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Classic movies in SoCal: ‘The Handmaiden,’ ‘City Lights’ ‘Magic Mike’ and more

A man leans over the back of a chair of a woman who is painting
Jung-woo Ha and Min-hee Kim in the 2016 thriller “The Handmaiden.”
(TIFF)
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Find a flick with our weekly curated list of classic movies, cult favorites, film festivals, etc., playing at theaters and pop-ups and/or streaming online. Before you go, remember to call or check online for reservation requirements and other COVID-19 protocols.

‘Akira’
The Frida Cinema’s drive-in screening series continues with Katsuhiro Otomo’s dazzling 1988 anime fable set in the dystopian megalopolis of Neo-Tokyo. In Japanese with English subtitles. Mess Hall at Flight, 1705 Flight Way, Tustin. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 16. $30 per car; advance purchase required. thefridacinema.org

‘Band of Outsiders’ with ‘Pierrot Le Fou’
A double bill of Jean-Luc Godard classics pairs the French New Wave pioneer’s 1964 crime tale starring Anna Karina with his bonkers 1965 thriller starring Karina and Jean-Paul Belmondo. In French with English subtitles. Presented in 35mm. Secret Movie Club Theatre, 1917 Bay St., 2nd floor, downtown L.A. 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. Feb. 17. $14-$24. secretmovieclub.com

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‘The Beatles: Get Back — The Rooftop Concert’
See the Fab Four — in Imax! — in encore presentations of this hourlong concert special featuring footage from Peter Jackson’s exhaustive 2021 docuseries about the recording of the band’s final album. Various area theaters (see website for details). 6 p.m. Feb. 11, 2 p.m. Feb. 12-13. Various prices. imax.com

Peter Jackson’s nearly eight-hour Beatles doc both refutes the canard of Yoko as band-wrecker and reminds us of what was lost when Paul and John went separate ways.

‘Beauty and the Beast’
A tale as old as time is told once again in special Valentine’s Day weekend screenings of Disney’s swoon-worthy 1991 animated musical. El Capitan Theatre, 6838 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 10 a.m. and 1, 4 and 7 p.m. Feb. 13-14. $15. (800) 347-6396. elcapitantheatre.com

Also at Street Food Cinema Arcadia, Santa Anita Park, Lot B, 285 W. Huntington Drive, Arcadia. 5:45 p.m. Feb. 11. $20 per car plus $8 per person; ages 3 and younger, free; advance tickets required. streetfoodcinema.com

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‘Bye Bye Birdie’
An Elvis-like pop idol (Jesse Pearson) shakes things up in a small Ohio town in this 1963 musical comedy based on the Broadway show. The legendary Ann-Margret, who co-starred, is scheduled to appear and take part in a Q&A after the screening. Dick Van Dyke, Paul Lynde and Janet Leigh also star. Cinelounge at the Montalban, 1615 N. Vine St., Hollywood. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14. $25; VIP: $150. cineloungecinemas.com

‘City Lights’
Charlie Chaplin’s beloved Little Tramp character falls in love with a blind flower girl in this classic 1931 silent comedy. And if you don’t get a little teary-eyed by the end, well, you might not be human. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., L.A. 2 p.m. Feb. 12-13. $10; advance purchase recommended. thenewbev.com

‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’
Marilyn Monroe burns up the screen and Jane Russell ain’t so bad herself in Howard Hawks’ 1953 Technicolor musical comedy about the misadventures of two gorgeous showgirls. Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St., El Segundo. 2:30 and 7 p.m. Feb. 12. $10, $12. oldtownmusichall.org

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‘The Handmaiden’
A con man enlists a young woman to aid his elaborate scheme to steal an heiress’ fortune in director Park Chan-wook’s erotic — and, at times, explicit — 2016 thriller set in Japanese-occupied Korea. With Kim Tae-ri and Kim Min-hee. In Korean and Japanese with English subtitles. Brain Dead Studios at the Silent Movie Theater, 611 N. Fairfax Ave., L.A. 8 p.m. Feb. 11. $12; advance purchase required. studios.wearebraindead.com

There comes a point in “The Handmaiden,” a tantalizing triple-decker entertainment from the South Korean director Park Chan-wook, when a book of lurid Japanese erotica opens up to reveal a drawing of an octopus wrapping its tentacles around a woman’s nude body.

