Let’s Paint the Town [Special Screenings, March 9-16]

The Warplands. Exhibition of recent work by Cauleen Smith includes a short film drawn from her current research on the influence of Alice Coltrane, the American jazz pianist, organist, harpist, singer, composer, swamini and second wife of John Coltrane. UC Irvine Contemporary Arts Center, 4000 Mesa Rd., Irvine; www.arts.uci.edu/events. Open daily through March 25. Free.

Sword Art Online—The Movie. The mega-hit light novel/TV anime series comes to cinemas for a one-night-only event. Kirito, Asuna and their party members explore the world of “Ordinal Scale,” a new hit game utilizing augmented-reality technology. AMC Downtown Disney, 1565 Disneyland Dr., Anaheim, (714) 776-2355; AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, 2457 Park Ave., Tustin, (714) 258-7036; AMC Orange 30 at the Outlets, 20 City Blvd. W., Orange, (714) 769-4288; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, 1701 W. Katella Ave., Orange, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, 99 S. Pine Ave., Long Beach, (800) 967-1932; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, 65 Fortune Dr., Irvine, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, 26701 Aliso Creek Rd., Aliso Viejo, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26, 7501 E. Carson, Long Beach, (844) 462-7342; www.regmovies.com/theatres. Thurs., March 9, 8 p.m. $15.

The World Has No Eyedea: A Film About Michael “Eyedea” Larsen. Brandon Crowson explores the life and death of freestyle rapper/guitarist/break dancer/poet/philosopher Michael “Eyedea” Larsen. Saint City, an open hip-hop community from the people of Santa Ana and volunteers from Urban Arts Outreach, is responsible for this encore presentation. The Frida Cinema, 305 E. Fourth St., Santa Ana; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., March 9, 11 p.m. $7-$10.

Graphic Means. Cinema Orange—the collaboration between Orange County Museum of Art and Newport Beach Film Festival—presents this documentary on graphic design production of the 1950s through the ’90s—from linecaster to photocomposition, and from paste-up to PDF. Cinema Orange is presented free on Fridays, when there is also no museum admission charge, and there are food trucks outside for an inexpensive meal. But here’s the deal: OCMA members can reserve Cinema Orange seats in advance. Free tickets are handed out beginning at 5 p.m. on the day of the screening; unclaimed member tickets are released 10 minutes before show time. Orange County Museum of Art, 850 San Clemente Dr., Newport Beach, Fri., 7 p.m. Free.

Senior Thesis Cycle 3 Film Screenings. Short works by Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts students include Cancelled, Catherine, Manther, Mother of the Year, Our Way to Fall, and Pussy Willows. The public is invited to the no-cost event, but seating is first come, first served. You can also view it via live streaming at www.chapman.edu/dodge/student-life/live-event-streaming.aspx. Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Folino Theater, 283 N. Cypress St., Orange; chapman.edu/dodge/. Fri., 7 p.m. Free.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Live shadow-cast troupe K.A.O.S. gets you time-warping in the aisles. Forgot your newspapers, rubber gloves, playing cards and/or toilet paper? Damn it, Janet, sweat not: Prop bags are on sale for $2 at every K.A.O.S. event to support the costume and prop budget. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Fri., 11:45 p.m. $8-$10.

La Traviata. Sonya Yoncheva stars as Violetta Valery opposite rising American tenor Michael Fabiano as her lover Alfredo in this Verdi opera beamed into theaters from the Metropolitan Opera. Thomas Hampson sings one of the Met’s most acclaimed roles as Giorgio Germont. You’ll go behind the scenes with Met stars, crew and production-team members during intermission. The opera is sung in Italian with English subtitles. AMC Tustin Legacy at the District, (714) 258-7036; AMC Marina Pacifica, 6346 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., Long Beach, (562) 430-8790; AMC Orange 30 at the Outlets, (714) 769-4288; Cinemark Century Stadium 25, (714) 532-9558; Cinemark Century 20 Huntington Beach, 7777 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, (714) 373-4573; Cinemark at the Pike Theaters, (800) 967-1932; Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Aliso Viejo Stadium 20, (844) 462-7342; Edwards Long Beach Stadium 26; www.regmovies.com/theatres. Sat., 9:55 a.m.; Wed., 6:30 p.m. $18-$24.

I, Daniel Blake. Daniel, a 59-year-old bloke who has worked most of his life in Newcastle, England, finds himself needing help from the state for the first time. He crosses paths with single mother Katie and her two young children, whose only chance to escape a one-roomed homeless hostel in London has been to accept a flat in a city she doesn’t know, some 300 miles away. Daniel and Katie find themselves in no-man’s land, caught on the barbed wire of welfare bureaucracy in modern day Britain. Art Theatre, 2025 E. Fourth St., Long Beach, (562) 438-5435. Sat.-Sun., 11 a.m. $8.50-$9.

Grad Thesis Cycle 2 and 3 Film Screenings. Short works by Chapman University Dodge College of Film and Media Arts grad students include LA Fadeaway, Night Call, Pickle and Tuesday Crowd. The public is invited to the no-cost event, but seating is first come, first served. You can also view it via live streaming at www.chapman.edu/dodge/student-life/live-event-streaming.aspx. Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Folino Theater; chapman.edu/dodge/. Sat., 7 p.m. Free.

