genius within coming to minneapolis

MN Film Arts is presenting Genius Within: The Inner Life of Glenn Gould, a documentary on the eccentric Canadien pianist. The movie plays from Oct 8 through 21 at St. Anthony Main.  Peter Raymont, the film's director, will be present on opening night, so get these tickets sooner rather than later, as they will probably go quickly.

mn arts in video form

A couple of blogs today have been pointing out new videos where the arts in Minnesota are front in center.

First up we got a video promoting the release of Lazerbeak's new album, "Legend Recognize Legend," being put out by Doomtree.  (H/T Midwest Broadcast)

Also, it looks like PBS' Newshour wanted to give a shoutout to local arts organizations mnartists.org and Springboard For The Arts. (H/T MN Original)

Check out both videos below:


Lazerbeak "Legend Recognize Legend" Album Promo from Doomtree Records on Vimeo.

fargo and marijuana deathsquads at loring park tonight

Alright, after some confusion on my part, there will be another concert and movie screening tonight as part of the "Four Nights in Loring Park" series.  The event starts at 7 with the band Marijuana Deathsquads playing, and then the Coen brothers film Fargo will screen sometime around sundown.  This event was originally scheduled to take place Aug 10, but was rained out.  Bring your picnic blanket, a couple of snacks, and enjoy some really disturbing and destructive behavior courtesy William H. Macy.

more outdoor movies

I'm finding it pretty difficult to keep up with all these outdoor movies at non-traditional screening establishments, so if you're aware of any that I'm not mentioning here please let me know.  With that said, I came across two more restaurants who have some more films showing before the summer season ends.

First up we got Brit's Pub in downtown, who's been showing movies on their bowling lawn upstairs.  They have two screenings these next two Mondays, including Sherlock Holmes tonight at 8:30.  I'm assuming they're showing the newer one with Robert Downey Jr. but I could be wrong on that.

Also in downtown we've got Solera showing movies on their rooftop for a couple weeks in September, including a screening of High Fidelity this Wednesday as well as Rocky Horror Picture Show and Spinal Tap next week.  I don't know when the movies start, and they don't actually seem to say anything about the movies on their website.  Maybe I just made the whole thing up...

some music for your monday lunch break

MPLS.TV and Gimme Noise have teamed up to bring us all a live performance by the band 4 On The Floor.  Enjoy some rooftop music in these dog days of summer.


City of Music: The 4onthefloor from MPLS.TV on Vimeo.

perennial plate in the boundary waters

We got ourselves a new episode of Perennial Plate this morning.  This week we head to the boundary waters to cook up some mushrooms and lotus root (no fish this time, sadly).  Oh, and since it's the boundary waters the scenery is absolutely gorgeous.


The Perennial Plate Episode 24: Boundary Waters part 1 from Daniel Klein on Vimeo.

the week ahead: august 30th

We got a handful of new movies rolling into town this week, and I thought it would only be appropriate if I gave you a heads up before the events are upon us.

•The American takes over Minneapolis theaters

The American opens this Wednesday.  'Why not Friday?' you ask.  Presumably to keep movie bloggers on their toes.  In just a couple of days you'll be able to see this Clooney vehicle at The Heights, St. Anthony Main and Lagoon.  To make room each theater had to dump some films.  The Heights is ending its run of The Girl Who Played With Fire, St. Anthony's getting rid of Inception and The Kids Are All Right, and Lagoon is cutting loose the films Agora and Life During Wartime.  This movie must be pretty darned good to warrant losing five films in Minneapolis theaters.

•Trylon showings

On Wednesday, Sound Unseen presents the Mogwai concert film, Burning.  And this week is the kick off of the Mel Brooks series, which will be playing at Trylon for the next four weekends starting with The Producers this Friday.  I've loved Mel Brooks ever since my ten year-old self first viewed Robin Hood: Men In Tights, which in retrospect is probably not the best film to introduce a person to Brooks' work.  You won't get the chance to watch that one in this series, but you really can't go wrong with any of the other screenings.

