MOVIES
In going from page to screen, Richard Price’s 1998 novel, “Freedomland,” has undergone a slight shift in its meditative weight. Detective Lorenzo Council and mother Brenda Martin (Julianne Moore) are still front and center in Price’s potent adaptation. And Samuel L. Jackson gives one of his fullest performances as the New Jersey cop trying to keep the lid on race relations set aboil by Brenda’s assertion that a black male stole her car with her boy in it. But in casting Edie Falco as a driven missing-child activist, director Joe Roth has pushed “Freedomland” beyond black-and-white issues and kept the movie from being overstated or dated.
– LISA KENNEDY
STAGE
The popular relationship musical sketch comedy “Party of 1” comes across as a kind of Stephen Sondheim-ified little brother of the more blue- collar (and better) “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” but the former actually opened in 1986, a full six years earlier. “Party,” completing its fourth month, has brought a surprising buzz to the Playwright Theatre not felt there since it housed the Avenue Theater. A cocktail bar about 4 feet from the stage may have something to do with that. The show is extended through April 1 with showtimes at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays at 2119 E. 17th Ave. Tickets $15-$25 (303-499-0383).
– JOHN MOORE
POPULAR MUSIC
There are two big sold-out shows this week, and if you hustle, you can score tickets (last-minute releases, scalpers) to either Coldplay on Sunday night or Sigur Rós on Thursday. You know Coldplay, one of the biggest rock bands in the world. Supporting its “X&Y,” the group plays the Pepsi Center on Sunday. You may not be familiar with Sigur Rós, an Icelandic band that creates rock symphonies that are aesthetically unmatched. Some of the lyrics are sung in gibberish, some in Icelandic, but the music is unlike anything else being produced. Their live shows – including Thursday night at the Paramount – are becoming the stuff of legend. Both shows: Ticketmaster.
– RICARDO BACA
NIGHT LIFE
As part of Black History month, a coalition of educational and cultural groups will commemorate 30 years of hip-hop with Hip-Hop for Africa United at La Rumba. Tonight’s event, which aims to celebrate African and African-American cultures, features music from DJ SD, African and modern hip-hop fashion shows, a Kappa Alpha step-off performance and art vendors. The event is presented by the Urban African Cultural Coalition, the CU-Denver African American Business Student Alliance and the Colorado Hip-Hop Coalition. Check it out starting at 9 p.m. at 99 W. Ninth Ave. No cover all night for 21 and up, $5 cover after 11 p.m. for 18 and up.
– JOHN WENZEL
VISUAL ARTS
Artists have long created portfolios combining text and imagery. Five such artworks from the collection of the CU Art Museum are on view through March 24 at the University of Colorado at Boulder space in the Sibell-Wolle Fine Arts Building. These portfolios are the creations of five significant artists – Alexander Calder, Salvador Dali, Philippe Halsman, Louise Nevelson and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Admission is free. 303-492-8300 or colorado.edu/cuartmuseum.
– KYLE MACMILLAN
TELEVISION
There has been a change in the weather. Climate authority Bob Correll tells CBS’s Scott Pelle on “60 Minutes” (tonight at 6 on KCNC-Channel 4), that “the oceans in the Northern Hemisphere are the warmest they’ve been on record. When they get up in that temperature, they spin off hurricanes. The one thing we can say with a fairly high degree of confidence is the severity of the storms … these cyclonic events like hurricanes and cyclones, they’re going to be more severe.”
– JOANNE OSTROW
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Yefim Bronfman might not enjoy the name recognition of some of his peers, but few pianists are more respected within the classical world, especially in the Russian repertoire. A regular at the Aspen Music Festival, Bronfman will appear at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday as part of its Winter Music Artist Recital Series. Tickets are $52. Call 970-925-9042 or visit aspenmusicfestival.com. Later in the week, he will appear at 8 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 26 with the Colorado Springs Philharmonic in the Pikes Peak Center, 190 S. Cascade Ave. Tickets are $12-$50. 866-464-2626 or ticketswest.com.
– KYLE MACMILLAN
