforum.org. 

3. Presidents behaving badly
Two men in shiny Speedos are dancing and Ronald Reagan is speaking in the trailer for Untitled, a film that artist Jim Hodges made with two collaborators. “After all, when it comes to AIDS, don’t medicine and morality teach the same lesson,” Reagan says. Then you see the first President Bush on screen. “So what was the message?” he asks. Clinton appears on screen, at a loss for words. George W. Bush is seen smirking in the Oval Office. An activist yells, “Stop killing us! We’re not going to take it anymore!” The film is a montage of footage related to AIDS activism since the 1980s, edited smartly, so that different impactful fragments resonate with one another. Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Wstwd.; Thu., Oct. 23, 1:30 pm. (310) 443-7000, hammer.ucla.edu.

2. Can't tell time
Artist Darren Almond’s Perfect Time 8 x 7, a montage of black-and-white flip clocks, hangs in Matthew Marks’ side gallery and ticks. Each of the 56 clocks, eight down and seven across, change exactly on the minute, but the numbers are all mixed around on each clock, so the sculpture never really gives you the time. It’s sort of an absurd, obsessive one-liner. 1062 N. Orange Grove, W. Hlywd.; through Oct. 25. (323) 654-1830. matthewmarks.com. 

1. Holding it in
Matsumi Kanemitsu, the painter who was born in Utah, raised in Japan and interned with other Japanese-Americans after he returned to the States circa World War II, taught for years in Los Angeles. He used to tell students not to talk about politics. But even if Kanemitsu, who died in his downtown L.A. loft in 1992, was never politically explicit in his work, there’s some anger and aggression lurking in the prints and paintings in “Metamorphic Effects,” his show at the Mistake Room. It’s as if he’s not letting himself go entirely, hiding his attitude behind a thin layer of acceptable beauty, which you start to see through if you keep looking. 1811 E. 20th St., dwntwn.; through Dec. 20. (213) 749-1200, tmr.la. 

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