Jerk Alert! [Special Screenings, Aug. 15-22]

Blinded By the Light. In Gurinder Chadha’s 2019 musical dramedy, a British teen (Viveik Kaira) of Pakistani descent writes poetry to escape the intolerance of his hometown and inflexibility of his father (Kulvinder Ghir). But the lad does not find his voice until a classmate (Aaron Phagura) introduces him to the music of Bruce Springsteen. Regency Westminster, 6721 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, (714) 893-4222. Opens Thurs., Aug. 15. Call theater for show times and ticket prices; also at various theaters; www.fandango.com. Opens Fri. Visit site 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.

Cassandro, the Exotico! Marie Losier’s 2018 documentary follows the star of a gender-bending, cross-dressing wrestling troupe. After 26 years in the ring and no retirement plans, Cassandro must reinvent himself thanks to broken bones and metal pins in his body. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., Aug. 15, 2, 4, 6 & 8:30 p.m. $7-$10.50.

Rumble Fish. The Francis Ford Coppola retrospective continues with his 1983 exploration of violence and adolescence that is based on an S.E. Hinton novel. After Motorcycle Boy (Mickey Rourke) abolishes gang warfare and disappears, his teen brother Rusty James (Matt Dillon) breaks the treaty and gets into a rumble—just as his older bro reemerges. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., Aug. 15, 2, 4, 6 & 8 p.m.; Sun., 2, 4 & 6 p.m. $7-$10.50.

One Week and Sherlock Jr. This Compass event features two silent films by the great Buster Keaton that are introduced by academic Steven Forry. The first film released that Keaton made on his own, 1920’s One Week has newlyweds frustrated by a build-it-yourself home because a rejected suitor renumbered the packing crates. In 1924’s Sherlock Jr., Keaton plays a projectionist who puts his detective skills to work after being framed for theft. Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Dr., Laguna Beach, (949) 494-8971. Thurs., Aug. 15, 6 p.m. $5-$7; ages 17 and younger, free.

Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music: The Director’s Cut. Michael Wadleigh’s 1971 Best Documentary Oscar winner was shot over three days in August 1969 on Max Yasgur’s upstate New York dairy farm, where half a million people showed up for sets by the likes of the Who, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Sly and the Family Stone. Various theaters; www.fathomevents.com. Thurs., Aug. 15, 7 p.m. $12.50.

RiffTrax Live: Giant Spider Invasion. Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett of Mystery Science Theater 3000 fame are back to riff on a pristine new digital transfer of 1975’s horror/sci-fi cult classic and one of the most popular MST3K movies ever. Something falls out of the sky before gigantic arachnids (with a taste for human flesh) invade a rural Wisconsin town. Various theaters; www.fathomevents.com. Thurs., Aug. 15, 8 p.m.; Tues., 7:30 p.m. $12.50.

Hoax. Matt Allen’s new horror film, which stars Adrienne Barbeau of Maude and John Carpenter partial catalog fame, is about an investigative team that ventures deep into the remote Colorado wilderness after a group of young campers is viciously murdered by what may have been Bigfoot. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Fri., Wed.-Thurs., Aug. 22, 2:30 p.m.; Sat., 2:30 & 5 p.m.; Mon.-Tues., 2:30 & 5:30 p.m. $7-$10.50.

The Greatest Showman. Michael Gracey’s 2017 bio-musical is based on the life of P.T. Barnum (Hugh Jackman), who rose from nothing to create a circus and worldwide sensation. Courreges Park, 8664-8665 Rogue River Ave., Fountain Valley, (714) 839-8611. Fri., 6 p.m. Free.

The Jungle Book. It’s the 2016 live-action version of the Disney animated classic with Mowgli (Neel Sethi) interacting with Baloo the bear (voiced by Bill Murray), Bagheera the panther (Ben Kingsley) and Shere Khan the tiger (Idris Elba). Irvine Regional Park, 1 Irvine Park Rd., Orange, (714) 973-6835. Fri., 6 p.m. Free.

The Muppet Movie. After a fateful meeting with a big-time talent agent in a Southern swamp, Kermit T. Frog heads for Hollywood to be a star. The 1979 movie with puppets and live actors was the Jim Henson franchise’s first full-length movie. Grand Park, 6101 City Lights Dr., Aliso Viejo, (949) 243-7750. Fri., 7:30 p.m. Free.

A Nightmare on Elm Street + Wes Craven’s New Nightmare. HorrorBuzz.com presents a double feature of the films by genre master Wes Craven. Nightmare on Elm Street, which is celebrating its 35th anniversary, is about long-dead Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund) coming back to life through young people’s nightmares. Wes Craven’s New Nightmare, which is 25 years old, is a meta take on Herr Krueger that asks, “Can celebrated screen monsters become so much a part of our consciousness that they manifest themselves in the real world?” The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Fri., 7:30 p.m. $13 for both films.

