The films on tonight's Association of Moving Image Archivists benefit double bill, The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and Innerspace (1987), are outwardly about the same thing — shrinkage — but their larger themes are poles apart. In the first film, Grant Williams is immersed in a mystery mist and shrinks into infinitesimal worlds within worlds; it's interesting how much of popular culture from the first half of the 20th century was obsessed with the terrors of science. In the second film, Martin Short is a simpering dummy who gets shrunken and injected into a soldier's bloodstream à la Fantastic Voyage and wins the day, proving his courage and becoming a better person, too. The difference? The Incredible Shrinking Man is about one man's place in the vaster cosmos, while Innerspace is about one man's place in his own universe. Joe Dante might also be there to tell you more about Innerspace, which is encouraging. The Incredible Shrinking Man might be there, too. You just never know. Part of AMIA's “Something Old, Something New” series, presented by the UCLA student chapter of AMIA. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd.; Wed.-Thurs., Aug. 22-23, 7:30 p.m.; $8. (323) 938-4038, newbevcinema.com.

Wed., Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m.; Thu., Aug. 23, 7:30 p.m., 2012

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