Author: Cristina Córdova

STYLE
Minnesota Fashion

Fall Fashion Weekend kicks off with a reception this evening, and the next four days are filled with runway events, trunk shows, and other ways to celebrate Minnesota’s small, but growing, clothing design “industry.” In fact, not only does the weekend offer a glimpse of what’s great about local fashion, but it also marks the launch of a new nonprofit organization, MNfashion, that will work to serve the business needs of local designers. Some of the best-looking events in the weekend’s lineup include tomorrow evening’s Kjurek Couture fashion show, Friday’s Art as Fashion event, and Saturday’s Eclecticoiffeur Cotillion/Launch Party. But there are a host of more relaxed, less committal events, too, such as a Saturday morning champagne and truffles brunch with House of Henry and Rectangle Designs’ trunk show with a conscience — Local Flora, Fashion and Food. –by Christy DeSmith, photo by Shelly Mosman (styling by eclecticoiffeur)

10 p.m., Clubhouse Jaeger, 923 Washington Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-332-2686.

BOOKS & AUTHORS
A Living Legend in the World of Comics

If you know anything at all about comics, beyond Marvel Comics and Stan Lee, then you know Kim Deitch. (And if you don’t then now is your chance to redeem yourself.) A key player in the underground comix scene of the ’60s, Deitch has gone on to become one of the most revered cartoonists of our time. Recently, some of his older works have even been getting reprinted, including Alias the Cat and Shadowland. Kim (and his wife Pam) will be doing a signing at Big Brain Comics tonight. And then tomorrow afternoon (1 p.m.) he’ll be doing a multimedia presentation at MCAD (auditorium 15).

5-7 p.m., Big Brain Comics, 1027 Washington Ave. S., Minneapolis612) 338-4390; free.

Just Like Her Momma

Everyone jokes about turning into their parents, but Joshua Furst’s new novel, The Sabotage Cafe, shows the disturbing side of this phenomenon. In this debut novel, teenager Cheryl seems doomed to repeat the sex, drugs, violence, and trauma of her mother’s teenage years. Set in Minneapolis and its suburbs, The Sabotage Cafe delves into the city’s past and present counterculture movements as it weaves its two coming-of-age stories. It sounds like the stuff of Lifetime movies, but Furst’s writing and wonderfully flawed characters have received extensive praise. See him tonight. –by Danielle Kurtzleben

7 p.m., U of MN Bookstore, Coffman Memorial Union, 300 Washington Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-626-0559; free.

FOOD
World Flavors at WA Frost

Enjoy a multiple course tasting menu with our favorite wine pairings at The Rake’s World Flavors Tour. This month, join us at W.A. Frost for New American cuisine. W.A. Frost has been providing the ultimate in dining pleasure since 1975, with a sensational wine selection, cuisine, and ambiance. Space is limited, and reservations are required, so visit The Rake Store now.

6 p.m., W.A. Frost, 374 Selby Ave., St. Paul; 651-224-5715; $40.

FILM
How They Celebrate Freedom in Kashmir

We take freedom for granted in this country. It’s true. And while some of us may question that freedom from time to time, it’s certainly less complicated — or at least less uncomfortable — than in so many other countries, among them India. As India celebrates 60 years of independence, director Sanjay Kak brings us Jashn-e-azadi (how we celebrate freedom), a documentary that explores the implications of the struggle for Azadi, for freedom, in the Kashmir valley. The film has generated quite a bit of contraversy on the web (see here and here) and may have been censored in Bombay. Make up your own mind; go see the film tonight, and meet Kak after the screening for a Q & A session. Please call to confirm, however, because I’m not finding it on the Bell Museum’s calendar.

7 p.m., Bell Museum of Natural History Auditorium, 10 Church St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-624-7083.

