all day: Movies

Suave actor Michael Douglas plays against type as a rumpled, slightly neurotic college professor feverishly trying to finish his second novel in “Wonder Boys,” a quirky comedy from director Curtis Hanson (his first since his lauded 1997 film “L.A. Confidential”). Times film critic Kenneth Turan says that the film is a “smart and literate” adaptation of the Michael Chabon novel. * “Wonder Boys,” which is rated R for language and drug content, is playing in selected theaters and will open Friday in general release.

7 pm: Movies

The Santa Monica Film Festival, a four-day event, kicks off on Friday at Santa Monica’s Bergamot Station with the indie film “Shoe Shine Boys,” which Times film critic Kevin Thomas calls a “savagely funny and incisive satire.” Also screening on Friday is the documentary “Karen Black: Actress at Work.” “Random Shooting in L.A.” will screen over the weekend and the fest will culminate with the Moxie! Awards on Monday evening.

* Santa Monica Film Festival, Bergamot Station, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica. For full schedule see the Special Screenings listings, Page XX, or check out the Web site at https://www.smff.com. Individual tickets are $7; a one-day pass for Saturday or Sunday is $65; a three-day pass, good Friday-Sunday, is $100. Tickets for Monday’s Moxie! Awards are $135. Tickets, (888) 386-8497; information, (310) 289-7144.

all day: Movies

Two noteworthy but very different films are opening Friday at the Nuart Theater in West Los Angeles. “The Terrorist” is a TKTKTKTK-language drama from Indian director Santosh Sivan about a female teenage assassin (Ayesha Dharkar) who volunteers for a suicide bombing mission and then, for the first time, begins to contemplate the meaning of her life. “Cartoon Noir” is a compilation of six animated shorts: Paul Vester’s “Abductees” (1995, United Kingdom), Jiri Barta’s “Club of the Discarded” (1989, Czechoslovakia), Piotr Dumala’s “Gentle Spirit” (1987, Poland), Pedro Serrazina’s “The Story of the Cat and the Moon” (1995, Portugal), and, from the U.S., Julie Zammarachi’s “Ape” (1992) and Suzan Pitt’s “Joy Street” (1996). Note: The Nuart is charging separate admissions for “The Terrorist” and “Cartoon Noir”; the program is not a double feature.

* Nuart Theater, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West Los Angeles. “The Terrorist” screens Friday-March 2 at 5 and 7:15 p.m., with an additional 12:30 p.m. screening on Saturday and Sunday; “Cartoon Noir” screens Friday-March 2 at 9:30 p.m. with an additional 2:45 p.m. screening on Saturday and Sunday. $5.25 to $8.50 for each film. (310) 478-6379.

9 pm: Pop Music

Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley is the best-known member of Two Dollar Guitar, but singer and songwriter Tim Foljahn is the prime mover of this indie-rock outfit’s transformation of roots sources into personal, idiosyncratic and unpredictable music.

* Two Dollar Guitar, Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake, 9 p.m. $TK. (213) 833-2843).

8 pm: Theater

In Arthur Miller’s drama “All My Sons,” a soldier’s return from World War II is clouded by the discovery of his father’s terrible secret.

* “All My Sons,” South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7:30 p.m.; Saturdays and Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Ends April 1. $28 to $47. (714) 708-5555.

8 pm: Theater

Kevin McCarthy heads the cast in Cal Rep’s American premiere of “Knights of the Round Table,” German playwright Christoph Hein’s drama about an aging King Arthur and his knights, and his son Mordred, whose dreams don’t match his father’s.

* “Knights of the Round Table,” Edison Theatre, 213 E. Broadway, Long Beach. Fridays and Saturdays, 8 p.m.; also March 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 7 p.m.; March 11, 18, 2 p.m. Ends March 18. $20. (562) 432-1818, (562) 985-7000.

9 pm: Pop Music

There’s a bit of a buzz on Amel Larrieux, who was in the Top 10 five years ago as the singer on Groove Theory’s “Tell Me.” The New Yorker’s new album, “Infinite Possibilities,” showcases her “neo-soul” style.

* Amel Larrieux, Vynyl, 1650 Schrader Blvd., 9 p.m. $10. (323) 465-7449.

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FREEBIES: Edgy photographer Larry Fink takes us behind the scenes of fashion and couture in “Theater Without a Plot,” an exhibition of photographs at Jan Kesner Gallery, 164 N. La Brea Ave., West Hollywood. An opening reception will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Ends April 1. (323) 938-6834.

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Pianist Steve Lockwood’s trio with drummer Billy Mintz appears on the plaza at LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, 5:30-8:30 p.m. (323) 857-6000.