Author: rakemag

What is it about an Ingmar Berman retrospective that says “autumn”? Sure, there’s Autumn Sonata (a humdinger with Liv Ullmann and Ingrid Bergman in her final role), but the cinematic giant also made Winter Light, The Virgin Spring, and Smiles of a Summer Night (not to mention Summer Interlude)—all of which will be screened, along with a dozen more of the Swede’s best works. Bergman dwelled on the kind of big questions surrounding love, death, faith, sanity, and reality that would swamp lesser artists in a morass of pomposity or incoherence. Time and again (that’s another thing, filmmakers just don’t crank ’em out at this rate anymore), he delivered deep films distinguished by an essential simplicity and honesty. Maybe that’s why this series seems timely: If the best movies offer nourishing food for thought, then this is a harvest feast to fatten you up for the long cold winter ahead. 612-331-3134; www.mnfilmarts.org

Seems like over the past couple of decades we’ve learned to appreciate regional foods, regional parks, even regional shopping malls (thanks MoM!). Why not celebrate darn good movies home-grown in the heartland—or any of the other distinctive regions that make up our country’s vast interior? That’s how the Central Standard Film Fest came to be. For its third year, offerings include the highly anticipated documentary, Wellstone!; Dirty Work, a film about three men who perform nasty jobs we’d prefer to ignore (like embalming); and Nightingale in a Music Box, a super-smart thriller set in Chicago. Don’t miss what must be considered an extravaganza of previously, and shamefully, untapped cinematic talent. 125 Main St S.E., Minneapolis; and 3951 Central Ave N.E., Columbia Heights; 612-343-3390; www.centralstandardfilmfest.com

Suffering from battle fatigue this election season? Chin up! There’s succor if you know where to look. One outstanding example is the series of “Real People” ads by documentarian Errol Morris, in which Republicans talk about why they’re not voting for the incumbent (they may not air in our state, but they’re online at MoveOnPAC.org). Another is Flags, a play by the famously pseudonymous Jane Martin; after commissioning it, the Guthrie wisely pushed up its production so that it could be seen in our swing state before the election. In a sense, Martin sets her play in real time: It’s the month before the 2004 presidential election, and a Vietnam vet is grieving the death of his son in the Iraq war. When he and his family hang the Star-Spangled Banner upside-down—a signal of distress—it provokes a heated confrontation. Is this a family of heroes, or are they enemies of the state? Is true patriotism loving your country and its ideals, or supporting the current leadership? See Flags with a Republican you love—or anyone who has a relative in the military. 1501 S. 4th St., Minneapolis; 612-338-6131; www.mixedblood.com

This was Sarah Kane’s final play prior to her suicide in 1999 at the age of twenty-eight, and the title refers to the apocryphal time at which most suicides take place. Kane rose to prominence in London as a kind of theatrical counterpart to that city’s “YBA” art scene: Her first work, Blasted, received an eponymous treatment when one critic described it as “a disgusting feast of filth.” 4.48 Psychosis, no less controversial, has been characterized as a multilayered description of what it’s like to be pulled toward ceasing to be. The Royal Court Theater, Britain’s leading national company, brings its acclaimed production to the Guthrie Lab for its U.S. premiere. A first-date play? Probably not. Maybe a last. 700 N. 1st St., Minneapolis; 612-377-2224; www.guthrietheater.org

Theater buffs will remember the staged reading of Bel Canto at Penumbra Theatre a few years back—and they might also recall that American Theater magazine named Jones as one of its artists to watch in the twenty-first century. As tender coming-of-age stories go (are there any other kind?), this one stands out in its orchestrated clash between the raw reality of city life and the world of operatic music. Set in Massachusetts in 1978, sixteen-year-old Benjamin Turner wears his heart on his sleeve while trying to deal with the impact of wishes coming true in all their terror and beauty. His tale is woven together with music from contralto diva Marian Anderson and Jimi Hendrix. 3501 Chicago Ave. S., Minneapolis; 612-825-0459; www.puc-mn.org/theatre

Emily Johnson has been described as “postmodern dance’s hottest new talent.” Drawing on enormous reserves of energy, precision, and creativity, the compact, pixyish Johnson can now be called a force of nature. Her newest piece, Heat and Life, centers on the emotional and atmospheric impacts of global warming. While she moves and bends, like a post-ozone sunrise, the weather onstage changes, thunder roars (the soundscape is composed by JG Everest), and emergency workers come and go. Commissioned by Walker Art Center, Johnson’s dance is co-presented with No Name Exhibitions. 2nd St. S.E. & 5th Ave. S.E., Minneapolis; 612-623-9176; www.soapfactory.org

Northrop brings a pair of powerhouse imports to its stage this month. Lyon Opera Ballet has an adventurous repertory grounded in classical roots. This time out, ballets from European choreographers William Forsythe, Russell Maliphant, and Jiri Kylian are on the bill. Two weeks later, the bold and brassy Bolshoi takes the stage with its contemporary staging of Romeo and Juliet, which premiered in Moscow last year and was quickly counted among the venerable company’s most daring and imaginative productions. 612-624-2345; www.northrop.umn.edu

William Nicholson’s play—a Tony nominee this year—chronicles the slow, excruciating unraveling of a thirty- three-year-old marriage, and the ways both spouses manipulate their only son in their retreat from each other. If nothing else, this production should make at least some of us feel we’ve got it pretty good. But seriously, when a topic is this glum, the true art comes through in dialogue and performances. Nicholson’s got an uncanny grasp of the emotional language developed by two partners over several decades. And with local luminaries Barbara Kingsley and Stephen D’Ambrose onstage, you’re bound to be in good hands. 651-291-7005; www.parksquaretheatre.org

Remember Uncle Tupelo? After their breakup in 1994, fans tended to fall into two camps: Son Volt freaks and Wilco worshipers. Son Volt was for people who liked the twang of Uncle Tupelo and Wilco was for the dirtbag in all of us that could appreciate a strong drink and a loud guitar. Let’s face it, drunken dirtbags always win in the end. Touring in support of their new album, A Ghost Is Born, Wilco is that rare outfit whose stage banter is better than most other bands’ actual songs. Maybe it’s the lack of flash combined with his self-deprecating style that has kept singer/songwriter Jeff Tweedy shamefully overlooked as a commercial success, when we think he possesses one of pop music’s sharpest ears. The 2002 documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart chronicled the making of their fourth album, Yankee Hotel Fox Trot. Complete with vomiting and band member firings, it was an unflinching look at a band led by music’s most awkward and soulful troubadour. Much of A Ghost Is Born was written while Tweedy was battling depression, and also struggling with a dependency on the pain killers he was popping for his migraines. Lucky for us he can still rock, even with a headache (and some time in rehab). 910 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis; 612-339-7007; www.hennepintheatredistrict.com

Any posthumous work is inevitably bittersweet. Smith’s struggles with drugs and depression were well known, and he always projected a breakable quality—onstage he often came off more as simply weary than rock star. It’s that very fragility that made his songs so personal and lovely. From a Basement on a Hill brings together three years’ worth of songs; Smith was working on it at the time of his death. Catch a last glimpse into a man with such a gift, who sadly was too tired of living. Available October 19