•Mystery Science Theater at Turf Club

At 10pm the Turf Club is showing MST3K's take on the movie Sidehackers.  Wait a minute, Mel Brooks and now Mystery Science Theater... this could only mean one thing.  Area venues are conspiring to schedule shows that are comprised solely of mid-90's Comedy Central programming.  Next week I expect someone to be showing Hartman/Farley era SNL episodes, the movie Clue, and the entire series of Dr. Katz.  I'll be sure to bring you details on those screenings next week.

trylon: jack nicholson series ends this weekend

All month Trylon has been screening Jack Nicholson films, and this weekend's finale features two iconic American films.

Easy Rider (Hopper), although not often associated with Nicholson's & his more famous roles, contains some hilarious back and forths between Jack and the film's two main stars, Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda.  There are some people that aren't too fond of this film, but I'm not in that camp.  This is definitely worth your time, if only to see Hopper before/while his madness sets in.

One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (Forman), on the other hand, is classic Nicholson.  Or so I'm told.  I'll admit, I've not seen this movie (although I did start reading the book in 10th grade, but halfway through our media center unexpectedly shut down for the year and I had to return the book- true story).  Also, and perhaps more importantly, I don't know what the phrase "classic Nicholson" means.  I'm actually convinced I just made it up.  All the more reason for you to go to the movie and see for yourself if I'm right or if I'm as crazy as crazy Dennis Hopper.  Here's a trailer:

mademoiselle chambon & decade of disturbed

From now until next Thursday, St. Anthony Main will hold screenings of the French film, Mademoiselle Chambon, courtesy of MN Film Arts.  From the MFA email update:

MADEMOISELLE CHAMBON tells a beautiful story of contemporary forbidden romance in a small town in southern France... a fresh take on the popular cinematic theme of infidelity, and portrays a sensitivity and nuance that can rarely be found in contemporary cinema.

Here's a Times review of that picture.  Also tonight, there's a free screening of the documentary Decade of Disturbed, which I believe is a pun considering the movie's main subject, American hard rock band Disturbed (if I'm wrong on that, please correct me).  That will be screening at 9:30, and is brought to you by MFA, 93X and Sound Unseen (barely a week into this blog and already I'm creating 93X hyperlinks).





Ahh, did anyone else notice that kid doing a Creed/Jesus pose 36 seconds into the Disturbed trailer?  I found that image upsetting.

late night throwbacks: dr. strangelove, rocky horror picture show & camille 2000

•Dr. Strangelove @ Riverview - 11:30 (Fri & Sat)
Who doesn't love this movie?  Seriously, I want their names and addresses.  I'm gonna pay them a visit.

•Camille 2000 @ Uptown - Midnight (Tonight)
This one seems a little risque.  But really, I know nothing of this film other than its 'X' rating.  But 1969 was such a different time for ratings- practically every movie was 'R' or higher back then.

If for some reason that's not enough of a description for you, here's the list of plot keywords on the movie's imdb page:

• Beautiful Woman
• Lesbianism
• Sex
• Group Sex
• Surrealism
• Mirror
• Erotica
• Nudity
• Female Nudity
• Inflatable Plastic Furniture
• Based On Novel
• Number In Title

Is anybody out there really doing searches of movies with numbers in their titles?  I want the names and addresses of those people as well.

•Rocky Horror Picture Show @ Uptown - Midnight (Tomorrow)
People still get into this, right?  I honestly have no idea.

friday review day: august 27th

Our daily rags came out with a couple reviews of new flicks coming to theaters near you.  Pioneer Press' Chris Hewitt and the Strib's Colin Covert review Animal Kingdom, playing at Uptown starting tonight.  The movie takes place in 1980's Austraila, and tells the story of a crime family through the eyes of a recent recruit.  Covert's particularly impressed by the acting in this film, writing:

Most crime dramas are plot-driven, but not this one. The film's fascination is the passages where we get to know and understand these personalities. Everyone has his moment to develop as a character. With its textured layers of performance, "Animal Kingdom" sinks into your consciousness.

Hewitt agrees for the most part, adding this about the movie's main character:

James Frecheville brings an odd stillness to Josh. You're never quite sure if he's going to kiss his new girlfriend, for instance, or kill her. And, although he's too young to understand the ramifications of his family's crimes, Josh is not too young to have to pay for them.

