Movies --The ultimate sci-fi slumber party will happen with the 33rd Annual Boston Sci-Fi Film Festival, where this year's theme is "The Future is Passe," and the main event is a screening of A Boy and His Dog, starring Don Johnson. Get more details. Somerville Theatre, Davis Square, 12:00 noon, running through 12:00 noon the next day. Gender Bending Trannies take the stage for Traniwreck, Boston's only all-gender, all-genre burlesque variety show. Expect comedy,......

33rd Annual Sci-Fi Film Festival Sunday, February 17, noon, until Monday, February 18, noon Somerville Theatre $55 in advance / $65 day of show More info on the festival The annual Sci-Fi Film Festival will kick off this weekend. Each year has a new theme, and the theme this time around is "The Future is Passe," in which "the future had been predicted, but that time has past." Bostonist asked Garen Daly, organizer of the......

Some super-snazzy stuff is going on around Boston this week in the film world. The African Film Festival at the MFA is going strong, and Harvard Film Archive brings us José Luis Guerín's In the City of Sylvia (En la ciudad de Sylvia) with the director live and in person. (Sometimes we wonder what the point of saying "live and in person" is--would we really go to an event with someone dead and in person?......

--The State Supreme Judicial Court just overturned the conviction of a Methuen ex-police officer accused of raping a woman in 2000. The case hinged on whether or not lawyers could prove the woman was "too intoxicated to consent, not that she was merely high and drunk." However, the SJC felt that the trial judge didn't give proper instructions to the jurors. The ex-officer will get a new trial. [Boston Globe] --In a similar case,......

Bookgasms There is no public institution that inspires Bostonist with so many warm feelings as the public library. And there is no charity event quite like a library book sale to make Bostonist into a heartless marauder, fighting tooth and nail with no quarter given nor expected. City-wide Friends of the BPL are offering one today at Copley. Stay out of our freaking way. Central Library, Copley Square, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm. Movies It's......

Boston African Film Festival Various dates and times in February Remis Auditorium, MFA Tickets $6-9 (matinee vs. evening, members/students/seniors vs. general admission) On the heels of the successful Human Rights Watch Film Festival, the MFA brings us the 8th annual Boston African Film Festival. The films featured in this festival were all made in Africa, and all promise to be moving, transformative experiences for any audience. The festival opens this Friday, February 1, with Franco......

Rob Vassegh of Cheap Thrills Boston sent Bostonist an interview he did with the amazing Titler, who will be performing tonight. For more about getting your kicks in Boston on the cheap, go to Cheap Thrills Boston. “Titler’s Oddville”at The Beehive, 541 Tremont Street, Boston (South End)$10 online / $15 door10pm to MidnightWhen you see the cross-dressing Hitler look-alike on Oddville's flyer, you know this is destined to be one of the edgiest performances Boston......

Human Rights International Film Festival at the MFA The Axe in the Attic: Review follows. Sunday, January 20, 2 pm Friday, January 25, 5:45 pm Saturday, January 26, 12:45 pm Thursday, January 31, 6 pm Hot House: A probing documentary that explores the emergence of a Palestinian national leadership within Israeli prisons. Screens Sunday, January 20, 2008, 10:30 am. White Light/Black Rain: A film exploring the threat of nuclear weapons today while looking at mistakes......

Books Ex-SNL writer Patricia Marx, who was also one of the first women to be elected to the Lampoon, will be at Borders Back Bay to talk about Him Her Him Again the End of Him, about a woman who cannot wash a supremely snotty, pretentious man out of her hair. Check out the first chapter, in which Marx's heroine describes her first encounter with "Eugene" and tries to remember what her dissertation was about......

Finally, finally, the National Treasure got the smack-down by two geezers, and ">The Bucket List won this weekend's box office. Juno is still high on the list. While we're happy for Juno's success, is it just us, or are people trying too hard to seem hip by talking about Juno all the time? And has anyone else noticed that Alvin and the Chipmunks isn't going away, either? Now, we'd pay to see the Alvin and......

