Reps Etc.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: The course of human folly is followed in the documentary Stupidity (Albert Nerenberg, 2004) 7 p.m. R. Torjan's Carlos Castaneda: Enigma of a Sorcerer (2004) 8:30 p.m. See Ongoing for reviews.

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY (May 21-27): Two short features shot in "Pixelvision," using the toy video camera, by Michael Almereyda, The Rocking Horse Winner (2004) -- from D.H. Lawrence's story, previously filmed by Carol Reed -- and Another Girl, Another Planet (1992) 6, 8, 10 p.m.; also Sat, Sun, & Wed 2, 4 p.m.

MECHANICS' INSTITUTE LIBRARY

57 Post (near Market), 393-0100 and www.milibrary.org for information; phone or e-mail rsvp@milibrary.org for reservations. $5. This cultural asset of long standing screens films on projected video, with salon-style discussions to follow.

FRIDAY (May 21): A David Lean series continues with the sand-dune epic Lawrence of Arabia (U.K., 1962) 6:30 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. The Parkway also offers occasional scheduled special programs.

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

RAFAEL FILM CENTER

1118 Fourth St. (at A Street), San Rafael, 454-1222, www.cafilm.org. $9 save as noted. This three-screen repertory theater, now officially the Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center, is operated by the California Film Institute. Programs are complex; check carefully and call for confirmation.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: The Twilight Samurai (Yoji Yamada, Japan, 2003) 6:30, 9 p.m. Clay Bird (Tareque Masud, Bangladesh, 2002) 6:45 p.m. Monsieur Ibrahim (François Dupeyron, France, 2003) 8:30 p.m. Broken Wings (Nir Bergman, Israel, 2002) 6:40 p.m. Touching the Void (Kevin MacDonald, U.K., 2003) 8:50 p.m. See Ongoing for reviews.

STARTS FRIDAY: The Saddest Music in the World (Guy Maddin, Canada, 2003) and Life of Brian (Terry Jones, U.K., 1979); see Opening for reviews. Broken Wings and The Twilight Samurai continue. Call for times.

TUESDAY: Murray Lerner's Festival (1967), documenting four Newport Folk Festivals from 1963 to '67 (featuring Joan Baez; Peter, Paul & Mary; Pete Seeger; and, of course, Bob Dylan's notorious conversion to electricity), screens as a benefit for Bread & Roses. Baez and Lerner lead an in-person discussion after the screening. For ticket info, contact www.breadandroses.org or 945-7120. $20 7:30 p.m.

RED VIC

1727 Haight (at Cole), 668-3994, www.redvicmoviehouse.com. $7 save as noted. There's a spot on the couch for you at this collectively owned rep house.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: Three newcomers to San Francisco struggle in the face of the dot-com crash of 2000 in American Dream 2.0 (Jennifer Thompson, 2003). San Francisco premiere; see Urban Experience, Page 167, for more7:15, 9:15 p.m.; also Wed 2 p.m.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 1970s radicals reunite to face the camera in The Weather Underground (Sam Green and Bill Siegel, 2003) 7:15, 9:30 p.m.; also Sat 2, 4 p.m.

SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY: The life and impending demise of death expert Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is recorded in Stefan Haupt's Facing Death (2002); see Opening for review 7:15, 9:20 p.m.; also Sun 2, 4:15 p.m.

ROXIE

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

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: Check out the results of the 48 Hour Film Project, teams of filmmakers who've made movies in two days starting May 14 7:15, 9:30 p.m.

FRIDAY THROUGH THURSDAY (May 21-27): Gov. George Ryan's commutation of all of Illinois' death-row prisoners' death sentences is the subject of Deadline (Katy Chevigny and Kristen Johnson, 2004). See Opening for review 6:15, 8, 9:45 p.m.; also Sat & Sun 2, 4:30 p.m. Panel discussion with filmmakers and members of Death Penalty Focus after 8 p.m. screenings on Friday and Saturday.

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY

Coppola Theater, Fine Arts Building, Room 101, 1600 Holloway (at 19th Avenue), 775-7755 and www.afsf.com for information on the Alain Corneau series; 338-1629 for information on Friday"s program. $5 save as noted.

WEDNESDAY (May 19): Alliance Française has programmed a series of films by Alain Corneau at this university. Tonight, Nocturne Indien (1989), all about a mysterious disappearance 7 p.m.

THURSDAY (May 20): Patrick Timsit plays a police informer, Le Cousin (Corneau, 1997) 7 p.m.

FRIDAY (May 21): A free screening of a year's offerings from SFSU's animation program, "Animation Finals" 3 p.m.

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY

McKenna Theater, Creative Arts Building, 1600 Holloway (at 19th Avenue), 338-1629 for information on this program, 338-2467 for tickets. $6.

FRIDAY (May 21): The 44th San Francisco State Film Finals features the best work of cinema department students 7:30 p.m.

STANFORD

221 University (at Emerson), Palo Alto, (650) 324-3700, www.stanfordtheatre.org. $6. This handsomely restored neighborhood palace usually (but not always) screens pre-1960 Hollywood fare in the best available prints, with excellent projection. This spring's series emphasizes James Stewart, detective films, and Hollywood 1934-38. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: MGM's Eugene O'Neill adaptation Ah, Wilderness (1937; 7:30 p.m.), with Mickey Rooney as Eric Linden's kid brother, followed by Rooney finding love with Lana Turner and Judy Garland in Love Finds Andy Hardy (George B. Seitz, 1938; 5:55, 9:35 p.m.).

SATURDAY & SUNDAY: James Stewart peers out Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window (1954; 3:40, 7:30 p.m.), billed with the original The Thin Man (W.S. Van Dyke, 1934; 5:45, 9:35 p.m.), with William Powell and Myrna Loy.

VICTORIA THEATRE

2961 16th St. (at Mission), 863-7576, www.fearlesstales.com for this series. This venerable old house frequently rents itself out for special screenings. This month "The Best of Fearless Tales," a horror/sci-fi series, offers "Film Legends of Tomorrow." $8.