When the Hi-Pointe Theater closed its doors a couple months ago, cinephiles and preservationists wondered if the building would ever reopen. Fear not: Sources tell us that the venerable, single-screen theater will be showing summer blockbusters within the next month. And you can get a sneak peek at the renovations this weekened, when the Hi-Pointe will host eight screenings of a documentary that couldn’t be more timely. It’s about gas prices.

“Gashole,” narrated by Peter Gallagher, is described on its Web site as a muckraking mix of history and investigative journalism that blows the lid off Big Oil and the suppression of alternative energy sources. For co-directors Scott D. Roberts and Jeremy Wagener, St. Louis will be the 17th stop on a nationwide tour. They will answer questions after the screenings, which are at 6 and 8:15 p.m. Friday, 12:30pm, 2:45pm, 5:00pm, and 7:15 Saturday; and 3 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The filmmakers will be on hand to conduct Q & A sessions following all of the screenings. Premiere screenings on June 13 are $17.50 per ticket which includes party fare at the neighboring Par-Lounge after the 8:15 p.m. show. Tickets for June 14 and 15 shows are $8.75 for adults and $6.75 for seniors and students. Tickets are available at through throughh the sponsoring organization, an environmental-awareness group called St. Louis Green, at www.stlouisgreen.com.

The Hi-Pointe is at the intersection of McCausland and Clayton Avenues, next to (what else?) the big Amoco sign.