AERO THEATRE 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. (323) 466-3456.

FRI.—“Post-Apocalyptic Film Festival.” “It’s the end of the world as we know it, but you’ll feel fine” this weekend. Tonight: a triple feature. First, Wizards (1977, Ralph Bakshi), in which twin wizards Blackwolf and Avatar duke it out to see who will reign over their epic fantasy wasteland. Then, Albany, New York, is the last vestige of American civilization in Damnation Valley (1977, Jack Smight). Plus, Jason Robards and a young Don Johnson star in A Boy and His Dog (1975, L.Q. Jones), an adaptation of Harlan Ellison’s short story about the surviving nuclear holocaust. Also: special guests, giveaways and free popcorn and soda. 7:30 p.m., $10 general, $9 students & seniors 65+.

SAT.—“Post-Apocalyptic Film Festival.” A triple feature. First, Vincent Price is the sole survivor of a vampire plague in Last Man on Earth (1964, Sidney Salkow). Then, Charlton Heston is a mad, drunk scientist facing the extinction of mankind in The Omega Man (1971, Boris Sagal). Plus, Brad Pitt goes crazy in Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys (1995). Also: Special guests, giveaways, and free popcorn and soda. 7:30 p.m., $10 general, $9 students & seniors 65+.

SUN.—“Tribute to Art Director Gene Allen.” The salute to George Cukor’s legendary long-term collaborator (My Fair Lady, A Star is Born) includes Cukor’s Heller in Pink Tights (1960), starring Sophia Loren and Anthony Quinn as the leaders of a theatrical troupe traveling West in 1880. Discussion following with Gene Allen. 5:30 p.m., $10 general, $9 students & seniors 65+.

THURS.—“Rock Docs: A Celebration of Rock Documentaries.” The rockin’ series kicks off with a Jonathan Demme double feature. First, Demme’s Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006), capturing Young’s performance of a lifetime at the Grand Ole Opry. Plus, Demme turns his camera on the Talking Heads in Stop Making Sense (1984). 7:30 p.m., $10 general, $9 students & seniors 65+.

ARCLIGHT HOLLYWOOD 6360 W. Sunset Blvd., Hlywd. (323) 464-4226.

WED.—“AFI 100s.” John Travolta is stayin’ alive in Saturday Night Fever (1977, John Badham). 8 p.m., $12.

ARCLIGHT SHERMAN OAKS 15301 Ventura Blvd., Bldg. A, Sherman Oaks. (818) 501-0753.

MON.—“AFI 100s.” Keanu Reeves gets uncharacteristically existential in the Wachowski brothers’ The Matrix (1999). 7:30 p.m., $11.50.

CINEFAMILY AT THE SILENT MOVIE THEATER 611 N Fairfax Ave., L.A. (323) 655-2520.

FRI.—“The Female Gaze.” French director Catherine Breillat helms Fat Girl (2001), about an overweight girl’s struggle living in the shadow of her thinner older sister. 7:30 p.m., $10.

“Summer ‘Camp.’?” Underground filmmaker George Kuchar curates this “so bad it’s wicked awesome” series. Tonight: A former mistress gets fiery and renders her ex-lover faceless in Fuego (1964, Julio Coll). 10 p.m., $10.

SAT.—“Nakadai/Samurai.” The series celebrating Japanese screen giant Tatsuya Nakadai continues with Bandits vs. Samurai Squadron (1978, Hideo Gosha). 7 p.m., $10.

“Holyf%*KINGSH#T: When Animals Attack.” “The world’s most aggressive primate just got mad”in Shakma (1990, Tom Logan, Hugh Parks). Bad baboon! 10 p.m., $10.

SUN.—Frank Zappa thought Bruce Bickford was a “genius,” and you might, too. After working with Bickford to create the visuals for Baby Snakes, Zappa took the hallucinatory stop-motion animation style to the next level with The Amazing Mr. Bickford (1987) — an experience that could leave you in awe. Discussion following with Bickford. 9:30 p.m., $14.

TUES.—Catch a glimpse inside the work of the amazing Bruce Bickford’s stop-animation mind, sans Frank Zappa, with tonight’s program, featuring Bruce’s early Super-8 experiments as a teenager and his unfinished opus, Cas’l. Plus, Bickford will perform one of his “blues raps,” with musical accompaniment by Gerry Fialka. 8 p.m., $14.

WED.—“Silent Satyrs.” The series applauding the most seductive leading men of the silent era continues with Rudolph Valentino in The Eagle (1925, Clarence Brown). 8 p.m., $10.

ECHO PARK FILM CENTER 1200 N. Alvarado St., Echo Park. (213) 484-8846.

THURS.—Dagie Brundert, the 2008 Summer Artist in Residence at Echo Park Film Center, screens a handful of small-format films. 8 p.m., $5.

EGYPTIAN THEATER 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hlywd. Two screens, the Lloyd E. Rigler Theatre and the Spielberg Theatre. (323) 466-FILM.

FRI.-SUN.—Like happy endings? That’s what the Feel Good Film Festival’s mission is all about. See www.fgff.org for specific film information and screening times.

