Howard Hawks’ magnificent film noir classic, The Big Sleep, opens with a stark, moonlit scene of a car being dragged out of the Malibu Bay with a dead chauffeur inside. Never in the course of the film — which has Humphrey Bogart as private eye Philip Marlowe investigating a blackmailing scheme and falling in love … Read more
Eloquent Nude: The Love and Legacy of Edward Weston and Charis Wilson is a remarkably resourceful hour-long documentary of the great photographer’s greatest love and the work they inspired in each other. Ms. Wilson, now 93, is candid in her remembrances and the reenactment work of their travels with the likes of Ansel Adams is … Read more
In a world where everyone, especially celebrities are free roaming targets for everyone with a cellphone camera, Al Franken ought to be thankful City Pages’ newshounds don’t have his workout routine up on YouTube. Maybe tomorrow. City Pages posted a tiddy by writer Ben Westhoff describing Franken’s goofball antics in his condo work-out room. Reaction … Read more
Garlic is often referred to as the Stinking Rose. Maybe that’s why this Saturday’s Minnesota Garlic Festival is being held waaaaaay out at the Wright County Fairgrounds. I imagine the westerly winds will soften the pungent aromas as they waft toward the Cities, so that on Saturday evening you will be struck by the odd … Read more
It’s been a mighty strange season, and I’m frankly exhausted. It obviously doesn’t take a whole lot of psychic energy to follow a genuinely good team. That’s probably not true, though, at least strictly speaking; to really follow any baseball team, day in and day out, takes a tremendous amount of psychic energy. It’s a … Read more
Under the shadow of the I-35W bridge collapse — but totally unrelated — came the launch of a new website, Minneapolis Picks — your total shopping guide. Don’t be misled by the shopping reference, though; this isn’t just trendy tops and shoes. The site covers everything from independent stores, to restaurants and services, events, and … Read more
Get out that ipod, and upload the latest Flak Radio segment — or upload all of them and catch up. James Norton, former producer of The Al Franken Show, and Taylor Carik, journalist and man-about-town, interview guest hosts, discuss Flak Magazine stories and crazy stuff they find on the internet, and end each segment with … Read more
Our favorite, foul-mouthed, tattoed puppet, Sailor Martin, stars in this remix of the 1962 horror film The Manster.
Watch and listen as Cheeney explains why it’s a bad idea to invade Baghdad. Hey, I buy it. Now why didn’t he? What he knew back in 1994, he seems to have forgotten.
You’ve all heard of the half-dozen sweet old ladies at the Star Tribune switchboard let go in … what was that? Round 5? of “right-sizing” (TM: Par Ridder) … then came the end of what was no doubt an outrageously expensive deal paying mentally handicapped people to run errands around the building. Today’s instant-whackings (they’re … Read more