FILM
Box Elder
Things are changing in the film industry. It’s true. We’ve gone from indie to super-indie, or something of the sort. Todd Sklar is of this new regional indie-auteur variety — the new school of film, or should I say video? With a new HD camera in hand, and a Cine Brevis 35-mm lens adapter, there’s no stopping a man with a mission. But dreams and possibilities aside, it’s what’s left on screen that really matters. Sklar’s latest film, Box Elder, makes its Twin Cities debut this evening (and continues through next weekend). Titled after a Pavement song (Sklar’s favorite band) as well as a noisy, annoying, passive-aggressive, yet harmless insect, Box Elder paints an unrestrained picture of a generation defined by these same characteristics. See what a touch of your typical privilege, potential, and self-induced paralysis can do to four friends in their last years of college.
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., The Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak Street SE, Minneapolis, 612-331-3134, $7.
MORE FILM
Leatherheads
Dressed in 1920s attire, George Clooney and Renee Zellwegger began their Leatherheads tour with an appearance at the old Depot, in downtown Duluth. Now, we finally get to see the film. Directed by Clooney himself, Leatherheads
offers a comedic tribute to the early days of pro football. Determined
to keep his team alive after they lose their sponsor, Dodge Connelly —
played by Clooney — brings in a college football star, better known as
a local war hero, to recapture the country’s attention. Zellwegger, who
plays a budding journalist, suspicious of the war hero’s
too-good-to-be-true tales, take it upon herself to defraud the team,
but in doing so somehow manages to make both men fall hopelessly in
love with her. How will Dodge keep his team alive and get the girl? Go
and see.
AMC Southdale 16, 400 Southdale Center, Edina; 651-777-FILM.
Under the Same Moon
The story is nothing new: a Mexican mother goes to America, Los
Angeles to be precise, in search of a better life for her child, whom
she leaves in Mexico under the care of her mother. It’s "real," if
nothing else. And it’s touching, if you’re at all moved by a mother’s
love and a child’s determination. Director Patricia Riggen brings us a
heartwarming tale addressing the controversial issue of illegal
immigration. But her focus on nine-year-old Carlitos, and his physical
journey to reunite with his mother, makes Under the Same Moon a most precious tale.
Uptown Theatre, 2906 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-825-6006; $8.25 (seniors and children $5.75).
Also opening this weekend, Meet Bill, starring Aaron Eckhart.
DANCE
James Sewell Spring Program
Dancer/choreographer James Sewell
made his way back home to Minneapolis in 1993, after a long stint in
New York, bringing his company with him. Sewell began choreographing
ballets in 1982, while at the School of American Ballet, in New York. He went on to dance with ABT II, an apprentice company of the American Ballet Theater, and then as principal dancer for the Feld Ballet. Once hailed by The New York Times as "one of
American ballet’s best choreographers," James Sewell consistently
delivers innovative and exciting pieces. This month, the company delivers its Spring Program at The O’Shaughnessy, with two Twin Cities premieres choreographed by Sewell himself: Social Movements and If This Then What. Also on the program are Table Waltz, choreography by Penelope Freeh, and By the Gypsy River Banks, choreography by Sally Rousse.
Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., The O’Shaughnessy, College of St. Catherine, 2004 Randolph Avenue, Saint Paul, 651-690-6700, $31.
MUSIC
Bo Ramsey CD Release Performance
While it’s all too possible you may not know Bo Ramsey’s
name, you’re sure to have been touched by him somehow — whether as a
musician or a producer of something wonderful you’ve heard. For
whatever reason, Ramsey has drawn more attention from musicians than
from the general public. Perhaps he’s simply not a limelight man, a
fact confirmed by his many performances in the dingy, din-filled
corners of The Deadwood,
in Iowa City during the ’90s. But despite his understated fame, Ramsey
has played a tremendous role in shaping the midwest blues-rock scene.
He’s one of the original Iowa City blues-rock boys, along with Greg Brown, David Zollo, David Moore.
In fact, Ramsey’s guitar work can be heard on their albums, many of
which he has even produced. But Ramsey’s biggest call to the spotlight
probably came from Lucinda Williams, who contacted him immediately after hearing Down To Bastrop in the early ’90s. So impressed was Williams with his inimitable guitar work that she invited him to play on her Grammy-winning Car Wheels On A Gravel Road, after which he joined her on tour — twice, as he went on to produce and play on her follow-up album, Essence. With his new CD, Fragile, due for release on April 8th, Ramsey is on a solo tour this time, and gracing us with his music.
Saturday at 8 p.m., The Cedar, 416 Cedar Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-388-2674; $18.
Also on Saturday night, Black Blondie and Maria Isa will play at Trocaderos Nightclub.
BOOKS
Sharp Teeth, by Toby Barlow
After the wretched transformation of Beowulf to film,
the time is ripe for a modern-day monster tale we can all read and
imagine (rather than ruin with trite images). And try as I might to
disassociate Toby Barlow’s debut novel from this timeless classic, Beowulf keeps coming to mind. Clearly, the title, Sharp Teeth, could have something to do with this. As could the subject matter: werewolves in Los Angeles. But beyond that, Sharp Teeth
is written entirely in blank verse — an odd choice perhaps, but Barlow
masters it so effortlessly that we hardly notice, except to feel its
commanding flow hastening us forward through the multiple plotlines.
Granted, Sharp Teeth offers no mead, but if you’ve read John Gardner’s Grendel — a rather nihilist monster-POV rendition of Beowulf — you’ll recognize the strangely non-heroic approach to an epic tale. As in Grendel,
Barlow’s tale has no true heroes. There is no clear sense of right and
wrong; there is only the gray in between, and how you choose to
navigate it.
Saturday at 7 p.m., BirchBark Books and Native Arts, 2115 West 21st St., Minneapolis; 612-374-4023.
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