[Special Screenings] Local Screenings of 'Fahrenheit 451,' 'Spider-Man 2,' More

Movie of the Week:

Fahrenheit 451. Francois Truffaut helms this adaptation of Ray Bradbury's novel about a dystopian future in which firemen are employed to burn objectionable books. Fireman Guy Montag falls in love with a subversive book collector and begins to question his orders. Orange County Center for Contemporary Art, 117 N. Sycamore, Santa Ana, (714) 667-1517; www.occca.org. Fri., 8 p.m. Free.

Also Showing:

El Abrazo Partido. Ariel's grandparents fled Israel to escape the Holocaust, and his father left the family shortly after Ariel's birth to return. When his father finally returns, he brings with him information that will change Ariel's life forever. Santiago Canyon College, 8045 E. Chapman Ave., Orange, (714) 628-4938. Fri., 6 p.m. Free.

King's Row. Like a proto Blue Velvet, King's Row takes a hard look at the realities of small-town life and uncovers some dirty little secrets behind the seemingly pristine façade of normalcy. Perhaps most notably, the film features future president/semi-talented actor Ronald Reagan as Drake McHugh, a young man whose legs are amputated by a surgeon who wishes to prevent his daughter from pursuing a relationship with Drake—a slightly meatier role than the one Reagan played in Bedtime for Bonzo. Long Beach School for Adults, 3701 E. Willow St., Long Beach, (562) 997-8000. Fri., 7 p.m. $1.

Spider-Man 2. Stan Lee can be such a shameless publicity hog (often at the expense of the many great artists who helped fuel his success) that it's easy to forget his ground-breaking achievements in the comic-book field. Spider-Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four and many more sprang from Lee's imagination, and tonight he'll present pretty much the only movie based on his characters that everybody agrees is really quite good: Spider-Man 2. It's also the only superhero sequel in the modern movie era to stick to one supervillain. There's a lesson to be had in that. (Luke Y. Thompson) UC Irvine, Humanities Instructional Building 100, Campus & W. Peltason drs., Irvine, (949) 824-7418; www.filmandvideocenter.com. Thurs., May 8, 6 p.m. $5-$10.

Taxi Driver.Robert De Niro's alienated taxi driver takes justice into his own deranged hands in what many consider to be Martin Scorsese's greatest film. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $6.50.

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.