The Rake Magazine

Here’s the feel-paranoid hit of the season. Nicole Kidman was originally slated to star in this dark, suspense-filled doozy from director David Fincher, but one too many can-can kicks on the set of Moulin Rouge forced her to back out at the last minute. Thankfully, her replacement is the all-too-scarce Jodie Foster. Fans of the … Read more

With due respect to Dirk Diggler, there’s never been a better film about empty sex and failed optimism than 1975’s Shampoo. As dim-witted hair stylist Warren Beatty dutifully knocks boots with Goldie Hawn, Julie Christie, Lee Grant, and Carrie Fisher, you can almost hear the cynicism of the Nixon era grabbing hold of the American … Read more

Like Prince and Loni Anderson before him, Hollywood It-boy Josh Hartnett is proving to the rest of the free world that Minnesota can pull its weight on the breakout-sex-symbol production line. As we see in Black Hawk Down and the underappreciated Virgin Suicides, it doesn’t hurt that Josh can actually act. Oddly, his real debut … Read more

That glimmer of hope you see on the springtime motion picture horizon could be the return of Robin Williams from his teeth-hurting escapades as Sad Clown of the 90s. Patch Adams, Jakob the Liar, and Bicentennial Man—a cinematic trifecta from Hell. We are thankful Mr. Williams appears to be seeking redemption. In January, the Sundance … Read more

From the air, the river looked innocent enough: A mocha-brown flow etched its way through the forest in lazy S’s. But paddling it was another matter. An unusually dry season reduced the normal torrent to a trickle. The shallow bottom and exposed rapids compelled us to carry our canoes more than they carried us. After … Read more

To notice the skatepark building boom, you’d have to know what you were looking for. Driving Excelsior Boulevard through the 169 interchange in Hopkins, it’s eminently easy to miss the chain link enclosure of “The Overpass,” a newborn skatepark sponsored by the city of Hopkins. True to its moniker, the park is tucked into a … Read more

Jazz fans can be such snobs. For all our High Fidelity obsessiveness and occasional lapses into cultural myopia, at least we rockers are rarely elitist out of a sheer, simple disdain for populism. I mean, the Beatles stand as one of the most successful rock bands ever (the best-selling group of 2001, in fact), and … Read more

Kent Barnard is a road-salt aficionado. He is also a public relations expert for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, tirelessly striving to let you know that much is being done to keep your automobile out of the ditch this and every season. If breaking news about all kinds of alternative de-icers and road sensors kept … Read more

There’s a new dining movement in this country: the small, upscale, funky, limited-but-interesting menu, wine-friendly, neighborhood restaurant. Even though they’re generally called cafes, we think of them as American bistros. Minneapolis and St. Paul are lousy with them. And if you’re lucky, it’s a great meal within walking distance. It may look like a basement … Read more