The Moviegoer, Oct. 29-Nov. 4
Family Flicks Stop-motion animation virtuoso, Henry Selick brought Neil Gaiman’s bestselling book Coraline to life in 2009. The title character, voiced by Dakota Fanning, finds a too-good-to-be-true parallel world within her rambling Victorian that turns out to be, well, too-good-to-be-true. Coraline, with the assistance of a helpful, alternate-universe traversing black cat, finds herself on a soul-saving mission against the evil, button-eyed Other Mother. The visually stunning film is rated PG and may be a bit too scary for tiny tots. UCLA Film & Television Archive, Billy Wilder Theater, Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 443-7000. Oct. 29, 11 a.m. Free. www.cinema.ucla.edu/events
GKids Presents Studio Ghibli Fest Hayao Miyazaki’s 2001 Spirited Away won the Academy Award for animated feature and tops many lists as the best of the still-nascent century. Part of the magic is Japanese animation master Miyazaki’s ability to create worlds and scenarios pulled from the place between dream and nightmare and then populate them with creatures that defy description. In “Spirited,” young heroine Chihiro finds herself trapped in an otherworldly amusement park until she can free her bewitched parents who have been turned into large pigs. Various theaters. English dubbed version, Oct. 29, 12:55 p.m., and Nov. 1, 7 p.m.; Japanese with English subtitles, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. www.fathomevents.com
Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA at the Academy Mexican-born writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s 2006 fantasy masterpiece, Pan’s Labyrinth, is a magical and at times staggeringly frightening fable. Set in 1940s Spain, 11-year-old Ofelia finds an escape from her pregnant and bedridden mother and sadistic stepfather, an officer in Franco’s army, in a dark and enchanted forest only she can enter. Guided by a pale faun, Ofelia must prove her mettle in this strange world. It is a fairy tale, but not for children. Samuel Goldwyn Theater, 8939 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills. Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m. $3-$5. https://pstlala.oscars.org/events/
L.A. Documentaries at Union Station Agnès Varda’s 1981 documentary, Murs Murs, captures the public art of murals in the City of Angels from the concrete banks of the L.A. River, to the stories-tall murals in downtown L.A., and colorful pop, religious, and graffiti art in Venice, Watts, and East L.A. Artist Richard Wyatt, whose murals are included in the doc, will introduce the film. Union Station, Historic Ticketing Hall, 300 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles. Nov. 3; doors, 7:15 p.m.; film, 8 p.m. Free. Seating first come, first served. www.unionstationla.com
Meeting Death: Conversations with Mortality Ernst Lubitsch’s 1943 comedy Heaven Can Wait stars Don Ameche, a recalcitrant rake, who upon his death finds himself not at the pearly gates but knock-knock-knocking on Hades’ door. In flashbacks, we see the wealthy young cad wile away his days chasing showgirls until he meets and marries his true love, the stunning Gene Tierney, and tries his hand at monogamy. An enjoyable, lighthearted comedy romp. Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena, (626) 449-6840. Free with museum admission ($12; $9 ages 62+). Nov. 3, 5:30 p.m. www.nortonsimon.org
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