Something called a "Super Bowl" intercepts many venues' schedules this weekend. See the big game on the big screen, Bigfoot at the New Bev or big scares in the anthology The Theatre Bizarre! more ›

Jean-Luc Godard's Week End ditches little things like "plot" along the way to gleeful cinematic anarchy. Battle Royale's a bloody good Japanese satire. Then play 2011 catch-up with guests & double bills! more ›

Los Angeles has no shortage of stories or talented filmmakers. On Location: The Los Angeles Video Project presents the best of both. NewFilmmakers Los Angeles, The Los Angeles Convention & Visitors Bureau and LA Weekly curate the series of 1-4 minute mixed media shorts at Sunset Gower Studios. Much sunnier than L.A. Noire, the audience selections & grand prizes valued at $100K will leave everyone with plenty to smile about. Tickets are $10 (available online only), with an extra $5 unlocking the open bar after-party. more ›

Last night at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Slow Food Los Angeles and Area 23a presented a screening of the documentary Ingredients, which was followed by a panel featuring some of L.A.'s most respected voices in the farming and food community. Written and directed by Robert Bates, Ingredients focuses on the concept that establishing relationships and buying locally from independent farmers can foster positive social and economic change while providing fantastic health benefits. more ›

Godzilla may be Tokyo's most famous giant monster, but Mothra's a close second. The behemoth bug turns 50 this year, and the Egyptian celebrates with an English dub of the original Mothra alongside a subtitled print of Giant Monsters All-Out Attack. The latter film, which turns 10, pits Mothra against The Big G (you just can't keep a good radioactive dinosaur down!) and fellow beasts King Ghidorah & Baragon. more ›

The Desert of Forbidden Art marked its Los Angeles premiere on Thursday night at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica. The doc tells the story of Igor Savitsky's quest to save avant-garde Russian art from Soviet censors and build a now legendary museum to house it in backwater Nukus, Uzbekistan. Celebrity narrators include Sally Field, Ben Kingsely, and Ed Asner, who ably portray the story's principals. more ›

I'd be remiss to my Lord Samhain if I put off the Halloween coverage a second longer. But before plunging into the depths of hell, take a moment to plumb the depths of heaven at the Aero. Counterculture cartoonist Bill Plympton appears in support of his latest work, Idiots and Angels. The hand-crafted dark comedy finds a drunken curmudgeon sprouting a pair of wings that compel him to do good deeds. The only problem is - he wants to be bad, and will stop at nothing to sour his spirits. If you can't make it on Thursday, it's also playing for one week only at Laemmle's Sunset starting Friday. more ›

Halloween comes a little early this year, as the film that introduced the world to Michael Myers tears through The Egyptian on a double bill with the classic sci-fi/horror hybrid The Thing. It's part of a weekend long tribute to writer/director/producer/composer/probably-leaving-something-out-because-he's-done-everything John Carpenter, that also pairs '80s action funfests They Live (best film starring a wrestler, hands-down) and Big Trouble in Little China, as well as a personal favorite, Escape from New York, and its sequel Escape from L.A.. If that isn't enough to plot your escape, Carpenter himself will be appearing at the Friday show. His latest film, The Ward, just opened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and maybe if a bunch of us ask really nicely he'll talk about it. more ›

If Machete fired you up for a revolucion (and if it didn't, there are 21+ screenings in Pasadena), the UCLA Film & Television Archive has the series for you! This weekend, they open "The Mexican Revolution on Film" with a Mexican production, Enamorada, contrasted with a Hollywood portrayal in David O. Selznick's production Viva Villa! If you'd rather erode another colonial power, the Aero boasts a weekend of French crime films, with contributions from the '30s on up. It's classic pulp, with equal parts exotica, gangsters & a touch of real-life horrors to give you something to take home. For a further twisted romp through the romantic lands, feast your eyes upon Bunny and the Bull, a bizarro-world journey courtesy of the director of The Mighty Boosh. more ›

The films of horror maestro Dario Argento put the gore in gorgeous! This weekend, the New Beverly plays his two best-known features, Suspiria and Deep Red. For the uninitiated, Suspiria concerns a boarding school that may be a coven, while Deep Red is a textbook giallo (an Italian genre of sleazy, violent murder-mysteries). Argento augments both films with a psychedelic palette and delirious prog-rock score by Italian band Goblin. If you're already down with the Dario, you may want to especially note the Saturday evening show, as actress Barbara Magnolfi (Olga, the roommate from Suspiria) will make an appearance. It's a real treat to see these films in 35mm, and because they're horror films someone has heard of, remakes of both are in the works. Catch the originals while you can! more ›

