I Can't Believe It's a Summer Weekend

Yes, there's a super-empty Ocean's sequel and another talking penguin cartoon hitting the multiplexes today. But a bounty of special screenings makes L.A. look like it's arty Cannes this June weekend.
From west to east, here's a quick round-up of rare moviegoing opportunities available this weekend:
At the Aero in Santa Monica Saturday, the latest from the great John Boorman ("Point Blank," "Deliverance"), "The Tiger's Tail," a comedy about the Irish economic miracle starring his "The General" headliner Brendan Gleeson. And on Sunday, French auteur Claire Denis' dance documentary "Towards Mathilde" and Greek master Theo Angelopoulos' stylized historical pageant "The Weeping Meadow."
A few blocks away, Santa Monica's NuWilshire will be running double features of Johnnie To's "Election" and "Triad Election," the most acclaimed Hong Kong gangster movies in years, all weekend.
For a totally different Asian film experience, check out the L.A. County Museum's masterpieces by Kenji Mizoguchi, the long-take genius of Japan's classic great directors triumvirate (Akira Kurosawa and Yasujiro Ozu were the other two Olympians). The ghostly "Ugetsu" and geisha drama "Sisters of the Gion" play tonight; the 11th Century epic tragedy "Sansho the Bailiff" screens Saturday.
Up at the Egyptian in Hollywood, Canadian retro-aesthete-weirdo Guy Maddin's latest faux silent movie "Brand Upon the Brain!" unfolds with live orchestral and celebrity narrative accompaniment over the next five nights.
And downtown at REDCAT in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, screenings of Apichatpong Weerasethakul's experimental short films and internationally acclaimed feature "Tropical Malady" accompany the world premiere of the hot Thai director's latest video installation.
Or you can see "Hostel: Part II." The choice is yours. But wow, what a great range of choices.