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Screen Scene: Help RiffTrax make sense of 'Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny'

Who's afraid of Santa Claus? Not the guys from Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy take on Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny (1972) in their RiffTrax Live series, coming to a theater near you on Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. They do it lovingly, of course, because who wants to endanger potential gifts if they don't have to? But get ready to get your laugh on as Santa's sleigh gets stuck on the beach and he needs the Ice Cream Bunny's help. There are also a pig and magic beans.

The guys might be on their own with this one: After I saw Rare Exports, a Swedish movie focused on the tomb of Santa, I can only whisper the jolly old elf's name. So, that's me in the corner, watching new DVD collection Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXXIV instead.

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There will be an encore on Dec. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at theaters across the country, including three in Dallas: Galaxy Theatre, 11801 McCree Road; NorthPark Center 15 With Imax and ETX, 8687 N. Central Expressway at Park Lane; and Cinemark 17 With Imax, 11819 Webb Chapel Road. $10.50-$13.54. Buy tickets at participating theater box offices and at fathomevents.com.

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LIVE BROADCAST Fans can enjoy It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play through Dec. 13 at the Rockwall Community Playhouse, 609 Rusk St., Rockwall. Watch as the drama, despair and eventual merriment unfold on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. $15 and $20. rockwallcommunityplayhouse.org.

FIRST TUESDAY FILM FESTIVAL The series continues with a screening of Iris (PG-13, 78 mins.) on Dec. 1 at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Oak Cliff, 3839 W. Kiest Blvd., Dallas. The documentary is a portrait of fashion icon and "geriatric starlet" Iris Apfel, 90-plus, and her ascent into stardom after a show of her work in 2005. The festival screens a socially relevant film on the first Tuesday of each month. Free, including the discussion after the movie. firsttuesdayfilms.org.

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IRVING BERLIN Watch the filmmaker's Holiday Inn (1942, 100 mins.) on Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. and White Christmas (1954, 120 mins.) on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Plaza Theatre, 521 W. State St., Garland. (Fun fact: Inn, which introduced the song "White Christmas," is headed to Broadway as a stage musical.) Besides kick-starting your month with some holiday cheer, the screenings give you bang for your buck. They're absolutely free. garlandarts.com.

THE MET: LIVE IN HD It's the 10th anniversary of the award-winning series and to celebrate, there will be an encore performance of its first broadcast, The Magic Flute (not rated, about 120 mins.). The opera will screen, along with some behind-the-scenes extras during intermission, on Dec. 12 at 12:55 p.m. and Dec. 16 at 6:30 p.m. at three theaters in Dallas: Galaxy Theatre, 11801 McCree Road; NorthPark Center 15 With Imax and ETX, 8687 N. Central Expressway at Park Lane; and Cinemark 17 With Imax, 11819 Webb Chapel Road. $16-$25.98. fathomevents.com.

DVD LOOKOUT Week of Nov. 30 -- Fear the Walking Dead: The Complete First Season or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Revenge? Regular readers can have a little fun debating which one I'd watch first, but both are on my list. They're kind of about the same thing: strange things going bump in the night. Just kidding! (Not really.) Also out this week: 90 Minutes in Heaven; Amy; Kansas City Royals: 2015 World Series Film; Mississippi Grind; Mistress America; Mystery Science Theater 3000 XXXIV; Roger Waters: The Wall; and Some Kind of Beautiful.

Please send submissions at least two weeks in advance to The Dallas Morning News, Film Events, 508Young St., Dallas, Texas 75202 or dburkes@dallasnews.com.