Uncharted Lines. Paul Robinson’s film chronicles his journey around the world, stopping on each climbable continent to climb something really high. Other world-renowned climbers—including Jimmy Webb, Chris Sharma, Daniel Woods and Meagan Martin—appear in the documentary. There will be a raffle, food and beer for sale, and a prescreening bouldering competition; after the movie, Robinson and Woods sign posters. Gear Coop, SOCO and the OC Mix, 3315 Hyland Ave., Costa Mesa, (714) 749-9355. Thurs., Jan. 26. Doors open, 5 p.m.; bouldering competition, 5:30 p.m.; screening, 7 p.m.; signing, 9 p.m. $10 (includes one beer if you are 21+).
The New Vista School Film Fest. For the fourth year, original short films that were written by, produced by and starring students on the autism spectrum are presented. All proceeds from tickets—which cover admission, a beverage and a mini-popcorn—go to the Laguna Hills-based New Vista School’s Media Arts Program. Starlight Triangle Cinemas, 1870 Harbor Blvd., Costa Mesa, (949) 650-4300. Fri., 5 p.m. $15.
The Room. Like painful rectal itch, “the Citizen Kane of bad movies” returns to the Frida. Written, directed, produced by and starring the clueless Tommy Wiseau, the 2003 indie thriller has him playing amiable banker Johnny, who is having a grand old time in a gorgeously shot San Francisco with his fiancée, Lisa (Juliette Danielle). Everything changes when his conflicted best friend, Mark (Greg Sestero), joins in to form a love triangle. Some consider The Room one of those so-bad-it’s-good movies. Since it’s the OC Weekly Friday Night Freakout film, my lips are sealed. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Fri.. 11 p.m. $7-$10.
Sailor Moon R: The Movie. In this anime, Fiore, an old friend from Mamoru’s lonely childhood who couldn’t survive on Earth, returns with flowers he promised Mamoru. But the evil flower Kisenian had overpowered Fiore’s weak mind and manipulated him into spreading Kisenian’s seeds over the Earth in an effort to drain energy from everyone. It is up to Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi to stop Kisenian. Director Kunihiko Ikuhara’s Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon R: The Movie, written by Sukehiro Tomita from Naoko Takeuchi’s manga series, was released in Japan in 1993. A recut version that came to the U.S. in February 2000 was titled Sailor Moon R: The Movie: The Promise of the Rose. The uncut but re-dubbed version, Sailor Moon R: The Movie, sold out quickly when it made its U.S. theatrical premiere earlier in the month at the Ace Hotel in Los Angeles. Art Theatre, 2025 E. Fourth St., Long Beach, (562) 438-5435. Fri., 11 p.m.; Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m. $15.
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions. The local anime crowd should be further geeked by the return of this 2016 film, directed by Satoshi Kuwabara from producer/screenwriter Kazuki Takahashi’s manga series. Set a year after the events of Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, The Dark Side has Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba intertwined in a plot that revolves around revenge, the Millennium Puzzle, and the fight between good and evil. Regency Westminster, 6721 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, (714) 893-4222. Sat., noon. $8.50; Tues., 7 p.m. $8.50-$10.50.
Dirty Dancing. The 30th anniversary of this rom-dram-dance hit includes simultaneous nationwide broadcasts of the film in its original cinematic aspect ratio, an all-star tribute and celebrity interviews. The movie is set in the summer of 1963, when innocent 17-year-old Baby (Jennifer Grey) vacations with her parents at a Catskills resort. One evening, she is drawn to the staff quarters by stirring music—and then by Johnny (Patrick Swayze), the hotel dance instructor who is as experienced as Baby is naive. Cue Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. AMC Orange 30, 20 City Blvd. W., Orange, (714) 769-4288; also at 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; and Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, 7501 E. Carson, Long Beach, (844) 462-7342; www.FathomEvents.com. Sun. & Wed., 2 & 7 p.m. $9.25-$9.75.
Goodfellas. Some consider this Martin Scorsese’s best film and an underappreciated classic. I agree with the latter, but there are too many great pictures by Marty to buy the former. Based on the book Wiseguys by Nicholas Pileggi (who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese), it is the true life story of Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), a half-Irish, half-Sicilian Brooklyn kid who is adopted by neighborhood gangsters at an early age and climbs the ranks of a Mafia family—only to have the violence, body count and drug addiction give him second thoughts about his career. Great performances are turned in by Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro. The real Henry Hill became a frequent Howard Stern guest before his death in 2012. Regency Directors Cut Cinema at Rancho Niguel, 25471 Rancho Niguel Rd., Laguna Niguel, (949) 831-0446, Tues. Call for show time. $8.
Eating Welfare. This 2001 documentary explores the lives of Southeast Asian refugee families in the Bronx struggling to survive under the “welfare reform” of the Rudy Giuliani administration. There is a discussion afterward led by Eric Tang, an assistant professor in the African and African Diaspora Studies Department and faculty member of the Center for Asian American Studies at the University of Texas, Austin. Also, as part of the day’s Black History Month events at UC Irvine, scholar/activist Tang hosts the 2 p.m. talk “Unsettled: Cambodian Refugees In the NYC Hyperghetto,” which is also the title of his first book, addressing the relationship between Asian and African-Americans in inner cities. UC Irvine, Humanities Gateway, West Peltason and Campus drives, Irvine, (949) 824-6117. Screening, HICF 100K, Wed., 9 a.m. Free; Lecture, HH 143, Wed., 2 p.m. Free.
Good Will Hunting. The 1997 Gus Van Sant film that launched the careers of Matt Damon and Ben Affleck stars Damon as Will Hunting, a janitor at M.I.T. with a gift for mathematics. He needs the help of a psychologist (Robin Williams) to find direction in his life. The Oscar-winning screenplay was written by Damon and Affleck, who also co-stars. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $9.
Resurrecting Black Wall Street: The Blueprint. We normally would not include an event that happens the following week, but because the Feb. 3 screening of this Black History Month presentation already sold out, we’re including info on the Feb. 4 showing in case you can still reserve a seat. Using Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Little Africa of 1922 as a shining example, activists, historians and financial scholars break down how black people can realize economic goals if they are pursued collectively. The documentary, presented near the close of the three-day Black Economics: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow Black History Month celebration, also details how people had their wealth stolen more than a century ago. Expo Arts Center, 4321 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach, (562) 754-0007; www.andystreetlb.org. Feb. 4, 4 p.m. Free, but RSVP required because of limited seating.
OC Weekly Editor-in-Chief Matt Coker has been engaging, enraging and entertaining readers of newspapers, magazines and websites for decades. He spent the first 13 years of his career in journalism at daily newspapers before “graduating” to OC Weekly in 1995 as the alternative newsweekly’s first calendar editor.