The Best Things To Do In LA And SoCal This Week: Jan. 3 - 6

Watch MoMA’s Contenders film series. Attend anniversary screenings of classics The Harder They Come and Miracle in Milan. Laugh along at a pooch-friendly comedy show. Hike six miles on Hicks Haul Road.

With COVID-19 variants rising, many events are being canceled or postponed. It's best to check ahead of time for event status and vaccine/testing requirements.

Monday, Jan. 3; 7 p.m.

Cinematic Void Presents Creepers
Los Feliz Theatre
1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz
Watch the 1985 horror thriller directed by Italy’s master of horror, Dario Argento. It stars Jennifer Connelly in one of her first screen roles as a girl who is sent to a private Swiss academy where a vicious killer is on the loose. Connelly’s character can communicate with insects and Dr. McGregor (Donald Pleasence) enlists her to help locate the killer.
COST: $8 - $13; MORE INFO 

Monday, Jan. 3 - Wednesday, Jan. 5; 5:45 p.m.

Miracle in Milan
Frida Cinema
305 E. 4th St., Santa Ana
The indie cinema screens a new 4K restoration of Vittorio De Sica’s Miracle In Milan for its 70th Anniversary. The neorealist fairy tale is a follow-up to De Sica’s international classic Bicycle Thieves (aka The Bicycle Thief), in which residents of a shantytown must outwit greedy land developers who want their land and oil.
COST: $10.50; MORE INFO

Tuesday, Jan. 4; 8:30 a.m.

Early Morning Fitness Hike on Hicks Haul Road
Limestone Canyon Nature Preserve
Hicks Haul Road, Irvine
This six-mile group hike on an asphalt road is conducted at a speed of approximately 3 to 3.5 miles per hour. There are two fairly steep hill ascents and descents but they come with views of Orange County and the Santa Ana Mountains.
COST: FREE with RSVP; MORE INFO

Tuesday, Jan. 4; 7:30 p.m.

Battleship Potemkin 
David Geffen Theater
Academy Museum
6067 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
The museum and members of the Academy’s branches present a new screenings series, Branch Selects, highlighting major achievements in filmmaking. It launches this week with a screening of the silent Russian masterpiece, Battleship Potemkin (1925), which is famous for its use of montage, particularly in the classic Odessa steps scene. The evening will feature introductions by editor Joe Walker and USC Professor Aniko Imre.
COST: $5 - $10; MORE INFO

Tuesday, Jan. 4; 7 p.m.

The Harder They Come
Los Feliz Theatre
1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz
The American Cinematheque celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1972 crime drama that brought reggae and Jamaican culture to the masses. Jimmy Cliff stars as a country boy who travels to the big city with dreams of recording a song, then turns to criminal activity as he becomes more jaded and desperate. Director Perry Henzell’s soundtrack for the film is equally masterful.
COST: $13; MORE INFO

Andrew Garfield stars as Jonathan Larson in 'tick, tick...BOOM!' which screens as part of MoMA's Contenders Series.

(MACALL POLAY/NETFLIX © 2021 )

Wednesday, Jan. 5 - Thursday, Jan. 27

MoMA Contenders 2021
Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood
Every year, New York's Museum of Modern Art selects a handful of recent films that curators believe could be Academy Award nominees. Each screening is followed by conversations with directors and actors. The L.A. edition of the series opens this week with tick, tick… BOOM!, with Andrew Garfield. Additional titles in the series include Zola, King Richard, Dune, C’mon, C’mon and Licorice Pizza. The screenings begin at 7:30 p.m.
COST: $20 ($10 for museum members); MORE INFO

Thursday, Jan. 6; 9 p.m.

Culver City Comedy Club @ The Garage
The Garage and Motor Club
3387 Motor Ave., Culver City
Sean Leary and Anna Simeri of Good Aura Comedy present a 90-minute, pop-up comedy show with Sheng Wang, Amy Miller, Garrick Bernard and Dan Levy. No drink minimum.
COST: $15; MORE INFO

Thursday, Jan. 6; 6 - 9 p.m.

