From “Star Wars” to “The Vagina Monologues,” here’s what’s going on this week in Arts and Life.
Film
With “Avengers: Age of Ultron” hitting theaters next Friday, this week is unsurprisingly light on mainstream fare. Save for Lee Toland Krieger’s (“Celeste and Jesse Forever”) “Age of Adaline” — which, despite the involvement of Blake Lively, actually has the potential to be quite good — your only options at the local multiplex, for all intents and purposes, are “Furious 7” and “Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2.”
Fortunately, if you’re still looking for the razzle dazzle of the big screen, all six “Star Wars” films are now available, for the first time, digitally on iTunes and other digital platforms. The films are not cheap ($19.99 a pop), but, then again, being reminded how much you loathe the insufferable Jar Jar Binks is probably worth the lofty sum.
Also available on VOD is actor Chris Messina’s directorial debut “Alex of Venice,” starring the always enchanting Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Reviews are mixed on this one but early trailers boast a muted, Ponsoldt-ian aesthetic that is definitely not too hard on the eyes.
On campus this Thursday, Apr. 23 there will be an early screening of Judd Apatow’s “Trainwreck” at the Ciné Arts Palo Alto Square at 7 p.m. Tickets are free with SUID. Early buzz for this film is great, with critics praising the always-worthy-of-praise writer-star Amy Schumer.
Theater
This Wednesday, emerging Bay Area playwrights will be showcasing new works performed by professional Bay Area actors in celebration of Planet Earth in the Planet Earth New Play Festival. If you miss the Wednesday performance at Dinkelspiel, you can check out an encore performance on Friday. Also on Wednesday, a guest lecturer from Brown University, Rebecca Schneider, will be giving a talk on gesture and duration in performance at Prosser Studio Theater at 4 p.m.
The highly-anticipated annual production of The Vagina Monologues is playing this Saturday and Sunday at Roble Theater. All profits go to the Lyon-Martin Clinic, a center in San Francisco that provides health services to local low-income populations, and, in particular, LGBTQ individuals.
Also, if you want to venture off-campus, check out Berkeley Rep’s critically-acclaimed production of Head of Passes by Tarell Alvin McCraney.
Music
On Wednesday at noon, the Anderson Collection will be holding a talk on “Jazz and Modern Art in America,” hosted by Loren Schoenberg, jazz saxophonist, music critic and artistic director of the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. Admission is free for all! That same night at 7:30 p.m., the SFJAZZ Collective, an acclaimed group of San Francisco based musicians, will be playing at Bing Concert Hall with tickets starting at $15 with an SUID.
Up-and-coming rapper Antwon is also scheduled to perform on Wednesday at 10 p.m. at the Enchanted Broccoli Forest, featuring guest DJs Sela and Cleareyes. Show up early with your SUID for what’s sure to be a fantastic show.
Two much-anticipated albums are being released this Tuesday. Keep your eye out for Passion Pit’s “Kindred” and Alabama Shakes’ “Sound & Color.” Both artists have released well-received singles over the past few weeks, and their full-length efforts should live up to the hype.
Visual arts
Hayao Miyazaki fans, rejoice. This Wednesday, Frederick L. Schodt and Beth Cary will be giving a talk at Levinthal Hall from 6 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. discussing the worldwide appeal of Miyazaki, his films and Studio Ghibli. Schodt and Cary are the translators behind “Starting Point: 1979-1996” and “Turning Point: 1997-2008,” two volumes of compiled interviews and essays by Miyazaki himself.
Contact the Arts and Life Editors at arts ‘at’ stanforddaily.com