Zenith

It speaks to the strength of The Burning’s reputation among cult-film fans that what’s most memorable about the 1981 slasher is not that it was written by the Weinstein brothers, nor that it represents early appearances of the likes of Jason Alexander, Holly Hunter and Fisher Stevens. It’s that its Cropsy is just a damned good villain.

Nightfall

As Simon Lam gets older, he gets better. The veteran actor has appeared in such in seminal HK action films of the 1990s as Once Upon a Time in China (opposite Jet Li) and Bullet in the Head (directed by John Woo); in the aughts, he graced audience and critical favorites Election and Ip Man.

Grand Duel

Lee Van Cleef enjoyed a secondary career in Italy cranking out spaghetti Westerns, with little regard to quality. However, 1972’s Grand Duel — aka The Big Showdown — is deserving of its Grand label. No wonder Quentin Tarantino borrowed its sweeping theme song by Luis Bacalov for Kill Bill; you'll recognize it in two notes.

The Last Stand

Early in The Last Stand, the small-town sheriff played by Arnold Schwarzenegger says, "It's my day off. Should be a quiet weekend." That's the new way of saying, "I've got one week to retirement," because it signals — with flashing neon and everything — that life is going to royally upend those plans.

Crime and science fiction collide in the inventive thriller “Zenith,” scheduled for a single showing at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art.

Contrary to the belief of film execs, not everyone hitting the cinemas at Christmastime wants to see Reese Witherspoon in a romantic comedy or Jack Black being tied up by little people.

For those seeking a decidedly different, off-off-Hollywood experience, you’ll get it — and then some — in “Zenith.”

The self-described “retro-futuristic steampunk thriller” plays locally for one showing only: 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch, so catch as catch can.

Directed by “Anonymous” (in reality, New York-based filmmaker Vladan Nikolic), “Zenith” takes place in 2010 and 2044, as Ed Crowley (Jason Robards III) pursues a modern-day conspiracy, leaving behind a tape for his son, Jack (Peter Scanavino), to puzzle out in the far future. Possessing a secret power, Jack peddles pain-inducing drugs on the black market when his world gets turned upside down by the arrival of Dad’s video; nine more must be found.

Throw in a few sex scenes with a beautiful dancer (Ana Asensio) along the deadly path, and Nikolic delivers a trippy, frontal-lobe screwer that plays like the illegitimate spawn of “ ,” “Memento” and “12 Monkeys.” While void of recognizable faces, the highly imaginative picture exudes slick visuals while harboring a fierce streak of independence.

Forever blurring the line between media, the “Zenith” experience continues after the credits, with specially created blogs, forums and YouTube videos designed to spiral viewers further down the film’s narrative rabbit hole. (Start at www. stopzenith.com and www.z-search.org.)

Tickets are $8. For more information, call 236-3100 or visit www.okcmoa.com

The Burning

Dexter: The Seventh Season

Nightfall

Grand Duel

The Last Stand

Zenith