When the Saenger Theatre presented two weekends of classic movies (North by Northwest, Singin' in the Rain, etc.), it not only provided an oasis of classic film in an ocean of summer dreck but also a little ray of hope in a city devoid of a true repertory film theater. (The same could be said for the New Orleans Film Festival's French Film Festival last month, with a Luis Bunuel film tossed in among the stellar contemporary fare.) Now comes Rene Brunet Inc., owner of the Prytania and State Palace theaters, with a SUMMER MOVIE SERIES at the State Palace Theater (1108 Canal St.) starting this weekend that begins with a bang and ends with a choice. The variety isn't limited to the selection in this monthlong series; as opposed to previous series, Rene Brunet is offering matinees, evening showings and midnight screenings over a longer period than previously provided. Oscar winners abound here, starting with this weekend's menu: The Wizard of Oz (8 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday), The Shining (midnight Friday-Saturday) and Gone With the Wind (7 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday). Next weekend focuses on two '70s classics, Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather and Bob Fosse's Cabaret, with the following weekend (Sept. 5-7) shaking things up with A Night at the Opera, A Clockwork Orange and local fave A Streetcar Named Desire. Then comes the fun part: for the final weekend (Sept. 12-14), the screenings will be strictly customers' choice from polling done from the previous weeks of screenings, as well as a showing of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Classic Bugs Bunny cartoons will be played before each movie. The State Palace also has undergone renovations that include the projection booth, seating and beautiful chandeliers -- as well as a paint job -- to put a sparkle to the place, and there will be food and beverage service along with the usual concessions. Tickets $6 general admission, $5.50 seniors and kids. -- David Lee Simmons

The Libertines 9 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19 The Parish at House of Blues, 229 Decatur St., 529-BLUE British rock band the Libertines joined the "the band" wave a slice later than most of their stateside counterparts. 2002 was the Year of the Strokes (and the Hives, Vines, Doves, White Stripes, etc.), but the Libertines' debut Up the Bracket didn't appear in America until March of this year. On the band's follow-up tour, its headlining set at California's Coachella festival was cut short because earlier acts had played overtime, leaving a tent full of disappointed fans. Apparently, American audiences still can't get enough of the essential Brit-rock sound that the Libertines deliver, even if most of their fellow rock revivalists are already on their second or third (or fourth, in the case of the Whites Stripes) albums. This show marks the end of their second U.S. tour this year before they head back to their homeland to appear at both of the UK's end-of-summer blowout rock festivals, Reading and Leeds. Living Things open. Admission $12. -- Cristina Diettinger

Swerve 8 p.m. Thursday-Sunday, Aug. 21-24; through Sept. 14 TwiRoPa Mills, 1544 Tchoupitoulas St., 739-4140 There have always been big ideas swimming around in local playwright R.J. Tsarov's bizarre head, but too often they have felt claustrophobic when placed on the boards. He often has presented his work in intimate spaces such as the True Brew Theater or the now-demolished The Pickery. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing; so much of Tsarov's work is of an interior psychological nature. But what would happen if things were opened up? Local theater fans will get an opportunity to see, in more ways than one, with the presentation of his latest work, Swerve, inside the huge back room of TwiRoPa Mills. Production value explodes in this work compared to previous efforts, with a 40-foot-wide wall of TV screens for a multi-media effect, among other things. Also opening things up, perhaps, will be Tsarov's collaboration with the formerly New York City-based EgoPo Productions. Artistic director Lane Savadove, an acquaintance of Southern Rep's Ryan Rilette, moved his company down here this year and will take the directing duties off Tsarov's hands. Swerve is another excursion into psychosis and rumination by Tsarov, as a man grapples with the memory of his mother. The cast consists of Bill Dykes, Robert Pavlovich, Sharon London, Leah Lofton, Chip Steltz and Veronica Russell. Tickets $25. -- Simmons