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Two Generations of Modjeskis—For the Love of Art + Science. Bowers Museum presents two documentaries by Orange County husband-and-wife filmmakers, one on a famous mother and another on her famous son. Basia Myszynski’s Modjeska—Woman Triumphant (2009) is about Helena Modjeska, the Polish actress who settled near Anaheim in the late 1800s and died in Newport Beach in 1909. Orange County includes a park, peak, canyon, statue, and home and gardens in Modjeska’s name and honor. Also screening is Bridging Urban America—The Story of Ralph Modjeski (2016), Leonard Myszynski’s film about Helena’s son, who was a civil engineer and famous bridge designer. Admission includes access to the museum’s Modjeska exhibit and proceeds benefit museum education programs. Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, Norma Kershaw Auditorium, 2002 N. Main St., Santa Ana, (714) 567-3677. Sun. Modjeska—Woman Triumphant, 1 p.m.; “Behind the Movies” discussion by Basia Myszynski, 2 p.m.; Bridging Urban America—The Story of Ralph Modjeski, 2:30 p.m. $15-$20.

LUNAFEST. Here is how my colleague Aimee Murillo described this event to preview a Feb. 4 stop in Orange: “Since 2000, LUNA—the company that makes healthy, nutritious snack bars for women—has sponsored a traveling showcase of short films made by and for women around the world to promote their social causes, reflect their stories and raise money for deserving nonprofits. This year marks the eighth that Orange County has hosted LUNAFEST.” Search our online archives for Aimee’s descriptions of each short film. Soroptimist International Newport Harbor Area hosts this screening, auction and afternoon tea party to support the Breast Cancer Fund and Soroptimist projects that educate and empower girls and women locally and globally. Costa Mesa Country Club, 1701 Golf Course Dr., Costa Mesa; www.soroptimistdcr.org. Sun. 2 p.m. $35.

Metropolis. Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi masterpiece, which influenced Star Wars and Blade Runner, is projected onto a big screen as organ virtuoso Peter Richard Conte performs the unforgettable soundtrack live. The story: In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city’s mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences. Renee and Henry Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Dr., Costa Mesa, (714) 556-2787. Sun., 3 p.m. $10.

Planet of the Apes. An astronaut crew led by Charlton Heston crash-lands on a planet in the distant future, when intelligent talking apes are the dominant species and humans are the oppressed and enslaved. Based on a true story . . . I mean, a Rod Serling story. Regency Directors Cut Cinema at Rancho Niguel, 25471 Rancho Niguel Rd., Laguna Niguel, (949) 831-0446. Tues. Call for time. $8.

Mommy. UC Irvine’s European Languages and Studies’ winter French Film Series “La Jeunesse (youth)” concludes with this 2014 film presented with English subtitles. A widowed single mother, raising her violent son alone, finds new hope when a mysterious neighbor inserts herself into their household. Odile Heberlé is the presenter. UC Irvine, McCormick Screening Room, Humanities Gateway 1070, West Peltason and Campus drives, Irvine, (949) 824-6117. Wed., 6 p.m. Free.

Alien. Ellen Ripley’s (Sigourney Weaver) commercial vessel Nostromo receives a distress call from an unexplored planet. After searching for survivors, the crew heads home only to realize that a deadly bioform has joined them in Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi/horror masterpiece. Regency South Coast Village, 1561 W. Sunflower Ave., Santa Ana, (714) 557-5701. Wed., 7:30 p.m. $9.

Being Mortal. Alzheimer’s Orange County presents the PBS Frontline film that follows Dr. Atul Gawande as he meets people facing terminal illnesses and the physicians treating them. El Toro Library, 24672 Raymond Way, Lake Forest, (949) 757-3776; alzoc.org/family-education. Thurs., March 16, 6 p.m. Free.

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 at this film’s South County premiere. Vicki Abeles, the author and director/producer of Beyond Measure, conducts an audience Q&A after the screening. St. Mary’s School, 7 Pursuit, Aliso Viejo, (949) 448-9027. Thurs., March 16, 6:30 p.m. Free, but seating is limited.

Edward Scissorhands. Producer Denise Di Novi introduces Tim Burton’s romantic dark fantasy from 1990 about the titular hilltop recluse (Johnny Depp) finding love with a flatlander (Winona Ryder) despite his really sharp fingers. This is part of Laguna Art Museum’s 2017 Film Night program of screenings introduced by special guests. These are organized in four categories—contemporary films, documentaries, artists’ picks and classics—and screen on the third Thursday of each month through December. Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Dr., Laguna Beach, (949) 494-8971. Thurs., March 16, 7 p.m. Free with museum admission.

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Rapsodia Satanica. Dodge College’s Film Studies program and Wilkinson College’s Italian Studies program, in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna and Cinema Ritrovato, present this 1917 Italian silent Faustian tale about an old woman who makes a pact with Mephisto to regain her youth. In return, she must stay away from love, but after the deal, she meets two brothers who fall in love with her. The film was plucked from the Cineteca di Bologna, one of Europe’s most renowned archives for film restoration and preservation and organizer of the Il Cinema Ritrovato festival. For more than five years, professor Emily Carman has taken Chapman students to the festival, where more than 500 movies are shown in six different theaters and on a giant outdoor screen in Bologna’s Piazza Maggiore. Guy Borlée, the festival coordinator, will present the film in Orange, discuss the restoration and take questions from the audience. Chapman University, Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, Digital Media Arts Center, Cloobeck Screening Room, Orange; festival.ilcinemaritrovato.it/en/. Thurs., March 16, 7 p.m. Free.

Wall Writers: Graffiti In Its Innocence. Roger Gastman’s documentary, which is narrated by John Waters, looks at those who pioneered graffiti art long before Banksy and Shepard Fairey became household names. Speaking on its birth from Philadelphia and New York City during 1967-’73 to its reputation as the largest art movement of the 20th century are originators Cornbread, Taki 183, LSD Om, journalists, historians and politicians. The Frida Cinema; thefridacinema.org. Thurs., March 16, 8 p.m. $7-$10.

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