Author: Cristina Córdova

BOOKS & AUTHORS by Max Ross
Release of Barack Obama’s Biography

Since the beginning of Barack Obama’s campaign for a seat in the Illinois Senate, David Mendell has covered Obama’s career. Now Mendell has compiled a biography of the politician, Obama: From Promise to Power, culled from his observations, as well as from exclusive interviews with Obama’s aids, adversaries, and family. Sure, it’s yet another icon of pre-pre-election buzz, but this particular one seems strangely devoid of partisanship: Mendell’s account doles out equal parts criticism and praise for Obama’s tactics, while reaching nearly as in-depth into the subject’s personal life as Obama’s own memoirs.

FILM
Beijing Meets Minneapolis

Filmmakers and enthusiasts are invited to IFP tonight to meet fourteen delegates from the Beijing Film Academy. The delegates, all faculty of the Academy — which is internationally recognized as one of the most vital film production institutes in the world — represent various disciplines, including screenwriting, directing, scenic design, director of photography, sound recording, research, and more. Tonight’s reception will feature clips of their work, along with an opportunity to share your own work and vision with them. The group has been invited to visit Minnesota for ten days at the behest of the University of Minnesota. While they are here, they will visit the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Walker Art Center, and attend lectures on American Cinema at the University of Minnesota.

7 p.m., IFP MN, 2446 University Avenue West, Suite 100, St. Paul; 651-644-1912; free.

A Remarkable Man

The libertarians are at it again — trying to educate you, that is. This month’s movie offering is A Remarkable Man: The Ed Thompson Story, a documentary about a boxer, professional poker player, tavern owner, construction worker, and salesman, who hated politics but got sucked into it upon facing an 8-year prison sentence for paying an undercover agent $5 from a penny video poker machine. “Ed Thompson’s story is about the determination of a not-so-ordinary guy who refuses to bow to injustice, battling for both himself and others against the forces of a powerful political machine.” You really can’t go wrong with that. And kudos to the libertarians for wanting us to stand on our own two feet rather than bowing to the machine. Watch a trailer.

7 p.m., Liberty Center, 799 Raymond Ave., Saint Paul; 651-646-8980; $5 donation with R.S.V.P.

On the Waterfront

A classic is a classic is a classic; and this is one of the best. If you haven’t seen it, go NOW. This evening’s screening of Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront — featuring none other than Marlon Brando — will begin after a concert by Build My Gallows High, a movie trivia contest, and a short film history discussion.

7 p.m. (movie at dusk), Steven’s Square Park; free.

MUSIC
Legends Take Time to Create

Colour Revolt is playing this evening at the Varsity Theater, with Manchester Orchestra and The Deaths. This is definitely an indie rock show with a lot of potential. Maybe I’m getting old (or maybe I’m already there), but I’m somehow far more excited about the Buddy Guy show at the Minnesota Zoo. This guy is a blues legend. There is absolutely no denying the impact his music had on musicians like Hendrix, Clapton, Beck, Vaughan — the greats! This is the top of the line, folks. When it comes to blues guitar, it just doesn’t get much better. Buddy Guy has played with both the oldies and the newbies — but all of them legends of their own time. He has recorded with Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson… the list goes on. And if that’s just not enough for you, well.. here’s a little secret: he’s also the father of a sexy young rapper named Shawnna — the first female rapper to sign with Def Jam.

7:30 p.m, Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley; 952-431-9200; $39.

HUMOR
A Hump Day Laugh

This is just too funny not to share. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

And check out elastic boy.

I suppose you’ve all seen Beyonce tumbling down the stairs already. Baby can take a fall. Damn! Maybe if she weren’t flipping her hair so hard…

by Peter Schilling

Director Nicholas Ray’s first film (from 1948) has been called the most auspicious debut in American movies since Citizen Kane. Based on the dynamite Depression-era gangster novel Thieves Like Us, They Live by Night begins with the daring prison break of three men: a 23-year-old killer named Bowie and the aged, hardened criminals Chicamaw and T-Dub. Unlike the source material, Ray focuses on Bowie, who’s been jailed since he was sixteen, and his tormented relationship with the teenage girl Keechie. Ray’s instinct for troubled youth may not have been better expressed — even though he did go on to direct Rebel Without a Cause. Here, he perfectly captures the dangers of that delicate age when a person is thrust from childhood into a world where love and violence are suddenly fraught with (often deadly) significance.

FILM – DVD RELEASE by Peter Schilling Jr.
They Live By Night

Director Nicholas Ray’s first film (from 1948) has been called the most auspicious debut in American movies since Citizen Kane. Based on the dynamite Depression-era gangster novel Thieves Like Us, They Live by Night begins with the daring prison break of three men: a 23-year-old killer named Bowie and the aged, hardened criminals Chicamaw and T-Dub. Unlike the source material, Ray focuses on Bowie, who’s been jailed since he was sixteen, and his tormented relationship with the teenage girl Keechie. Ray’s instinct for troubled youth may not have been better expressed — even though he did go on to direct Rebel Without a Cause. Here, he perfectly captures the dangers of that delicate age when a person is thrust from childhood into a world where love and violence are suddenly fraught with (often deadly) significance.

BOOKS
History, Real and Imagined

There have been a couple of interesting new book releases lately, so maybe it’s time to make your way to the nearest bookstore and restore my faith in the readers of the world. Yes, we still read. Don’t we?

Pulitzer-Prize-winning New York Times correspondant Tim Weiner released his new novel, Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA, just last month. In his absorbing study of the Central Intelligence Agency, Weiner exposes the institution’s incompetence and delusional tendencies. He argues that, contrary to the accepted image of an agency gone awry, the CIA has always been just as dysfunctional as it is now; it has always been victim to the incompetent Ivy Leaguers running the show.

The World Without Us, by Alan Weisman, offers a fascinating study of what would happen to our world if we were to suddenly disappear from the face of the earth. Apparently, only days after our disappearance, Manhattan subways would flood and skyscrapers would start to crumble. Read it for yourself and find out how long it would take to erase any trace of humankind.

MUSIC
Independent Hip Hop Festival

OK. The story goes something like this: Back in 2001, Murs (Living Legends) and Slug (Atmosphere) were on tour together, driving from Eugene, Oregon to San Francisco, California. As is probably quite common on the road, the rappers began a heated discussion over who had the better chance of sleeping with Christina Ricci. Seventeen miles later, Murs and Slug decided to make a record dedicated to Christina Ricci, a seduction album of sorts, each rapper hoping to bed her. In 2002, Slug and Murs met up in Los Angeles to record FELT: A Tribute To Christina Ricci, which has since sold over 50,000 copies and made Dan Monick’s Volkswagen famous worldwide. Two years later, neither rapper had even met Christina Ricci, so they moved on to their next project: Lisa Bonet — this time in Minneapolis.

While you probably won’t be meeting (or sleeping with) either Christina Ricci or Lisa Bonet this evening, you can at least surround yourself by people who might like to do so as much as you. Tonight and tomorrow is the Paid Dues Independent Hip Hip Festival at First Avenue, featuring FELT. See, hear, and dance to some of the best in hip hop. The evening begins with Lucky I Am and Hanger 18, at 5 p.m.; Blueprint and Grouch Eligh at 6 p.m.; Mr. Lif and Cage at 7 p.m.; Brother Ali at 8:30 p.m., Sage Francis at 9:20 p.m.; Felt at 10:15 p.m.; and finally, Living Legends, at 11:15 p.m.

4 p.m., First Avenue, 701 First Ave. N., Minneapolis; 612-332-1775; $35.

THEATER & PERFORMANCE by Danielle Kurtzleben
Review of Private Lives

Noel Coward’s Private Lives is a deceptively difficult play to produce. While the premise is certainly amusing — Amanda and Elyot, five years divorced, and their respective new spouses by chance honeymoon at the same French resort, in adjacent rooms that exit onto the same terrace — the majority of the play consists of little more than spousal bickering. Two-and-a-half hours of marital strife could easily become tiresome, but Director Peter Rothstein imbues the Guthrie’s Private Lives with energy, moving it along at an almost feverish pace — a tactic that works well with this screwball comedy. The actors maintain this energy admirably; it is only when they fail to contain it that the comedy loses its spark.

