Friday, Nov. 28

Black Friday needn’t be all about Walmart shoppers trampling one another to death in pursuit of low prices. If you’re looking to fill the day with a bit more holiday cheer, sing along to Old Town Music Hall’s 8:15 p.m. screening of Naughty Marietta. A 1935 Best Picture nominee, co-directors Robert Z. Leonard and W.S. Van Dyke’s influential musical also represents the first pairing of crooners Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald. Not on the marquee but of significant importance to the story nonetheless is Elsa Lanchester, whom you may recognize as the Bride of Frankenstein. For more, visit oldtownmusichall.org.

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The New Beverly’s Black Friday fare is more apropos of today’s dark moniker: a 1970s prison-drama double feature of Fortune and Men’s Eyes (7:30 p.m.) and Short Eyes (9:40). Based on the most-published Canadian play ever written, Fortune takes its subject matter from the horror stories of the American prison system. Also adapted from a play, Short Eyes concerns a child molester sent to an especially brutal prison in New York. The program repeats Saturday starting at 3:15. Details at thenewbev.com.

Saturday, Nov. 29

Cinefamily presents Grindhouse Trailer Apocalypse, a feature-length program of 35mm trailers, starting at midnight. Curated by Bob Murawski of Grindhouse Releasing, it runs the full gamut of standard exploitation, blaxploitation and sexploitation, not to mention horror and martial arts (to name just a few of the disreputable genres on display). No one does late-night revelry quite like Cinefamily, so show up early enough to get a spot on one of the couches and settle in for a good time. For more, visit cinefamily.org.

Lawrence of Arabia is the rare classic to actually exceed its imposing reputation, and nothing does its jaw-dropping visuals justice quite like a 70mm print. Lucky, then, that our very own Egyptian Theatre is projecting one at 7:30 p.m. Don’t be intimidated by the 216-minute runtime: David Lean’s epic flies by with all the force of a passing sandstorm, and Peter O’Toole’s magnetic performance (the first of many) as Lawrence is one for the ages. More information at american?cinemathequecalendar.com.

Monday, Dec. 1

A pre-release screening of Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman’s documentary Remote Area Medical will be held in USC’s Broccoli Theatre at 7 p.m. A microcosmic look at the American health care system through the lens of a free, three-day clinic held in Tennessee, the documentary serves as a reminder of the real people affected by the never-ending debate about health care’s role in these United States. As with all of USC’s Outside the Box screenings, this one's free and open to the public. Full details at cinema.usc.edu.

King Kong

King Kong

Tuesday, Dec. 2

If the fact that you’ve seen Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong but not the 1933 original is a constant source of shame and embarrassment, absolve yourself of that cinematic sin by catching LACMA’s 1 p.m. matinee. As thrilling as it is ultimately sad, Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack’s stop-motion landmark is one of the most fantastical, involving films of its era. Not for nothing is Kong one of the most enduring movie monsters; only the most hard-hearted viewers will fail to see what a tragic figure he is. More at lacma.org.

Wednesday, Dec. 3

Agnès Varda has been referred to as the Godmother of the French New Wave, and Cléo From 5 to 7 is the perfect access point to her enduring body of work. Cinefamily’s 8 p.m. screening will be followed by a solo performance by Angel Olsen. Taking place largely in real time, the film follows its title character around Paris as she anxiously awaits the result of a biopsy. The simple, nerve-rattling premise allows Varda to ruminate on all manner of concerns, with the fear of death being only the most overt. Full information at cinefamily.org.

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