Big Bird visits the Aero Theatre

The beloved “Sesame Street” character Big Bird has become a surprising political issue in the presidential election. The American Cinematheque’s Aero Theatre is paying homage to the big yellow bird Sunday afternoon -- just two days before the election -- with a screening of the 1985 feature film, “Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird.”

The comedy finds a social worker sending Big Bird to live with a family of Dodos in Illinois, so it’s up to the Sesame Street game to bring him back home. Chevy Chase and John Candy make cameos.

The Aero Theatre is offering a sneak peek Thursday evening of two episodes of “The Untold History of the United States,” Oliver Stone’s new documentary series for Showtime. Stone will be on hand to discuss the series with moderator Robert Scheer.

And on Monday, the Aero shows the new digital 3-D restoration of the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock thriller “Dial M for Murder” with Grace Kelly, Ray Milland and Robert Cummings. https://www.americancinematheque.com

Writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (“Boogie Nights,” “There Will Be Blood,” “The Master”) will discuss his career and a present a film that inspired him Thursday at Film Independent at LACMA at the Leo S. Bing Theater. The name of the film has not been announced.

LACMA’s Tuesday matinee at the Bing presents the 1954 thriller “The Caine Mutiny,” starring Humphrey Bogart in his Oscar-nominated performance as the troubled Captain Queeg. https://www.lacma.org

UCLA Film & Television Archive’s “Bernardo Bertolucci: A Retrospective” comes to a conclusion this weekend at the Billy Wilder Theater. Screening Friday evening is the director’s rarely seen 1968 film, “Partner” and his classic 1970 film, “The Conformist,” which put Bertolucci on the international cinema map. The series concludes Sunday evening with his multi-Oscar-winning 1987 period epic “The Last Emperor.”

The archive’s “Out of the Past: Film Restoration Today” continues Monday evening at the James Bridges Theater with “Amateur Films From the Academy Film Archive.” Curator Lynne Kirste will be on hand to discuss the program, which is free to the public. https://www.cinema.ucla.edu

New Beverly Cinema features two camp musicals Thursday evening-the 1980 sci-fi disco musical “The Apple” and 1978’s “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” starring Peter Frampton and the Bee Gees. Screenwriter Josh Olson (“A History of Violence”) will be on hand to introduce the films. https://www.newbevcinema.com

Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre ushers in November with Friday midnight showings of the “Alien” quadrilogy. Screening this Friday is Ridley Scott’s 1979 masterpiece “Alien,” with Sigourney Weaver. Cinefamily will be showing Scott’s 2003 director’s cut.

And on Saturday, Cinefamily presents an evening with South Korean director Kim Ki-Duk that includes a screening of his 2006 film, “Time.” Two more of his films are on tap for Sunday -- 2003’s “Spring, Summer Fall, Winter ... and Spring” and 2004’s “3-Iron.” Screening Monday is his 2002 film “Bad Guy.”

Cinefamily’s “Silent Treatment” Wednesday franchise presents a a real rarity-1927’s “The Monkey Talks,” directed by Raoul Walsh. https://www.cinefamily.org

The Sundance Institute at the Autry presents a program of short films by native and indigenous filmmakers Saturday evening at the Wells Fargo Theater at the Autry. Brooke Swaney, the director of one of the film’s “Ok Breathe Auralee,” will participate in a Q&A; after the screenings. https://www.autry.org

The ArcLight Cinemas Documentary Film Festival begins Monday in Hollywood and continues through Nov. 8 with winners announced Nov. 10. Among the films in the festival are “Bob Barry: Jazzography in Black & White”; “The Grey Area”; “The Entertainers”; and “Canary in the Coal Mine.” https://www.arclightcinemas.com

Skirball’s free Tuesday matinee is an Election Day special -- the 1972 political satire “The Candidate,” starring Robert Redford. Jeremy Larner won an Oscar for his original screenplay. https://www.skirball.org

Filmed at Redcat on Monday evening presents “The Poetics of Place Films” by Rose Lowder. The European filmmaker will be on hand to talk about her movies. https://www.redcat.org

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences presents “An Academy Salute to Stanley Kubrick” Wednesday at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in conjunction with LACMA’s Kubrick exhibition and upcoming film series. Malcolm McDowell will host the evening of film clips and personal remembrances from those who worked with the iconic filmmaker. https://www.oscars.org

Related:

A Stanley Kubrick odyssey at LACMA

Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Master’ headed to Venice

Big Bird’s fans tweet after he’s targeted in presidential debate