-- Lust, Caution (2007): Ang Lee's new espionage flick is rated NC-17 (i.e., the pretentious thinking person's X). Hot. Oh, and it's actually really good -- at least we think so, anyway. Screens tonight at 8 p.m. and 9 at the Embarcadero Cinemas; $7.50-10. -- Shout Out Louds, Johnossi, Nico Vega, DJ Omar: Sweden band takes the stage tonight, along with three equally stellar aural outfits, starting at 8 p.m. at The Independent; $15.......

We'll confess to having never really listened to Wolf Parade; maybe we got them confused with Mice Parade, and we've always though Wolfmother sounded pretty derivative, so they just fell through the cracks for us. But one of the two lead songwriters in Wolf Parade, Dan Boeckner, has a band with his wife Alexei Perry called Handsome Furs which we're really liking. It's a little dark and dire while still being melodic and engaging; we......

-- Scott McCloud: Experimental and wildly popular comic artist and novelist (Making Comics) speaks tonight at "Evolution of the American Comic Book". Rory Root (owner, Comic Relief) and Andrew Farago (curator, Cartoon Art Museum) also speak. Starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Commonwealth Club, 595 Market; $7-$20. -- End of Summer Slam Jam for Teens: Are there words prettier than "back to school"? Maybe. But when we start seeing back-to-school commercials and such, we......