Also opening in the metro this week is Cairo Time, a movie starring Patricia Clarkson in the middle of a love triangle in the middle east (it might even take place in Cairo, if you're lucky).  Hewitt seems less than impressed with the story, but was able to muster up some praise for the film's scenery:

In fact, it's as a travelogue that "Cairo Time" works best. You may be only mildly diverted by the people and their little romance, but the setting will blow you away.

Strib contributor Rob Nelson seemed a little more upbeat on the movie, pointing to Clarkson's performance as the main attraction:

The relationship's myriad constraints are matched by Clarkson's exquisitely interior turn as Juliette Grant, a middle-aged Canadian woman who seems to be holding years of unexpressed emotion within her slow-moving and slender frame... Clarkson ("High Art," "The Station Agent") toys expertly with the possibility that prim and proper Juliette will drop her defenses, giving the film a measure of mild suspense that pays off beautifully after about an hour.

A lot of acting-heavy films opening this week.  We must be coming to the end of summer, and the start of oscar season.

o brother where art thou & music in mears park tonight

St. Paul hasn't receive much love on this blog so far, but I hope this post will go some distance to make amends between me and my state's capitol.  Tonight sees the end of the summer long Music in Mears series, which featured musical performances and movie screenings in the Lowertown park.  They're finishing out the series strong with headlining act The New Standards, followed by the hit Coen Brothers' comedy O Brother, Where Art Thou?  Here's the full schedule:

Andy Elwell - 6pm
Alicia Wiley - 7pm
The New Standards - 8pm
O Brother Where Art Thou - 9pm

View Larger Map

One of your last chances to enjoy free entertainment outdoors before the bitter chill of winter blows through these parts.  On an unrelated note, when I finish a sentence with a movie title that contains a question mark at the end, do I still put a period after that question mark?  Discuss.

last chance screenings: august 26th

Landmark Theaters

Everyone Else (Lagoon) @ 1:50, 4:25, 7:00, 9:40
The Extra Man (Edina, although moving to St. Anthony tomorrow) @ 5:45

St. Anthony Main

Farewell @ 4:30, 9:00
Videocracy @ 7:00
The Other Guys @ 4:15, 7:20, 9:55

Riverview

Marmaduke @ 12:45
The Karate Kid @ 2:30
Prince of Persia @ 5:00
Knight and Day @7:15
The Weight @ 9:30

Basically everything's leaving this theater after today.

The Parkway

La Mission @ 9:00
Nora's Will @ 5:20, 7:10

mn original: episode 203 tonight

Tonight at 7:30 TPT-2 is airing their latest installment of MN Original, a series about artists living and working in the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.  Tonight's episode features actor Steven Epp, artist Brock Davis and musicians Douglas R. Ewart and Inventions.  Here's a sneak peak of tonight's episode:

life during wartime: my thoughts

I made my way down to the Uptown theater to check out the new Todd Solondz film, Life During Wartime.  It's a pretty darned good film.  I suggest you check it out, but only if you have a basic understanding of its subject matter beforehand and know what you're getting into, as it's not for everyone (intense family drama with secrets so dark the characters refuse to acknowledge their existence, making it challenging for the audience to connect emotionally and follow the story).  There's lots of discussion on suicide, sexual aggression, and incest, just to list a few of the film's themes.  Here are a few of my takeaways from the movie:

 •Trusting The Picture

I'm all about directors who love to mess with truth and play on the audience's gullibility and misplaced trust in the image (Buñuel might be my favorite in that regard).  Solondz sets up several scenes early on that made me suspect that later events might not be real.  But what surprised me was how in crucial, late scenes in the movie, I found myself wanting to believe scenes were made up in the character's mind.  Certain interactions and events that were unfolding seemed so unbearable to view that I desperately wanted those particular scenes to be dreams or someone's imagination.  Eventually, I found myself unable to trust whether acts committed in the past even happened at all.  (That last statement might've been different had I seen Happiness before watching this movie.)

 •Disconnects

There were a lot of scenes in the movie where characters were constantly coming in-between two people who were trying desperately to connect with one another (I'm thinking of at least three restaurant scenes where waiters come right in the middle of very important conversations).  You got the sense that these people were experiencing an internal isolation, but were forced to live out these traumas in the presence of strangers.  Without the comfort of privacy, these public displays denied the characters the chance to grasp their problems in less delusional terms.

