Next Week in Tickets: Films playing Boston 13 August - 19 August

A summer chock full of nothing, and two movies I really want to see open up this weekend, in mid-August? That's just really screwy!

• Seriously... Scott Pilgrim vs. the World AND The Expendables on the same day. Oh, and Eat, Pray, Love, but even if I was likely to get revved up for that, it would be for later in the weekend.
  
  I must admit, it was a bit of a weird feeling when the final volume of Scott Pilgrim came out a couple weeks ago, I read it, and realized that there'd be no more, other than the movie - and that a fairly faithful movie would be coming soon. Not how it usually works out.



• The one-week warning at Kendall Square is for Hugh Hefner: Playboy, Activist, and Rebel. Director Brigitte Berman will be doing Q&As at the 4:50pm and 8:00pm shows tonight (Friday) and tomorrow (Saturday). I guess we've already missed that first one. Sorry, I'm crazy behind.
  
  Also opening at the Kendall are The Wildest Dream: Conquest of Everest, which should at least look awesome, and The Extra Man. The latter was the opening night film at IFFBoston this year, and while it wasn't bad, it's also kind of all about Kevin Kline, and when the movie focuses on Paul Dano, its ostensible star... Well, it's not quite so great.



• Not many changes in the main features at the Coolidge, but some fun specials. The "Cops in Heat" midnight tonight and tomorrow is Super Troopers, which I may have to check out; it didn't appeal to me much on seeing the trailers, I quite liked Broken Lizard's The Slammin' Salmon, although that had Michael Clarke Duncan as a secret weapon. The big show is Monday's The Big Lebowski screening, with prizes for costumes and more, plus free bowling passes



• The Brattle's also going with what's worked all summer: A mini-series over the weekend - new prints of four Jimmy Stewart westerns, plus a free "Elements of Cinema" screening of Mann's The Furies starring Barbara Stanwyck on Saturday morning. A DocYard presentation of AIDS-in-Africa documentary Today the Hawk Takes one Chick with director Jane Gillooly in attendence. "Best of the Aughts" screenings on Wednesday (There Will Be Blood and Hedwig & the Angry Inch) and Thursday (the literally brain-meltingly awesome pairing of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Guy Maddin's Brand Upon the Brain!). And one that I'm really annoyed about missing, the week's noir selection Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett in Fritz Lang's The Woman in the Window, playing Tuesday and matinees on Monday. Of course, I'm missing it to see the Red Sox, and I've heard there may be a Laser Show that day, so I'll deal.



• If you dug It Came From Kuchar at BUFF this spring (I missed it), head on over to the Harvard Film Archive for A George Kuchar Celebration. Mr. Kuchar will be there in person, so if you've got any questions on what the guy was thinking, you're in luck. Monday has Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders; Rumble Fish plays next Monday.



• Finally, the MFA has more Restored Prints: A few more screenings of From Here to Eternity, plus Close-Up from Abbas Kiarostami and The Red Shoes from Powell & Pressburger; I believe we saw a new print of that at the Brattle earlier this year and it was gorgeous.
  
  Their other big series during August is Janus Presents Charlie Chaplin. New 35mm prints of Charlie Chaplin, folks. We've already missed The Great Dictator, unfortunately, but A King in New York screens tomorrow and The Circus on Thursday.