WED.—“Outfest Wednesday.” Boys Shorts, a program featuring films from Australia to Long Island that “inspire laughter, contemplation … and might even turn you on.” See www.outfest.org for specific titles and filmmaker guests. 7:30 p.m., $10 general, $9 students & seniors 65+.

THURS.-MON., Aug. 28-Sept. 1—Cinecon 44, a five-day cinematic celebration, features screenings of nearly 30 rare silent and early sound features, focusing on uncommon films seldom given public screenings. Check www.cinecon.org for specific films, times and celebrity guests.

LACMA, BING THEATER 5905 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. (323) 857-6010.

TUES.—The Rat Pack takes Robin and the Seven Hoods (1964, Gordon Douglas) to a gang war in 1920s Chicago. 1 p.m., $2; $1, seniors (62+).

The Mountain Bar 473 Gin Ling Way, Chinatown. (213) 625-7500.

SUN.—“The Best of the Druid Underground Film Festival.” Tonight: The Best of Show 2008. See Myspace.com/druidvideo for details. 8 p.m.

NEW BEVERLY CINEMA 7165 Beverly Blvd., L.A. (323) 938-4038.

FRI.-SAT.—A John Ford double feature. First, some fun with mistaken identity in The Whole Town’s Talking (1935), about a small-time clerk who must deal with life as the spitting image of a killer gangster, based on a story by William R. Burnett. Then, Jimmy Stewart is Marshal Guthrie McCabe in Two Rode Together (1961). Fri., starting at 7:30 p.m.; Sat., starting at 3:25 p.m.; $7, $6 students, $4 seniors & children.

FRI.—Quentin Tarantino plays with flashbacks, armed robbery, diamonds and colorful misters with Reservoir Dogs (1992). Midnight, $7.

SAT.— A young Stephen Dorff releases demonic, Earth-destroying dwarves from a hole in his backyard in The Gate (1987, Tibor Takács). Midnight, $7.

SUN.-MON.—A Pink Panther double feature. We meet the Inspector in the first installment of Blake Edwards’ Mancini-infused series, The Pink Panther (1964), about a British jewel thief (David Niven) on a ski vacation with his nephew (Robert Wagner) and mistress (Claudia Cardinale). Then, it’s more gags and gab with installment number two, A Shot in the Dark (1964). Sun., starting at 6:30 p.m.; Mon., starting at 7:30 p.m. $7, $6 students, $4 seniors & children.

WED.-THURS.—A monster double feature. First, citizens of Louisville, Kentucky, start to see dead people . . . eating other citizens’ brains in The Return of the Living Dead (1985, Dan O’Bannon). Then, Henry Rollins and bad-boy Balthazar Getty star in Feast (2005, John Gulager), about a group of bar flies who must ward off monsters after getting locked inside their watering hole. 7:30 p.m., $7, $6 students, $4 seniors & children.

 

SAMUEL GOLDWYN THEATER 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. (310) 247-3600.

FRI.—Happy Birthday, Shirley Temple. The Depression-era doll is turning 80, and to celebrate the Academy premieres new prints of two of her classic films: John Ford’s Wee Willie Winkie (1937), an adaptation of Rudyard Kipling’s story set in colonial India; and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938, Allan Dwan), in which Shirley transforms into a radio star, despite a disapproving aunt. 7 p.m., $5, $3 students.

MON.—“Great to be Nominated.” There will be large swooping zooms, an epic storyline, and Daniel Day-Lewis in Paul Thomas Anderson’s There Will be Blood (2007). Post-film discussion panelists include actor David Warshofsky. 7 p.m., $5, $3.

WED.—“George Pal: Discovering the Fantastic.” The Academy celebrates the centennial of producer, director and animator George Pal with an evening featuring new prints of the “Puppetoons” (animated shorts featuring stop-motion wooden puppets in fairy tale worlds) Rhythm in the Ranks (1941) and John Henry and the Inky Poo (1946). Plus, a screening of the Pal-produced The War of the Worlds (1953, Byron Haskin). Panel discussion following with Pal collaborators Bob Baker, Jim Danforth, Barbara Eden, Ann Robinson, Russ Tamblyn and Alan Young. 7:30 p.m., $5, $3 students.

 
7 DUDLEY CINEMA Sponto Gallery, 7 Dudley Ave., Venice. (310) 399-2078.

WED.—“The Best of the Druid Underground Film Festival.” Tonight: The Best of Show 2008 screens at 7 Dudley, including Damon Packard’s Skatebang, JJ Villard’s Charles Bukowski piece, a Steve Irwin tribute, and some abstract, documentary and music shorts. Free.

UCLA FILM & TELEVISION ARCHIVE Billy Wilder Theater in the Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Wstwd. (310) 206-8013.

FRI.-SAT.—Rarely screened over the past 40 years, Kent Mackenzie’s indie film landmark The Exiles (1961) — an improvisational day-in-the-life look at Bunker Hill’s Native American community — has been restored by the Archive and is now “ready to be re-discovered” by its native L.A. with a long-awaited theatrical release. Fri., 7:30 & 9:45 p.m.; Sat., 4, 7:30 & 9:15 p.m.; $9, $8 students.

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