An Extra Couple of Beers

You could go out and spend $9 for an evening at the Crown 15 with Mr. Woodcock (hell, you could also punch yourself in the face). Or you could go to the Bryant-Lake Bowl and see what your local independent filmmakers have been up to. Tonight (and on the third Tuesday of every month) IFP MN presents Cinema Lounge, a showcase of 4-5 short films by your fellow Minnesotans. Plus, anyone can submit films — come, be inspired, and send in your next cinematic masterpiece for a future screening. And it’s FREE — so save your money and buy yourself a beer or two to sip during the screening. Which you definitely can’t do at the multiplex. –by Danielle Kurtzleben

7 p.m., Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 W. Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-8949; free.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
A Sexy Twist on a Classic Tale

On a dark and stormy night, after getting a flat tire, the innocent Brad and Janet are forced to take refuge in an old castle. What they find inside is perhaps in keeping with the expected mad-scientist scenario, but there’s a definite twist. Sure, you have your man-made creature. You have your loss of innocence. And you even have a touch of cannibalism. But you also have some seriously sexy goth all the way through: men in corsettes, sexual confusion, and a clear indication of a decadent morality. “Touch-a touch-a touch-a touch me. I wanna be dirty,” sings Janet during her sexual awakening. If you grew up doing the “Time Warp” in movie theater aisles after midnight, you’ll perhaps appreciate a live production of the now classic (and cult) movie. But beware, this is probably not something to which you want to take your children.

8 p.m., Ordway Center for Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul; 651-224-4222; $32, $37.

Tragic Pride

“Only at nightfall, aethereal rumours / Revive for a moment a broken Coriolanus.” When T.S. Eliot references something in one of his poems — particularly his most famous, “The Wasteland” — you know it’s worthy. Coriolanus is a Shakespearian tragedy based on the life of legendary Roman leader Caius Martius Coriolanus. Not unlike many of Shakespeare’s heroes, Coriolanus’s militaristic pride makes him a less than sympathetic character. In fact, the play seems to indicate that heroic ideals no longer serve the increasingly sophisticated needs of government. For this reason, in fact, many twentieth century playwrights, including Bertolt Brecht, have adapted the play to reflect on modern politics (both left and right). This week, Flaneur Productions, probably one of the best experimental troupes in town, explores what the play might mean in America today. Director Bridget Escolme (author of Talking to the Audience: Shakespeare, Performance, Self) presents a promenade-style performance in Bedlam’s new theater. Players include Flaneur Co-Director Jim Bovino in the title role, Don Mabley-Allen, Christian Gaylord, Barbara Meyer, Jillia Pessenda, Scott Reynolds, Kym Longhi, Ben Kreilkamp, Dave Schneider, Jeff Broitman, Tracie Hodgdon, and Jim Wescott. Feel free to go early for dinner and drinks in Bedlam’s new bar and restaurant.

8 p.m. (through Saturday), Bedlam Theatre, 1501 6th St. S., West Bank, Minneapolis; 612-338-9817; $12.

FILM
Cries & Whispers

Oak Street Cinema’s Bergman Tribute comes to a close this week, with one of his most visually seductive works, Cries and Whispers — “an eerie, intense, lurid, death-obsessed dream play á la Strindberg, with a large dollop of Chekhov.” Bergman’s masterpiece depicts the emotional and physical pain of the woman’s world. The film, set in an elegant turn-of-the-century manor house, revolves around four women, a young virginal woman who is dying of womb cancer (Bergman was never known for his subtle metaphors), two unhappily married sisters — one of which is suicidal and actually self-mutilates her sexual organ — and a maternal-type servant who loses her children. This is not a pretty world, my friends — and men might take offense at their utterly useless depiction; but the acting is impeccable and the camera work is spectacular. Bergman uses his lens to highlight the pain of each woman, to show the physical and emotional fragmentation. And he does so brilliantly. His color palette — another metaphorical representation of the pain and suffering — and his use of silence, seem to transcend the narrative and take on a life of their own.

7 p.m. & 9 p.m., Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; $8 (seniors $6, members/students $5).

DVD
The Threepenny Opera

Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht may never have had it so good. G. W. Pabst, who brought Louise Brooks to fame in his silent (and seductive) 1929 masterpiece Pandora’s Box, this time took to sound production and dirtied up the silver screen like never before. The Threepenny Opera tells the story of Mackie Messer (a.k.a. Mack the Knife) and the beautiful Polly Peachum. It’s is a feast for the eyes, ears, and the soul, wallowing in the underworld and bringing the original characters to life as if they had wandered on-screen straight from the gutter. It will be interesting to see how or if Criterion can clean up this film, however, since the original 1931 prints were destroyed by the Nazis. Notwithstanding potentially scratchy images, Threepenny is perhaps the greatest study of poverty and corruption ever filmed, and, like Pabst’s other films, a delicious romp as well. –by Peter Schilling, Jr.

by Danielle Kurtzleben

You can’t blame a movie studio for wanting to get more butts in the seats. The posters for The Jane Austen Book Club have the tagline, “You don’t have to know the books to be in the club” above an open book, its pages curved into the shape of a heart — reassuring potential moviegoers that the film is not inscrutable to everyone but literature scholars, and that there will be a healthy dose of romance. Indeed, enjoying Book Club does not require advance reading, and there is plenty of romantic angst and bliss to go around. But in the end, like any Austen book, the film is a delight, with more to offer than meets the eye. And for better or worse, like any Austen book, it is a crowd-pleaser.

The premise of The Jane Austen Book Club is simple: six variously connected people (five women, one man) form a book club centered on the six complete Jane Austen novels, focusing on one book per month. As the six move through the books, their lives take on echoes of the plotlines and themes of the books that they read.

Thanks in part to good casting, Book Club handles the problem of having not one but six central characters admirably and intelligently. Each character is allowed one or two defining characteristics — Sylvia, the uncertain recent divorcee (Amy Brenneman); her daughter, Allegra, the self-absorbed bohemian (Maggie Grace); the aptly-named Prudie (a hilariously uptight Emily Blunt); the clueless but endearing Grigg (Hugh Dancy), and so on. With its capable cast (which also includes Maria Bello and a wonderful Kathy Baker), the characters become well-rounded, despite their one-dimensional set-ups.

Book Club is at its strongest when it is at its most unapologetic — reveling in its literary theme and being unabashedly feminine. The women in the book club convey genuine excitement over Austen’s characters, making a convert of Grigg, as well as a few of their husbands and lovers. (Herein also lies a post-modern gem for Austen-lovers: love doesn’t conquer all; Austen conquers all, even saving a marriage or two in the process.) Furthermore, Book Club is one of the few recent mass-market films to feature a cast made up of mostly (gasp!) middle-aged women who are gorgeous in spite of (one might say because of) not trying to starve, sex, or makeup themselves younger. (Sad, really, that one needs to congratulate a film on this modest achievement.)

The Jane Austen Book Club is not without its faults, of course. The setting is ridiculously upper-middle-class, with wines and dog-breeding and Whole Foods abounding. Robin Swicord (director and screenwriter) and Karen Joy Fowler (author of the novel upon which the film is based) are painfully drawn to cliché — the groundbreaking use of skydiving as a symbol for youth and freedom (yawn), for example. Perhaps most inexplicable is the treatment of the lesbianism of Ms. Grace’s Allegra… namely, the fact that all of her scenes alone with her (also gorgeous) partner are softly-lit, with soft music, and take place in either a bed or a bathtub. One hopes (please, God) this is tongue-in-cheek… but somehow it seems unlikely. Such slip-ups are ridiculous in a movie that is otherwise subtle and witty.

One further caveat is that there is book-themed dialog that will be meaningless to the Austen virgin. But, as the tagline would suggest, don’t let that stop you from seeing this film. Book Club is smart and funny in its exploration of romantic idioms, and is worth a viewing, if only as a palate-cleanser to the sanitized and dumbed-down romantic comedy.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE
Inside the Gate

In 1988, after twenty-one years of being governed by a hearing president and board of trustees, students and faculty of Gallaudet University — a campus specifically created for deaf people — protested the hypocrisy of maintaining a hearing “insider” at the helm. Their efforts and achievements — among them Gallaudet’s first deaf president, I. King Jordan — are the subject of Evonne Bilotta-Burke’s new documentary script, Insight the Gate. Tonight, the University of Minnesota Theatre, Minnesota North Star Academy, Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf, and Eden Prairie High School, will come together for a collaborative staged reading of Bilotta-Burke’s script, using a unique blend of ASL and English to educate us about the 1988 protests, as well as the 2006 protests following Jordon’s retirement.