Human Rights Watch International Film Festival Various Showings, January 16-20 Museum of Fine Arts Boston and Peabody Essex Museum It can be easy to get caught up in local and national news, especially when election coverage is hot and murderous Marines are being sought. But even in the face of exciting events, we shouldn't lose sight of larger, less glamorous issues like human rights. Human Rights Watch has been keeping an eye on international abuses......

Unlike the Top 10 Most Commented stories, the top 10 favorites represented a selection of all the fun, the playful, and just plain odd that this city has to offer. You loved sex scandals at the local schools, Vendetta Gunn, and the local productions On Broadway and "BU Tonight." But we were really surprised at how much you loved … Barbie. Yeah, Barbie. 10. Arlington School System Turns Into Peyton Place 9. Boston Blotter: Penis......

First Night Film Festival Monday, December 31 All movies will screen in Room 312 of the Hynes Convention Center, except for the Dylan at Newport feature, which will be in Hall D. All indoor events are accessible with a First Night button ($15) Official First Night site First Night usually inspires thoughts of fireworks, ice sculptures, and outdoor activities. But movies are First Night's secret weapon because a) the lineup of movies is great and......

Bostonist had the wonderful luck to talk to some big-time talents in all fields this year. And, no, we're not sure how we tricked these people into talking to us. Here's a look back: Authors Diane Rapaport, The Naked Quaker, 11/20 Jonah Lehrer, Proust Was a Neuroscientist, 11/13 John Fulton, The Animal Girl, 10/22 Jonathan Messinger, Dollar Store Series and Hiding Out, 10/9 Shalom Auslander, Foreskin's Lament, 10/9 Steve Almond, Not That You Asked, 9/11......

Iranian Film Festival The Red Card (Carte ghermez) Mahnaz Afzali, 74 minutes, documentary, Persian with subtitles Saturday, November 17, 3:15 pm Remis Auditorium, MFA, Boston $10, Tickets and More Info While Iran's culture seems largely shut off from the United States or represented by the face of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the culture shares two strong similarities with that of America--celebrity worship and an attraction to bizarre crimes. The documentary The Red Card is like the OJ......

The Heartbeat Detector France, 2007, 144 minutes, French/subtitled Boston Jewish Film Festival Saturday, November 10, 7:00 pm, ICA, $10 Official site for the BJFF Bostonist only started to plumb the depths of the offerings at the Boston Jewish Film Festival with last week's list of highlights. Another movie, The Heartbeat Detector, has also intrigued us, and it will make its New England debut tomorrow night. Also known as "La Question Humaine," this movie follows a......

Magner's Boston Irish Film Festival November 9-11, 2007 Brattle Theatre and Harvard Film Archive $8-10 If you haven't got enough Irish in your everyday slang, be sure to check out the 2007 Boston Irish Film Festival (BIFF) for a strong shot of Irish flavor. This year focuses on four strong feature films: The Front Line, On Broadway, Short Order, and The Tiger's Tale, but features several other Irish films as well. View the trailers and......

The 19th Annual Boston Jewish Film Festival Now through November 11 At almost every theater in town Official site Sometimes film festivals aim to achieve a specific tone each year, or they provide selections that fit neatly into certain genres. This year's Boston Jewish Film Festival selections are unruly. They won't be boxed in. Even when it comes to their screenings, specific movies might be hard to find because they are popping up all over......

Boston Latino International Film Festival Howard Thurman Center at Boston University 775 Commonwealth Ave October 19-21 Free! [ Schedule ] BLIFF may sound like bluff, but we're not bluffing when we say that the Boston Latino International Film Festival has some fine films (shorts, documentaries, full-length features, and more) coming up in this final weekend of the festival's 6th year running. Titles include Bragging Rights: Stickball Stories, Immigrant Reflections: Three Boston College Service Workers......

