Factotum, 2005. Directed by Bent Hamer, written by Hamer and producer Jim Stark. Starring Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Marisa Tomei, Fisher Stevens, Didier Flamand, James Cada, Tony Lyons, and Dan Lee Jr. as a dwarf that Dillon abuses. Now playing exclusively at the Uptown Theater. On his Swingin’ Affair album, Frank Sinatra sang “I Got … Read more
And now for the good news you’re paying for… The Pentagon is letting a bid for $20 million to hire a public relations firm to help it improve the coverage of our performance in the Iraq War. For some reason, they don’t seem to like what the independent press has been saying about what’s going … Read more
Today’s the last day of August, for heaven’s sake… Never before has it been more urgent to catch an outdoor show! Try the last installment of Patio Nights at the Minnesota Museum of Art–with the Belles of Skin City and, again (a favorite), Desdemona.
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India, 2005. Written and directed by Ashutosh Gowariker, music by Padmashree A. R. Rahman, lyrics by Padmashree Javed Akhtar. Featuring the incredible talents of Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, and Rajesh Vivek (and a cast of literally thousands); and also starring the mediocre, scene-chewing likes of Brits Rachel Shelley & … Read more
There are certain fights I have with The Hub that won’t go away: milk vs. water in the scrambled eggs, searing meat does/does not seal in the juices, etc. Just because someone went to chef school, doesn’t mean he’s the universal God of kitchen knowledge. Besides, the majority of a cook’s education comes from the … Read more
A few folks from around here made it out to see Army of Shadows at the Edina Cinema last night–this being Jean-Pierre Melville’s rarely seen 1969 film about the French resistance during WWII, both inspired by Melville’s own wartime experiences and the book Belle de Jour by Joseph Kessel. Anthony Lane, the notoriously cranky but … Read more
L’Armee des Ombres, 1969 (Army of Shadows). Written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. Starring Lino Ventura, Paul Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Cassel, and the magnificent Simone Signoret. Now showing at the Edina Cinema. With perhaps as much mystery as the Maquis fighters it showcases, Army of Shadows has snuck into town with little fanfare, spending its week … Read more
Never mind Osama, here’s Neville When I was in eighth grade, there was a question on my American History final exam that read, “Who was the person most responsible for starting World War II?” The answer the teacher was looking for was, of course, Adolf Hitler. I wrote Neville Chamberlain. If Don Rumsfeld had been … Read more
The Magnificent Ambersons, 1942. Directed by Orson Welles, written by Welles (and fully credited to him), with additional dialogue by fellow legerdemain Jack Moss and pal Joseph Cotten. Starring Tim Holt, Anne Baxter, Joseph Cotten, Dolores Costello, the incredible Agnes Moorehead, Richard Bennett, and narrated by Welles. Available on DVD exclusively at Cinema Revolution. In … Read more
Again, there’s not a lot of interesting stuff going on today. I guess we’re in a pre-holiday “slumber” (or something). Sigh… The State Fair’s still happening but, pfft!, that’s not much of a secret. The Twins are playing. Plenty o’ shows to see at the all-new Guthrie. And speaking of which, Jeffrey Hatcher, who penned … Read more