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In a typical “opposites attract” love story, the clash factor usually serves to fan the flames of torrid passion. They fight, they pine, they end up in bed. Repeat until one of them dies. Nothing is quite this simple in Anne Tyler’s reality. The Minneapolis-born author’s sixteenth novel, The Amateur Marriage, focuses on the Antons, … Read more

What an impressive debut! Disaffected Civil War vet Kane drifts aimlessly into a job on an Arctic vessel called the Narthex, where he discovers that his crewmates are a collection of eccentrics, murderers, and freaks (the engineer even has three hands). The purpose of the voyage is obscure and mysterious, but it has something to … Read more

It’s not a trend we favor, but there’s a notable tendency these days for authors to turn their swords on each other in the name publicizing themselves. It probably started with that insufferable Jonathan Franzen, whose open sneer at Oprah’s Book Club was largely directed at the authors she chose. Then there’s New Republic critic … Read more

Award-winning local author Benitez has found much inspiration in her dual Latin American and Midwestern heritage, and her books have a way of persuading you to cheer for both sides of the story. Her latest, Night of the Radishes, ought to please fans of her earlier, critically acclaimed novels, like The Weight of All Things. … Read more

The history of the 1804 Lewis and Clark expedition, which first revealed much of the interior of the continent to white Americans, has been covered quite thoroughly in recent years by both Ken Burns and Stephen Ambrose. Brian Hall takes a slightly different approach to the material in I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your … Read more

A seventies doll made to look like Mrs. Beasley,A Victorian soldier whose joints move quite easily, Batman, The Matrix, and Lord of the Rings,These are a few of our favorite things.Wonders small and smaller are on display at the History Center in this exhibit detailing the social history, growing popularity, and production of those posable, … Read more

There was some surprise around town last week when the Minneapolis Fire Department said they’d already started selling advertising on city fire trucks. They’ll begin with hose covers promoting an unimpeachably responsible product: a smoking cessation program called Quit Plan. Still, thoughtful people were alarmed, and we were intrigued. When times are tough, our city … Read more

A five-year labor of love by French writer/director Sylvain Chomet, Triplets is a pure visual delight that ought to appeal both to young children and the snootiest of the arthouse crowd. Chomet’s warped sense of humor and sheer inventiveness keeps the film percolating with comic energy, reminding us that there’s more going on in the … Read more

Aki Kaurismäki comes from a land populated by emotionally reserved Nordic types and mosquito-breeding lakes, where it is cold and dark for six months out of the year. That would be Finland, though Fridley fits the bill. Specializing in low-budget movies that are smart, deadpan, and inspired equally by European art cinema and American rock … Read more

They don’t make them like Cary Grant any more. Sure, George Clooney’s got many of his good points—the good looks, the one-two combo of great comic timing and solid dramatic chops. But only the guy born Archibald Leach a century ago this month has so many classics to his credit that a three-week retrospective like … Read more