Boston Bike Film Festival Brattle Theatre, Cambridge Friday, October 19-Saturday, October 20, 7:00 $20 in advance / $25 at the door More info Full schedule It's hard riding a bicycle in this city. Even though Boston's mayor just discovered bikes, cyclists have to face numerous road hazards. This year's Boston Bike Film Festival will give bike-lovers the opportunity to revel in their chosen means of travel, and it will also give those who are afraid......

Zombie Movie Marathon Somerville Theatre 55 Davis Square Saturday, October 6, 7:00 pm to 7:00 am Sunday $24 in advance/$30 day of show BostonSci-Fi.com, the same folks who brought you the SciFi Film Festival, is offering a little taste, so to speak, of what's to come with night full of brain-starved zombies. Garen Daly, local sci-fi master, has listed a few of the movies of the evening on the Boston Sci-Fi.com website. The Somerville Theatre......

Darjeeling Limited Plus Q&A With Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartzman Brattle Theatre Thursday, October 11 7:00 pm Update: One commenter pointed out that the Brattle website isn't listing it yet and is showing Robert Reich reading at 6:00 pm and the Fantastic Film Festival starting at 10:00. Harvard Book Store, also sponsoring the Reich reading, sent out an e-mail saying the reading has been moved from the Brattle to the Swedenborg Chapel. Update to the......

Yo La Tengo Presents "The Sounds of Science" Tuesday, September 25, 8:00 pm Coolidge Corner Theatre $25 Introduction by Fabien Cousteau The third-annual Muddy River Environmental Film Series is running at Coolidge Corner Theatre. The series covers wine, global warming, and Tuvalu. Closing night features a screening of several works by Jean Painlevé, a nature filmmaker who sounds like a real-life Steve Zissou, only without the silly outfits. Painlevé's images shocked the scientist crowd, not......

--Bachelor No. 2 needs more fresh meat! The filmmakers are holding another casting call for extras at the Comedy Connection on Saturday, September 22. If you have a SAG card and haven't attended a call, go between 11 am and 12 pm. If you don't have a SAG card and haven't attended a call, go between 1 pm and 5 pm. --George Clooney was in town for the Boston Film Festival. He was sporting a......

You may not have noticed since they've been largely under the radar, but the Boston Film Festival starts this weekend at the AMC Loews Boston Common, and they have some good movies. The Boston Film Festival website has the full schedule, and Bostonist has pulled out some highlights: Lars and the Real Girl, Saturday, September 15, 7:30-9:30 Have you ever wondered what might happen if a fella bought a blow-up doll and actually fell in......

Shot in the Hood will screen with "Bullet Full of Knowledge," "Streets 2 Suites," and "The Maggot" on Friday, August 3, at 6:00 pm at the Cabral Center at the John D. O'Bryant African-American Institute, Northeastern University. The Roxbury Film Festival is running from now through Sunday at various venues around town. Check the Roxbury Film Festival's website for a schedule and details. "Shot in the Hood," showing at the Roxbury Film Festival, comes from......

I'm Through With White Girls opens the Roxbury Film Festival and will be at the Museum of Fine Arts' Remis Auditorium at 7:30 pm on Thursday, August 2. The Roxbury Film Festival is running from Wednesday, August 1, to Sunday, August 5, at various venues around town. Check the Roxbury Film Festival's website for a schedule and details. The ninth-annual Roxbury Film Festival starts off with the provocatively titled comedy I'm Through With White Girls.......

LAist was comped front row seats by the Dodgers due to Malingering being struck by a foul ball last week, and she came back with some great photos, and earlier made fun of 4th of July on Venice Beach. But the biggest stories of the week was that the Mayor's Hot Tamale was revealed, and that a Kwik-E-Mart was erected in Burbank. Phillyist was busy doing the Fourth of July up right, exercising their......

What with Paris Hilton's release earlier this week and the upcoming celebration of American Independence (sorry, Londonist!), we've been thinking a lot about freedom. Freedom to vote, freedom to choose, and most importantly, freedom to blog. Here are a few things we're happy we've been free to blog about this week. Being the nation's capital, DCist felt especially proud to let freedom ring this week by exposing the really important issues, like how sad they......

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried......