The title’s a fright, but everything else is a delight in Release the Funny, by local filmmakers Jerry and Beth MacKay. A few years ago the MacKays established a production company, Littleflick Pictures, to make short films with the hope of getting them shown in film festivals. (At least that’s what their official bio says, though I would suspect that they realized that short films have a new viability on the internet via YouTube: The day has come when you can not only make short films but actually get people to see them.) Release the Funny compiles 10 of their efforts, and I was hooked right from the start with “120,” which dares to wonder what 24’s Jack Bauer might do on his day off. Even better than funny, a lot of the MacKays’ films (made with the aid of an assortment of local actors and technicians, with a great eye for area locations) are genuinely witty, cleverly conceived and sharply executed. You’ll have two chances to see it this weekend, Friday night at the Market Arcade or Saturday at North Tonawanda’s glorious Riviera Theater. Make plans.

Last November, Orchard Park native and former Canisius College basketball player Brian Dux was seriously injured in a single-car accident in Britain. Dux was the star point guard for the Guilford Heat where he had just been named the league’s MVP, but after suffering a diffuse axonal injury from severe head trauma and being left unattended at the scene of the accident for close to two hours, it was clear his toughest battle was going to be off the court. Dux spent months in recovery in Britain before returning to Buffalo via medical plane to undergo intensive rehabilitation at ECMC. He has made significant progress, recently returning to his parents’ home in Orchard Park. The road to full recovery is not only bent with physical and mental challenges, but also financial ones. Showing the kind of Buffalo spirit we almost take for granted, friends and family have come to the rescue with the “Main Event.” Sportscaster John Murphy (“Voice of the Bills”) will be emceeing the event, fittingly taking place the same night as the NCAA Final Four Basketball Tournament, which will be broadcast on large screen TVs. There will be live music, auctions, food, drinks and much more. Visit brianduxassistfund.com for more info.

If you’re not familiar with Kimya Dawson’s organic, lyric-driven ditties, it’s probably because you haven’t yet seen the movie Juno. The Oscar-nominated film’s soundtrack, which briefly rose to No. 1 in the country, features six of her tunes, as well as one from her old band, the Moldy Peaches. That exposure vaulted Dawson from relative obscurity into the national music spotlight, and now she’s on tour playing to bigger audiences than ever before. But that hasn’t changed her style. It’s still Kimya and her guitar, strumming simple, open chords behind lovely, intimate lyrics about life, love and, on occasion, politics. Dawson is a ball of postive energy, trying her hardest to spread laughter and self-confidence wherever she plays (she even has knuckle tattoos that read “LAFF LOUD”). Since she left the Moldy Peaches and New York’s “anti-folk” scene, she’s moved to Olympia, Wash., produced five solo albums and had a child—Panda Delilah. Her recording pace has slowed down as a mother, but she’s still full of funk and quirk and love for everyone in this crazy, mixed-up world. Dawson comes to the Tralf next Thursday with husband Angelo Spencer and French jungle/surf rock band L’Orchidée D’Hawaï.

The Fleshtones’ first single, “American Beat,” was released 30 years ago. A smoldering slab of 1960s-inspired garage-stomp, soul-raving and R&B-swagger, the 45 would provide the template for everything the New York-based band has recorded since. While three decades is enough time for a rock group to be derisively considered “elder statesmen” in some circles or, more generously, “garagefathers” in others, the guys in the Fleshtones have never given a rip about time. From the onset, the group’s riotous live shows and infectious recordings have sneeringly stared in the face of everything that was self-consciously “hip,” no matter what decade it was. Is dancing on the bar, imploring the crowd to sing along and doing the frug with abandon a naturally cool thing to do? Decidedly, no. Is it a great time? Certainly, yes! The story of these super rock stalwarts has finally been told, in the form of Joe Bonomo’s superlative book Sweat (Continuum Books), while the group’s gritty musical legacy is embodied full-form in the band’s latest platter, Take a Good Look (Yep Roc). What’s left to do? Somebody nominate these guys to the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame, pronto! Handsome Jack and the Thermidors open the show.