 •Misplaced Anger

All of these people seemed to have experienced events so traumatic that they had no language for even approaching these subjects.  But because that anger was still there, they all expressed it in some form that ignored the real problem.  For one, these characters all irrationally feared homosexuality, as if that was the cause of their ills.  And if it wasn't gays that ruined their lives, it was just men in general.

 •Paul Reubens

Is it a coincidence that Pee Wee Herman's in a movie about redeeming oneself from committing taboo sexual acts?  Probably.

Life During Wartime will be at Uptown till Thursday, then moves to Edina starting Friday.

lazlo supreme "feather lighter"

Came across this music video for Minneapolis hip hop ensemble Lazlo Supreme the other day (yesterday, to be more specific).  It's directed by local videomaker and vfx artist Adam Dunn.  It's words and visuals, together again.


Lazlo Supreme - FeatherLighter Official Music Video from Urban Home Companion on Vimeo.

tonight-only showings: second fraud, outdoor flicks & trashfilms

First up is a reminder that the Uptown is showing The Second Fraud: A Ponzipalooza tonight at 7pm, the documentary about Minnesota's own financial badboy, Tom Petters.  Second, there's still some movies in the park to check out everyday till Saturday (tonight we got Up at Powderhorn Park).

Over at Trylon we got a special screening of Uninvited at 7pm, brought to you by Trash Film Debauchery.

      (1988, Greydon Clark, TBA) A bunch of young people are invited to a Caribbean cruise on a gangster's yacht, to distract the attention of the authorities. Unfortunately, a mutant cat which escaped from a test laboratory also gets on board, and kills most of the passengers.  7pm.


Seems like Trash Film's definitely living up to their name on that one.  Still skeptical?  Then check out this sweet trailer (well, maybe not sweet.  More like campily gruesome):  



"Nothing's gonna keep me from getting to the Caymans!"  The amazing thing about these films is that they exist at all, and for that I give thanks to God.

nobody and red pens @ loring park tonight

Whoops, I somehow let this slip under my radar.  Tonight at Loring Park there's a concert and film screening as part of the series "4 Nights in Loring: Local Bands, Local Films."  At 7pm The Red Pens take the stage, which will then be followed by the screening of Nobody, a local comedy about an art student in need of some inspiration.  Also, as a special treat I assume, there will be a behind-the-scenes look at the movie Stuck Between Stations, another local film that has a special connection to The Hold Steady, the band that is but isn't from Minneapolis. I know this is short notice, but, if you hurry, you can still make it!  Get off your butt and go already!  Oh, and in case you were wondering, this is night three of the four night series.  I'll give you more heads up next week, I promise.  I guess this is the last night after all.  Damn you, impending autumn.




Stuck Between Stations: Behind the Scenes from MPLS.TV on Vimeo.

asian film festival from november 3rd through the 13th

MN Film Arts just released information on their Asian Film Festival, showing at St. Anthony Main from Nov 3rd through 13th.  Directly from the press release:


     Under the heading “In Search of Asia,” and sponsored by Minnesota Film Arts (the 
old Oak St. and University Film Society standbys), the festival will look at films from the 
somewhat different perspectives of Asian-Americans in addition to looking at the varied 
Asian lives reflected on today’s screens.   
     
     Some 30 recent feature films and short films are on tap, with a number of premiere 
screenings, visiting film directors, actors and panels devoted to hot-button Asian and Asian- 
American concerns.   


     Included in the fest will be a world premiere of a Hmong film, “The Legend of Chao Fa.”
Shot in the jungles of Thailand by the world’s leading Hmong film team, now based in 
St. Paul, Minnesota, the stars of this film have been invited to make appearances at the 
festival this fall.  

