Can You Send Killer Robots a Rambo-gram? [Special Screenings, Aug. 22-29]

Blinded By the Light. In Gurinder Chadha’s 2019 musical dramedy, a put-upon British teen (Viveik Kaira) of Pakistani descent does not find his voice until a classmate (Aaron Phagura) introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen. Various theaters; www.fandango.com.Thurs., Aug. 22. Visit website for locations, show times and ticket prices.

Overcomer. Minister Alex Kendrick’s new faith-filled dramedy has him playing a disillusioned high-school coach to an unlikely athlete (Aryn Wright-Thompson) facing the biggest race of her life. Various theaters; www.fandango.com. Thurs.-Thurs., Aug. 22-29. Visit website for locations, show times and ticket prices.

Kerry Tribe: Double. The artist’s single-channel video work has five women who nominally resemble one another reflecting on subjects ranging from their impressions of Los Angeles to their participation in this project. Grand Central Art Center, 125 N. Broadway, Santa Ana; www.grandcentralartcenter.com. Open Tues.-Thurs., 11 a.m.-4 p.m.; Fri.-Sat., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sun., 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Through Sept. 22. Free. 

Apocalypse Now: Final Cut. The Frida’s Francis Ford Coppola retrospective continues with a 40th-anniversary screening of the director’s newly restored and remastered final cut. During the height of the Vietnam War, an Army captain (Martin Sheen) is sent deep into the Cambodian jungle to find and terminate with great prejudice a completely bonkers colonel (Marlon Brando). The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org.Thurs.-Sun., Aug. 22-25, 1, 4:30 & 8 p.m. $7-$10.50.

Street Fighter. Cosplay-lovin’ Nostalgic Nebula presents a 25th-anniversary screening event that begins with a rock tribute to the music of the Street Fighter video game. Then comes Steven E. de Souza’s martial-arts flick about a military colonel (Jean-Claude Van Damme) joining other heroes in fighting against a tyrannical dictator (Raul Julia). Afterward, there is an audience Q&A with cast members Miguel Núñez Jr. (who plays Dee Jay) and Andrew Bryniarski (Zangief). The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org.Thurs., Aug. 22, 7:30 p.m. $15.

Captain Marvel. In Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s blockbuster from earlier this year, Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes as Earth is caught in the middle of an alien race war. The Strawberry Bowl, 12762 Main St., Garden Grove, (714) 928-3894. Thurs., Aug. 22, 8 p.m. Free.

Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles. Max Lewkowicz’s new documentary explains the origin story behind the Broadway musical Fiddler On the Roof. Directors Cut Cinema at Regency Rancho Niguel, 25471 Rancho Niguel Rd., Laguna Niguel, (949) 831-0446. Opens Fri. Call theater for show times and ticket prices.

Arrow of the Orion. Katsushi Sakurabi’s new anime from the DanMAchi franchise poses the question: Is it wrong to try to pick up girls in a dungeon? The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Fri., 6 (dubbed) & 8 p.m. (subtitled). $15.

Monsters University. Dan Scanlon’s 2013 sequel to the animated Disney hit Monsters, Inc. flashes back to the college years of Mike (voiced by Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman), who were not always the best of friends. Los Alamos Park, 17901 Los Alamos St., Fountain Valley, (714) 839-8611. Fri., 6 p.m. Free.

Mary Poppins Returns. Rob Marshall’s 2018 reboot of the Disney classic has the magical nanny (Emily Blunt) returning to help the grown Banks siblings and Michael’s children through tough times. Grant Howald Park, 3000 Fifth Ave., Newport Beach, (949) 644-3151. Fri., 6:30 p.m. Free; also at Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort & Marina, near Moe B’s Watersports, 1131 Back Bay Dr., Newport Beach, (949) 729-3863. Fri., dusk. Free, but there is a fee to park. 

The Jungle Book. In Wolfgang Reitherman’s original 1967 Disney animated movie, Bagheera the Panther (voiced by Sebastian Cabot) and Baloo the Bear (Phil Harris) have a hard time convincing a boy (Bruce Reitherman) to leave the jungle for human civilization. Lake Forest Sports Park, 28000 Rancho Pkwy., Lake Forest; ca-lakeforest.civicplus.com. Fri., 7:30 p.m. Free.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In Dean DeBlois’ third flick from the animated franchise, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) races Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) to find a secret dragon utopia. El Cerrito School, 1051 N. Hillside St., La Habra, (562) 383-4200. Fri., 8 p.m. Free.

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. Mike Mitchell’s recent animated movie takes place five years after everything was awesome. Now, Lego Duplo space invaders are wrecking everything. Laguna Niguel Regional Park, 28241 La Paz Rd., Laguna Niguel, (949) 923-2240; ocparks.com. Fri., dusk. Free. 

Hairspray. Volunteer of the Month Daniela Anguiano’s pick is John Waters’ 1988 musical comedy. An overweight teen (Ricki Lake) becomes the star of a popular teen dance show, then pushes for racial integration of the program. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Fri., 10 p.m.; Mon.-Tues., 2:30, 6 & 8 p.m. $7-$10.50.

A Boy Named Charlie Brown: 50th Anniversary Restoration & Rerelease. It’s the cartoon Peanuts gang’s first movie. Linus gives his blanket to Charlie Brown for good luck in a national spelling bee, realizes he can’t live without it, travels with Snoopy to New York to fetch it and discovers ol’ Chuck misplaced it. Good grief! Starlight Cinema City, 5635 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, (714) 970-6700. Sat., 11 a.m. $6; also at the Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sat., noon & 2 p.m. $7.50; and Regency Westminster, 6721 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, (714) 893-4222. Sat., noon. $8.50.

