When the late artist Joseph Cornell found objects, he put them in boxes. When he found celluloid, he crafted it into some of the richest and earliest experimental films this side of the Big Pond. The results were jocular and edgy phantasms that were enough to make Salvador Dali run screaming from the room. Check out four of Cornell's surrealist shorts as they screen on Sunday, September 25, in conjunction with the closing of Phoenix Art Museum's "Surrealism USA" exhibition. Included is Cornell's best-known work, Rose Hobart (1936). This dreamy portrait of the Hollywood actress was assembled from film scraps Cornell found in the New Jersey warehouse where Hobart's 1931 "B" flick East of Borneo was edited. Also on the bill are Midnight Party (c. 1938), Angel (1957), and Cotillion (c. 1938). The event starts at 2 p.m., and is free with regular museum admission, which ranges from $3 to $9. PAM is located at 1625 North Central. Call 602-257-1222 or visit www.phxart.org. -- PJ Novelli
Checkered Past
Ladies and gentlemen, start your reminiscences
SAT 9/24
Celebrate the days when $3 would fill your tank -- not just buy a gallon of gas -- when vintage midgets, sprints and roadsters jockey for the checkered flag in the Hall of Fame Vintage Classic Races on Saturday, September 24, at Manzanita Speedway, 3417 West Broadway. "Seasoned drivers such as 83-year-old Walt James will compete in open-cockpit racers that have no roll bars," says Manzanita manager Dennis Wood. Racing begins at 7:30 p.m., but you can stop by at 5 for a pre-race autograph session with luminaries such as Al Unser Jr. Tickets are $15. Call 602-276-7575 or visit www.manzanitaspeedway.us. -- Douglas Towne
Watts up
Sonic booms in Tempe
MON 9/26
Not even David Bowie could resist the dermal pulsations of the "drum 'n' bass" genre. Bowie's 1997 album Earthling was a nod to the DJs who brought electronic percussion to the booming forefront of their mixes. The appeal of the style isn't so much in the sound, but the feeling -- moving through 50,000 watts of kick drums and growling bass vibrates the body better than sitting on the back of a Harley, sans muffler. On Monday, September 26, get physical at "Otherground," a drum 'n' bass dance do. DJ Focus (of national act Basic Operations) will share the booth with local spinsters Ariel (of "Essential" nights at Sky Lounge), and "Mr. Liquid Funk," DJ Michael. Feel the rhythm at The Loft, 420 South Mill in Tempe, beginning at 8 p.m. Admission is $5. Call 480-967-8188 or visit www.azinfoline.com. -- Niki D'Andrea