Entertainment

"The Sapphires" director Wayne Blair: "You can walk out of the theater feeling a little more human"

By Jim Brunzell III, The Optimistic Pessimist

The new musical dramedy The Sapphires has been a huge hit in its native Australia for close to a year now. It surprised audiences at the 2012 Cannes (where it was picked up by the Weinstein Company, and after its first screening had a standing ovation) and Toronto International Film Festivals, and even made a brief appearance in Minnesota, last October at the Twin Cities Film Festival. The Sapphires opens Friday, April 5, at the Lagoon Cinema, and its director, Wayne Blair, was in the Twin Cities last month to discuss this true story of four Aboriginal women who traveled from Australia to Vietnam and in other countries to perform for American soldiers.

MORE »

MUSIC REVIEW | Madeleine Peyroux enchants The Dakota Jazz Club

By Betsy Gabler, TC Daily Planet

Photo courtesy Madeleine Peyroux

The singer/vocal enchantress Madeleine Peyroux performed at The Dakota in Minneapolis on Tuesday, April 2 and will do so again on Wednesday, April 3 with two shows each evening. If you can afford the time and the tickets ($50-$65), invest, invest, invest. What you'll come out with is a glimpse into song history, artistic tribute and interpretation that is stellar to the core. British singer/songwriter/actress Rebecca Pidgeon (with Tim Young) is the opener with a short song set including her Grammy nominated "Slingshot".

MORE »

THEATER REVIEW | The Jungle Theater's "Deathtrap": A "who hasn’t done it" thriller

By Bev Wolfe, TC Daily Planet

Photo credit Michal Daniel

A washed-up playwright, a supportive wife, an aspiring young playwright who has written a top notch thriller, a secluded location and a wall decorated with death instruments. These are the key elements of Jungle Theater’s production of Deathtrap, each harboring a clue to a mystery. While parodying the thriller genre, the play also effectively surprises and shocks. It is virtually impossible to share more about the play without spoiling the suspense.  

MORE »

Delphia Blize's "West River" is worth a listen though it may not impress

By Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet

Photos courtesy Delphia Blize

Delphia Blize's West River acquits her as a lyricist's lyricist who can take the everyday occurrences in life and make magic of the mundane. And, actually, when it's happening to you, things like getting through a holiday, whether to spend the night with a lover, it can feel—though millions of others manage to do the deal with the same thing without the word coming to an end—like something of special consequence is going on.

MORE »

MUSIC PREVIEW | Airick Woodhead of Doldrums gears up for the 7th Street Entry

By Lindsay LaBarre, TC Daily Planet

Photo credit Jeff Rutherford (May 2012)

On Wednesday, April 3, Doldrums wlll play at the 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis. I had the chance to catch up with Airick Woodhead, the man behind the Montreal-based solo project, via e-mail.
MORE »

2013 Minneapolis-St. Paul International Film Festival: Don't miss these hidden gems

By Jim Brunzell III, The Optimistic Pessimist

The sun is now staying out longer and temperatures are on the rise, which only means that, the dirty snow will begin to melt, the flowers will begin to bloom, and right around the corner is the biggest film event in the state of Minnesota.

MORE »

Abraham Cruzvillegas's "Autoconstrucción Suites" at the Walker Art Center: Giving new life to found objects

By Amina Harper, The Art House

Abraham Cruzvillegas, La Polar, 2003. Photo courtesy Walker Art Center.

When I began writing for the Twin Cities Daily Planet it never really occurred to me that I could get free access to things. I mean, I knew it was possible, but I wasn’t entirely aware that I could use my status as a member of the press to partake in events that I might not get to see otherwise—and get free breakfast in the process.

MORE »

'Harlem Shake' videos spark effort to 'resist the fad'

By Jamal Denman, Minnesota Spokesman-Recorder

On March 13, Hamline University in St. Paul hosted a forum titled, “The Harlem Shake as Blackface: A Critical Look at Cultural Appropriation.” The forum was a panel discussion about a recent YouTube phenomenon and its relation to racism and people who identify themselves as White appropriating elements of cultures created by people of color.

MORE »

MUSIC REVIEW | Rihanna's too cool for school during a tepid stop at the Xcel Energy Center

By Marcus Michalik, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Patrick Dunn

Considering the name of her latest album is Unapologetic, it was a bit surprising that the first image of Rihanna’s "Diamonds" tour was one of forgiveness. On her knees in prayer and flanked with religious iconography, Rihanna opened her concert on a somber note with “Mother Mary,” a song that finds the controversial pop star admonishing herself in the eyes of the Lord for falling back on old habits and ultimately admitting that she’s “prepared to die in the moment” in the name of true love.

MORE »

MUSIC REVIEW | Local Natives bring impressive range and musicality to First Avenue

By Daniel Niepow, TC Daily Planet

Photos by Chad Rieder

By the time Local Natives took the stage at First Avenue on Saturday, March 23, a sold-out crowd had filled into nearly every inch of the main floor. In the balconies folks peered down from tables or pressed against railings to get a better view.

MORE »
Syndicate content