Reps Etc.

Commentary by Gregg Rickman (greggr1@mindspring.com). Times compiled from information available Tuesday; it's always advisable to call for confirmation. Price given is standard adult admission; discounts often apply for students, seniors, and members.

We're interested in your film or video event. Please send materials at least two weeks in advance to: Film Editor, SF Weekly, 185 Berry, Suite 3800, San Francisco, CA 94107.

CASTRO

429 Castro (near Market), 621-6120, www.thecastrotheatre.com. $8 save as noted. Short-run rep in a spectacular 1922 Greco-Roman-themed palace designed by Timothy L. Pflueger. Evening intermissions feature David Hegarty or Bill McCoy on the Mighty Wurlitzer.

TUESDAY (Dec. 24): The San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus' 15th annual "Home for the Holidays" live performance 5, 7, 9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY (Dec. 25 & 26): The ever popular musical romantic tragedy West Side Story (Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, 1960) 1:30, 4:15, 7:30 p.m.

FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY (Dec. 27-31): A new print of Andrei Tarkovsky's Solaris (U.S.S.R., 1972), a remarkable work of human-alien encounter done in hypnotically slow motion. Not to be confused with the recent, much more telegraphic remake by Steven Soderbergh. See Opening for review 1, 4:30, 8 p.m.

FOREIGN CINEMA

2534 Mission (between 21st and 22nd streets), 648-7600, www.foreigncinema.com. Free with meal. This restaurant screens foreign films, usually in 35mm, on the back wall of its outdoor patio, with drive-in speakers available for the tables of those who want to watch while they dine.

TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY (Dec. 24-29): Stéphane Audran serves up Babette's Feast (Gabriel Axel, Denmark, 1987) 6:15, 8, 9:45 p.m.

MONDAY (Dec. 30): Closed.

STARTS TUESDAY (Dec. 31): James Bond vs. Goldfinger (Guy Hamilton, U.K., 1964), screening through Jan. 19 6:15, 8:15, 10:15 p.m.

JEZEBEL'S JOINT

510 Larkin (at Turk), 820-3907, www.sfindie.com. This "Rock 'n' Roll DJ Bar" offers an "SF IndieFest MicroCinema." All screenings are followed by DJ music at 10 p.m. Free save as noted.

TUESDAY (Dec. 24): Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (1960) -- which is set around Christmastime, as careful observers have caught 8 p.m.

METREON

Action Theater, Second Floor, 101 Fourth St. (at Mission), 369-6098. Sony hosts screenings of popular anime series from Bandai Entertainment this month. Free.

FRIDAY (Dec. 27): The space saga Crest of the Stars, Volumes 1-2 4:30-9 p.m.

SUNDAY (Dec. 29): Crest of the Stars, Volume 3, and the premiere of the sequel, Banner of the Stars, Volume 1 11 a.m.-8 p.m.

PARAMOUNT

2025 Broadway (at 20th Street), Oakland, (510) 465-6400, www.paramounttheatre.com. $5. This beautifully restored picture palace's ongoing "Movie Classics Series" regularly includes a feature plus a newsreel, cartoon, previews, and a few spins of the Dec-O-Win prize wheel.

FRIDAY (Dec. 27): Frodo, Sam, and Gollum skip up the Yellow Brick Road in search of The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming, 1939) 8 p.m.

PARKWAY

1834 Park (at Lake Merritt), Oakland, (510) 814-2400, www.picturepubpizza.com. $5 save as noted. Pizza, beer, and movies on two screens. Call theater for programs, booked a week in advance.

TUESDAY (Dec. 31): A New Year's Eve Toga Party is accompanied by a screening of John Landis' Animal House (1978), plus live entertainment. $30 8 p.m.

MIDNIGHT SHOW (Saturday): The Rocky Horror Picture Show (Jim Sharman, 1975), with live performance by Barely Legal. $6.

RAFAEL FILM CENTER

1118 Fourth St. (at A Street), San Rafael, 454-1222, www.finc.org. $8.50 save as noted. This three-screen repertory theater is operated by the Film Institute of Northern California. Programs are complex; check carefully and call for confirmation.

TUESDAY (Dec. 24): Closed for the holiday.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY (Dec. 25 & 26): Rabbit-Proof Fence (Phillip Noyce, Australia, 2002), see Opening for review 4:30, 6:45, 8:45 p.m.; also Thurs 2:15 p.m. The Way Home (Lee Jung-hyang, Korea, 2002) 6:15 p.m.; also Thurs 1:45 p.m. Diane Kurys' Children of the Century (France, 2001) 8:15 p.m.; also Thurs 3:45 p.m. Standing in the Shadows of Motown (Paul Justman, 2002) 4, 8:30 p.m. Rivers and Tides (Thomas Riedelsheimer, Germany, 2001) 6:30 p.m.; also Thurs 2 p.m. See Ongoing for reviews.

STARTS FRIDAY (Dec. 27): Rabbit-Proof Fence, Standing in the Shadows of Motown, Children of the Century, Rivers and Tides continue. Call theater for times and other films.

RED VIC

1727 Haight (at Cole), 668-3994, www.redvicmoviehouse.com. $6.50 save as noted. There's a spot on the couch for you at this collectively owned rep house.

TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY (Dec. 24 & 25): Closed for the holiday.

THURSDAY THROUGH MONDAY (Dec. 26-30): Ron Fricke's ecumenical celebration of life, Baraka (1992) 7:15, 9:30 p.m.; also Sat & Sun 2, 4:15 p.m.

TUESDAY (Dec. 31): Closed for the holiday.

ROXIE

3117 16th St. (at Valencia), 863-1087, www.roxie.com. $8. Short-run repertory in one of the most adventurously programmed theaters in the U.S.A.

TUESDAY (Dec. 24): Theater closed.

STARTS WEDNESDAY (Dec. 25): The Roxie's discovery, the overwhelmingly popular art documentary Rivers and Tides (Thomas Riedelsheimer, Germany, 2001), returns to this screen through Jan. 7. See Ongoing for review 2, 4:15, 6:30, 8:45 p.m.; no late show New Year's Eve.

STANFORD

221 University (at Emerson), Palo Alto, (650) 324-3700, www.stanfordtheatre.org. $6. This handsomely restored neighborhood palace usually screens pre-1960 Hollywood fare in the best available prints, with excellent projection and a courteous staff.

TUESDAY (Dec. 24): It's a Christmas Eve tradition -- Frank Capra's classic It's a Wonderful Life (1946). "Merry Christmas, Mr. Potter!" 9 p.m.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY (Dec. 25-31): Theater closed.

YERBA BUENA CENTER FOR THE ARTS

701 Mission (at Third Street, in Yerba Buena Gardens), 978-2787, www.YerbaBuenaArts.org. $5 save as noted. This venue's Screening Room is a home for film and video programs of all sorts.