The opening act is a hilarious portrayal of mismatched coupling; the desperation is almost tangible. Rothstein keeps his touch light by keeping the characters vivid, even cartoonish. As a result, it takes only three minutes to understand the dynamics of the two newlywed couples. Amanda (Vianne Cox) sweeps around the stage dramatically, while hapless, feeble Victor (Kris L. Nelson) stands aside. Elyot (Stephen Pelinski) strides commandingly about, while girlish, insecure Sibyl (Tracey Maloney) knits her hands in the corner. The comedic timing works nicely here; Ms. Cox’s marvelous facial expressions and Mr. Nelson’s fidgeting prove that a beat or two of silent reaction can generate more laughs than any well-timed barb.

Perhaps the best part of this production, however, is the even dynamic between the four characters – all are flawed, but all are likable. Thus, when Amanda and Elyot run off together to Paris at the end of Act I, one can neither judge them nor pity Victor and Sibyl. The situation is just too ridiculous and the characters just crude enough to give the audience the distance to laugh. It is to the ensemble’s great credit that they pull this off.

It is in Acts II and III, when the pace moves from feverish to frantic, that the wheels occasionally come off. Perhaps it is the speed of Coward’s script that causes this; every line is a potential joke, and the actors are eager to oblige. Act II shows us Elyot and Amanda one week after running off together, and as one would expect, arguments come easily. Pelinski and Cox allow themselves to get caught up in these arguments, and the superb comedic timing of Act I disappears, replaced by shouted lines that trip over each other and are not always understandable.

Act II’s bickering culminates in a prolonged physical fight between Amanda and Elyot that ventures out of slapstick territory and into forced, unnecessary silliness. It is the arrival of Sibyl and Victor in Act III that stops both Amanda and Elyot’s relationship and the play from veering off the rails. Nelson and Maloney are riotous as jilted but hopeful spouses. The awkward dialog between new and old loves allows everyone to take a breath. The easy, smart laughs are restored, and Amanda, Elyot, Sibyl, and Victor live combatively ever after.

The look of Private Lives matches the broad strokes with which the characters are painted. Costumes are brightly colored, and sets are vibrantly art deco. There is, however, a garishness that is perhaps unnecessary; Amanda’s Paris flat in particular (the setting for Acts II and III) is so overdone as to be distracting. In the end, the design parallels the production; it could stand to be taken down a notch or two in places. Still, Private Lives is perfectly acceptable for a carefree summer night out at the theater.

7:30 p.m., Guthrie Theater, 818 South 2nd St., Minneapolis; 612-377-2224; $29-$49.

MUSIC
Urban Bohemian – Born and Bred

“Tell me if you want me to give you all my time. I wanna make it good for you cause you blow my mind.” R&B duo Groove Theory had it going on in the ’90s with hit songs like “Tell Me” and “Baby Luv.” And the voice behind the magic was that of Amel Larrieux. These days, she’s gone from theory to practice, but she’s just as groovy. If you’re lucky, you already caught her show last night, and you can even catch a second round; but those of us who are little slower on the uptake can still enjoy her worldly take on contemporary soul.

7 p.m. & 9 p.m., Dakota Jazz Club & Restaurant, 1010 Nicollet, Minneapolis; 612-332-1010; $35 & $25.

BOOKS
Beau is Back

I’m not a big fan of mystery novels, but every now and then I grab one for a quick flight read — you know, the perfect novel for a two- to four-hour plane ride. I’ve read all sorts of jems. And I have to tell you, though, for the most part, I find it best to stay away from the ones written by women. Oy! I hate to say that. But.. I simply can’t deal with the whole sexy bail bondwoman crap thing. And the chic, urban romances make me want to weep for my gender. Bottom line? It’s nice to read a fluffy mystery novel by a female author and not even notice. Woohoo! We can surpass our gender. Man, woman, mystery freak all, head out for Roseville tonight for a guest appearance and reading by author of Justice Denied, J.A. Jance.

7 p.m., Barnes & Noble Booksellers Roseville II, Har Mar Mall, 2100 Snelling Ave. N., Saint Paul; 651-639-9256.

