Year: 2007

So I was in the process of putting together a must do list for you. I was telling you the cars you want and the cars you don’t want for a reasonable price.* Then something happened.

I was, like, just told that the car chase in the new Bourne movie outdoes the old one. I have blogged in the past about the best car chase scenes in movie history. This “list” is commonly accepted and not open to discussion (its not my list, it is the pronouncement of the zeitgeist which in this case is fixed and immovable.)

(Looks like Matt ain’t sure neither)

I have not seen this movie but I am going to make an assumption (that I may regret) and it is this. I am going to assume that the new car chase is better than the last Bourne car chase but that it still not of the caliber of the top 4 (give or take) of all time. That would be, of course, Bullitt, French Connection, Ronin and a French movie called “The Chase.”

I am also told that the fight scene in this movie is peerless.

Better than the fight scenes in Raging Bull, I ask?

This is the trouble with people today. Since the passing of Pauline Kael, we have no luminaries to light the path to understanding– whether that the best punch in the face or hit to the happy pedal. Only in the movies that is. In real life, we have Maseratis. Including one at Sears that remains unsold.

(SPACE HERE. HAPPY FACES TO BREAK UP PAGE. WHEN I FIND THEM)

*Allright here is that highly shortened list. And forget what you don’t want. You already know don’t want a Pontiac G6 or Chevy Cobalt.

You want the Chrysler SRT-Series cars you in all price ranges except for the Crossfire. You will also want to modify your ride (and it is inexpensively done) You want no other Chryslers except the 300 Series.
You want the Honda Fit
You want the Mazdaspeed cars in all price ranges.
You want the Kia Spectra in 5-door, too.
And you even want the Suzuki Aerio.

SOCIAL
Everybody’s Doing It . . .

Whip up that special dish of yours. (Yes, Vienna sausage and saltines counts.) Tonight is probably the only day of the year when you’re guaranteed to find at least one potluck in the ten-block radius. More likely, you’ll find several. It’s
National Night Out, and neighborhoods across Minneapolis (and across the country, for that matter) will be hosting events to promote healthier, safer communities and strengthen police/community relations. The Mini Apple put itself on the map last year by holding more than 934 separate events over the course of three days; that’s an all-time national record for National Night Out. And more than 39,000 people took part, which means more than 10 percent of the city’s population stepped up and stepped out. This year, let’s make it 20.

See the schedule of events and locations.

BOOKS
Death of a Murderer, Life of a Masterpiece

For my money Rupert Thomson is one of the most adventurous and consistently dazzling writers working today. He’s also criminally underrated (and largely unknown) in the United States. His 1996 novel, The Insult, featured one of the great untrustworthy narrators in recent memory: a man, blinded by a bullet to the head, who suffers from a rare neurological condition that convinces him that he can still see. The result was a sort of surreal noir in which apparent delusions seemed very real and very spooky.

His latest work hits the bookstores today (so you might want to consider staying in tonight). Death of a Murderer features a policeman haunted by the ghost of a notorious serial murderer, and it’s already being hailed by British reviewers as Thomson’s masterpiece. — by Brad Zellar

MUSIC
Come on, Baby, Drive South

Well, the John Hiatt show at the Minnesota Zoo is sold out, damn it. The man writes one hell of a song, what I call real Americana — good old fashioned pop rock with a country blues backbone. Ain’t that what it’s all about, momma? Have a little faith, though; all is not lost. You still have one more chance to catch Bobby “Blue” Bland tonight, and that might be even better. As I said yesterday, this steamy bluesman literally put the rhythm in R&B.

8 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet, Minneapolis; 612-332-1010; show $50, dinner and show $90 — and worth every penny (if you’ve got it).

FILM
No Slop Song

Disney’s long-hidden classic Song of the South hasn’t been seen in theaters (or on DVD) since its theatrical rerelease in 1986. If you’ll recall, this is the simple tale of a white boy who goes to visit his grandma’s plantation in the post-Civil War South while his folks consider splitting up. There, he is watched over by the lovable Uncle Remus and a covey of annoying little songbirds singing “Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah.” Part animated, part live action, arguably racist, and definitely patronizing, Song is filled with fabulous animation and crack storytelling — especially in the Tar Baby sequence. Disney’s suppression of the film raises myriad questions, not the least of which is the fact that the film’s African-American stars have, in the ensuing controversy, seen their hard work vanish from the cinematic landscape. — by Peter Schilling

Tonight’s Cinema Slop show at the Dinkytowner Café has been canceled, but you can now buy it.

RAKING THE NET
Fodder for the Explorer

Edit a fictional galaxy — stars, planets, moons — at Galaxiki.

Do you have a grocery store in your neighborhood? How about a park? A school? A bar? (There’s always a bar nearby.) Rate your home’s “walkability” at Walk Score. Mine got a 92 out of 100, but I tell you, I chose it precisely for that reason.

If you lack a sense of humor when it comes to religion, stay away from this hysterically amusing photo essay.

Back Off the Wagon

I’ve been having a little trouble with vices lately and thought I would share.