The festival is placing a heavy focus on southeast Asia, east Asia and Indian films in both Bengali and Hindi, among other locales.  To bring you these films, MN Film Arts has partnered with Asian-American Access Center, the Council on Asian-Pacific Relations, The U of M, and other local groups.  Expect more details as we get closer to the event.  Here's a trailer for their first film to be announced, The Legend of Chao Fa:

das rheingold @ the heights tonight

The Heights will be showing La Scala's May 22nd performance of Das Rheingold, the 18th Century Wagner opera that's the first in the four part opera series, Der Ring Des Nibelungen.  I know very little about operas, but what better way to familiarize yourself with the art form than to take one in at your local movie theater (that is of course assuming you know just as little as I do about operas, which might be a tad presumptuous... prove me wrong, folks)?  Here's a brief description of this particular performance via emergingpictures.com (full post can be read here):

Dresden-born René Pape, “the world’s most charismatic bass” (Opera News), makes his role debut as Wotan, the king of the gods. The artistic team behind the new production is headed by two all-stars: Belgian director Guy Cassiers has dazzled Europe with innovative new productions, and renowned conductor Daniel Barenboim is considered the perfect interpreter of Wagner’s lush music.


The screening is at 7:15.  On a side note, either heightstheater.com is the wrong page or the theater's website appears to be down.  Can anyone out there shed some light on this mystery for me?

filmanthropist 2010 is looking for submissions

The Filmanthropist Project, a film festival screening local short videos about those who make a positive difference in their community, is looking for submissions.  The videos can be about individuals, a group of people, a company or just about any entity you believe is helping people out.  There are cash prizes, so get your video in before the December 1st deadline.  The top 10 videos will screened on a date yet to be determined.

"the second fraud: a ponzipalooza" at uptown on wed

In two days the Uptown theater will screen The Second Fraud: A Ponzipalooza, a documentary on the Tom Petters scandal where he stole like a billion dollars from innocent old grannies (at least I think that's what the news cycles told me).  The screening's for one night only, and after the showing there will be a panel discussion.  You can get free passes at the website.

perennial plate: grass fed beef

The 23rd episode of The Perennial Plate was uploaded this morning.  This episode finds Daniel talking with Todd Churchill, founder of Cannon Falls' very own Thousand Hills Cattle Company.  I'm not sure where you can buy their products up in the cities here (probably some co-ops), but You can buy their product from many retailers in the cities, and I know my folks down in Northfield swear by their meat (if that's worth anything to you out there).  Anyhow, here's the video for your enjoyment.  So... enjoy:

movies in the park: invasion of the body snatchers

Tonight marks the one week point before the end of movies in the park, brought to you by Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board. More immediately, though, is the news that you can watch Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1979) tonight at Lake Calhoun around 15 minutes after the sun goes down (start time's approximately 8:25).  Here's the movie description (via imdb):
      In San Francisco, a group of people discover the human race is being replaced one by one, with clones devoid of emotion.


If that sounds like a movie that just came out a few years ago, you're probably thinking of that 2007 remake with Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig that was devoid of any entertainment value.  Here's the schedule for the rest of this film series as well as a map to tonight's showing:

(Showtimes are 15 minutes after sunset)
•Monday, August 23 -- Kung Fu Panda @ Waite Park
•Tuesday, August 24 -- Nobody @ Loring Park
•Wednesday, August 25 -- Up @ Powderhorn Park
•Thursday, August 26 -- Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull @ Windom Park South
•Thursday, August 26 -- Hachi: A Dog's Tale (Canine For Clean Water Series) @ Father Hennepin Bluffs Park
•Friday, August 27 -- The Princess and the Frog @ Victory Park
•Friday, August 27 -- Wall-E @ Pearl Park
•Saturday, August 28 -- Alice and Wonderland @ Victory Memorial Drive





View Larger Map

p.o.s. performing "purexed"

I don't think this is by a local videomaker or anything, but the performer sure is local.  And sometimes, that's enough for me.  H/T Midwest Broadcast


P.O.S. - Purexed from david moffly on Vimeo.

one week to submit to TCFF's Music in Motion

The inaugural Twin Cities Film Fest is hosting a special program dedicated to music-related shorts by local film/videomakers called "Music in Motion".  If you're a local video producer and would like to submit your work, you can still do so.  The deadline is next Friday, August 27th, so go to the website for details and submit soon.  For non-producers but general fans of visual and musical collaboration, you can check out the program at the Fine Line on September 30th.  The festival itself is from Sept 28th through Oct 2nd.  Details on that will come later.

weekend throwbacks: aug 20th

  •RIVERVIEW - Pulp Fiction Dir: Quentin Tarantino (Inglorious Bastards, Kill Bill). @ 11:30 (Fri, Sat)
I'm not sure what else I could say about this movie that you probably don't already know.  It's pretty damn great, though, and $5 ain't a bad price to check out arguably the best movie of the 90's.

