Advance Notice. The Earrings of Madame de ... at LACMA.

In 2008, Criterion put out a DVD of Max Ophüls' The Earrings of Madame de ... Sometime after that, we watched it at home and thoroughly enjoyed. It's a classic drama / romance film that is still a force nearly fifty years after its (1953) release. A "romantic masterpiece" according to the New York Times.

Have a low-key weekend after the holiday weekend, and catch Madame de ... on the big screen at LACMA on July 9.

Saturday July 9 at 5:00 p.m. Tickets $5 - (323) 857-6010, or order online.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art is located at 5905 Wilshire Boulevard.

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: Dieter / doctormacro.com

Do It. Hanna at the Vista.

One of the best films out right now is playing at one of the coolest (and least expensive) movie theaters in L.A., which I wrote about last year.

We caught a Saturday matinee of Hanna at the gorgeous single-screen Vista Theatre and not only was the movie great, the whole theater experience was. From the amazing light fixtures (below), to plenty of legroom, to cute vintage ads for refreshments on the screen before the previews. Now I'll spend the rest of the day listening to the Hanna soundtrack on iTunes ...

The Vista is located at 4473 Sunset Drive in Los Feliz. Info: (323) 660-6639

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credits: the BEAT

Do It. Kayak through Naples.

As summer approaches, so too does one of my favorite outdoors-in-a-big-city activities: Kayaking through Naples. Long Beach's small waterfront community makes for a perfect arena to get in some kayaking, and around this time of year the small, harmless, petable (petable!) moon jellies are out in Naples.

As your kayak coasts through the water, the little jellies come up to your boat and you can reach down and touch them (although I've been told picking them up is strongly discouraged, for the sake of the jellies).

Renting a kayak is extremely inexpensive at Long Beach's Kayaks on the Water, where they provide kayakers with maps of the area. Kayak rental costs $ 8/hour/person.

Kayaks on the Water is located at 5411 E. Ocean Blvd. in Long Beach.

-- Lauren Williams