Still from "Once Upon a Time in Anatolia"

Yes, that smell is coming from your local multiplex —so stay away!

Now is the time to see great films made outside the studio system, or even—gasp!—outside the good ol' US of A. You could even use the weekend to catch up on the less-glitzy Academy Awards categories and astound your friends with your esoteric knowledge. There is no awards season moment as sweet as casually dropping your opinion on the animated short film race and watching your friends realize they will never win the Oscar pool.

Here are the films you should be watching over the next four days:

THURSDAY 2/9

"The Killing Of A Chinese Bookie" 

7:30pm, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Recently-departed actor Ben Gazzara turns in one of the finest performances of his storied career in this classic from John Cassavetes, a titan of early American independent cinema. Playing an LA nightclub owner stuck between the mob and a hard place, Gazzara is forced to commit the titular crime, with terrible results. This film is presented as part of the YBCA's "Bros Before Hos" series, which is as admirable in its selection as it is bold in its nomenclature. I'm looking forward to a "Cash Rules Everything Around Me" follow up next year.

FRIDAY 2/10

"Once Upon A Time In Anatolia" 

Feb. 10 - 16, Various Times, SF Film Society Cinema

This film, which won the Grand Prix at Cannes last year, is the perfect antidote to the rote police procedurals that clutter TV and the aforementioned multiplexes. Turkish director Nuri Bilge takes his time to deepen the story of an accused murderer leading the police officers who captured him on a long trip to the scene of the crime. Beautiful, existential, and wonderfully acted, this film deserves to be seen on a big screen.

SATURDAY 2/11 & SUNDAY 2/12

"Oscar Nominated Live-Action Shorts" & "Oscar Nominated Animated Shorts"

Various Times, Opera Plaza Cinemas & Lumiere, SF; Shattuck Cinemas, Berkeley

As I feel everyone knows by now, I am a fan of the shorts. So please don't think I'm biased when I say that these programs will be one of the best experiences you have at the movies this year. The vast majority of film-goers never get the chance to see a program of shorts in a theater, and that's a tragedy. Here is an experience tailor-made for our shortening attention spans: five films in the time it normally takes to see one! This year's Oscar crop includes a new short from Pixar ("La Luna"), an always-welcome foray into time travel ("Time Freak"), and—my favorite—the winner of the Jury Prize for Best Animated Short at this year's Sundance Film Festival ("A Morning Stroll". All the trailers are here, now go see them and let me know what you think!