David Mooney Trio CD-release party 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21 Snug Harbor, 626 Frenchmen St., 949-0696 Best known for the lilting strains he contributes to the acoustic swing of the Hot Club of New Orleans, jazz guitarist David Mooney is an accomplished composer in his own right. Growing up here in New Orleans, he studied with Astral Project's Steve Masakowski before heading to the University of North Texas in the late '90s to study jazz. Back in town and still in his early 20s, Mooney is already making himself known on the local scene, performing with veterans such as Loren Pickford and Clyde Kerr, as well as his own solo gigs. Taking rhythmic clues from sources as far-reaching as Django Reinhardt and A Tribe Called Quest, Mooney crafts tunes for guitar trio in his own singular style. His compositions are relatively complex harmonically, yet somehow, his gentle execution makes them seem simple. This Thursday, he celebrates the release of his second CD, Luckless Pedestrian, the follow-up to 2002's In This Balance of Time. Cover TBA. -- Diettinger

Two Turntables and a Sousaphone 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21 Maple Leaf Bar, 8316 Oak St., 866-9359 Though the two traditions were born in different eras, different locations, and developed independently, recent collaborations between live musicians and DJs have spawned an interest in the union of these two vibrant street music scenes. Thus, the Two Turntables and a Sousaphone series combines local brass bands and DJs for an electro-organic improvisational workout that only New Orleans could spawn. With past installments featuring the Li'l Rascals Brass Band and New York City's DJ Logic, the series returns this Thursday with the Forgotten Souls Brass Band and DJ Maxmillion. Led by Dirty Dozen sousaphonist Kirk Joseph, the Forgotten Souls is an all-star brass band, featuring members of the ReBirth, the Newbirth and the Li'l Rascals brass bands. Maxmillion's diverse record collection (from old school R&B to the latest underground hip-hop) should be a good match for the band's far-reaching repertoire. The show returns next Thursday night. Cover $7. -- Diettinger

Aiko All-Stars 10 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS Despite New Orleans' status as a hotspot for local and national jambands, the granddaddy of all jam bands -- The Grateful Dead -- is curiously persona non-gratis in the Crescent City. Maybe it's because the band rarely played New Orleans after its infamous 1970 Bourbon Street bust (immortalized in "Truckin'"), but it's puzzling nonetheless, especially considering that the Dead has always loved Louisiana music and tapped artists including the Neville Brothers, ReBirth Brass Band and BeauSoleil as its opening acts. This week a collection of New Orleans musicians and Dead fans shine a light on the band's formidable catalog, tapping '60s favorites like "St. Stephen," '70s classics such as "Eyes of the World," and '80s hits like "Hell in a Bucket." Juice and Brides of Jesus' guitarists Sam Hotchkiss and Bill Iuso will tackle Garcia's and Weir's guitar parts, Juice's Dave Jordan plays Phil Lesh, and dual drummers and a keyboardist reprise the Kreutzmann & Hart percussion tandem and the Dead's multiple keyboardists. Bill Iuso and Restless Natives opens. Cover $5. -- Scott Jordan

Drive-By Truckers 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23 Tipitina's, 501 Napoleon Ave., 895-TIPS The Drive-By Truckers are finally getting their due. Coming out of northern Alabama, this five-piece band made waves last year with the release of its amazing Southern Rock Opera, a two-disc set examining myths of the modern South and their experiences coming of age there in the '70s -- as seen through the lens of the rise and fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd. The band's latest release, Decoration Day, lives up to its previous efforts with such great tunes as "Hell No I Ain't Happy" and "Your Daddy Hates Me." Not only are they terrific songwriters, but with three guitars weaving around each other they lay down huge slabs of powerhouse rock 'n' roll. They play with a swagger and soul -- and lack of angst -- that most other aggregations can't touch, and right now they're one of the best bands in America. The Gourds open. Tickets $12. -- David Kunian

Rock, Paper, Scissors: Photographs by Brad Edelman and Jen DeNike Through August John Stinson Fine Arts, 900 S. Peters St., 566-1944 Brad Edelman, the former Pro Bowl Saints lineman, now a pro photographer in the French Quarter, is having his first major gallery show, sharing the walls with former New Yorker Jen DeNike. Here Edelman demonstrates his sensitive side in a series of big (2-by-3-foot) color abstractions, actually deftly composed blow-ups of little things on city streets and walls that most of us never notice: undulating Rothko-like patches of pigment, or Ernst-like convolutions of house paint convulsing in the heat. DeNike, as we see in her photos of mock-vampire victims or boys skimming rocks off lakes (as well as her related videos at the CAC), has a thing for adolescence, especially adolescent boys. Put 'em together and you've got Rock, Paper, Scissors, a whole new game entirely. -- D. Eric Bookhardt