FILM & MUSIC
The Knotwells and The Tarnished Angel

It’s not much of a secret anymore, but another Monday night means another movie in Loring Park, preceded by music on the green. What should you really listen to before a Douglas Sirks movie? The Walker has done well with the musical selections so far, and tonight is no exception. Country, punk, bluegrass, gypsy — you name it — the Knotwells will serve up the perfect melodic chaos for you to unleash all that energy into the park. Chaos, you say? Only Faulkner can follow. The Tarnished Angels, based on Faulkner’s novel Pylon stars Rock Hudson as a journalist who falls for another man’s wife.

7 p.m., Loring Park, 612.375.7600; free.

ON THE NET
Oddities with which to Start the Week

In the end, nobody wants a dentist who’s a jokester.

But apparently, people do want things made of elephant poo. Go figure!

On that note, let’s end with a duck omelet.

It’s an odd place we live, this world.

by Peter Schilling Jr.

This could be the best episode ever and still not live up to the hype. After all, the movie is, what, nearly twenty years in the gestation? Give Matt Groening and company credit for assembling the best writers from seasons’ past and pulling in David Silverman, co-director from Pixar’s superior Monsters, Inc., to help them launch this behemoth. Already acclaimed by British critics as brilliant, the plot is ostensibly about the environment, but reports have it that Green Day, Al Gore, “President” Arnold Schwarzenegger, the religious right, and the New Age left are all skewered. Rumor has it that the story also includes a romance between Lisa and an angst-ridden Irishman, Bart skateboarding in the nude, and the end of the world as we know it.

WINE & WINGS
Break Out of That Cocoon and Spread Your Wings
by Danielle Kurtzleben

If the idea of going to a zoo makes you cringe — pushing a stroller, carrying cotton candy and grumpy, sleeping children — perk up, hire a sitter, and come to the Minnesota Zoo’s adult-only Monarchs & Merlot social. Spend an evening sipping merlot, or chardonnay, sampling hors d’eouvres, and taking a peaceful walk through the MN Zoo’s butterfly garden. If you’re feeling more ambitious, you can also learn about the 40 species in the butterfly garden, as well as how to attract them to your own yard. While the price may seem a little steep at $40, it’s all for a good cause: the zoo’s conservation programs.

Friday at 6:30 p.m., Minnesota Zoo, 13000 Zoo Blvd., Apple Valley; 952-431-9200; $40 (members $35).

FILM
Celebrate Sleep and Winter on a Hot Summer Night

Video cameras abound these days, as do self-proclaimed videographers, but when it comes time to show your work in a venue other than YouTube or the hot new video hosting service of the week, there’s a dearth of serious options. (Not that YouTube could even be considered a serious option, mind you.) More than anything else, video today is meant to make you laugh. But what about aesthetics? What about art? What about framing that perfect shot, capturing the particular way a ray of light bounces off your subject, playing with your palette? What about metaphor? In an effort to create a new venue for emerging video artists to present their work, the Rosalux Gallery is hosting its first annual No Mittens Film Festival, a one-night screening of films about winter and sleep.

Friday at 7 p.m., Rosalux Gallery, 1101 Washington Ave., Minneapolis; free.

Of course, it’s Friday, so there are a whole slew of movies opening this evening. Vitus and Ten Canoes open at the Edina Cinema, Interview and Sunshine open at the Lagoon Cinema, and My Best Friend opens at the Uptown Theatre. Also showing at the Uptown on Saturday at midnight is Sam Peckinpah’s controversial Western, The Wild Bunch. Oh! And don’t forget The Simpsons Movie. Read Rake film critic Peter Schilling’s So Little Time write-up.

VISUAL ARTS
Last Weekend for Smith and Britto Exhibit
by Ann Klefstad

Both Shinique Smith and Michael Paul Britto were in a show called Frequency at the Studio Museum of Harlem last year, curated by the incisively yet inclusively smart Thelma Golden. Also included was Kalup Linzy, whose hilarious and fond videos of various homefolks recently showed at Midway Contemporary Art in Northeast Minneapolis. Indeed, it seems that much of the most interesting art in circulation around here — including the recent show by Jim Denomie and Andrea Carlson at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and Kara Walker’s survey at the Walker — is being done by people with access to at least a couple of different cultures. Maybe that double vision provides the binoculars we need to see the real lay of the land. I’m not sure which of Britto’s videos will be presented, but his Dirrrty Harriet Tubman is pretty funny, an action-thriller parody using a sanctified figure. The thing to ask is, can we all play?

