4-Star Theatre. Shanghai: This period drama concerns an American (John Cusack) in Shanghai who, through the investigation of the death of a friend, ends up falling in love while stumbling upon a political conspiracy. 1408 helmer Mikael Håfström directs. Gong Li and Ken Watanabe co-star in the production, from a script supplied by Hossein Amini. Daily. Lost in Hong Kong: Xu Lai had dreams once. To be an artist and marry the girl of his dreams. 15 years later, he's sick of designing bras, humoring his baby-crazy wife, and catering to loopy in-laws. But his upcoming family vacation, now including his DVD-pirating, aspiring-documentarian brother-in-law, has a hidden agenda: a chance meetup with his old flame. But ditching his clan for a clandestine hookup might be the least of his worries. There's been a murder, and his new hot pursuit might be from the cops who want a word with him. Daily. Crimson Peak: When her heart is stolen by a seductive stranger, a young woman is swept away to a house atop a mountain of blood-red clay: a place filled with secrets that will haunt her forever. Between desire and darkness, between mystery and madness, lies the truth behind Crimson Peak. From the imagination of director Guillermo del Toro comes a supernatural mystery starring Tom Hiddleston, Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Charlie Hunnam. Oct. 23-29. Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension: Using a special camera that can see spirits, a family must protect their daughter from an evil entity with a sinister plan. Oct. 23-29. 2200 Clement, San Francisco, 666-3488, lntsf.com/4-star-theatre.html.
Balboa Theatre. Popcorn Palace: Every Saturday at 10 a.m. $10 gets ticket plus popcorn and drink! 10/24: Beetlejuice. 10/31: Free Halloween Cartoons. Saturdays. Steve Jobs: With public anticipation running high, Apple Inc. co-founders Steve Jobs (Michael Fassbender) and Steve "Woz" Wozniak get ready to unveil the first Macintosh in 1984. Jobs must also deal with personal issues related to ex-girlfriend Chrisann Brennan and their young daughter Lisa. Eventually fired, Jobs launches NeXT Inc. and prepares to release a new computer model in 1988. Ten years later, Jobs is back at Apple Inc. and about to revolutionize the industry once again with the iMac. Oct. 23-29. 3630 Balboa, San Francisco, 221-2184, balboamovies.com.
Brava Theater Center. "The Other Barrio": Thu., Oct. 22, 7:30 p.m. $12. 2781 24th St., San Francisco, 641-7657, brava.org.
Castro Theatre. Tested: The Show: Tested.com's Adam Savage, Will Smith, and Norman Chan bring to stage visions of the past, present, and future as seen through the eyes of makers. Enjoy an afternoon of fantastic homebrew projects, demonstrations of exciting new technologies, and conversations with makers about new frontiers of innovation. The show will also include a live recording of Adam Savage's interview series The Talking Room, with a surprise guest. Fri., Oct. 23, 7 p.m. $35 Preferred/$20 General. You're The Expert/Quizotron: Quiz-o-Tron is the world's greatest comedic science-themed panel quiz show, hosted by Rebecca Watson and starring internet host Veronica Belmot, astronomer Seth Shostak, and more! Watch as talented comedians compete against learned scientists to answer questions pertaining to the latest discoveries in astrophysics as well as whatever The Daily Mail is calling "science" these days. Audience interaction is encouraged with the chance to win fantastically terrible prizes. You will learn things you can never unlearn. You're the Expert is a live show, podcast, and new public radio program that uses comedy to make academic research more accessible and exciting. Through games, sketches, and hilariously misguided guesses, a panel of hilarious comedians will try to get to the bottom of what a distinguished scientist does all day. Fri., Oct. 23, 9:30 p.m. $20. A 20th Anniversary Celebration of Toy Story: In a special presentation moderated by the Film Society's Noah Cowan, Pixar's legendary innovators John Lasseter, Ed Catmull, Andrew Stanton and Pete Docter will take audiences on a personal tour of the studio's early days and the explore the process and creative vision that led to the first ever fully computer-animated feature film. An intimate prescreening VIP reception will precede the presentation and a screening of Toy Story will follow. VIP tickets include admission to the reception, the talk and the film screening. Mon., Oct. 26, 7 p.m. 429 Castro, San Francisco, 621-6120, castrotheatre.com.
