Sad Things Happen [Special Screenings, Oct. 27-Nov. 3]

East LA Interchange. Betsy Kalin's documentary examines working-class, immigrant Boyle Heights, the oldest neighborhood in East Los Angeles, which has withstood racially restrictive housing covenants, Japanese-American internment, federal redlining policies, lack of political representation, and the building of the largest and busiest freeway interchange system in the nation. Kalin argues the East LA Interchange impacts Boyle Heights' residents literally (as an environmental hazard and structural blockade) and figuratively (as a conversational interchange about why the future of their beloved community should matter to us all). Argue back or agree with her when the filmmaker takes audience questions after the screening presented by UC Irvine's Visual Studies Program; Illuminations: The Chancellor's Arts & Culture Initiative; Department of Planning, Policy & Design; and Chicano Latino Studies. Architecture and Urban Studies Research Cluster hosts a prefilm reception. UC Irvine, McCormick Screening Room, 1070 Humanities Gateway, Irvine, (949) 824-6117. Thurs., Oct. 27. Reception, 4 p.m.; screening, 5 p.m. Free.

2016 Animation Show of Shows. The 18th-annual event showcases the year's best animated shorts. The lineup includes Stems (director Ainslie Hendersen, Scotland); Shift (Cecilia Puglesi and Yijun Liu, U.S.); Pearl (Patrick Osborne, U.S.); Crin-crin (Iris Alexandre, Belgium); Mirror (Chris Ware, John Kuramoto, Ira Glass, U.S.); Last Summer in the Garden (Bekky O'Neil, Canada); Waiting for the New Year (Vladimir Leschiov, Latvia); Piper (Alan Barillaro, U.S.); Bøygen (Kristian Pedersen, Norway); Afternoon Class (Seoro Oh, Korea); About a Mother (Dina Velikovskaya, Russia); Exploozy (Joshua Gunn, Trevor Piecham and John McGowan, U.S.); Corpus (Marc Héricher, France); Blue (Daniela Sherer, Israel); Manoman (Simon Cartwright, England); and All Their Shades (Chloé Alliez, Belgium). The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., Oct. 27, 5:45, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $8-$10.

Sadako vs. Kayako. Shudder and Dodge College present a prerelease screening of Koji Shiraishi's love letter to modern Japanese horror flicks. When a college student pries a cursed videotape of The Ring out of a VCR, she unwittingly unleashes the dreaded Sadako. Meanwhile, a high-school student finds herself the target of The Grudge's Kayako. The only chance for the victims is to pit Sadako against Kayako in this movie that is said to be funny and self aware à la Scream. Chapman University's Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Folino Theater, 283 N. Cypress St., Orange; www.shudder.com. Thurs., Oct. 27, 7 p.m. Free.

RiffTrax Live: Carnival of Souls. Mystery Science Theater 3000 alums Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, whose new joint is RiffTrax, riff live on a spooky 1962 cult classic about young Mary surviving a horrible car crash, restarting her life in a small Utah town and becoming haunted by a gaunt pale figure in a nice suit. He leads Mary to an abandoned old pavilion on the shores of the Great Salt Lake, and soon, she doesn't know if she's awake or dreaming, alive or dead, a single ready to mingle or a sister wife. . . . AMC Orange 30, 20 City Blvd. W., Orange, (714) 769-4288; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, 99 S. Pine Ave., Long Beach, (800) 967-1932; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, 1701 W. Katella Ave., Orange, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, 26701 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, 65 Fortune Dr., Irvine, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, 7501 E. Carson, Long Beach, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents.com. Thurs., Oct. 27, 8 p.m. Also at all the above theaters except Cinemark at the Pike and Edwards Irvine Spectrum on Mon., 7:30 p.m. $10.50-$15.