LA Weekly's nightlife columnist Lina Lecaro presents her work, Los Angeles' Best Dive Bars, in person for a signing at Book Soup tonight at 7 p.m. Lecaro's book includes info on "the city’s liveliest, lowlife n’ liquor-soaked landmarks. This essential booze bible has the lowdown on which bars serve free food, which have great—and not so great—karaoke, bars that appear in your favorite movies and much, much more." Meet Lecaro, get your copy autographed, and then see what's nearby on a Sunday night and put that book to work for you! more ›

Says Vroman's of tonight' event: "Molly Ringwald will always be remembered as the epitome of teenage angst, love, and heartbreak. But in the real world, she’s approaching another important birthday - she’s turning 40. In this vibrant collection of life stories and candid advice, Molly helps guide women of all ages through the issues that crop up long after the prom ends. Whether she's discussing sex and beauty, personal style, travel and entertaining, motherhood, or friendship, Molly embodies the spirit of being fabulous at every age, and reminds us all that prettiness is a state of mind." 7 PM. more ›

FREESTYLING*: Latin battle MCs take to the stage tonight at the Pico Rivera Sports Arena at 8 p.m. in the U.S. finals of the freestyle MC competition known as Red Bull Batalla de los Gallos. The free event will feature MCs from LA, SF and NYC rapping solely in Spanish 'best Latin battle MC' titile. The winner will then head to Mexico City to compete against lyricists from 15 other Spanish-speaking countries. more ›

more ›

MUSIC: The 1st & Central Summer Concerts at the Japanese American National Museum continues tonight with Greek vocalist Savina Yannatou and classically trained, Iranian-born singer Mamak Khadem who’ll offer traditional sounds of the Mediterranean and Middle East. The concert begins at 6:30 pm in Little Tokyo. more ›

LEARNING*: Social Media Club LA presents the “Socializing the Music Industry" panel discussion tonight at 7 pm at the Weber Shandwick Offices @ The Pacific Design Center. Panelists including: Anthony Batt, president and founder, Buzznet; Scott Perry, publisher, New Music Tipsheet; Lugas Gonze, XSPF Leader at Xiph.org Foundation; and Nic Adler, owner, Roxy Theater will discuss how digital distribution and social discovery are changing the music industry. (When was the last time you BOUGHT a CD?). Btw, co-moderators are Andy Sternberg, director of Interactive, Live Earth (and LAist's news editor!), and Jackie Peters, founding partner, Heavybag Media. more ›

Normally we're not starstruck but when Robert Downey Jr. joined Jon Favreau for the commentary edition of the Iron Man screening at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica last Saturday, we couldn't help but squeal with delight. He emerged from the shadows in the back of the theater and took the stage to a standing ovation. Eeeee! We were in the same room with the guy who stole the movie from Ben Stiller in Tropic Thunder, the actor who made Tony Stark of Iron Man a lovable (and sexy) war monger…and he was in Weird Science! more ›

more ›

FREE DAYS @ LACMA more ›

more ›

The annual Lunar New Year Festival continues today in Chinatown. Catch pan- Asian entertainers including Chinese acrobats, as well as Thai dancers and Taiko drummers. Food, games, children’s activities, and more will also be on tap during the free festival. more ›

Okay, so Long Beach doesn't pack the same exotic pull as, oh, say, Rio, but they're going to put on a Carnaval and pull out all the stops. Get out your Carnaval costumes and get ready to samba the night away! This year’s theme is “Preservation of the Planet” featuring green and recycled decorations. At the heart of the 2008 celebration is renowned Bahiana Dandara, musicians performing vibrant and energetic Carnaval beats. Music and bare booties abound! more ›

DINE more ›

Author and USC professor Gina Nahai and actress Bahar Soomekh (Crash) read from Nahai’s latest book Caspian Rain – about a family falling apart just before the Islamic revolution in Iran. Immediately following, there’s a discussion of the changing lives of women of the Middle East, and relationships between Iran’s Jewish and Muslim communities, as well as how these communities interact in Los Angeles, “home to the largest population of Iranians outside Tehran.” more ›

COMIC BOOK ART more ›

Tonight’s the next installment of the LA Phil’s Concrete Frequency series, but here are other options we've dug up for your going-out pleasure: more ›

Sure, you could always stay in and watch reruns of [insert name of your favorite show here], but why bother when you have these things happening tonight to get you through hump day. more ›

It’s pretty quiet today in LA. So take another Alka Seltzer and rest up for work tomorrow. more ›

If you're not mall-ward bound, frantically baking fruitcake, cleaning house for arriving relatives, or headed to LAX, there are still plenty of things to do tonight in LA. more ›