MOVIES
Few American movies reside so beautifully on the cusp between dreamscape and the powerfully real as Charles Burnett’s 1977 black-and-white poem of a movie, “Killer of Sheep.” Days, Stan works at a slaughterhouse. Nights, beset with insomnia, Stan labors on his rundown home in Los Angeles’ Watts neighborhood. Gentle as Henry Gayle Sanders plays him, Stan’s increasingly disconnected from his yearning wife. One of the early films to be selected for the Library of Congress’ Film Registry, “Killer of Sheep,” often compared to the stunning efforts of the Italian neorealists, has never received a theatrical run. See it now at the Starz FilmCenter. The one-week run ends Thursday. | Lisa Kennedy
CLASSICAL MUSIC
In 2000, to mark the 250th anniversary of the death of Johann Sebastian Bach, Paul Jacobs played the composer’s organ music in an 18-hour marathon concert, and he was just 23 years old. He is now chairman of the organ department at the famed Juilliard School, one of the youngest appointments in the institution’s history. He will present a free recital at 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. John’s Episcopal Cathedral, 1350 Washington St. The program will include works by Bach, of course, as well as such composers as Max Reger and Olivier Messiaen. 303-831-7115 and sjcathedral.org. | Kyle MacMillan
POPULAR MUSIC
It’s no surprise that indie rock isn’t completely independent anymore. Two shows this week – the Decemberists and Bright Eyes – are prime examples of the subgenre’s growing popularity. The Decemberists signed to a major label for their most recent outing in literary pop, “The Crane Wife.” They play the Fillmore tonight on a nicely priced ticket, $15. Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst is indie through and through – he co- founded Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records and continues to release his popular records on the imprint. And he brings his band to the Temple Buell Theatre on Saturday on a $30 ticket. Both shows, ticketmaster.com or 303-830-8497. | Ricardo Baca
STAGE
Is there any better sound in the theater than an audience crying in stereo? You’ll hear it to the left, to the right, from the front and to the back by the time “Tuesdays With Morrie” pulls its last heartstring at the Miners Alley Playhouse in Golden. This is the stage adaptation of the fact-based, best-selling Mitch Albom book about a self-centered writer whose priorities are set straight by his dying college teacher, Morrie. Anyone who has a beating heart will be moved by Mitch’s final words, thanks in large part to the no-fair sentimental final monologue by actor Scott McLean. 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays, through April 28 at 1224 Washington Ave. $18-$20 (303-935-3044 or minersalley.com). | John Moore
TELEVISION
Discovery continues its “Planet Earth” series at 7 tonight with a look at caves, notably a vast underground system in Borneo. That’s followed at 8 p.m. by a behind-the-scenes look at how filmmakers got the series’ incredible footage. While the segments, narrated by Sigourney Weaver, are annoyingly self-congratulatory in tone, they are visually stunning. | Joanne Ostrow
VISUAL ARTS
Still haven’t seen “Radar: Selections From the Collection of Vicki & Kent Logan”? Time is ticking away. Big, colorful and playful, the nearly 70 works in the centerpiece exhibition in the Denver Art Museum’s Hamilton Building offer a bracing blast of the new and now. It is not meant to be a comprehensive survey so much as a kind of subjective sampling of what has happened in contemporary art during the last 15 years. This must- see show runs through July 15. 720-865-5000 or denverartmuseum.org. | Kyle MacMillan
DVDS
From the moment “The Queen” came out last fall, Helen Mirren was the runaway favorite for the Oscar she eventually won. No quibbles there, and you can see why all over again when that worthy film arrives on DVD next week. But this week, let some doubt creep in over just which Commonwealth actresses had the most riveting performances in 2006, with the arrival of “Notes on a Scandal” to DVD. Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench (left) bring such talent to their roles as a wispy, well-intentioned schoolteacher and her “battle ax” of a mentor/stalker. The film leaves you devastated and exhilarated at the same time. | Michael Booth
NIGHTLIFE
Like public TV, community radio depends on the helping hands of its listeners to stay afloat. That’s why it’s important that fans of KGNU Independent Radio check out the Emerald Forest Dance Party on Saturday. The station, broadcasting on 88.5 FM in Boulder and 1390 AM in Denver, will hold its fundraiser in the spirit of techno with DJs Josh Ivy, Buddha Bomb, Attentat and Mikey Fisher. Decorations and ambiance of the Emerald Forest will set the mood, and costumes are encouraged. The all-ages, no-alcohol event features a chai bar and other refreshments. 8 p.m.-4 a.m. $10. Avalon Ballroom, 6185 Arapahoe Ave. in Boulder, kgnu.org. | John Wenzel