25 Ways to Quit
Do As Doc
Baby Got Style
Lucy Loves It
Fred, Baby
Stop Killing Yourself
After Dinner Mint

BOOKS
Maltman’s Historical Mayhem

Yeah, we know, that’s a lot of plugs for Magers and Quinn events for August (and there’s more to come), but what can we say? The competition is generally a bit tardy on their press releases, the Uptown behemoth just keeps getting bigger and better, and this month in particular the folks at M&Q have put together a stellar lineup of author appearances. The Night Birds, Thomas Maltman’s debut, is already garnering advance raves from the likes of Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Set in nineteenth-century Minnesota, The Night Birds is a historical novel that spans the James-Younger gang’s reign of mayhem in the 1870s, and is distinguished by both realism and truly stylish storytelling. — by Brad Zellar

7:30 p.m., Magers and Quinn Booksellers, 3038 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-822-4611.

FILM & MUSIC
Sultry, Lifetime Nights

The Douglas Sirk movie playing in Loring Park this evening is easily the original Lifetime movie; yet it manages not to make my life feel insignificant simply by my watching it. Written in the Wind is the original. And the original is always best — no matter how good they get. This is old school, baby. It’s the love triangle, the deep dark side of alcohol, neglect and abuse, unrequited love, best friends in love with the same woman, the evil hand of jealousy, the damsel in distress — and none other than Lauren Bacall, of course. No wonder they’re both in love with her. You’d have to be crazy not to be in love with her. Speaking of crazy, the opening musical act is Metronomy. Not crazy, eclectic, definitely interesting, absolutely worth your time, and quite a lot of fun. I guess when Devo, Kraftwerk, and Zappa are your influences, you can’t help but turn me on. (And I don’t even like electro-pop.)

7 p.m., Loring Park, 612-375-7600; free.

MUSIC
He’s Dylan’s Son in Law (but that don’t mean a thing)

Our people are everywhere. Yes, our people. I now identify with you. Weird. Could it be I’m actually proud to be a Minnesotan? We really know how to represent — and never ostentatiously, just enough. Hailing from Minneapolis, Peter Himmelman knows how to represent. He’s not just an adroit musician — with USA Today calling him “one of rock’s most wildly imaginative performers”; he’s a composer, a children’s song writer, a film and television scorer, an Emmy award winner. This is an accomplished man, not just an accomplished musician. Since he picked up his first electric guitar, at the age of 12, Himmelman has been living music. Hell, he even played, with his old band Shangoya, at my high school prom. I must be Minnesotan!

7:30 p.m., Fitzgerald Theater, 10 East Exchange St., Saint Paul; 651-290-1200; $27.50.

No-Bullshit Raw-Glory Rock ‘n’ Roll

Also playing this evening is Patti Smith. How do you choose between those two options? What do you feel like really? Oy! If you’re feeling like you need a little riled up camaraderie against the evils of the man, a little old school rebellion and indignation, then Patti’s your girl. “Now my children, you must overturn the tables… for only one rule should be considered: to love one another. This is our covenant.” Man, this woman has style. I think some of the best portraits ever taken are of her. What a face!

7:30 p.m., State Theatre, 805 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-339-7007; $26.

Not good enough for you? Well, you’re nuts, but here are two more great options that shouldn’t just be tossed to the wind: Steamy bluesman Bobby “Blue” Bland is playing at the Dakota tonight and tomorrow night. This guy put the rhythm in R&B — literally.

And The Paul Green School of Rock All-Stars will be rockin’ out at the 400 Bar. I really can’t even tell you what to expect here, but I’m guessing it’ll be nothing if not interesting. This is almost like Fringe Fest; you just have to take the risk and go see for yourself.

Via, the stylish new restaurant by Mission American and Atlas Grill partners Anoush Ansari and Hadi Anbar, is now open in the old Pizzeria Uno location on France Avenue, across from Southdale, in Edina.

If you sensed a few freakish juxtapositions in that sentence — “stylish” “Pizzeria Uno” and “Edina” — you’re not alone. The last guy who tried to bring sophistication to the Southdale area, David Fhima, went down in flames when people flat-out refused to see Louis XIII (which was tucked in between Maggiano’s and an Ulta outpost) as a destination on the level of La Belle Vie.

Via has a couple things going for it that Fhima’s restaurant did not: first, it’s separate from the mall; second, it’s coming in just ahead of the Westin at the Galleria; and third, it doesn’t take itself quite as seriously as the heavily-chandeliered Louis XIII. Also, these guys have proved their mettle with Mission American and Atlas — two long-lasting and consistently high-quality restaurants.

Still, Via is ambitious. The décor — similar to Mission with its bold, masculine, geometric scheme that fairly screams “Do your billion-dollar real estate deals here!” — barely clings to the frame of the old pizzeria. And the menu, featuring items such as a $32 New York Strip in red wine reduction and an $11 chocolate fondue for two, assumes a certain blasé spendthrift quality. The wine menu is pretty ballsy, too, with a few “low-end” $30 wines and a number of reserve bottles priced in the $120 range.

If anyone can pull it off, though, it’s Ansari — our area’s most consummate restaurateur, a man so courtly and well-presented you can imagine him in a coat with epaulets announcing the queen’s guests: Lord and Lady Throckmorton now arriving on France.

Even in Edina, across from the 16-screen AMC Theater, in the site of the old Pizzeria Uno. I can see it. . . .