The Toxic Avenger. CinemAttack returns with one of the trashiest (in a great way) movies of all time: Troma's 1984 gorefest, complete with sex, nudity and strong language. Expect nothing less when a 98-pound nerd (Mark Torgl) from New Jersey lands in a vat of toxic waste and becomes a benevolent monster (Mitchell Cohen). Not only do you get the movie, you get writer/director/producer Lloyd Kaufman, who leads a Q&A session and maybe, just maybe, brings Toxie himself along with him. Dress in your finest '80s aerobic outfit to compete in a costume contest. Win awesome prizes; the first 100 through the door get a free enamel Troma pin. Drinks, treats and merch will be available. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., Oct. 27. Doors open, 8 p.m.; screening, 9 p.m. $15.

OC Film Fiesta. The seventh-annual cine-travaganza closes its two-week run first with The Book of Life, a 2014 animated comedy about Mexican childhood friends Manolo (Diego Luna) and Joaquin (Channing Tatum) both wanting to marry their mutual amiga Maria (Zoë Saldana), but the love triangle is even more complicated by battling husband-and-wife deities. Next comes the “Female Icons of Silent Cinema” program with Wara Wara, Bolivia's sole surviving silent film. Originally released in 1930, the timeless love story set during the Spanish conquest was thought lost for decades before being rediscovered in 1989 and restored over the course of a decade. Festivalgoers next travel farther back in time for 1917's Tepeyac, which is Mexico's oldest surviving silent film. The story of the Virgen de Guadalupe's apparition to Juan Diego in 1531 is set within the story of a woman who receives word that her husband's ship has been sunk in the Atlantic Ocean by a German U-boat. This film is screened with live musical accompaniment, as is the presentation of Carl Theodor Dreyer's 1928 silent film, La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc. The cinematic landmark starring Renée Jeanne Falconetti as Joan of Arc was created without a musical score. So the Los Angeles Philharmonic commissioned George Sarah to write one. The composer, his string quartet and vocalists perform live during the OC Film Fiesta/Bowers Museum co-presentation. Before ol' Joanie's film rolls, there is a lecture about it by Jean Drum, co-author of My Only Great Passion: The Life and Films of Carl Th. Dreyer. As it is Halloween weekend, film noir costumes are encouraged. The Book of Love at Heritage Museum of Orange County, 3101 W. Harvard St., Santa Ana; www.facebook.com/filmfiesta. Fri., 2 p.m. Free. Remaining OC Film Fiesta events at the Bowers Museum, Norma Kershaw Auditorium and John M. Lee Court, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, (714) 567-3677. Sat.: Wara Wara, 1 p.m. $5; Tepeyac, 3 p.m. $5; preshow lecture, 5:30 p.m. Free; dinner (optional), 6:30 p.m. (cost varies); La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc, 7:30 p.m. $15-$20; members, $65 for members; complete package, including the meal and “Virgin of Guadalupe” exhibit, $75.

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Minions. Friday Night Flix, which is presented on a newly renovated grassy area, trots out the computer-animated movie about mumble-mouthed former henchmen. The evening includes free family activities, cheap popcorn and reasonably priced food from surrounding eateries. Woodbury Town Center, 6460 Irvine Blvd., Irvine; www.shopirvinecompany.com. Fri. Doors open, 5 p.m.; screening, 7 p.m. Free.

La Passion de Jeanne d'Arc. If you can't make the Bowers' Saturday event, you can see Carl Theodor Dreyer's film the night before with George Sarah, his string quartet and vocalists performing Sarah's score live. Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Dr., Aliso Viejo, (949) 480-4278; www.soka.edu/pac. Fri., 8 p.m. Free, but a ticket obtained before the show is required due to limited seating. Soka Bistro serves an all-you-can-eat buffet from 5:30 to 7 p.m. for $11.25.

Nosferatu. F.W. Murnau's silent masterpiece of 1922 is considered one of the greatest horror films ever made. (If you have not seen the movie, you've seen images of the vampire.) Max Schreck, as the pallid and deadly Count Orlok, comes in and out of the silvery shadows of German Expressionism. The L.A. Opera Off-Grand presentation includes the live accompaniment of a score composed, curated and conducted by Matthew Aucoin and performed by the opera's orchestra. Those who arrive in vampire costumes at least an hour before show time can compete in a contest. Chapman University, Musco Center for the Arts, 1 University Dr., Orange, (844) 626-8726; muscocenter.org. Fri., 7:30 p.m. $25-$60.

