Article

Andy Garcia was five years old when his family moved from Cuba to Florida, but the memories of his birthplace left an indelible impression on the actor, who makes his directorial debut with this film. Equal parts love song to Cuban culture and critique of the political events that ended Havana’s brief reign as the … Read more

Clock-watchers in the St. Louis Park area can’t wait to get over to Best of India’s stellar lunch buffet. There’s a palpable feeling of escape, as diners sample a spread that encompasses more than twenty items. The non-buffet menu is also stacked with winners, including nine different kinds of buttery tandoori breads. The beef vindaloo … Read more

Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ plastinates have taken over the Science Museum of Minnesota; The Rake proposes taking them into the streets. What better way to raise awareness–and spur body donations for von Hagens–than to “plastinatize” some of the glorified lawn ornaments that masquerade as public art in the Twin Cities?

Pondering the beauty of Minnehaha Falls is so much sweeter when munching on a fish taco. Before Sea Salt Eatery set up shop in the park, a trip to the falls was like, “OK, pretty. Let’s go.” Now, with a crab cake sandwich or oyster po’ boy in hand, visitors can slow down to appreciate … Read more

She’s extracted feminist themes from Wagner babes and Grand Ole Opry theatrics; and now Shawn McConneloug enters the world of peg legs, planks, and swashbucklers, injecting some of her own pistol-slinging flair. In 2003, this ultra-modern local choreographer immortalized Tammy Wynette in Stand On Your Man, a yodel-heavy piece incorporating dance, music, film, and rhinestone … Read more

Summertime is getting to be synonymous with outdoor, site-specific performance pieces—and we’re not talking music in the park here. Last August we witnessed the monumental LANDMARK: 24 Hours at the Stone Arch Bridge, which rolled music, dance, theater, and literature together into one colossal, daylong experience that nudged onlookers to remember how beautiful that historic … Read more

I Am My Own Wife, a one-actor show fresh off its 2004 Broadway debut, concerns itself with Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a real-life German transvestite who survived both fascists and communists. Most exciting of all is this production’s star: veteran stage actor and baritone Bradley Greenwald. Best known for the musical stunt-piloting he does over at … Read more

According to many fairy tales, Disney films, and children’s adventure stories, the secret to a fantastic childhood is the eradication of meddling parental units, especially mothers. Stronger than Popeye, wilder than Peter Pan, way more fun than Orphan Annie (although both boast badly styled red hair), Pippi Longstocking is completely unfettered—her mother died when she … Read more

This month, the American Film Institute will count down the one hundred most inspirational movies in American history. Unfortunately, our family wasn’t consulted, because one of our more inspirational movies was inexplicably left off the list of three hundred nominees. That movie is Evel Knievel, a B-picture from 1971 starring George Hamilton as the daredevil … Read more