Durham
The Bridge on the River Kwai

Carolina TheatreIf you haven’t seen a David Lean film on the big screen, then you haven’t seen a David Lean film. From the copper-colored deserts of Lawrence of Arabia to the frozen steppes of Doctor Zhivago, the sense of immense scaleand of the humans caught in these massive landscapesis key to the style of storytelling Lean brought to films that helped define “epic” for generations of moviegoers. For five days only, Sunday to Thursday, the Carolina Theatre features his 1957 classic, The Bridge on the River Kwai, in a gorgeous 35 mm print. Though more character-driven than many of his films, this tale of a World War II prison camp and the British colonel (Alec Guinness, who won an Oscar for best actor) obsessed with proving his troops’ resilience by complying with the enemy’s demand to build a bridge, is a psychological, tense masterpiece, ending with one of the most indelible images in cinema. Incidentally, Pierre Boulle, who wrote the novel on which this was based, also penned the source novel for Planet of the Apes. Quite a resume, huh? Showtimes are at 7:30 p.m., with a 2:30 p.m. matinee on Sunday. Tickets are $8, with students, seniors and matinees costing $6.25. For more information, visit www.carolinatheatre.org. Zack Smith

Raleigh
Bison B.C.

Volume 11 TavernThis three-band invasion, dubbed Baptized in Beer, marches a diverse cross-section of the new faces at heavy-music empire Metal Blade Records down from the North: Vancouver’s Bison B.C. aims for the atavistic with cranked amplifier hum, slowed and staggered riffs, and beats that tip sticks to stoner and thrash influences. Speaking of thrash, Wisconsin’s Lazarus A.D. reins 30 years of the stuff into four-minute furies on this year’s The Onslaught. Tighter than handcuffs and about as confining, they’re at least jovially foul-mouthed and endearing. New guys Woe of Tyrants crunch heavy on the Suffocation tip, bellowing and riffing above epic drum fills. Six Foot Orchard opens at 7:30 p.m. for $10. Grayson Currin