The summer is fading. The moon is easing down to sleep in the trees, even as the stars step back into the dark country of heaven. They look like a small cluster of island villages in the North Sea, seen from an airplane at night. A fox, interloper here in the middle of a city … Read more
Just pointing out that today is the 67th anniversary of the beginning of World War II in Europe. Tomorrow is the 61st anniversary of the surrender of Japan. Ten days from now is the fifth anniversary of 9/11/2001. World War II in Europe lasted 2076 days. America’s involvement in WW II lasted 1365 days. It’s … Read more
Sign o’ the local theater scene picking back up: Emigrant Theater, a newcomer company, opens a pretty cool-sounding show this evening. Check what we wrote about it for the theater page of our September issue, in So Little Time (or the section formerly known as “Broken Clock”). From here on out ’til November the theatergoing … Read more
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