Friday and Saturday from 12-5 p.m., Franklin Art Works, 1021 Franklin Ave. E., Minneapolis; 612-872-7494; free.

MUSIC
Bringing Down the House with Nothing but Fingers
by Danielle Kurtzleben

It’s a finger-picking extravaganza tonight, when Charlie Parr and My Two Toms hit the Kitty Cat Klub, the latest stop on their American Tour. British duo My Two Toms proves that beautiful instrumental bluegrass (what they humbly call “front-porch music”) can come from all the way across the pond. Duluth native Parr, with a country-blues style that ranges from heart-rending to rowdy, is a fixture on the Minnesota music scene. Don’t let his scruffy, regular-joe exterior fool you — this 12-string virtuoso always brings down the house.

Saturday at 10 p.m., Kitty Cat Klub, 315 14th Ave. S.E., Dinkytown, Minneapolis; $5.

Other good music shows this weekend include The Peterson Family tonight at the Fitz, the Humanboy CD Release Party tonight at the Cabooze, and a Reunion Show with Edupoetic at Visage Nightclub.

COMEDY & PERFORMANCE
Improv-a-Go-Go
by Max Ross

For five years now, Improv-a-Go-Go has served as a weekly showcase for local improvisational comedy talent. Performers take cues from the audience to create scenes on the spot, a sort of spontaneous combustion that offers the crowd a sense of immediacy and intimacy seldom found in traditional comedy theater; at its best, everyone feels as if they are privy to an inside joke that keeps on going throughout the night. Previous skits have included drunken Christmas carols and a dinosaur rock-eating party. Tonight’s show features sets by Five Man Job, Scrappy Moose, Straight from Uranus, and Ferrari McSpeedy. It’s only one dollar, so why not?

Sunday at 8 p.m., Brave New Workshop, 2605 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-332-6620; $1.

Today is the last day to register for our Bourne Ultimatum promotion. Vote on your favorite movie car chase for a chance to win free tickets to an advanced screening of the latest Bourne movie next Tuesday.

ART
You Don’t Have to Get on Your Knees, but Crawl

A couple months ago, Christy DeSmith wrote an article describing Glenwood Avenue as a burgeoning design corridor. Tonight, we invite you to explore the new design district for yourself during the 10,000 Arts Crawl. Enjoy live music, visual and design arts, performing arts, and food and beverage samplings at multiple venues between Lyndale and Girard, on Glenwood Avenue. The evening will include performances by Ghost in the Water, The Brass Kings, Beatrix Jar, JAO, and Jimmy Martin. Art Crawl destinations include AbiTare, AIA Minnesota, The Carney Group, Hirshfield’s Design Studio, Ivy Men’s + Design, and Ligne Roset. Keep your eye out for our promotional scooter. It could be yours at the end of the summer!

6-10 p.m., between Lyndale and Girard Avenues North on Glenwood Avenue; free.

COMEDY THEATER
The Label vs. Evil

How does a group of self-proclaimed “stand up comics, failed theater majors, anti-social writers, and film school dropouts” fight the evils of “war, terrorism, crime, and nationally televised pop-star competitions?” Comedy. Comedy. Laughter is The Label’s weapon of choice. “Make laughter, not war,” should be their motto as they strive to wipe out evil, once and for all, with their hysterical blend of monologue, live sketch, and short films. Solve the problem of evil with a night of laughter. (This ain’t Epicurus or Hume, but it’ll do for a Thursday.)

7 p.m. (through Saturday), Bryant Lake Bowl, 810 West Lake St., Minneapolis; 612-825-3737; $10.

According to James Norton, of Metroblogging Twin Cities, Neil Hamburger will be performing at the Triple Rock this evening. Norton accurately describes Hamburger as “the world’s premiere anti-comedian,” extolling the comedic value of his nasty and offensive act. Sounds like a winner to me.

10 p.m., Triple Rock Social Club, 629 Cedar Avenue, Minneapolis; 612-333-7499; $10.

