all day: Movies

L.A. Times Archives

Oct. 14, 1999 12 AM PT

In “Fight Club,” the latest dark drama from director David Fincher (“Seven,” “The Game”), Edward Norton and Brad Pitt play two disillusioned and disturbed young men who, in an effort to break from what they see as a soulless society, form an underground and excruciatingly violent brotherhood and become cult-like figures in the process. Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf and Jared Leto co-star.

* “Fight Club,” rated R for disturbing and graphic depiction of violent anti-social behavior, sexuality and language, opens Friday in general release.

all day: Movies

In 1994, a 73-year-old Iowa man named Alvin Straight made a 260-mile trek to visit his ailing brother in Mount Zion, Wis. . . . on his 1966 John Deere lawn mower. Now that uniquely American, contemporary folk tale has been turned into a film--”The Straight Story”--by David Lynch, better known for directing dark and quirky fare such as “Blue Velvet” and “Wild at Heart.” Richard Farnsworth heads the cast as the slow-moving but sage-like farmer who has an effect on everyone he meets on his Midwest odyssey. Sissy Spacek and Harry Dean Stanton co-star.

* “The Straight Story,” rated G, opens Friday at selected theaters.

8 pm: Cabaret

He’s the reigning champion of the American songbook, the former assistant to Ira Gershwin who has celebrated the music of Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer and, of course, the Gershwins over the space of 17 recordings. She’s the leading lady of musical interpretation, an actress who imparts a sense of self and whimsy to the great songs of the past and present. Michael Feinstein and Andrea Marcovicci will share the stage for two nights as they remember popular music at its most romantic.

* Michael Feinstein-Andrea Marcovicci, Cerritos Center For the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Drive, Cerritos, 8 p.m. $52 to $75. Also Saturday at 8 p.m. (800) 300-4345.

8 pm: Theater

Celebration Theatre opens its new season with “Marry Me a Little,” the Stephen Sondheim musical revue about two single people, alone in their apartments, sharing their fantasies and never knowing they’re only a floor away from each other. Written by Craig Lucas and Norman Rene, the show was reconceived as an all-male version with permission from Sondheim.

* “Marry Me a Little,” Celebration Theatre, 7051 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood, Fridays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 3 p.m. Ends Dec. 5. $21 to $26. (310) 289-2999.

all day: Documentaries

Some people celebrate October with beer (Octoberfest); the folks at the International Documentary Assn. celebrate with “DOCtober,” a weeklong festival of first-rate feature-length and short-subject documentaries. In addition to providing a rare chance for nonfiction film lovers to see documentaries on the big screen, the series is a forum for filmmakers to qualify for Academy Award consideration by having a seven-day public screening. Highlights of this year’s series include Richard Roe’s Los Angeles Independent Film Festival award-winning “Pop & Me,” Allan Holzman’s “Old Man River” and Peter von Puttkamer’s lighthearted “Sasquatch Odyssey.”

* “DOCtober ‘99,” State Theater, 770 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Documentaries run 10 a.m. through midnight, Friday through Oct. 21. Tickets are $6 a program and $25 for a weeklong pass. State Theater, (626) 792-3540; Ticketmaster, (213) 480-3232. See Special Screenings listings for full schedule or check out https://www.documentary.org.

7 pm: Music/Family

One of children’s music’s best, folk singer Tom Chapin, a multi-award-winner and two-time Grammy nominee, will perform in concert, including songs from his newest album, “In My Home Town.”

* “Tom Chapin in Concert,” Scherr Forum Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 7 p.m. $12 to $14. (805) 646-8907.

FREEBIES

The vocal-guitar group Corday plays SOME TYPE OF MUSIC TK at Borders Books & Music, 12615 Artesia Blvd., Cerritos. 8:30 p.m. (562) 809-5775.

Vietnamese music ensemble Khac Chi performs at the California Plaza at 300 S. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles, 1 p.m. (213) 687-2159.