7-9 p.m., Stoll Thrust Theatre, Rarig Center, West Bank Arts Quarter, University of Minnesota, 330 21st Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-625-4001; free.

DANCE
Ooh La Lounge

Often time, as I put together the Secrets of the Day, I really have to do my research, dig for details, and settle on the best way to convey what an event is all about. But every now and then, my frustration comes at having to find an alternate way to present a perfectly accurate description. Not today. Their own description says it all: “An egotistical cowboy, a mourning lip-synching private dick, overzealous water ballerinas, a sexy beat poet grandma, fainting and fawning milkmaids, and feline-ish backup dancers. What do these have in common? They are all characters in Ooh La Lounge: An Evening of Dance and Jazz. You may be wondering what this Ooh La Lounge thing is all about. The show features a phenomenal live jazz combo and silly, crazy choreography by Erica Pinigis. Come early, get good seats, order some drinks. Pink Martinis, Burgundy, Tequila, and Champagne are recommended. Have fun! Bring a date! Dress up! Spend an evening “ooh la lounging” in style! It all adds up to a fun, fabulous, fancy, fashionable, farcical, feast of frolicking foibles.” (An excess of exclamation points, perhaps, but it’s certainly enticing.)

7 p.m., Varsity Theater, 1308 4th St. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-604-0222; $10.

MUSIC
How Big Is Big?

They’ve been around for two and a half decades. They’ve sold over four million records. They created the music for The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. They created the “Doctor Evil” song from Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. They won a Grammy in 2002. And frankly, I think this all pretty much proves that They Might [indeed] Be Giants. Brooklyn alt-rockers John Linnell and John Flansburgh will be performing in town this evening with Irish electronic popsters Oppenheimer.

8 p.m., First Avenue, 701 1st Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-332-1775; $22.

FILM
A Sneak Peak into The Kingdom

When Americans get killed in a bombing incident on a U.S base in a foreign country — first of all, we call it terrorism. Then, we send in the covert operators to “get to the bottom of it,” or whatever else mission they concoct. We flex our muscles. And we make a movie about it. That pretty much sums it up. And this pretty much sums up director Peter Berg’s new film, The Rundown and Friday Night Lights, Berg brings together an all-star cast in this dramatic thriller. Watch Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, and Jeremy Piven get together on a quest for justice in The Kingdom.

7:30 p.m., Oak Street Cinema, 309 Oak St. S.E., Minneapolis; $8 (seniors $6, members/students $5).

BOOK
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

” target=”_blank”>Drown, appeared ten years ago and drew the kind of attention usually reserved for writers with more established résumés. A big part of that was the cool intensity of the prose, which chronicled the lives of adolescent boys living in hardscrabble communities in the Dominican Republic, or transplanted to equally challenging environments in New York and New Jersey. The stories were alternately grim and funny, and Diaz never condescended, making liberal use of native dialect and slang. So enthused were editors at the New Yorker that they named Diaz one of the twenty top writers for the twenty-first century. Something happened on the way to literary superstardom, however; a novel, A Cheater’s Guide to Love, was scheduled for release in 1997, but never appeared. Perhaps The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao has been salvaged from that earlier project, but who knows. Early indications are that this debut novel–a multicultural, multilingual tale of epic bad luck–more than justifies the decade-long wait. –by Brad Zellar

On the shelves today at Barnes & Noble Booksellers Galleria, 3225 W. 69th, Edina; 952-920-0633.

FOOD
See Breaking Bread for “The Week in Eating.” Apparently, the Campus Club at the University of Minnesota will host a KBEM Jazz Dinner this evening.