MOVIES
There’s a mini-boom in film noir revival, with the new “Hollywoodland” soon to be followed by Brian de Palma’s “Black Dahlia.” Casting is key when it comes to re-creating a mood of cynicism and paranoia first perfected in the 1940s and early 1950s. “Hollywoodland” succeeds because of casting, with Ben Affleck as the charming, egotistical “Superman” actor George Reeves, and Adrien Brody as the off-kilter, obsessed private detective Simo. Diane Lane brings a vulnerable sexiness to another key part, as the cheating wife of Bob Hoskins’ cheating studio exec who could help Reeves break out of his steel Superman trap. The pieces add up to an absorbing atmosphere, and some redemption for the oft-ridiculed Affleck. | Michael Booth
CLASSICAL MUSIC
After a late-summer hiatus, classical music reprises in earnest this week. The Colorado Symphony opens its 2006-07 season with three performances, beginning Friday. But Colorado State University is offering something a little more unusual: a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday by the Istanpitta Medieval Music Ensemble in the University Center for the Arts. The nationally touring group performs music of the 10th to 14th centuries. Tickets are $10 general public and $5 students. 970-491-4849 or csumusic.com. | Kyle MacMillan
STAGE
Denver Center Theatre Company veteran Mike Hartman is worth driving 250 miles to see. Heck, put him on the moon, and I’m there. Hartman fully inhabits the utterly knowable redneck RTD bus driver he creates in the Creede Repertory Theatre’s expertly staged world premiere of “cowboyily.” It’s about his unlikely pairing with an obliviously arrogant playwright. What results is a consistently funny yet incisive examination of the tenuous distinction between racism and classism in America. Written by Steven Cole Hughes and directed by Jamie Horton. 7 p.m. Thursday, Saturday Sept. 19 and 23 at 124 N. Main St. in Creede, $18-$25 (719-658-2540, 866-658-2540, or creederep.org). | John Moore
TELEVISION
ABC’s “The Path to 9/11,” airing tonight and Monday from 7 to 10 p.m. on KMGH-Channel 7, is a stunning dramatization not to be mistaken for a documentary. The epic miniseries stars Harvey Keitel as FBI agent John O’Neill, an expert on al- Qaeda at the time of the attacks. The viewing is emotionally demanding but rewarding, given that it asks hard but evenhanded questions – and comes up with unsettling answers – about a massive governmental failure. | Joanne Ostrow
VISUAL ARTS
In 1932-34, Paul Strand undertook a famous series of photographs of post-revolutionary Mexico, concentrating on local architecture, religious imagery and indigenous peoples. The resulting photogravure portfolio was first published in 1939 in a limited edition of 100 copies. In 1967, it was reprinted by the DaCapo Press. The Camera Obscura Gallery, 1309 Bannock St., will feature examples from both printings in an exhibition opening with a reception from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and continuing through Oct. 29. 303-623-4059 or cameraobscuragallery.com. | Kyle MacMillan
POPULAR MUSIC
The idea, found in small print on the Trach tenburg Family Slideshow Players’ website, is brilliant: “We take vintage slide collections we’ve found at estate sales, garage sales and thrift stores and turn the lives of anonymous strangers into pop-rock musical exposés based on their slides.” It’s a potent angle, especially since the players – dad Jason, mom Tina and 12-year-old daughter Rachel – are quality songwriters who capture the spirit of the photos with an intelligence that is as warming as it is eerie. The family band plays Tuesday at Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom. More information: quixotes.com. | John Wenzel
NIGHT LIFE
“Can You Say Piazza?” at first looks to be a fairly baldfaced marketing tactic to get people to buy condos. Prospect Place lofts, which is sponsoring the Italian-themed get-togethers, will no doubt tout its wares heavily at the event. But every penny of the $25 ticket benefits Denver’s best jazz station, KUVO-89.3 FM, and the price includes music, Balistreri wine tastings, appetizers from chef Andrea Frizzi, the chance to win a trip to Italy and meet-and-greets with KUVO personalities. Who wouldn’t feel good benefiting public radio? At Ajax Lofts, 2955 Inca St., Loft 4A. 303-725-8797. | John Wenzel
