Ben Folds' success with his trio, Ben Folds Five, would have been enough for many artists. But Folds continues to prove he's more than Ben Folds Five. His solo albums and membership in The Bens ( a band...

Money makes people do stupid things. Like create the movie "King's Ransom." "King's Ransom" centers on the idea that earning money might taint good people and that the possibility of netting even more...

The words "dead" and "gone" are not interchangeable. In "The Interpreter," Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman), a South African U.N. employee, earns her living translating and differentiating words such as "gone"...

Religion and the law can be both serious and funny. The juniors of the Bachelor of Fine Arts program have selected two French comedies that explain just this point. The students are presenting "Tartuffe"...

There are many ways to show off your artistic identity. Approximately 40 University seniors who specialize in clothing, interior or graphic design are giving their projects one last hurrah before graduation. James...

In a complicated world, simple, relaxing lyrics help people dream. And dreaming isn't always bad. "In Between Dreams," Jack Johnson's new album, opens with "Better Together," an uplifting song that can't...

Life's difficult moments can reveal our true character. That is, it's easy to be nice or classy when things are pleasant. But when life throws you a curve ball, your real personality emerges. "The Upside...

It might be the 21st century, but it'll feel like the 1930s tonight and Friday in Ted Mann Concert Hall. The University music department is joining forces with the dance department to create "Battle of...

The threat of violence against us because of who we are is a terrifying prospect. Hate crimes raise many questions for society to deal with, and one of the ways to resolve those questions is through theater. "The...

Beauty might be more than skin deep, but Hollywood thinking tends to stay near the surface. "Miss Congeniality 2: Armed and Fabulous," picks up almost exactly where its predecessor, "Miss Congeniality,"...

After many years at the University, graduate students often can't wait to pack up their bags and call it quits. But six art students in the University's Master of Fine Arts graduate program - Brian Aldrich,...

Grab your helmet and water bottle, we're going to the art show! One on One Bicycle Studio, a Minneapolis bike shop, has bikes for sale, bikes on display, bikes to be repaired, bikes in art and a coffee...

Photographer Charles Lindsay, like most artists, finds art in things he loves. So, when he set out to create "Upstream: Fly Fishing in the American West," a collection of photographs about fly fishing,...

Many political arguments can be simplified to the point that even small children can understand them. Directors Chris Wedge and Carlos Saldanha tackle the moral and social consequences of eliminating the...

Chili Palmer (John Travolta) would be the first to admit sequels usually fall short of the mark. "I got hustled into doing the sequel," Chili moans in the opening scene of "Be Cool," the sequel to the...

Continuing your musical career after summing it up in your previous album is tough. Tori Amos' new album, "The Beekeeper," follows her greatest-hits-like compilation, "Tales of a Librarian: A Tori Amos...

It's never a good thing when a fortune teller warns that a "beast" is after you. "Beware of the moon, it feeds in the moonlight," Zela, a psychic, tells two young carnival-goers. This is how "Cursed" begins...

It took a visit to Ireland to open a local director's eyes to the importance of the political situation in Latin America. In an interview with A&E, Al Justiniano, the Teatro del Pueblo artistic director,...

Spontaneity and simple lyrics are a recipe for rock'n'roll fun. Local rockers Kubla Khan have that formula down pat. And in a cutthroat world of musicians striving to get signed by major labels, fun is...

Maybe you're one of those sensitive souls who see the beauty of nature everywhere. Or maybe you're the type who thinks "nature" is a meaningless category reflecting an outmoded ideology. The Bell Museum...

Dave Matthews must think he needs to increase his popularity with children. And with pet store animals. You'd think that after creating numerous popular albums, habitually selling out shows at major venues...

Apparently, the key to romantic success with a beautiful, classy, well-spoken individual has been hiding in the escort service advertisements in The New York Times' Sunday magazine, but we just haven't...

If "Whose Line is it Anyway?" just isn't cutting it anymore, maybe it's time to find some live, unedited improvisational shows. This weekend offers an opportunity to do so, and it's right on campus. The...

Good news for all you socially inept men out there: You can get the woman of your dreams after all. Bad news for women: You're only going to get one of these duds if you are notably good-looking. Oh yeah,...

Making it big in the world of culture is never easy. But for Gordon Parks, the hard part has been knowing where to stop. Parks exemplifies artistic talent in a number of media. Noted for his abilities...

