In Brief: Events in the Modesto region

Mariachi Vargas livens up Gallo Center stage

Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitan has performed for five generations, appeared in more than 200 films and on numerous recordings.

The group, bringing its music to a show today at the Gallo Center for the Arts, performs Mexico's classical sound and is considered by some to be the world's best mariachi group.

Music begins at 8 p.m. in the Rogers Theater at the Gallo Center, 1000 I St., Modesto. Tickets are $55-$80. For more information, call (209) 338-2100 or go to www.galloarts.org

Veterans Day film

A film in honor of Veterans Day will play tonight and Sunday at the State Theatre in Modesto.

"High Ground: The Journey Home is an Uphill Battle" will pay tribute to the nation's veterans. The documentary, directed by three-time Emmy winner and adventure filmmaker Michael Brown, records a 2010 expedition to climb Nepal's Lobuche East, a 20,075-foot peak. This film follows 11 wounded vets returning from Iraq and Afghanistan as they climb the mountain with blind adventurer Erik Weihenmayer.

One of the climbers, Modesto resident Sgt. Justin Moore, Army National Guard, and John von Seeburg, a Bay Area resident and a cinematographer for the film, will talk about the making of the film at both screenings. Proceeds benefit Rivers of Recovery, a program for the rehabilitation of combat veterans.

The 90-minute film screens today at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3:30 p.m. at the State Theatre, 1307 J St., Modesto. Tickets are $10 general, $8 for veterans on Friday; $8 general, $6 veterans on Sunday. For more, call (209) 527-4697 or see www.thestate.org.

More films at the State

Two more films screen this week at the State Theatre.

First up, the Modesto Film Society Cinema Club offers "Side By Side" at 7 p.m. Tuesday. The film stars Keanu Reeves in a tour of the past and the future of filmmaking. Over the past two decades, a new form of digital filmmaking has emerged in the evolution of the medium. Reeves explores the impact of digital filmmaking in interviews with Hollywood directors, including James Cameron, David Fincher, David Lynch, Christopher Nolan, Martin Scorsese, Modesto native George Lucas and Steven Soderbergh. A discussion will follow the film, which screens at 7 p.m. Tickets are $8.

Thursday at 7 p.m., "Love, Actually," will mark the final film in the season's Singles Mixer and Movie Night series.

The film is set mainly in vignettes, with Hugh Grant starring as a charming bachelor British prime minister who's attracted to a staffer who also has attracted the U.S. president, played by Billy Bob Thornton. The PM has a sister (Emma Thompson), whose husband (Alan Rickman) lusts for his secretary. Other stories feature Liam Neeson, Laura Linney, Keira Knightley and Colin Firth. The film screens at 7 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $6.

The State Theatre is at 1307 J St., Modesto. Call (209) 527-4697 or see www.thestate.org.

Bollywood Nights show

Diwali Dhamaka, a music and fashion show from Bollywood Nights, hits the State Theatre on Saturday night.

According to the theater's Web site, the three-hour show will feature filmi and non-filmi music, as well as the sounds of Hindi, Punjabi, Sufi, Indi-pop and bhangra, along with comedy and dance. Harjeet Mehndi, a Punjabi pop signer, will perform.

The cross-cultural event also features food, raffles and vendors. Doors open at 6 p.m., the show is at 7 on Saturday. Tickets are $20, free for age 10 and under. The State is at 1307 J St., Modesto.