[Special Screenings] Local Showings of 'Merci Pour le Chocolat,' More

Movie of the Week:

Merci Pour le chocolat. Mika, the managing director of a chocolate company, remarries the concert pianist to whom she was briefly married 18 years before. But during the time apart, it seems both Mika and her husband’s lives have taken very different turns. Drama ensues when the couple begins to learn just how “extended” their families really are. Santiago Canyon College, 8045 E. Chapman Ave., Orange, (714) 628-4938. Fri., 6 p.m. Free.



Also Showing:

Bedtime for Bonzo. Ronald Reagan and a chimp star in this charming family film. Brea Art Gallery, 1 Civic Center Circle, Ste. 1, Brea, (714) 671-3601; www.ci.brea.ca.us. Fri.-Sun. Call for times. $2; Brea residents, free.

Captain From Castile. Henry King directs Tyrone Power, Jean Peters and Cesar Romero.Long Beach School for Adults, 3701 E. Willow St., Long Beach, (562) 997-8000. Fri., 7 p.m. $1.

Grand Canyon Adventure. Beneath the majestic walls of the Grand Canyon, a team of parents and their daughters begins an exhilerating river-rafting adventure to bring attention to the most pressing environmental story of our time—the world’s growing shortage of fresh water. Experience their thrilling journey in IMAX 3D. Edwards Irvine Spectrum IMAX Theatre, 65 Fortune Dr., Irvine, (949) 494-1055. Fri., 10 a.m., 4, 5:30, 7 & 8:30 p.m. Call for cost.

Medium Cool. The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago will go down in history as one of America’s most controversial events. Leftists argue that the police overstepped the bounds of their authority as they unleashed the might of their batons upon the huge crowd of protestors, while Righties point to the extreme rhetoric of many of the dissidents as a justification for the use of extreme force. Right or wrong, the convention marked a turning point in the role of the media in the coverage of world events. As Yippie after Yippie yielded to police truncheons, the news media were there capturing it live, and America watched in shock. Haskell Wexler’s film Medium Cool goes all po-mo on you by incorporating live footage he shot at the convention into his plot of a hardened television journalist shocked into action by the events of the day and placing his actors in the middle of the melee. UC Irvine, Humanities Instructional Building 100, Campus & W. Peltason drs., Irvine, (949) 824-7418; www.filmandvideocenter.com. Fri., 7 p.m. $3-$5.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut. The television show has been going strong for a little over ten years now, but some would argue its creative zenith came with the release of this film, the feature-length South Park movie. Taking all of the irreverent, offensive humor the show was known for and pushing it to the nth degree, filmmakers Trey Parker and Matt Stone struck the right balance of potty humor, insightful social commentary and show tunes. Expect to see a healthy cross-section of Orange County’s wayward youth at this screening. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $6.50.

Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Jacques Demy pays loving homage to the Hollywood musical as well as the French melodrama. The film is shot in Cherbourg, France, using inventive cinematography and blazing colors and textures. Catherine Deneuve is the fresh and beautiful 16-year-old Genevieve, pining away in her mother’s umbrella shop. When she falls in love with the charming local auto mechanic, Guy, worlds collide. UCI, Humanities Instructional Building 100, Campus &
W. Peltason drs., Irvine, (949) 824-7418; www.filmandvideocenter.com. Thurs., May 1, 7 p.m. $3-$5.

Under the Same Moon/Living in Limbo. Two documentaries analyzing the realities of undocumented immigration from Mexico to America. El Centro Cultural de Mexico, 310 W. Fifth St., Santa Ana, (714) 543-0095; www.el-centro.org. Fri., 8 p.m. $3 donation suggested.





Mail your press releases (and a videotape or disc, if available) to Special Screenings,OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701-7417. Or send e-mail to tchild@ocweekly.com. All materials must be received at least two weeks before the screening.