‘Harold and Maude’
There are May-December romances, and then there’s director Hal Ashby’s one-of-a-kind 1971 black comedy about a death-obsessed teen who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a quirky senior citizen. Bud Cort and Ruth Gordon star. The Frida Cinema, Calle Cuatro Plaza, 305 E. 4th St., Santa Ana. 2:30, 5:30 and 8 p.m. Feb. 13; 5:30 and 8 p.m. Feb. 14. $7.50, $10.50. thefridacinema.org

‘Lone Star’
A sheriff (Chris Cooper) in small-town Texas unearths a long-buried secret or two while investigating a decades-old murder in indie-film icon John Sayles’ widely acclaimed 1996 mystery drama. Kris Kristofferson, Elizabeth Peña, Frances McDormand and Matthew McConaughey also star. Presented in 35mm. American Cinematheque at the Los Feliz 3, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. 4 p.m. Feb. 13. $8, $13. americancinematheque.com

‘Magic Mike’
Men dance sans pants in special “Galentine’s Day” screenings of Steven Soderbergh’s 2012 comedy-drama about male strippers and the ladies who love them. Channing Tatum and the aforementioned Matthew McConaughey star. Various area theaters (see websites for details). 4 and 7 p.m. and other showtimes, Feb. 13. Various prices. amctheatres.com, cinemark.com, harkins.com, lookcinemas.com, regmovies.com, starlightcinemas.com

‘The Notebook’
Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are warm for each other’s form in this decades-spanning 2004 romance directed by Nick Cassavetes and based on the Nicholas Sparks novel. James Garner and Gena Rowlands also star. Rooftop Movies at the Montalbán, 1615 Vine St., Hollywood. 7 p.m. Feb. 13. $25. themontalban.com

‘One Million Years B.C.’
What say you there, fuzzy-britches? Prehistoric cavewoman Raquel Welch and some stop-motion animated dinosaurs created by legendary effects-wiz Ray Harryhausen are the main attractions in this 1966 adventure tale. American Cinematheque at the Los Feliz 3, 1822 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz. 1:30 p.m. Feb. 12. $8, $13. americancinematheque.com

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At the beginning of “Fantastic Voyage,” star Stephen Boyd can be forgiven for being momentarily distracted by the comely technical assistant for “the top brain man in the country.”

‘Scarecrow in a Garden of Cucumbers’
Transgender actress Holly Woodlawn, a habitué of Andy Warhol’s the Factory and the very same Holly name-checked in a classic Lou Reed song, stars in Robert J. Kaplan’s long-lost 1972 musical fable about a small-town gal who takes a walk on the wild side in NYC. Presented in a newly restored 35mm print. Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, Ted Mann Theater, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14. $5-$10. academymuseum.org

‘The Shop Around the Corner’
Cuddle up with the one you love, in the front or the back seat of your car, with a special Valentine’s weekend drive-in screening of this Ernst Lubitsch-directed 1940 rom-com starring James Stewart and Margaret Sullavan. Hollywood Legion at Post 43, 2035 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood. 8 p.m. Friday. $30-$70 per vehicle; advance purchase required. hollywoodlegiontheater.com

‘Sweet Smell of Success’
One hand washes the other but neither gets very clean in this dark 1957 drama about a shady publicist (Tony Curtis) doing a little dirty business on the side for a powerful gossip columnist (Burt Lancaster). Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, David Geffen Theater, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15. $5-$10. academymuseum.org

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