MOVIES
Craving a date-movie alternative to a certain craven if funny comedy about the misadventures of unprotected sex? Irish filmmaker John Carney and stars Glen Hansard of the band the Flames and musician Marketa Irglova have a gift for you. “Once” is a lyrical, soundtrack-worthy realist musical in which audiences fall for street musician Guy and Czech immigrant Girl before they fall for each other. Sure to be on at least one top 10 list when 2007 concludes, “Once” (co-starring a Dublin of immigrants and the occasional ballad- crooning Irishman and -woman) never strains or hits a false note. It’s a treat you’ll want to share and one I’ll gladly see thrice. | Lisa Kennedy
CLASSICAL MUSIC
To commemorate its 75th anniversary, Central City Opera commissioned a coffee-table book on its history, grandiosely titled “Theatre of Dreams: The Glorious Central City Opera –
Celebrating 75 Years.” The company will celebrate the launch of the publication with a book signing at the Tattered Cover, 1628 16th St., at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. On hand will be soprano and stage director Catherine Malfitano, who started her career in Central City with her 1972 debut in “Falstaff.” 303-292-6700 or centralcityopera.org. | Kyle MacMillan
VISUAL ARTS
Barry Bonds might be the current sensation, but he will never push aside memories of baseball greats Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. Opening this weekend and running through Sept. 30 at the Denver Art Museum is “Capturing America’s Games: Photographs of Babe Ruth & Lou Gehrig.” On view are about 20 vintage photographs, most from the archives of New York-based agencies such as Acme News Pictures, plus two baseball bats, four rare baseball cards and a poster. The show is free with regular museum admission. 720-865-5000 or | Kyle MacMillan
STAGE
Miners Alley Playhouse’s “Lobby Hero” is a seemingly unassuming character study that lulls you into thinking you’re witnessing an ordinary slice of life, only to reveal itself as a complex exploration of tainted motives and doing the right thing. It centers on a luckless security-guard trainee who is drawn into a murder investigation. Director Terry Dodd’s production is a near-perfect amalgam of venue, material and ensemble – an outstanding quartet of Jeff Haas, Cajardo Lindsey, Susan Scott and Jude Moran. 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 6 p.m. Sundays through June 17 at 1224 Washington Ave., Golden. $18-$20; 303-935-3044, | John Moore
DVDS
If you understand how to perform “the litmus configuration,” then you’ve probably pre-ordered the high-definition version of the 1988 Robert De Niro/Charles Grodin classic “Midnight Run.” Available on DVD this week, the HD version (listed at $29.98, steep discounts available) is just another excuse to watch one of the funniest action movies ever made. Or is it one of the most active funny movies ever made? Either way, Martin Brest’s crisp direction takes full advantage of the dramatic and comedic timing from Grodin and De Niro, who respectively play a nebbishy white- collar criminal who stole from the mob, and the disgruntled bounty hunter who tries to bring him in. The perfect movie to play in the background of poker night. | Michael Booth
NIGHTLIFE
The Viva Solidarity benefit concert and silent auction seeks to promote women’s and indigenous rights in Central America and Mexico. Proceeds will help fund humanitarian work by Golden residents Loren Speer and Frazer Lanier, who will lead community health and education projects in Nicaragua and Mexico in the coming months. If the music by Cat-A-Tac, Vesalius and American Relay, or the two-for-one Red Bull vodkas, aren’t enough, it’s also free. Just make sure to donate that $5-$10 if the spirit moves you. Wednesday, 8 p.m. Larimer Lounge, 2721 Larimer St. | John Wenzel
POPULAR MUSIC
You don’t have be a psychic to see that the Police’s world tour will be the year’s biggest musical outing – and Denver has its chance to join in the nostalgia on Saturday and June 10, when the band plays the Pepsi Center. Sure enough, Stewart Copeland, Andy Summers and Gordon Sumner – a.k.a. Sting – should prove the kings of summer. At the tour’s Vancouver, British Columbia, launch, the first night’s set list boasted such staples as “Message in a Bottle,” “Roxanne,” “Synchronicity,” “Every Breath You Take,” “Spirits in the Material World” and others. And with more than 1.7 million tickets already sold, the Police are playing some of the most important venues in North America. Tickets to the Police’s Denver gigs, $50-$225, are available via Ticketmaster outlets, or 303-830-8497. | Ricardo Baca