Christopher B. Smith Rafael Film Center. Ingrid Bergman Films: Casablanca, Notorious, A Journey to Italy, A Woman's Face, Intermezzo, and June Night. Through Oct. 22, 6:30 p.m. $7-$11. 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael, 454-1222, rafaelfilm.cafilm.org.
Clay Theatre. Zombie: Lucio Fulci's worm-infested, violent voodoo masterpiece returns, digitally remastered from the original negative and completely uncut! Fri., Oct. 23, 11:54 p.m.; Sat., Oct. 24, 11:54 p.m. The Doom Generation: The story of a hot chick, her loser boyfriend and a bleeding dude who become way more than friends. Tue., Oct. 27, 7 p.m. 2261 Fillmore, San Francisco, 267-4893, www.landmarktheatres.com/san-francisco/clay-theatre.
Embarcadero Center Cinema. Experimenter: In 1961, famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram (Peter Sarsgaard) conducts a series of radical behavior experiments that test our willingness to obey authority. Oct. 23-29. Goodnight Mommy: The psychological horror film Goodnight Mommy is a twisted and fantastical take on the home invasion thriller. In the heat of the summer lays an isolated house in the Austrian countryside, where nine-year-old twin brothers await their mother's return after cosmetic surgery. She's recovering from an accident that has left her face covered in bandages, unrecognizable to her precocious sons. During her recovery her temper runs short with the boys, her behavior is domineering and her punishments turn harsh. The boys begin to suspect she isn't really their mother and they go about finding out for certain. What ensues is an atmospheric, terrifying observational struggle with fatal consequences on par with The Shining and Dead Ringers. Written and directed by Severin Fiala and Veronika Franz (writer of Dog Days and the Paradise trilogy). (Fully subtitled) Daily. Room: Confined to a windowless, 10-by-10-foot space, a loving mom and her young son, who has never known the real world, enact a risky plan to escape. Oct. 22-29. Meet the Patels: A laugh-out-loud, real-life romantic comedy about Ravi Patel, an Indian-American who embarks on a worldwide search for the woman of his dreams. Daily. Beasts Of No Nation: Idris Elba stars in the gripping tale of a child soldier torn from his family to fight in the civil war of an African country. Through Oct. 29. 1 Embarcadero Center, San Francisco, 267-4893, www.landmarktheatres.com/san-francisco/embarcadero-center-cinema.
Exploratorium. Saturday Cinema: Weekly thematic film screenings presented in the Kanbar Forum by the Exploratorium's Cinema Arts program. Saturdays. Free with museum admission. Pier 15, San Francisco, 528-4444, exploratorium.edu.
Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts. Best of Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema: Encore presentation of the three award-winning films of the 2015 season: the Best of Bernal, Spirit of Bernal and Good Life Audience Awards. Join with filmmakers and fellow film lovers in a Q&A and reception following the screening. Tue., Oct. 27, 7-9:30 p.m. Free. www.bhoutdoorcine.org. 2868 Mission, San Francisco, 821-1155, missionculturalcenter.org.
Multiple San Francisco Locations. 13th Annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival 2015: 3rd i's 13th Annual San Francisco International South Asian Film Festival launches at New People, and Castro Theater. The festival will screen 15 programs of narrative, documentary features, and shorts by independent filmmakers from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora, including stories from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, UK, and USA. Oct. 22-25. $10, Passses $38-$125. Multiple addresses, San Francisco.
Opera Plaza Cinema. Coming Home: Released from a Chinese labor camp after 20 years, a husband (Chen Daoming) returns home to his wife (Gong Li), who does not recognize him. Oct. 23-29. Phoenix: Hitchcockian tale of a WWII survivor who tries to figure out if the man she loves may have been the one who betrayed her to the Nazis. Daily. The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution: The first feature documentary to explore the significance of the Black Panther Party. Documentarian Stanley Nelson goes straight to the source, using rare archival footage and the voices of the people that were there. Daily. Freeheld: The true love story of Laurel Hester (Julianne Moore) and Stacie Andree (Ellen Page) and their fight for justice and equality. Oct. 23-29. 601 Van Ness, San Francisco, 267-4893, www.landmarktheatres.com/market/SanFrancisco/OperaPlazaCinema.htm.
