MOVIES
If you like your October movies full of big pumpkins, but no blood, then hop on over to the theaters for “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.” From the wildly inventive animators who brought you “Chicken Run” and the incomparable Wallace & Gromit short films, ‘Curse” displays all the quiet wit and meticulous showmanship of their best work. Gromit is the coolest animated dog since Snoopy, without ever saying a word. Once you’ve seen the feature, you’ll go searching for the shorts, collected on both DVD and videotape. -Michael Booth
VISUAL ARTS
Not only is the Colorado International Invitational Poster Exhibition this country’s oldest and largest showcase of contemporary posters from around the world, but it also happens to be the only major one. It is back this year for its 14th installment, but time is running out. The 165 selections will remain on view through Friday in the Hatton and Curfman galleries at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Admission is free. 970-491-7634 or colostate.edu/Depts/Art/poster. – Kyle MacMillan
TELEVISION
Election year politics are reaching the hardball stage on “The West Wing,” at 7 tonight on KUSA-Channel 9. Alan Alda as Sen. Arnold Vinick vs. Jimmy Smits as Rep. Matthew Santos, with Chris Matthews of “Hardball” appearing as himself, grilling Vinick on his cable show. Maybe the promising debut of freshman “Commander in Chief” has reinvigorated the mature series. – Joanne Ostrow
POPULAR MUSIC
San Diego’s got it going on. Ryland Bouchard knows it, and his contributions to the Southern California city’s music scene is The Robot Ate Me!, an arty lo-fi pop outfit that has three records and scores of touring under its belt. Its latest release “Carousel Waltz” is more stable than its previous records, which were heavy on experimentation. And joining the band at the Hi-Dive for a show on Sunday is Drakkar Sauna, Bad Weather California and Euclid Memorandum (formerly Landlord Land). – Ricardo Baca
STAGE
Eric Coble’s “The Dead Guy” isn’t a great play, but it is amusing, accessible and always interesting to watch because of the Curious’ Theatre Company’s multimedia storytelling techniques. This skewering of reality TV offers an average Joe who wins $1 million for a week – if he’s willing to then die, on the air. This would be the perfect, nonfat intro to legit theater for all those couch potatoes out there who can’t otherwise tear themselves away from “The Apprentice.” Final performances 2 p.m. today and Oct. 15, 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, at the Acoma Center, 1080 Acoma St. Tickets $20-$26 ($13 Thursday); call 303-623-0524 or go to curioustheatre.org. – John Moore
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Pianist Hsing-ay Hsu has become artistic director of Pendulum: New Music at CU, a University of Colorado at Boulder series exploring contemporary classical music. She can be heard at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in “scarlet thread,” a work by her husband, Daniel Kellogg. As a preview, Colorado Public Radio’s Colorado Spotlight will broadcast a recording of the work at 7 p.m. Monday with host Charley Samson in conversation with the two artists. Wednesday’s free concert will be held in CU’s Imig Music Building, 18th Street and Euclid Avenue. 303-492-8008 or
colorado.edu/music. – Kyle MacMillan
NIGHT LIFE
Midnite, the dub and roots act headlining Quixote’s Saturday, is all the buzz among reggae diehards. These enigmatic St. Croix natives capture reggae’s buoyant vibe without losing sight of its socially-conscious foundation. With local faves One Shaw and I and I Soundsystem. 9 p.m. 2637 Welton St. Tickets: $15-$17, quixotes.com, 303-544-5875. – Elana Ashanti Jefferson
