the BEAT of the week: "Battle Royale" at the Cinefamily

Cinefamily -- the nonprofit organization running the Silent Movie Theater on Fairfax -- has been killing it as of late. Not only did they just finish the crazy feat of a 24-hour telethon complete with entertainment from none other than Spike Jonze, Stephen Merritt of the Magnetic Fields, Jonathan Gold, No Age, Michael Cera and more, but they've also managed to book some great films lately. Just finished was the first official L.A. run of a great -- and completely intense -- movie called We Need to Talk About Kevin, starring the always mesmerizing Tilda Swinton.

And now coming up beginning this weekend, Cinefamily is set to screen the controversial Japanese cult film Battle Royale in its first North American run ever. Ever! And Cinefamily got it for one whole week. If you don't know, the premise of the film revolves around a society where the government sends whole classes of 9th grade students to a remote island where they're forced to fight each other off to the death, one by one. And from the looks of it, the film doesn't shy away from being bloody and gory but altogether thrilling. Surely an inventive -- if not gruesomely fun -- way to spend the holidays in the winter wasteland known as L.A. in December.

And, since we're all in the giving spirit these days, why not extend that further to the Cinefamily? Members get to go to nearly every screening and event for free, and judging by what they've been able to book for the last month alone, 2012 is only yet to get better. A good gift for a friend, family member or yourself! Plus, you can get it written off in your taxes! Sad as it is, indie films are finding it more and more difficult to find places to screen out here in L.A. (of all cities!), so let's support one of the best places that still does. Become a member or donate here.

Cinefamily programs the Silent Movie Theater, located at 611 N. Fairfax Ave. in Mid-City. Check out the schedule of screenings here.

-- Chau Tu

Advance Notice. Cinefamily's 2nd Annual Everything Is Festival.

If you're planning on staying in town for the 4th of July weekend, forget the summer blockbusters at your local crowded movie theater. Celebrate America with Andrew W.K., "Conan" writers, YouTube videos, Food Party's Thu Tran, weird martial arts movies, a live re-scoring of The Pelican Brief, sneak peeks at new animated features, Neil Hamburger and more. Sound random enough? It could only be the Everything Is Festival, going on at The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater.

The 2nd annual event is being put on by the Everything is Terrible! crew -- the masters of weird, crazy found footage -- and appropriately this festival is just as schizophrenic. You're sure to find something you'll dig, and either way, it's a great way to kick back and enjoy some madness surrounding you. Each screening/event is $10 each (except for Andrew W.K.'s Party Lecture for $15), or you can go for a $90 festival pass that'll get you into everything plus some fun extras. Check out the schedule here.

The 2nd Annual Everything Is Festival takes place from June 30-July 4 at the Silent Movie Theater, located at 611 N. Fairfax Ave. in Mid-City.

-- Chau Tu

Advance Notice. The Cinefamily's "Made in Austin" film fest.

Everyone's just come back from Austin and SXSW, so now it's time for Austin to come to us. The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theater is set to host a whole weekend celebrating Austin's cinematic bests, and it's definitely worth a look.

Although it is known as a cultural jewel in the South, Austin, Texas, doesn't usually come to mind in terms of film. But The Cinefamily's first night of "Made in Austin" reminds us -- with some super-rare short films -- that Austin is the original home to filmmakers like Wes Anderson, Robert Rodriguez and Richard Linklater, among others. The "Texas Legends, Before They Were Legends" program will screen first films from those mentioned, including Bottle Rocket -- the short that the later Anderson film was based on -- and a student film from Rodriguez. Stick around later that night and you'll actually get to meet an Austin filmmaker -- Richard Linklater himself. The filmmaker will be on hand for the screenings of his Slackers and SubUrbia.

Day Two of "Made in Austin" will feature some BBQ (of course) alongside screenings of Last Day at the Alamo and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Time to get your Texas on!

"Made In Austin" will be taking place April 9-10 at the Silent Movie Theater, located at 611 Fairfax Ave. in Mid-City. Tickets are $10 for each program, see more details here.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Owen Wilson in Bottle Rocket; courtesy of The Cinefamily

Do It. Harold Lloyd shorts.

One of the big three silent film stars Harold Lloyd (of Keaton, Chaplin, and Lloyd) will have a few of his best early works screened at the Cinefamily Silent Movie Theater tonight as part of the theater's Silent Clowns series.

Lloyd is best known for his shock of black hair, goofy round glasses, and that one scene where he hangs from a clock (clip below), and if you haven't yet made it to the Silent Theater (the last in the entire United States of America!) it's worth venturing over. The theater has all kinds of relics from the 1920s film heyday and has piano accompaniment.

Buster Keaton will be rounding off the Wednesday series next week a series of his shorts.

The show starts at 8 p.m. and is $10. The Silent Movie Theater is located at 611 N. Fairfax Ave.

-- Lauren Williams

Do It. Rock docs, street art and creepy puppets.

Rock out: All Tomorrow’s Parties at the Silent Movie Theatre, 8 & 10 p.m., $12.
It’s Tuesday night, which means you shouldn’t go out and party. So fake it instead by seeing this intense(ly fun) documentary on the famous English music fest All Tomorrow’s Parties. Not only does the doc feature performances by some of the fest’s best performers like Sonic Youth, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Les Savy Fav and Belle and Sebastian, much of the footage is taken by fans and musicians who attended the concerts themselves, on all formats from Super 8 to cell phones. Prepare for a first row experience.

Hide out: Dan Witz’s Dark Doings at the Carmichael Gallery, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., free.
Half the fun of street art is the act of discovering it, especially when it’s completely inconspicuous and unexpected. Dan Witz is just about the master of this, placing his mysterious and often-haunting art in dark windows and vents all over the world. Witz is so good that, word is, one of his artworks within the Carmichael exhibit has frequently been ignored, because it looks like just a part of the wall. The show ends on Wed., so don’t miss out.

Freak out: Bob Baker’s Marionette Holiday Spectacular, 10:30 a.m., $20.
Let’s face it: marionettes are pretty creepy. But the Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been around forever, and it was recently designated as a historic L.A. monument, so there’s something to take from this. And what better way to ring in the season with some old-school puppets bouncing to holiday tunes? Plus, the place just got some street cred when Ryan Gosling’s band Dead Man’s Bones took up a residency there in Sept. The guy who dated Rachel McAdams can’t go wrong.

--Chau Tu

Photo credit: Dan Witz's "Brad and Leah Kiss (Diamond)" courtesy of Carmichael Gallery