Presidio Theatre. "Extraordinary Tales": 3D animated anthology of five masterworks by Edgar Allan Poe, narrated by Sir Christopher Lee, Bela Lugosi, Julian Sands, and Guillermo del Toro. Fri., Oct. 23, 3:30 & 8:40 p.m. $12. 2340 Chestnut, San Francisco, 776-2388, lntsf.com.
Roxie Theater. "'Last Photo' Project" Screening: View the entire 'Last Photo' Project in its entirety (45-min run time), plus a 30-minute presentation and Q&A with the filmmaker. Thu., Oct. 22, 7-8:30 p.m. General Admission: $10. 863-1087. https://www.facebook.com/events/512205812286348/. The 90s Video Sing A Long Show: Halloween Special: There's a chill in the air, so it must be Fall, which as any 90s TV watcher knows means it's Halloween Special time on your favorite shows: Saved by the Bell, My So Called Life, Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and of course The Simpsons. So this version of our insanely popular 90s Music Video Sing A Long Show will feature all the fly video hits and one hit wonders you jammed to in school plus some seasonal extras. Fri., Oct. 23, 9-11:30 p.m. 10/advance, 12/door. 820-3907. info@sfindie.com. sfindie.com/?p=2863. Japanese Horror Week: This Halloween, the Roxie brings San Francisco a whole week of modern Japanese horror classics. Since the late '80s, American audiences have been increasingly spooked by stories of surreal spirits, malevolent technological forces and sadistic torture from across the Pacific. While films like Kairo (Pulse) and Ju-On: The Grudge were remade by Hollywood with limited success, the Roxie is pleased to bring you the scares of the original Japanese movies, alongside artistically intense works by acclaimed directors such as Takashi Miike and Sion Sono. Oct. 25-31. 3117 16th St., San Francisco, 863-1087, roxie.com.
Stanford, Cubberley Auditorium. Between Two Worlds: An Evening with MIRA NAIR: The evening begins with a screening of The Reluctant Fundamentalist followed by a conversation with Mira Nair, Professor Robert Crews (Stanford, Department of History), and Professor Aishwary Kumar (Stanford, Department of History). Wed., Oct. 28, 5-9 p.m. Free. 650-725-9098. https://islamicstudies.stanford.edu/events/between-two-worlds-evening-mira-nair-film-screening-and-conversation. 485 Lasuen Mall, Stanford, 650-724-2464, live.stanford.edu.
Vogue Theatre. The Martian: When astronauts blast off from the planet Mars, they leave behind Mark Watney (Matt Damon), presumed dead after a fierce storm. With only a meager amount of supplies, the stranded visitor must utilize his wits and spirit to find a way to survive on the hostile planet. Meanwhile, back on Earth, members of NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring him home, while his crew mates hatch their own plan for a daring rescue mission. Oct. 23-29. 3290 Sacramento, San Francisco, 346-2288, voguesf.com.
The Walt Disney Family Museum. Tomorrowland: Walt's Vision For Today: Through animated sequences, musical compositions, sound bites, graphics, audio visuals, vintage posters, and more, Tomorrowland: Walt's Vision for Today will immerse visitors in the story of Walt's hopes and vision for the future, as reflected in his creation of the 1967 version of Tomorrowland at Disneyland. This exhibition allows visitors to experience Walt's perception of this beautiful tomorrow in a robust and vibrant way. Mondays, Wednesdays-Sundays. Continues through Dec. 7. 104 Montgomery, San Francisco, 345-6800, waltdisney.org.
Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Architecture & Design Films Showcase 2015: In our second Architecture and Design Film series, we present a showcase of 14 films and more than 20 screenings that cover architecture and design from every angle and aspect. Come and discover the DIY graphic arts scene in the UK, a history of land art, tiny houses, contemporary women architects, the battle to renovate the Rijksmuseum, and much more. Through Nov. 8. 701 Mission, San Francisco, 978-2787, ybca.org.
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