The 3: Dann discusses great comedies of the silent era

'An Elephant in my PJs'

Join me and former James Bond 007 novelist Raymond Benson for the first of a two-part series on the Great Comedies from the silent era through the 1950s. Clips from "Duck Soup," "City Lights," "Some Like It Hot," "Harvey" and 13 others. Free admission! Call (847) 392-0100 or go to ahml.info.

7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, in the Hendrickson Room at the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, 500 N. Dunton Ave, Arlington Heights.

'World's Greatest Dad'

It starts with a rocky, dramatically undermined setup and ends with a strained baptism/rebirth metaphor. But in the middle, Bobcat Goldthwait's sharp black comedy pokes us in the eye with a scathing sendup of our tendency to mythologize and capitalize on undeserving martyrs. After the bizarre death of his hated, hateful teen son, a meek Seattle high school poetry teacher (Robin Williams in Grade-A form) passes off his own writings as those of his boy, setting off a cult-following by kids and adults eager to ignore truth to be a part of a literary and social movement. Funny and chilling. Rated R for drug use, language and sexual situations. 99 minutes.

Starts today at the Century Centre in Chicago.

'Still Walking'

Three generations of a Japanese family gather for an annual dinner to honor an elder son who drowned while saving a child. Kore-eda Hirokazu's plotless domestic drama is a painfully empathetic experience that laments how family members cheat themselves out of love and familial bonding by allowing superficial concerns to dominate their relationships. A deftly measured drama. In Japanese with subtitles. Not rated, but suitable for general audiences. 114 minutes.

Starts today at the Music Box Theatre in Chicago.