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|  Thursday, October 25, 2007 |
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|  "The Kite Runner." Heartland Film Festival closes with the high-profile Oscar bait.
Stephen Lynch. He's a little bit special (or so says his best-known song).
Joyce Carol Oates. The prolific author offers a trick-or-treat alternative.
Headless Horseman. A Conner Prairie tradition continues.
"An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe." Let's see if this new seasonal event leaves audiences ravin'.
Laff-a-Thon. Twelve hours of making-it-up-as-they-go-along humor.
This week's contest: Two spirited evenings out (courtesy of the Spirit & Place Festival) | |  | |  | | | |
|  | "The Kite Runner"
 Oct. 26, Indiana History Center
It's unlikely that the folks at the Heartland Film Festival knew exactly what they were getting into when they secured "The Kite Runner" as the closing film for this year. Shortly after the Heartland announcement, the not-yet-released adaptation of the best-selling book became a major news story when questions arose about the safety of its Afghani child actors. The concern: a two-minute, discretely shot sexual assault that could lead to reprisals against the kids.
It's a horrifying thought. And one that will no doubt be on the minds of many of those screening the film here Oct. 26 at one of its first public showings. Controversy aside, though, this is a powerful film that deserves all the praise that will no doubt be piled on it.
I caught a screening this week and was asked not to review it, so I won't go into detail. But I will say that I can't image a better film to cap off the Heartland Film Festival this year. It is a film with heart but also one that stakes out new cinematic territory. It tells an original story about people we aren't used to seeing on screen. It offers enough political and geographical background so that news-challenged Americans can grasp the world these characters are living in. And its cast of unfamiliar actors is uniformly excellent. Go ... if not now, then when it's released in theaters later this year. For more details, click here.
Stephen Lynch
Oct. 26, Music Mill
 Stephen Lynch took an interesting leap last year. The musical comic best known for his Comedy Central special (featuring the politically incorrect song "Special") was picked to star in the Broadway musical version of the hit film "The Wedding Singer." The show—for which Lynch scored a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor—was neither a hit nor a failure, closing after 285 performances. This year, "The Wedding Singer," sans Lynch, will be coming to town as part of the Indianapolis Broadway series. And Lynch, sans "The Wedding Singer," will be playing this weekend at Music Mill. For more details, click here.
Joyce Carol Oates
 Oct. 31, Butler University
Not interested in collecting or distributing candy this Halloween night? Then consider visiting Butler University, where Joyce Carol Oates will be offering a reading as part of the Visiting Writers Series. The author of a stack of best-sellers ("We Were the Mulvaneys," "The Falls" and "Blonde") along with plays, young-adult books and even an opera, the scarily prolific Oates may pen another book in her hotel room overnight after the show. For more details, click here.
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| Headless Horseman
Through Oct. 28, Conner Prairie
"An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe"
Oct. 29, Easley Winery
Yes, there are plenty of haunted houses out there. But there are also Halloween events with a more literary note. For full preview, click here.
Laff-a-Thon
Oct. 27, Theatre on the Square
I have enormous respect for groups that challenge themselves. And while quantity doesn't automatically equal quality when it comes to improvisational comedy, I'm impressed with the ambition demonstrated by the local group Indyprov. For full preview, click here.
This week's contest
Carrie Newcomer/Phil Gulley ... plus the
Not Your Ordinary Montana Logging and Ballet Company |  | | | |
| The Spirit & Place Festival is a wide-ranging, geographically spread-out amalgam of arts, humanities and religious events running Nov. 2-18. To give you a sample of offerings, we're giving away a prize package that includes a pair of tickets to two of the ticketed events: The Nov. 10 "Gifts of Spirit in Song and Story" performance by singer/songwriter Carrie Newcomer and bestselling author Phil Gulley and the Nov. 18 closing-night celebration featuring the satiric group Not Your Ordinary Montana Logging and Ballet Company. For more information on the festival, click here.
To win both, enter the contest here . And, while you are there, suggest to us another _______ & _________ Festival that nobody has thought of yet but that you'd like to attend. The Curds & Whey Festival, perhaps? Or the Monkeys & Ducks Festival? We'll post our favorite responses and give you a link to them next week.
Speaking of which, last week Simon Morse won a pair of tickets to see the hit musical "Mamma Mia!" as well as a T-shirt and a poster. (For more information on "Mamma Mia!" click here). At that time, we also asked for a performer or group that you would like to see celebrated, Mamma Mia!-style, in a Broadway show. You can find some of the responses here.
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