First 1st Thursday ArtWalk of 2022
San Pedro Waterfront District
Start the new year by seeing art in the South Bay. Organizers are curating food truck placement on the ArtWalk perimeters. Participating galleries that are welcoming guests require masks.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Mark Moore Gallery presents an online exhibition featuring the work of David Rathman, inclduing 'Feels Like I'm Up Top Something,' 2021 / Watercolor on paper (unframed).

(David Rathman)

Thursday, Jan. 6

David Rathman
Mark Moore Gallery 
ARTSY Online
The gallery presents an online solo exhibition of recent watercolors and paintings by Rathman. After exploring the concept of the American cowboy, his work has gravitated toward athletes, rock stars, race car drivers and other characters who are emblematic of the maverick spirit of the American West.
COST: FREE; MORE INFO

Thursday, Jan. 6; 7 p.m.

Who Let the Dogs Out?
El Cid
4212 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake
The comedy show takes place on El Cid’s back patio, hosted by Amber Rollo and her pup Boris. The first show of 2022 features sets by Francesca Fiorentini, Niles Abston, Haley OC and Yamini Nambimadom. This is an 18+ event.
COST: $10 - $15 (dogs get in free); MORE INFO

Craft Contemporary presents Maker Night: Piñata Making Party with Piñata Design Studio.

(Courtesy of Craft Contemporary)

Thursday, Jan. 6; 5 - 7 p.m.

Piñata Making Party
Craft Contemporary Courtyard
5814 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire
It’s Maker Night at the museum, and the Piñata Design Studio guides attendees through an easy piñata-making workshop. Learn about the history of the piñata in Mexican and indigenous celebrations, including the holiday ritual known as Las Posadas. Advance registration required. Free for museum members. The night includes materials, drinks and snacks.

COST: $12; MORE INFO

TV/Streaming Pick

Women of the Movement
ABC presents a limited series based on the true story of Mamie Till-Mobley who risked her life while demanding justice for the murder of her son, 14-year-old Emmett Till, who was lynched in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a woman in a grocery store. By refusing to let the world forget her son and what was done to him, she became a vocal activist for social justice and Civil Rights. The series premieres on Thursday, Jan. 6 at 8 p.m., airing two episodes for three consecutive Thursdays.

Cafe Gratitude teams with Imperfect Foods to offer poblanos rellenos with walnut sauce and pomegranate from Jan. 10 to 16.

(Courtesy of Cafe Gratitude)

Dine and Drink Deals

Check out the 411 on restaurant, bar and food happenings in SoCal this weekend:

• Veggie Grill, the plant-based casual dining chain, is bringing back Orange Chickin’ for Veganuary, the annual, month-long, plant-based eating challenge. The fan fave returns on Jan. 5. For each Orange Chickin’ sold through Jan. 31, Veggie Grill will donate $1 to Veganuary's sustainability philanthropy efforts.
• Cafe Gratitude teams with Imperfect Foods to honor Food Waste Week. To support reducing food waste in restaurants, Imperfect Foods provided Cafe Gratitude with produce to create a limited time dish — Poblanos Rellenos with Walnut Sauce and Pomegranate (pictured above). It will be served Jan. 10 - 16 and for every dish sold, $5 will be donated to Hollywood Food Coalition.  
• The Win-Dow is now open seven days a week in Silver Lake, serving up its smash-burgers, fried chicken sandwiches and $7 grain bowls.
• Ghisallo, the Santa Monica wood-fired pizza kitchen that opened in September, is now open for lunch. The menu features an antipasto salad, an eggplant caprese sandwich and pepperoni pizza by the slice. 
• Little Dom’s kicks off 2022 with its first Monday supper of the year. The three-course meal includes fried green tomatoes with buttermilk dressing; sausage, peppers & brown rice grits; and bread pudding with salted caramel sauce for $25.
• Just a reminder for the New Year that Guerrilla Tacos’ Cafecito serves up breakfast burritos, coffee and donuts every day from 8 a.m. to noon.