  •UPTOWN - The Room Dir: Tommy Wiseau. @ Midnight (Sat)
From one of the best movies to "the Citizen Kane of bad movies,"the Uptown theater brings us this drama/comedy/God-knows-what for their weekly Midnight Madness series.  The movie seems to get a showing every three or four months here, so don't get too upset if you miss it this weekend.

I'm hesitant to put the trailer up here, but everyone should watch these two minute at least once in their life.



"You're tearing me apart, Lisa!" And can anybody tell me where those quotes at the end come from?

videocracy at st. anthony

Today starts a week long run for the 2009 documentary Videocracy at St. Anthony Main, brought to you by MN Film Arts.  The film takes a look at politics and celebrity worship in modern Italy, in hopes of shining some light on the country's recent troubles (don't know what I'm talking about, then just look at this wikipedia page highlighting prime minister Berlusconi's controversies for starters).



Boy how you've changed, Italy!  I remember when the likes of Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn would stroll along your sidewalks, eating gelato while running away from responsibilities...  Simpler times, those were.

victory at trylon (sold out, though)

Looks interesting enough, but, if you don't got a ticket already, you probably aren't going!

Victory.

The Trylon

Thu Aug 19 8:00 Sold Out! 
(2010, Dan Schneidkraut, 28min, HD) Written and directed by award winning filmmaker and 2010 McKnight Fellowship recipient Dan Schneidkraut, 'Victory.' is the story of walks that never end and a peace that never comes; an exploration of the psychology of coping in a post-traumatic environment featuring a haunting score from Munly J. Munly of Slim Cessna's Autoclub and a stunning debut film performance from lauded stage actor Daniel Joeck. Preceded by Talissa Mehringer's short film "Lid" (11min) and Joseph Larsen's "They Found Her Body This Morning" (6min).






Victory. Teaser/Trailer (High Definition) from Sepulchral Voice on Vimeo.


Looks pretty.  And doesn't sound creepy?

last chance screenings: august 19th

Landmark (Lagoon, Uptown, Edina):

  •Farewell - Dir: Christian Carion (Joyeux Noel)  --  (2:00 4:30) 7:00 9:35
Not much change for these three theaters between today and tomorrow.  This film's about spies and Soviets and the 80's... I'm probably not making this seem that attractive for you out there, but the description's not really doing much for me.


Riverview Theater

  •The "A" Team - 9:45
  •Letters to Juliet - 2:45
No comment.


St. Anthony Main

  •Dinner For Schmucks - Dir: Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet The Parents)  --  4:10
Funny people try to remake this French film.

mpls.tv: ribception

I'm not totally sure what the connection is between the summer film Inception and midtown's Taqueria los Ocampo, but then again, who gives a damn?!



The food is good, that's for sure.

polish film festival: last night's tonight, for the second time

MN Film Arts are finishing their second go around of the three-night Twin Cities Polish FilmFest with three movies at St. Anthony Main tonight.  All descriptions come straight from the festival's website:


Thu 8/19

• OLDIES BUT GOODIES: POLISH ANIMATION  -  5pm

Funny, visually unique, and illustrated with music by the great Polish composers! A wonderful collection of short Polish animation for the whole family; coming courtesy of the International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino! celebrating 40 years in 2009. Directors: Various

• OPERATION DANUBE  -  7pm

The 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia is comically retold in this Polish/Czech co-production. A proud yet bumbling tank squadron somehow manages to lose their way and crash into a Czech pub, which proceeds to unravel a nearly slapstick spectacle between the locals and lost soldiers. Director: Jacek Glomb

• THE OFFSIDERS  -  9:15pm

Up and coming Polish director, Kasia Adamik’s second film is a hopeful, quirky drama following the unlikely journey of a group of down-and-outers vying for a spot in the Homeless World Cup. Winner of Golden Teeth Audience Award at Polish Film Festival, Chicago. Director: Kasia Adami



Can't say I'm familiar with any of these, but there's a strib article here if you want to get more learned.