She Likes to Watch

Calendar continues with Central Coast Pride appearances by Cleve Jones and Tiffany

This week’s film calendar kicks off with “Pan’s Labyrinth,“ a spooky fairytale that combines enchanting fantasy with real-life horrors.

Written and directed by Guillermo Del Toro (“Hellboy”), “Pan’s Labyrinth” follows 10-year-old Ofelia (Ivana Baquero), who’s just moved to a remote country home.

Ofelia is a clever, imaginative child. But she gets little affection from her sick, pregnant mother (Ariadna Gil) and her stepfather (Sergi López), a sadistic army officer.

One night, she discovers a labyrinth guarded by the mysterious Pan (Doug Jones), an ancient faun who claims that Ofelia is really a princess from an underground kingdom.

Confronted by the terrors of life in 1940s fascist Spain and the threats of the labyrinth, Ofelia undertakes a courageous mission to rejoin her real parents.

Just like last year’s “Let the Right One In,” “Pan’s Labyrinth” is a gorgeous, engrossing fairytale for adults.

Santa Maria firm Cafe FX provided all of the Oscar-winning film’s stunning visual effects — from pixies to the frightening monster known as the Pale Man (also played by Jones).

“Pan’s Labyrinth” screens at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Palm Theatre, 817 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo. Tickets are $7.50.

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What will the Earth look like in 20 years?

That’s the question confronted by “Home,” a documentary by French filmmaker Yann Arthus-Betrand. It’s being screened Thursday in Paso Robles.

In “Home,” Arthus-Betrand examines humanity’s destructive impact on our planet, using aerial footage from 54 countries to depict how every environmental issue is interconnected.

Catch a screening of “Home” at 7 p.m. Thursday at Cafe Vio,  1111 Riverside Ave. in Paso Robles. Tickets are $5 to $10.

For more information, call 237-2722 or visit Cafe Vio online.

THIS JUST IN: A second screening of “Home” has been scheduled for 7 p.m. tonight (Wednesday) at the San Luis Obispo library, 995 Palm St. in San Luis Obispo.

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On Saturday, don’t miss the coming-of-age drama “Ma Vie en Rose.”

Directed and co-written by Alain Berliner,  “Ma Vie en Rose” tells the story of Ludovic, a seven-year-old who wears dresses and skirts whenever possible, dances to the music of Edith Piaf and dreams of marrying a handsome, romantic man.

Such behavior would considered normal for a girl of that age. But Ludovic is a transsexual boy whose search for self-identity puts him at odds with his family and his neighbors.

At turns comical and heartbreaking, “Ma Vie en Rose” examines gender issues from the eyes of a child. It won a Golden Globe in 1998.

“Ma Vie en Rose” will be screened at 1 p.m. Saturday at Ludwick Community Center, 864 Santa Rosa St in San Luis Obispo.

Part of Central Coast Pride 2009, “An Afternoon of Awareness” is co-sponsored by local transgender support group Tranz-Central Coast and the Gay and Lesbian Alliance of the Central Coast, or, GALA.

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The fun continues Sunday with Pride in the Plaza, a free, afternoon-long event that includes appearances by local favorites Sugar Daddy Swing Kings, gay rights activist Cleve Jones and ’80s pop star Tiffany.

Jones appears at 3 p.m. on the Mission Plaza Stage.

The founder of The NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, Jones began his career as an activist in the 1970s — working as a student intern for San Francisco City Supervisor and gay rights pioneer Harvey Milk.

In fact, Jones was the first to find Milk’s body on Nov. 21, 1978.

Hours later, he led the famed White Night protests to commemorate Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, both shot and killed by a disgruntled former county supervisor.

Jones  conceived the idea of the AIDS Memorial Quilt at a 1985 candlelight memorial for Milk. Two years later,  he created the first quilt panel in honor of close friend Marvin Feldman.

The co-founder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, Jones currently works as a lecturer, activist and author. (He published his autobiography, “Stitching a Revolution,” in 2000.)

Jones served as historical consultant to director Gus Van Sant’s Academy Award-winning biopic, “Milk.” He’s portrayed by Emile Hirsch (“Into the Wild,” “Speed Racer”) in the film.

He also appears in the documentaries “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt” and “Echoes of Yourself in the Mirror.”

Tiffany wraps up Pride in the Plaza with a half-hour concert, starting at 4:30 p.m.

The bubbly redhead is best known for such ’80s hits as “I Think We’re Alone Now, “Could’ve Been” and “I Saw Him Standing There.”

These days, Tiffany divides her time between music and acting — appearing in episodes of “How I Met Your Mother” and “The Young and the Restless,“ as well as the indie horror movie “Necrosis.”

For more details, visit Central Coast Pride’s Web site.

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Image courtesy of MovieWeb.com.