Blue Velvet. It’s a Janus 4K restoration of David Lynch’s 1986 thriller that is something to behold because of the disturbing plot, images and feeling you are left with afterward. A young man (Kyle MacLachlan) finds a severed ear in a field, sticks his prodigious chin where it does not belong and finds his balls in the grip of a psychopath (Dennis Hopper), who also kidnapped the child of a nightclub singer (Isabella Rossellini). The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Fri.-Sun., 8 p.m. $7-$10.50.

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. TeWinkle Park, 885 Junipero Ave., Costa Mesa; costamesaca.gov. Fri., 8 p.m. Free.

A Bug’s Life. John Lasseter’s 1998 animated comedy is about a misfit ant (voiced by Dave Foley) looking for “warriors” to save his colony from greedy grasshoppers. 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.

Japan Film Festival Los Angeles 2019. Though most of this event takes place in LA, there are some associated local screenings. Hisashi Ueda’s Miracle In a Spiny Bur has a struggling actress Yuka (Mau Nishio) repeating an autumn ritual by going to rural Kasama to help older woman Hatsue (Akiko Kurano) harvest chestnuts. After a mysterious young man (Yu-Hi) appears out of nowhere, all bloody and beaten-up, the women take him in, and the three start to form a special bond. Antonia Grace Gleen’s documentary The Ito Sisters tells the story of the earliest Japanese immigrants to the U.S. and their children by following three siblings born in the Sacramento area. (Gleen will attend the screening). Short Film Collection includes: Jeffrey Gee Chin’s drama Lil Tokyo Reporter, which is about a civic do-gooder (Chris Tashima) having to decide whether to confront operators of an illegal gambling hall; Junzo Arai’s documentary Dream Blossoms on Zenichiro Uchida, “the father of postwar immigrants,” who struggled to relocate Japanese men in the U.S. in the 1950s (with an audience Q&A with Arai and the Uchida family); Janus Victoria’s doc Encounters With Silence follows people dealing with something that has become common in Japan, kodokushi or dying alone; and Akiyoshi Imazeki’s drama Memories, which concerns the conflict in the heart of a girl (Serena Motola) who feels the breathlessness of living in a heavy, frosty, real world (with an audience Q&A with Imazeki and cast member Paul Lazar). Sayaka Kai’s drama Red Snow is about a journalist reviving interest in a 30-year-old case that concerns a boy’s disappearance on a snowy day, a series of unsolved murders and a mother who abuses her young daughter and is linked to the missing child, and Keisters Watanabe’s dramedy Three Nobunagas is set in feudal Japan of 1570, when different remnants of a clan wiped out by a ruthless lord believe they have kidnapped him—but they somehow captured three lookalikes. Masaharu Take’s drama The Gun focuses on a young man (Nijiro Murakami) who stumbles upon a dead body next to a Tokyo riverbank, picks up a gun next to the corpse, then sees the world around him blur. And Akiyoshi Imazeki’s drama Aiko 16-sai is about the archery-camp exploits of a 16-year-old girl (Yasuko Tomita). Newport Beach Higashi Honganji, 254 Victoria St., Costa Mesa; www.jffla.org. Sat., 10 a.m. (Miracle In a Spiny Bur); 11:30 a.m. (The Ito Sisters); 1:15 p.m. (Short Film Collection); 4 p.m. (Red Snow); 6 p.m. (Three Nobunagas); Sun., 10 a.m. (The Gun); noon, (Aiko 16-sai). $15 per program.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. In Dean DeBlois’ 2019 animated adventure, the third flick from the franchise, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel) races Grimmel (F. Murray Abraham) to find a secret dragon utopia. Travis Ranch Youth Park, 21305 Via Del Parque, Yorba Linda, (714) 961-7192. Sat., 8 p.m. Free.

Moana. Disney’s 56th animated feature is about a young princess and navigator (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho) searching the South Pacific for a fabled island of mysterious secrets. Newport Dunes Waterfront Resort and Marina, (949) 729-3863. Sat., dusk. Free, but there is a fee to park.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The pioneering midnight movie starts with the car of sweethearts Brad and Janet (Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon) breaking down near the eerie mansion of Dr. Frank-N-Furter (Tim Curry). The transvestite scientist’s home also hosts a rocking biker (Meat Loaf), a creepy butler (Richard O’Brien) and assorted freaks, including a hunk of beefcake named “Rocky.” Live shadow-cast troupe Midnight Insanity performs. Art Theatre, 2025 E. Fourth St., Long Beach, (562) 438-5435. Sat., 11:55 p.m. $9-$12.

