the BEAT of the week: AFI Fest.

Los Angeles' longest running international film festival returns this week, and the lineup of films is, as usual, quite spectacular. Look out for screenings of highly anticipated movies like The Artist, Shame, Into the Abyss, Melancholia and Butter, alongside acclaimed shorts and foreign films. Tickets may be a bit hard to come by for a lot of the popular films, but ticket packages -- like $100 for access to all Special Screenings -- are still available and can be a good deal.

Stay tuned to the website for more details.

AFI Fest takes place Nov. 3-10 at various locations around the city.

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And speaking of a film screening at AFI Fest this week -- Roman Polanski's Carnage -- the two lead actors, John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz, are set to appear at LACMA this week. The intimate event is sure to bring some new insight into how they work and how they create the amazing performances they've become known for (Waltz is a Oscar winner, Reilly was Oscar-nominated) -- plus, considering Reilly's comedic background and Waltz's deadpan humor, there will probably be some good laughs too. They'll be interviewed by New York Times writer-at-large Charles McGrath.

A Conversation with John C. Reilly and Christoph Waltz takes place this Saturday, Nov. 5 at 3pm at LACMA, located at 5905 Wilshire Blvd. in Mid-City. Tickets are $25 and available here.

-- Chau Tu