To Kill a Mockingbird. Anyone who sent a kid to Catholic school from middle school through high school knows the story the 1962 film is based on extremely well because of the number of book reports pulled from Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Atticus Finch (Gregory Peck) defending a black man (Brock Peters) falsely accused of murdering a white woman in the Deep South is seen through the eyes of the attorney's daughter, Scout (Mary Badham). The Strawberry Bowl Amphitheater, 12762 Main St., Garden Grove, (714) 928-3894. Fri., 8 p.m. $10.

Halloween. John Carpenter's 1978 horror classic is about Michael Myers, who on Halloween night in 1963, when he was 6, stabbed his sister to death. After sitting in a mental hospital for 15 years, he escapes and returns to Haddonfield to kill, becoming particularly obsessed with Christopher Guest's future wife. SpectiCast is beaming a restored and remastered digital print, created under the supervision of world-renowned cinematographer Dean Cundey, into hundreds of U.S. theaters. Attendees get to see an exclusive introduction by Carpenter. Art Theatre, 2025 E. Fourth St., Long Beach; www.HalloweenMovies.com or www.SpectiCast.com. Fri. & Mon. Call for times and ticket prices. Also Sat. at Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, Long Beach (10:30 p.m. $8.75-$12.25) and Cinemark Century Stadium 25, Orange, and Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach (9 p.m. $6.25-$12.50). And Mon. at the Frida Cinema. Call for time and ticket prices.

The Rocky Horror Picture Zombie Show. Note the title renaming by the Frida, as zombies are all the rage these days (channel surf if you don't believe me; go ahead, I'll wait . . .) and zombies populate the live shadow cast K.A.O.S. Don't dream it—eat it (brains). The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sat., 11:30 p.m. $8-$10.

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The Monster Squad. Calle Cuatro Sunday Matinee is screenwriter Shane Black (Lethal Weapon), producer Peter Hyams (2010) and director Fred Dekker's (Night of the Creeps) 1987 family-friendly monster movie, a comic hybrid of The Goonies and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Five classic film and literary monsters invade a small town looking for a lost amulet that will help them rule the world—but not if those meddling kids on the Monster Squad stop 'em first. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Sun., 11 a.m. $1-$5.

National Theater Live: Frankenstein. It's an encore screening of Danny Boyle's 2011 stage production of Mary Shelley's 1818 classic horror novel starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller, both of whom won Olivier Awards for alternating the roles of Victor Frankenstein and the Creature. The high-definition recording was made on the London Stage of the acclaimed National Theatre. Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine, (949) 854-4646. Sun., 1:30 p.m. $17.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Halloween Edition. Get your Rockys off some more at this live Midnight Insanity shadow-cast performance with spooky surprises that will be all the more surprising if you dress up. The low-budget freak show/cult classic/cultural institution that spawned midnight movies everywhere concerns the misadventures of newlyweds inside a mad scientist's strange mansion after their car breaks down in the woods on a rainy night. Art Theatre, (562) 438-5435; longbeachrockyhorror.com. Mon., 9:30 p.m. $8-$11.

Beyond Measure. From the makers of Race to Nowhere, the 2009 documentary that called for reforming the U.S. education system, comes this follow-up demand for public schools that value personal growth over test scores, inquiry over mimicry and passion over rankings. You'll be introduced to some of the schools reimagining education. Sea Country Community Center, 24602 Aliso Creek Rd., Laguna Niguel, (925) 310-4242. Tues., 7 p.m. $15.

