This Freudian free-for-all is the movie that inspired a thousand budding fetishists to start up their own websites when they grew up. (Seriously, this thing has got something for the furries, something for the fairy-philes, and even something for whatever you call people who get off on the idea of your nose growing every time you tell a lie.) It is also quite possibly the best thing the Disney studio ever did, and that's saying a bunch. A charming, funny, thrilling and sometimes quite terrifying tale of a little wooden boy and his chirpy cricket pal, this picture is an old-school cartoon miracle that makes all this modern CGI stuff look pretty damn pale in comparison. When people say hand-drawn animation just can't compete with the flash of Pixar, point them to the sequence early in this film when the camera executes a vertiginously realistic swoop through an Old Country village on its way to Gepetto's workshop. That oughta shut 'em up. This is an outdoor, beachside screening, which should make all that stuff with Monstro the whale extra-punchy. Be sure to bring chairs and some blankets. Newport Dunes Resort, 1131 Back Bay Dr., Newport Dunes, (949) 729-DUNE. Fri., dusk. Free; parking, $10.
Also Showing:
American Pie. Raunchy teen comedy from some years back about some kid who shtups a pie. And apparently Alyson Hannigan did something unwholesome with a flute this one time, at band camp. Never saw it, and frankly I've never quite forgiven it for launching the careers of people like Tara Reid and Seann William Scott. Still, it gave SCTV great Eugene Levy a sorely needed shot in the arm, so there's that. Edwards Rancho Santa Margarita, 30632 Santa Margarita Pkwy., Rancho Santa Margarita, (949) 888-3340. Tues., 8 p.m. $6; Edwards South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 540-0594. Wed., 8 p.m. $6.
Big Wednesday. Last year, after week after week of Big Wednesday screenings all over OC, I declared in this space that I'd blurbed this movie for the last freakin' time. Sure, this 1978 drama (starring the young William Katt, Gary Busey and Jan Michael Vincent as three surfer pals over 12 tumultuous years) has its admirers. But find a new surf movie already, OC! God damn. Pierside Surf City 6, 300 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (714) 969-3151. Wed., 7 p.m. $5.
Frankenstein. The role of Frankenstein's monster has been played literally dozens of times on the big screen, and by such esteemed thespians as Christopher Lee and Robert De Niro. But even now, when you close your eyes and think of the monster, you picture Boris Karloff, whose performance as this classic horror picture's wretched, childlike beast will never lose its haunting power. Bay Theatre, 340 Main St., Seal Beach, (562) 431-9988. Fri., 10:30 p.m.; Sun., 6 p.m.; Mon., 8 p.m. $6-$8.
Of Mice and Men. Burgess Meredith and Lon Chaney Jr. star in this 1939 classic based on John Steinbeck's heartbreaking story about a shifty little loser named George and his big, semi-retarded comrade, Lenny. Chaney's Lenny voice would go on to be imitated in approximately nine thousand Warner Brothers cartoons, and kids still run around the playground saying, “Duuuh, which way did he go, George?” Humans are really kind of horrifying. Vintage cartoons and newsreels are also included on the bill. Long Beach School for Adults Auditorium, 3701 E. Willow St., Long Beach, (562) 997-8000, ext. 7198. Fri., 7 p.m. $1.
Step Into Liquid. A surf documentary from Dana Brown, the son of The Endless Summer documentarian Bruce Brown. Newport Dunes Resort, 1131 Back Bay Dr., Newport Dunes, (949) 729-DUNE. Sat., dusk. Free; parking, $10.
Tierra si! Aviones No!!Documentary about the people of San Salvador Atenco, who violently resisted a government plan to build an airport on their land. A discussion follows. El Centro Cultural de Mexico, 310 W. Fifth St. (above El Curtido Restaurant), Santa Ana, (714) 953-9305. Sun., 5 p.m. Free.
Three Women and a Chateau. Catherine Ryan and Gary Weimberg direct this new documentary about three generations of wealthy women who shared Chateau Carolands, the second-largest private home in the U.S. It's the latest film in the Orange County Museum of Art's Cinema Orange series. Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Dr., Newport Beach, (949) 759-1122. Thurs., June 8, 8:30 p.m. Free.
Zen and Zero. This “Austrian Surfextravaganza” follows five guys who fly into LA, buy a used car, drive it to Costa Rica, surf all along the way and make plans to sell the vehicle once they reach their destination so they can afford to stay and surf some more. All sound effects, dialog and music will be performed in person by the film's composer, Herwig Maurer, and his LA-based group New World Revolution. Pierside Surf City 6, 30 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach, (714) 969-3151; www.bigredprod.com. Thurs., June 8, 7 N 9 p.m. $9.25.
Mail your press releases (and a videotape, if available) to Special Screenings, OC Weekly, 1666 N. Main St., Ste. 500, Santa Ana, CA 92701-7417. Or send e-mail togr*******@ea*******.net. All materials must be received at least two weeks before the screening.