Artists always do best when they work with what they know. Luckily for filmgoers, director Gurinder Chadha knows a lot about both the West and the East. Chadha, who was born in Kenya to Indian parents...

Psychologists have the power to both heal and create their patients' problems. John Polson's horror film, "Hide and Seek," centers around the concept that even the most closed-off individual's mind will...

Troubled children are always good at singing. "The Chorus," directed by Christophe Barratier, maintains the stereotypical, heartwarming idea that all children can be saved and that teachers are the key...

."Hip Art That's Square," the latest exhibit at The Goldstein Museum of Design, celebrates the beauty of LP album covers, dating back to the 1930s. Curator Steven McCarthy pointed out that although record...

With the outpouring of acoustic musicians following in the footsteps of major-label artists such as Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Jack Johnson, it's hard to determine who has talent and who doesn't. When...

.This is the main question posed in Paul Weitz's film, "In Good Company." The movie's hypocritical answer to this question, and to the rest of life's problems for that matter, is that although in today's...

David Breashears, director of the recent IMAX hit "Everest," is scaling new heights. This time around, the director leads us to Tanzania for "Kilimanjaro: To the Roof of Africa," starring average white...

.Although this is a B-action movie - very much in the vein of Carpenters' other genre extravaganzas - there is more going on here than just entertainment fluff. While Hollywood would like you to believe...

Racist democracy: an inconceivable contradiction or a plausible paradox? Author and Northern Arizona University instructor Joel Olson, who received his doctorate from the University of Minnesota, analyzes...

Even Buffy took her job more seriously than Blade does. The first two installments of the "Blade" trilogy had funny moments. But they were essentially serious action films. "Blade: Trinity," on the other...

Director Marc Forster's last film was "Monster's Ball," an intense look at race relations in the Deep South. Hard stuff. This time around, he's documenting the life of Scottish playwright James Matthew...

Rock lives in Minneapolis' backyard. Chris Harrington, a local musician, recently released his new album, "You the Provider," a collection of songs dripping with passion. At first, "You the Provider" seems...

Bridget Jones's Diary" was prime sequel bait. The 2001 film, which precedes "Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason," developed engaging characters, proved the transferability of the themes from novel to screen...

Plankton, the owner of The Chum Bucket restaurant, is on to "Plan Z." The Krusty Krab restaurant, which monopolizes the fast-food industry in Bikini Bottom Village, is booming and is opening an additional...

Many films start out as award-winning books. But they aren't usually picture books. Chris Van Allsburg's popular children's Christmas story, "The Polar Express," is one movie that takes on the challenge...

Most Hollywood comedies rely on extreme situations and unrealistic characters for their humor. Audiences of these mainstream comedies, such as "Meet the Parents" or "Freaky Friday," can feel comfortable...

What shocked film audiences in 1966 isn't all that surprising today. In his remake of Lewis Gilbert's 1966 film, "Alfie," director Charles Shyer brings back to life the character of Alfie, a womanizing...

Director Takashi Shimizu has what many directors dream of: a second chance at the same film. Shimizu's previous effort in the complicated Japanese horror film, "Ju-On," is at the helm of its U.S. remake,...

Weapons of mass destruction have launched wars and ended them. Now, they're fodder for two of Hollywood's most controversial animators. In "Team America: World Police," the creators of the hit comedy series...

Michael Bonanno and Hank Hardy Unruh are on tour to speak about the World Trade Organization, whether the WTO likes it or not. "The Yes Men" is a comical documentary about an anti-corporate group whose...

Meriwether Lewis and William Clark traveled across this continent to the Pacific Ocean and back. The effects of their trip would be both far-reaching and tragic. Inevitably, when a film is based on a well-known...

It's not often an artist shows you exactly who he is. Although he was born in Pittsburgh, Mason Jennings grew up in Minneapolis, and fans in Minnesota consider him a local artist. Last week Jennings released...

To maintain the status of "pioneer," it's necessary to forge through the mainstream and create a path that is both new and improved, raising the standards in one's field. Forty-three years ago, the University...

When "home" can be found in two different places, one's understanding of life will acquire a greater depth. Last week Flogging Molly's third studio album, "Within a Mile of Home," was released. The album's...

This ain't your momma's museum. The Minnesota Museum of American Art has moved from the second floor of the Landmark Center to a street-level location in the heart of downtown St. Paul. Executive Director...