God the Father. It's a documentary/re-enactment blend about Michael Franzese, a high-ranking member of the East Coast mob who eventually found God and changed his ways. He refused to testify against his associates and survived a 10-year prison stretch and mafia death sentence. Well, so far, anyway, because he's set to appear in a bonus one-on-one interview with Harvest Crusade pastor Greg Laurie as part of this event. AMC Woodbridge 5, 4626 Barranca Pkwy., Irvine, and Regency Charter Centre Cinemas, 7822 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach; www.tugg.com/events/michael-franzese-presents-god-the-father. Tues., 7 p.m. $12-$15.

The Manchurian Candidate. It's not the remake, but John Frankenheimer's far-more-effective original about two Korean War soldiers who return home thinking one heroically saved his platoon—until they start remembering bits and pieces that reveal something far more sinister happened. The film was shelved for years after JFK's assassination, which had similarities to the movie's subplot. Tortured soul Laurence Harvey is great playing a tortured soul, Frank Sinatra gives one of his finest film performances, and Angela Lansbury is so wicked she'll give you nightmares. “Raymond!” Chills, I tell ya! Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $9.

Newtown Live: A National Conversation. CNN anchor Chris Cuomo moderates a live town-hall discussion on gun violence and what communities should do about it with panelists who include survivors of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings, parents of victims and hospital officials. AMC Orange 30, (714) 769-4288; also at AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, 2457 Park Ave., Tustin, (714) 258-7036; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, Long Beach, (800) 967-1932; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, Orange, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 462-7342; and Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844) 462-7342. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $15.

Michael Moore in Trumpland. It's the final night of the Oscar winner's takedown of the GOP loser, recorded from a recent one-man show. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. 4th St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., Nov. 3, 5:30, 7:30 and 9:15 p.m. $8-$10.

OWI. The title of Harvey Kertland's documentary, which is making its local premiere, used to stand for Ordinary Women Inc. before being changed to Outreach to the World Inc. Shot on location in Kenya in 2015, the film depicts the amazing impact that ordinary people are having on the orphans of Kiminini. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., Nov. 3. Reception, 6:30 p.m.; screening, 7 p.m. Free, but donations gladly accepted.

Before the Flood. Documentary on the profound changes happening around the world due to global warm—I mean, climate change/God's wrath comes from two Academy Award winners. Director Fisher Stevens' cameras follow producer Leonardo DiCaprio to five continents and the Arctic, where the actor speaks with scientists, activists and ordinary folks to not only lay out the problems, but also offer every-day solutions. Chapman University, Hashinger Science Center 150, Irvine Lecture Hall, 1 University Dr., Orange; events.chapman.edu. Thurs., Nov. 3, 7 p.m. Free.

L'Attesa (The Wait). For Italian Movie Night, it's Piero Messina's recently released drama about a young woman (Lou de Laâge) waiting in Sicily for the arrival of her boyfriend (Giovanni Anzaldo), but his grieving mother (Juliette Binoche) is unable to tell the girlfriend that he has died. Regency San Juan Capistrano, 26762 Verdugo St., San Juan Capistrano, (949) 661-3456. Thurs., Nov. 3, 7 p.m. $11.

Rush/Time Stand Still. I went to a Rush concert in 1970-something and was so bored I left early. But, in all fairness, Geddy Lee once started reading this column and dozed off mid-sentence. My point is this film looks at the Canadian rock band's 2015 R40 tour, which many figured to be their last. Fathom Events also includes an extra 20-minute in-depth discussion about the band's impact with KISSario Gene Simmons, Red Hot Chili Pepper Chad Smith, Foo Fighter Taylor Hawkins, Heart's Ann and Nancy Wilson, Thin Lizzy's Scott Gorham, and Rush producer Nick Raskulinecz. AMC Orange 30, (714) 769-4288; AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, (714) 258-7036; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, Long Beach, (800) 967-1932; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, Orange, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents.com. Thurs., Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m. $15.

Dracula. It's the closing night of the Orange County engagement of the popular Iranian comedy starring, written and directed by Reza Attaran. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Thurs., Nov. 3, 9:30 p.m. $13.