Incredibles 2. Swim and/or float as the animated 2018 smash hit from Disney-Pixar and director Brad Bird rolls on a big screen. Bob Parr/Mr. Incredible (voiced by Craig T. Nelson) takes care of the kids while his wife, Helen/Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), is out saving the world. William Woollett Jr. Aquatics Center, 4601 Walnut Ave., Irvine, (949) 724-6717. Sat., 6:30 p.m. $2-$4.

Chopping Mall. First, check out the lobby and its Stranger Things Season 3 vibe. Next, see Jim Wynorski’s 1986 turkey about young shopping-mall employees staying after work to party—before the robot security system goes on a killing spree. Afterward, experience a live taping of the bad-cinema-loving Bomb’s Away podcast. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org.Sat., 7 p.m. $15.

Rio. It’s Carlos Saldanha’s 2011 animated flick about Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg), a domesticated macaw from small-town Minnesota, who meets the fiercely independent Jewel (Anne Hathaway) and follows her to Rio de Janeiro. Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina, (949) 729-3863. Sat., dusk. Free, but there is a fee to park.

My Neighbor Totoro. GKIDS and Fathom Events continue Studio Ghibli Fest 2019 with Hayao Miyazaki’s 1988 anime classic. Satsuki and her sister Mei move with their father to a new home in the countryside, where the house and nearby woods are full of strange and delightful creatures. Various theaters; www.fathomevents.com. Sun., 12:55 p.m. (dubbed); Mon., 7 p.m. (subtitled); Wed., 7 p.m. (dubbed). $12.50.

The Godfather Part II. If this 1974 classic were not the first sequel that was better than the film that preceded it, it is certainly among a rarefied few. Coppola brilliantly crafts two stories showing young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) growing up in Sicily and 1910s New York and Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) growing into his role as the family crime boss in the 1950s. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sun., 1 & 5 p.m.; Wed.-Thurs., Aug. 29, 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. $7-$10.50.

Paris, Texas. In Wim Wenders’ 1984 drama, an aimless drifter (Harry Dean Stanton) re-emerges from the desert after being missing from his family for four years. He tries to reconnect with his family, society and himself. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Mon.-Thurs., Aug. 29, 2:30, 5:30 & 8:30 p.m. $7-$10.50.

Madagascar. In Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath’s 2005 animated comedy, a group of animals who have spent their entire lives in a zoo must adjust to living in the wild. Various Regal/Edwards theaters; regmovies.com. Tues., 10 a.m. $1.

YASSS! Films based on young-adult novels screen. Fullerton Public Library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, (714) 738-6327. Tues., 6 p.m. Free. 

Back to the Future. Director and co-writer Bob Zemeckis feared he had a flop on his hands, but it became the top-grossing film of 1985, with a cool $385 million. Michael J. Fox plays a teen who travels back in time to when his parents were still in high school. Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Laguna Niguel at Ocean Ranch Village, 32401 Golden Lantern St., Laguna Niguel, (949) 373-7900; also at Cinépolis Luxury Cinemas Rancho Santa Margarita at Santa Margarita Town Center, 30632 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 835-1888. Tues., 7 p.m. $10. 

Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Follow Arthur, King of the Britons, Sir Lancelot the Brave and Sir Robin the Not-So-Brave-as-Sir-Lancelot as they follow God’s directive to find the Holy Grail in this 1975 cult classic. Directors Cut Cinema at Regency Rancho Niguel, (949) 831-0446. Tues., 7:30 p.m. $8.

Shrek 2. In Andrew Adamson, Kelly Asbury and Conrad Vernon’s 2004 sequel to the animated blockbuster, Shrek (voiced by Mike Myers) and Princess Fiona (Cameron Diaz) are invited to dinner with her parents, who are unaware the newlyweds are ogres. Various Regal/Edwards theaters; regmovies.com. Wed., 10 a.m. $1. 

Big Hero 6. This Disney 3D, computer-animated hit has Hiro (voiced by Ryan Potter), his friends and his older brother’s health-care robot (Scott Adsit) battling an evil villain in San Fransokyo, which is where I left my artificial heart. Surf Theater, Pacific City, 21028 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (714) 930-2345. Wed., 7 p.m. Free.

Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Tim Burton’s 1985 cult classic has eccentric man-child Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) setting off on an adventure to find his stolen, beloved, customized red Schwinn (a.k.a. the greatest bicycle on Earth). Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $9.

Ne Zha. First-time director Yang You (a.k.a. Jio Zi) also wrote what is currently the highest-grossing animated feature in China film history. Born with unique powers and destined by prophecy to bring destruction to the world, young boy and social outcast Ne Zha must choose between good and evil. IMAX at AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, 2457 Park Ave., Tustin, (714) 258-7036. Thurs., Aug. 29. Call theater for show times and ticket prices.

Thursday Matinee. Title to be determined for a film generally aimed at adults. Fullerton Public Library, (714) 738-6327. Thurs., Aug. 29, 1 p.m. Free. 

Anime Afternoons. Come watch and discuss anime favorites. Fullerton Public Library, (714) 738-6327. Thurs., Aug. 29, 6 p.m. Free.