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

Advance Notice. Radiolab Live: Symmetry.

A couple months ago, I posted about the amazingly fun public radio show Radiolab, a sort of science and philosophy sibling of This American Life. If you've already become a hardcore fan like I have (and if you haven't -- start listening now!), then it's time to get your wallets out!

Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich are hitting the road, and of course, we lucky Angelenos are one of the three stops. The two hosts will be performing an episode live, and the subject already sounds amazing: "symmetry, and how it shapes our very existence—from the origin of the universe, to what we see when we look in the mirror." It's going to be really fascinating to see how this plays out in person.

If you want to check out some cool science, buy your tickets now. The show is taking place March 23rd at UCLA, and tickets just went on sale yesterday, but are definitely going quick. It's a little pricey, but sure to be an eye-opening experience.

Get more info here.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: WNYC

Do It. Stephen Hawking at CalTech.

There's only so many chances that you might get to be in the presence of a true genius. This is one of them.

Stephen Hawking, the theoretical physicist who's known for his works and insights on black holes and the universe, will be making an appearance at the Beckman Auditorium at CalTech University next Tuesday at 8pm. The event is free and is open to anyone, but be prepared to see some real enthusiasts getting in line early. But can you blame them? Hawking is infamous for his tremendous research and knowledge on basically everything involving space and physics, and he's also got quite the personality. It'll be interesting to see what he has planned for this appearance. Start pondering your questions now!

Stephen Hawking will be appearing at 8pm on Jan. 18 at the Beckman Auditorium at CalTech University, located at 332 S. Michigan Ave. in Pasadena.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: BBC News; Hawking experiencing zero-gravity

Advance Notice. First Fridays at the Natural History Museum.

With the new year comes another edition of the Natural History Museum's ever popular First Fridays series. Thanks to its intellectual hip factor, the program, which combines scientific lectures and discussions with performances up-and-coming musicians, has grown significantly in the past couple of years. And rightfully so -- the booking staff is always on top of good entertainment.

But take note: while it all used to be free, and it used to be easy to try and catch the musical performance by walking in the Mammal Hall that night, the event was causing lines out the door early on Friday nights this past year. Now they've set up a ticketing system, which will surely make it easier for everyone.

And with the first First Friday event coming up on next week (Jan. 7), it's time to get on buying those tickets. Keeping up with tradition, Little Dragon (which gained more exposure after guesting on Gorillaz's Plastic Beach this past year) and Sister Crayon will be performing, and the science discussion will be on "The Science of Creativity," which actually sounds quite interesting -- why do we get our best ideas in the shower? Admission for the night is $9, and you can get your tickets here.

And stay tuned to the First Fridays website for the rest of the series.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Natural History Museum

Do It. Pay what you want to see the Freakonomics movie.

No doubt about it -- it's expensive to see a movie these days. So when the chance to see a movie for whatever price you want -- in this case, from a penny to $100 -- it's surely worth taking. And if you get to take part in the movie's own research, even cooler, right?

It'd only be possible with one film: Freakonomics. A documentary film inspired by the popular book by Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt, Freakonomics in comprised of a number of vignettes by filmmakers like Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) and Seth Gordon (King of Kong), who all try and portray Freakonomics' economical/social theories. Given the popularity of the book and the writers, the portrayals on film are sure to be intriguing.

And you can see it all for a penny! Or whatever price you want. Because the film is giving audiences in major cities -- including L.A., of course -- that chance in exchange for finishing a survey. It's nine questions long, and basically just asks you demographical stuff and whether you will buy popcorn at the movie, so it's not exactly personal. Supposedly, it'll be used as part of Freakonomics research. So help out some social science and get to see a movie for your own price, simple as that.

The free screening will take place on Sept. 22 at your local Landmark Theatre. Here's the survey to get your ticket.

-- Chau Tu

Do It. First Fridays at the Natural History Museum.

First Fridays is back! I first discovered this awesome event while in college across the street from the Natural History Museum, and in looking for an easy, cheap concert to go to, I came across what has become one of my favorite things to do in L.A

For the first Friday of every month in the spring, NHM stays open late for a science-plus-music party, all meant to bring out the inner geek in us. The lectures can be hit or miss (and you can always bypass that part by museum-exploring) but the bands are usually pretty cool, ranging from the super local to some bigger names (Wolfmother, A-Trak). And it's all for the regular price of admission (although important tip: there are presale tickets available here, and they're probably worth buying because the performance space is limited). Plus, there's food and drink (yes, beer and wine) and other cool things like screenprinting and live DJ sets.

This time around, it looks like there's going to be some talk about spiders--including real, live ones!--followed by music by Atlas Sound, a not-to-miss live act. Oh, and don't forget those wild animals there--they're always ready to party.

First Fridays begins tonight at 5:30pm at NHM at 900 Exposition Blvd.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Natural History Museum