the BEAT of the week: Monday Movie Nights at Echoplex.

For whatever reason, watching movies in places other than movie theaters can often make the experience a million times more exciting. Throw in some free popcorn and some excellent movie choices, and you've got guaranteed fun ahead.

UNIQUE LA, the creators of the largest independent design show in the country and a great advocate for modern homemade artisan goods in this city, is getting into the film spirit. They'll be putting on monthly movie nights in the vast space of Echoplex in Echo Park, and next up on the marquee this next Monday is the '90s classic Clueless. Perfect excuse to reminisce and watch a wonderful film -- and yes, there will be free popcorn! (Plus drink specials all night and pizza for sale from Two Boots!)

Tickets for each show is $10. Check out the upcoming lineup of films here.

Monthly Movie Nights at the Echoplex featuring Clueless will take place next Monday, March 12 at 8pm at Echoplex, located at 1154 Glendale Blvd. in Echo Park.

-- Chau Tu

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

Check It. Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

You may have seen (or heard of) Werner Herzog films such as Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn, or Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call - New Orleans. Whether you've liked anything he's made before, see Cave of Forgotten Dreams.

Almost two months ago, I attended a private screening, and it was a magical experience. It was so enchanting and beautiful and relaxing, yet thrilling at the same time.

The cave is the Chauvet Cave in southern France, and it contains the earliest known cave paintings (horses, lions, bears, all fascinating). It is so well-preserved because the cave has been enclosed by fallen rock for over 20,000 years. In 1994, it was discovered by some hikers, and scientists quickly discovered the importance of the ancient artwork inside, and shut off any public access. Herzog and his small crew had a very rare, fortunate, highly-regulated window of time to go in and film. With a team of select scientists, his Director of Photography Peter Zeitlinger, an extremely limited crew, and adapted 3D cameras, Herzog made a beautiful film.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams opens Friday April 29.

On Friday night, Herzog will be at the ArcLight Hollywood for a Q & A session following the 7:45 p.m. film, and he will introduce the 10:20 p.m. screening.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credits: history.com

Do It. Quentin Tarantino's March programming at the New Beverly.

A little over a year ago Quentin Tarantino made headlines when he purchased the New Beverly Cinema. A true film aficionado in addition to being a brilliant filmmaker, this move made perfect sense. This month, in celebration of Tarantino's March birthday, he's taken on the theater's programming duties.

The New Beverly is a gem of a revival theater, where I've had the pleasure of seeing everything from The Last Picture Show, to The Killing of a Chinese Bookie, to Brazil on the big screen. It's also just a short walk from Milk.

Some highlights: March 15 is Grindhouse Night (Grindhouse at 7:30 p.m., Machete at 11:00 p.m.), Dazed and Confused on March 18 and 19, and Five Minutes to Live (starring Johnny Cash) on March 24. View the full calendar here.

March 27 (which is his birthday) through the 31st, Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair (a combination of volumes 1 and 2, with some differences from the released volume 1) is on the schedule. It's already sold out, any tickets that become available will be sold standby on a first come, first served basis the night of each show. This is the same print that screened at Cannes in 2006. Its running time is 247 minutes.

In other exciting news: On April 1 and 2, there will be midnight screenings of Pulp Fiction.

Happy Birthday, Q.T.!

The New Beverly is located at 7165 Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles. General admission $7. Info: newbevcinema.com, (323) 938-4038

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: fusedfilm.com

Advance Notice / Win It. Film Independent's Directors Close-Up.

We love good film here at the BEAT, so we're thrilled to announce our first reader giveaway: a pair of tickets to Film Independent's 2011 Directors Close-Up.

Panelists include directors Lisa Cholodenko (The Kids Are All Right, Laurel Canyon), Matt Reeves ("Felicity", Let Me In), Nicole Holofcener (shown above directing the wonderful Catherine Keener in 2010's Please Give), and more.

Email us (at thebeatofyounglosangeles@gmail.com with Subject line "winner winner chicken dinner" by 9:00 a.m. PT Monday January 31) a few sentences about why you'd love to attend this series that includes such panels as "The Creative Team: Bringing the Vision to Life", "Writing and Directing", and "The Spirit of Independence: A Roundtable Discussion".

The series of five events runs February 2 through March 2 at West L.A.'s gorgeous Landmark theater.

Series passes are $180, and $150 for Film Independent members. Info: filmindependent.org, (310) 432-1222.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: thefilmstage.com

Check It. Polanski at Cinefamily.

Before he did Rosemary's Baby and Chinatown, Roman Polanski created tons of short films that will be shown tonight at Cinefamily, presented by the Polish Cultural Institute and accompanied by a live score.

Originally shot with a Polish jazz accompaniment, tonight the films will be played along with the "electroacoustic" duo of Sza/Za. Below is one of Sza/Za's videos, very jazzy and surreal.

Cinefamily is located at 611 N. Fairfax Ave. The show starts at 8 p.m. and tickets cost $12.

-- Lauren Williams

Sza/Za Penne God from Maciej Puczyński on Vimeo.