WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23

ROULETTE—Back Fence PDX is trying out improv: The "Russian Roulette" edition challenges storytellers (like Shelley McLendon and Mercury reporter Sarah Mirk) to come up with true tales, with themes chosen by the audience, in five minutes or less! Hate change? Tomorrow night's show is back to normal, and features Parenthood's Joy Bryant! MS
Mission Theater, 1624 NW Glisan, Wed & Thurs 8 pm, $12.50-20, 21+

BEAT BEAT—2011's high-octane The FP was one of the funniest and bizarrest films in recent memory—think The Warriors, but with gangs playing Dance Dance Revolution. Now Jason Trost, the star and co-director of The FP, is back with All Superheroes Must Die, in which a band of superheroes is forced to defend themselves. Trost's in town to do a screening and Q&A of Superheroes, followed by a screening of The FP—all for free! EH
Mt. Tabor Theater, 4811 SE Hawthorne, All Superheroes Must Die at 7 pm, The FP at 9:30 pm, FREE, 21+

THURSDAY, JANUARY 24

SKLARBRO MEN—Brothers Randy and Jason Sklar are identical twins with an utterly unique two-man comedy show. Seamlessly finishing each other's sentences, their comedy is quick, wry, and razor sharp, and their popular comedy podcast regularly ranks in top 10 lists. One of 'em wears glasses. We're not sure which. AH
Helium Comedy Club, 1510 SE 9th, Thurs 8 pm, Fri-Sat 7:30 & 10 pm, $15-27

PLETHORA—Southeast beer haunt Firkin Tavern's inaugural Plethora Music Fest is a model of how to do it right: Three nights of stacked bills featuring great local bands (Pinehurst Kids, Bubble Cats, the Century) from all different genres, and all for the very affordable price of free. Tonight, inventive folk deconstructionists the Harvey Girls headline a bill that also includes Drunk on Pines, Dramady, and more. NL
Firkin Tavern, 1937 SE 11th, Thurs-Sat, 8 pm, FREE

FRIDAY, JANUARY 25

MINI-ROCK—Do you enjoy attending rock shows AND giving back to your community? Well, consider tonight your proverbial jam! Members of Red Fang, Portugal. the Man, Blind Pilot, Typhoon, and many, many others will play songs with students from the School of Rock, with proceeds going to Music in the Schools. And the night will end in a giant dance party! RF
Crystal Ballroom, 1332 W Burnside, 8 pm, $13-17, all ages

LATE NIGHT ACTIONLate Night Action with Alex Falcone is back for another triumphant season, in which the very funny/smart Portland comedian (and Merc contributor) interviews local luminaries, features hot musical acts, and participates in all sorts of sketch comedy shenanigans. Tonight's guests are comedian Randy Mendez, Breakfast in Bridgetown author Paul Gerald, musical group Albatross, AND Mercury senior editor/film-watching idiot savant Erik Henriksen. WSH
Action/Adventure Theatre, 1050 SE Clinton, 9 pm, $12

ALUMNUS—Once a year, Dr. Demento returns to his alma mater, Reed College, to give a series of lectures on the weird and wild music that makes his radio show so iconic. Tonight's topic is "Grandpa's Pornography," or in other words, "Songs I Can't Play on the Dr. Demento Show"—so expect to hear some hilarious, bizarre, and outright dirty tunes. On Saturday he'll talk about the origins of blues, and Sunday he'll focus on all things Zappa. NL
Reed College's Vollum Lecture Hall, 3203 SE Woodstock, Fri-Sun 7 pm, $5 (FREE for Reed students)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 26

LA GETS CLIPPED—Of Portland's many traditions, one of the most satisfying involves really hating Los Angeles. For decades, the best way to do that was to attend Blazers games and screech profanities at the Lakers when they came to town, but the Lakers are ass now, so I guess Blake Griffin's Clippers will have to do. BR
Rose Garden, 1 Center Court, 7 pm, $24-195

IN THE NEW YEAR—The well-dressed gents of the Walkmen want to show you a polished, lush good time. Let their decadent wall of epic symphonics wash over you as they play heartbreakers from their decade-deep back catalog. Also on the bill is Father John Misty, the druggy, dreamy shaman whose majestic folk-rock is a huge draw in its own right. CF
Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 9 pm, $22-25, all ages

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27

WEIRD & ANIMATED—Czech animator Jan Švankmajer makes bizarre, tactile-rich films with mixtures of stop-motion, puppetry, real-life action, and clay. They're beautiful, surreal, and really weird. Faust is a puppetry take on the infamous devil-dealing tale, while the excellent Conspirators of Pleasure is a visceral treat full of unexpected fetishes. CF
Whitsell Auditorium at the NW Film Center, 1219 SW Park, Faust at 5 pm, Conspirators of Pleasure at 7 pm, $9 each, see Film Times for more showtimes

SPACE INVADER JAM—As of today, computer nerds have spent the past 36 hours at the Art Institute, running on coffee and pizza 'round-the-clock to design original games. This silly, smart, and certainly smelly mess is Global Game Jam, a worldwide game-design "hackathon." Stop by to see what they've invented while you've been lazing around. SM
Art Institute of Portland, 1122 NW Davis, Fri-Sun, ends at 5 pm on Sun, FREE, globalgamejam.org

MONDAY, JANUARY 28

HISTORY TIME—One of the oldest towns on the continent and its nearby waterfalls, both of which were Oregon icons, disappeared one day in 1957, when the Celilo Falls were destroyed to build the Dalles Dam. Historian Thomas Robison shows rare, stunning photos and film of these lost treasures tonight for an always-interesting History Pub event. SM
Kennedy School, 5736 NE 33rd, 7 pm, FREE, all ages

FERTILE GROUND—Every January, when the weak among us consider moving to sunnier climes, the local theater community launches a compelling reason to stick around: The Fertile Ground Festival showcases never-before-seen shows from across Portland's performance spectrum. From Troll 2: The Musical to high-profile shows at Artists Rep and Third Rail, there's something for every taste. AH
Various locations, Thurs Jan 24-Sun Feb 3, $50 fest pass or pay per show (prices vary), fertilegroundpdx.org for details and schedule

TUESDAY, JANUARY 29

NUNSPLOITATION—Described as "an erotic mix of sexploitation, giallo, and blasphemy," the 1974 Japanese horror flick Convent of the Sacred Beast follows a young woman who finds herself in a, shall we say, less-than-reputable convent. And since this—the only known 35mm print of this nunsploitation epic—is being screened by the Grindhouse Film Festival, you're also guaranteed a trailer reel of 35mm sexploitation previews. Bring grandma! EH
Hollywood Theatre, 4122 NE Sandy, 7:30 pm, $7

EAR WORTHY—If you're feeling like you need to see more local live music, you're right—so put yourself in front of the Lower 48, whose live shows have evolved from strummy folk into fiery rock showdowns. Be sure to catch Incredible Yacht Control, the inventive and prolific band from Crosstide's Bret Vogel, who splits the difference between basement soul and new-wavey dream pop. NL
w/Glossary; Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi, 9 pm, $8