FILM
Starry Silent Summer Nights

I miss the silent movies projected on the wall outside of Riverplace — back in the late ’80s, I guess. I’m a sucker for the silent movie. What can I say? Charlie Chaplin. Buster Keaton. Douglas Fairbanks. Now, those were men! Who needs words when you’ve got such overtly physical communication? We could all use just a little more silence these days… and a little more physical communication. Take yourself back to the good old days, before the talkies, with a screening of Show People. Based on the life and career of Gloria Swanson, Show People gets behind the scenes of the silent film industry as the protagonist tries to break into it. The film stars Marion Davies and William Haines, with cameo appearances by Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, John Gilbert, and Norma Talmadge.

7:30 p.m., Heights Theater, 3951 Central Ave. N.E., Columbia Heights; 763-788-9079; $8 (seniors and children $5).

Look at film through a teen lens tonight at the Twin Cities Youth Media Network Screening at the Walker Art Center. Explore works made by high school filmmakers from around the state. 7:30 p.m., Walker Art Center, 1750 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-375-7656; free.

FESTIVAL
Midwestern Nostalgia

Every small to large vicinage across America, and across the world, has its own form of ritual merrymaking, a community celebration, a regional jubilee. From the carnival, to the block-party, to the barnyard dance, we’ve concocted numerous venues in which to come together with no pretext other than to to have a good time, socialize, commune. Maybe to parade a new hat, a new love. Maybe to give yourself a thrill with a few playful (and careless) smiles. (Surely for someone to make a buck, while you lose one.)

What’s our local version of this clambake? What’s our jamboree? We city folk would like to think it’s ultra-hip — getting jiggy in the streets. But let’s face it, even our most urban fiestas are fundamentally hick at heart. Does this hurt you, dear? Don’t despair. It’s really quite lovely, indeed.

You can count on live music. We’ve always got plenty of that — not bad stuff, either. Quite good, in fact. (And you’ll often find a twang in there somewhere, a little touch of Fargo, a pinch of bluegrass, and a Polka, too. It’ll bring you back home — wherever home is. (Even a Latina like me finds comfort in the familiarity of something so profoundly American — from back when that might have been imbued with a bit of bravado rather than second-hand shame.)

You’ll find food, plenty of food. Fried food, grilled food, fast food, food on a stick. You’ll find food. If you’re lucky, you’ll find mini donuts. Shhh. I won’t tell. Lemonade? Or beer? That’s enough sinfulness. Enjoy some games. Watch the kids get their faced painted. Wander around the arts and crafts booths. Best case scenario? — Uptown Art Fair. Worse case scenario? — pretty much your average fare. What do you have against arts & crafts? (Maybe you can buy yourself a nice reindeer sweater.) Just think of it as retro, and have a good time. This is, after all, the beauty of the midwest. Indulge.

Best case scenario — Uptown Art Fair; and yet beyond the booths you’ll always find the classic cars. In the end, this is the best art of all. I find myself taking refuge from the booths, from the sell, mulling about the cars, exploring, wandering, wondering. Sweet prince in a shiny ’62, divest me of my history — and Elvis shakes the floor. Ain’t that America, baby?

But will someone please explain why there’s a donkey in the middle of the parking lot, trapped between the sweet corn and the organic soap? What’s with the rooster? A petting zoo? Really? Why the hell would I want to pet a rooster?

Why the hell would you want any of it, really? Only that it’s beautiful; that’s all. It’s a more quiet reminder of the American Dream — the right to nothingness, I suppose. The right to frolic. Want some? You’ll have plenty of opportunity yet this summer. But you can get a taste tonight in White Bear Lake, on the last night of this summer’s Marketfest. No, it probably doesn’t merit this long diatribe, by any means, but after writing the Secrets night after night, I, too, felt a need to indulge. Call it my own sense of family fun. Now go have yours. Enjoy the typical fare, along with covered wagon rides, wall climbing, and fun for all. Oh, yeah. Can’t wait to get on that wagon, baby. I’m coming home!

6-9 p.m., Downtown White Bear Lake, just east of Hwy. 61, between 3rd St. and 4th St.; free.