Surviving Progress is a heavy-duty think piece of a documentary based on Ronald Wright’s best seller A Short History of Progress. Co-directed and co-written by Mathieu Roy (François Girard en Trois Actes) and Harold Crooks (The Corporation), the film tries to tackle some giant-sized issues regarding humanity, progress and the very future integrity of our civilization.

It came as no surprise to learn that, mere weeks after getting fired from the top-rated “Two and a Half Men” for his easily demonstrable bad behavior, Charlie Sheen landed another sitcom at a rival network. If there’s one thing today’s pop cultural landscape rewards, time and again, it’s bad behavior. Another thing that it rewards: mediocrity.

Our neighbors to the south in El Paso are once again firing up the projectors at the historic Plaza Theatre for the Plaza Classic Film Festival. This year’s fifth annual fest takes place Aug. 2 through 12 and will feature a bevy of modern and classic Hollywood films. Organizers have really bumped up the star power this year as well. The guest of honor is no less than Al Pacino! The Oscar-winning actor will participate in a one-night-only Q & A detailing his illustrious career. The event will take place on Saturday, Aug. 4, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $65 to $125. Other fantastic guests include Mary Badham (To Kill a Mockingbird), Eva Marie Saint (North By Northwest, On the Waterfront) and Tippi Hedren (The Birds, Marnie). Among the individual films being screened are 1958’s A Night To Remember, 1951’s An American in Paris, 1998’s The Big Lebowski, 1942’s Casablanca, 2001’s Donnie Darko, 1933’s Duck Soup, 1982’s E.T. The Extraterrestrial, 1966’s The Endless Summer, 1954’s Godzilla, 1994’s Pulp Fiction and 1973’s The Sting. Believe me when I say there’s something for everyone here. The festival is even hosting the “re-premiere” of a newly restored print of 1966’s infamous Z-grade horror flick Manos, The Hands of Fate (which was shot in El Paso). The list of films is simply enormous. Check it out the lineup for yourself. Individual tickets are up for grabs at the box office and all-fest passes are available. Special hotel rates can be found next door at the Camino Real Hotel, if you wanna make a weekend out of it.