In the satirical horror of John Carpenter’s They Live! (1988), aliens have taken over the planet and conspired with yuppies to keep the working man—championed by wrestler Roddy Piper—in his place. Mind control is achieved through coded TV and advertising that Piper can discern, along with the aliens, thanks to magical eyeglasses. But it’s also the economic structure that has him living in a crowded Hooverville. And the film’s bleak end, like that of Carpenter’s The Thing, implies the system will prevail. Call for showtimes. (R) BRIAN MILLER

Feb. 17-22, 2012