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! Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, (800) 967-1932. Sun., 11 a.m. & 1 p.m. $8.50-$11.25; also at Starlight Cinema City, 5635 E. La Palma Ave., Anaheim, (714) 970-6700. Sun., 11 a.m. & Wed., 4 p.m. $5-$8; the Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sun., noon & 2 p.m.; Wed., 5:30 & 7:30 p.m. $7-$10.50; and Regency Westminster, (714) 893-4222. Sun., noon; Wed., 7 p.m. $6.50-$10.50.

Pillow Talk. Casa Cinema presents an outdoor screening of Michael Gordon’s 1950 Oscar-winning rom-com about an interior decorator (Doris Day) and womanizing composer (Rock Hudson) who share a telephone party line. Tired of hearing him woo his conquests, she tries to get the line fixed—until a Texas rancher comes on the horn and sparks fly. Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, 415 Avenida Granada, San Clemente, (949) 498-2139; casaromantica.org. Sun., 8 p.m. Free, or $5 for reserved seating.

Apocalypse Now: Final Cut. The Francis Ford Coppola retrospective keeps chugging 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). See “Apocalypse Now: Final Cut Wraps Up Coppola’s Vision of the Vietnam War” for more details. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Mon.-Thurs., Aug. 22, 1, 4:30 & 8 p.m. $7-$10.50.

Millennium Actress. The late Satoshi Kon’s 2001 anime masterpiece mixes reality and memory as a filmmaker and his assistant are drawn into a retired star’s recount of her pursuit of a mysterious man. Afterward, producers Taro Maki and Masao Maruyama reflect on the making of the film. Dubbed in English from original Japanese. Various theaters; www.fathomevents.com. Mon., 7 p.m. $12.50.

Trolls. The 2016 animated adventure comedy has the Bergens invading Troll Village and forcing Poppy (voiced by Anna Kendrick), the happiest Troll ever born, and the curmudgeonly Branch (Justin Timberlake) to set off on a journey to rescue her friends. Various Regal/Edwards theaters; regmovies.com. Tues., 10 a.m. $1.

The Goonies. A group of misfits seek pirate treasure to save their home in Richard Donner’s 1985 take on Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg’s script. They are so young that you might not recognize Sean Astin, Josh Brolin and Jeff Cohen. 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.

Ponyo. Anime master Hayao Miyazaki’s story of 5-year-old Sosuke, who finds a goldfish trapped in a container on the beach, names her Ponyo and keeps her as a pet. Little does he know that Ponyo is the daughter of a mysterious aquatic wizard. Directors Cut Cinema at Regency Rancho Niguel, 25471 Rancho Niguel Rd., Laguna Niguel, (949) 831-0446. Tues., 7:30 p.m. $8.

Minions. In Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin’s 2015 animated comedy, Scarlet Overkill (voiced by Sandra Bullock) and her husband Herb (Jon Hamm) recruit three Minions in a plot to rule the world. Various Regal/Edwards theaters; regmovies.com. Wed., 10 a.m. $1.

Janbal. UC Irvine’s Center for Persian Studies and Culture presents a Docunight: Iranian Documentary Series screening of Mina Bozorgmehr and Hadi Kamali Moghadam’s film. It’s inspired by the ancient Hormoz Island myth in which people sacrifice clothing of the deceased to the sea so that the goddess Sea-Mother will cleanse their souls. A discussion, audience Q&A, and wine and hors d’oeuvre reception follow. UC Irvine, McCormick Screening Room, Humanities Gateway 1070, Irvine, (949) 824-6117. Wed., 6:30 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. Surf Theater, Pacific City, 21028 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (714) 930-2345. Wed., 7 p.m. Free.

Rush: Cinema Strangiato. The Canadian hard-rock trio hits big screens globally for the first “Exercise in Fan Indulgence.” Footage is pulled from R40 Live video and tour performances and include such songs as “Tom Sawyer,” “Subdivisions” and “Closer to the Heart.” Also featured are unreleased backstage moments; an unseen soundcheck run through fan-favorite “Jacob’s Ladder”; and exclusive new interviews with Tom Morello, Billy Corgan, Taylor Hawkins and others. Various theaters; cinemastrangiato.com/tickets/. Wed., 7 p.m. $11.49-$15.

Fight Club. David Fincher’s satirical 1999 tale—from screenwriter Jim Uhls’ adaptation of the Chuck Palahniuk story—tackles (or rather punches) social isolation and spiritual disconnection, with Brad Pitt in lunatic Adonis mode and Edward Norton in Edward Norton mode. Warning: The fight scenes are gnarly. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $9.

Street Fighter. Cosplay-lovin’ Nostalgic Nebula presents a 25th-anniversary screening event with music! First, it’s 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). After the flick, 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.