Most Heinous

When Theodore “Ted” Logan, portrayed by Keanu Reeves, and Bill S. Preston, Esq., played by the funny and underappreciated Alex Winter, find themselves unable to break into a locked county jail, they settle their dilemma by exploiting a temporal paradox. They resolve to return in their time machine and leave the keys hidden nearby for their present selves to find. Having made this decision, they immediately find the keys and use them. Pretty clever for a couple of slacker half-wits, but it also means that the success of their band, Wyld Stallyns, was predetermined, and the outcome of the film’s plot was never in doubt. Never before has the fate of the planet so depended on the outcome of a high-school history presentation. Tonight at 9., the Screenland Theatre (1656 Washington, 816-421-9700) shows Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure. The film itself is like a trip back to 1989, when Nintendo was riding high, a president named Bush was on the verge of war with Iraq, and America was pumping resources into Afghanistan. Weird — strange things are afoot at the Circle K. Maybe we can leave ourselves the keys to escape from the zeitgeist. Screenland Theater

Fri., Aug. 24, 9 p.m.