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2 weeks ago | 
mprnews.org | Jacob Aloi |Anika Besst |Alex V. Cipolle |Max Sparber
MN Shortlist is your weekly curated roundup of recommended events from MPR News, highlighting standout performances, exhibits and gatherings around the region. 100th Anniversary Reading of ‘The Great Gatsby’April 10 — One of the best-known novels connected to the North Star State turns 100 today — and the Minnesota Historical Society and Friends of the St. Paul Library are hosting a live reading of “The Great Gatsby” from beginning to end.
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2 weeks ago | 
mprnews.org | Jacob Aloi |Alex V. Cipolle |Max Sparber
Each year, the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF) highlights new work from around the globe, but it also reserves space for stories rooted closer to home. The Minnesota Made program showcases features, documentaries and shorts created by local filmmakers or shot in the region. This year, we reviewed five standout Minnesota-connected films from the festival, each offering its own perspective on the people, places, and ideas that shape the state.
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3 weeks ago | 
mprnews.org | Jacob Aloi |Anika Besst |Alex V. Cipolle |Max Sparber
MN Shortlist is your weekly curated roundup of recommended events from MPR News, highlighting standout performances, exhibits and gatherings around the region. Art & Sound Lounge, Vol. 1April 3 — The Walker Art Center transforms into a “moody listening salon” for the first night of a three-week series. Guest artists Andy Jacobs and DJ Maracuya will collaborate on the music while guests enjoy cocktails and craft artmaking.
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Dec 23, 2024 | 
mprnews.org | Alex V. Cipolle |Max Sparber
Critical DMs are lightly edited Slack conversations by members of the MPR News arts team about Minnesota art and culture. This week, Arts Editor Max Sparber and Senior Arts Reporter Alex V. Cipolle discuss a display of elves rescued from the iconic Dayton’s holiday show, on display through the windows of a private home in St. Paul through Dec. 25. Max Sparber: The weather outside is frightfulBut the elves? MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding.
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Dec 6, 2024 | 
mprnews.org | Jacob Aloi |Max Sparber
Cube Critics Jacob Aloi and Max Sparber discuss a a movie about an opera soprano at the end of her life and a movie about an entire genre of music at the end of its life. ‘Maria’Angelina Jolie delivers a compelling performance in “Maria,” a biopic about legendary soprano Maria Callas. The film centers on the final week of her life, framed as an imagined documentary crew capturing her swan song.
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Nov 26, 2024 | 
mprnews.org | Alex V. Cipolle |Max Sparber
Create an account or log in to save stories. Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. Critical DMs are lightly edited Slack conversations by members of the MPR News arts team about Minnesota art and culture. This week, Arts Editor Max Sparber and Senior Arts Reporter Alex V. Cipolle discuss ”Tomte: the Gnome, the Myth, the Legend” at the American Swedish Institute.
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Nov 22, 2024 | 
mprnews.org | Alex V. Cipolle |Max Sparber
Create an account or log in to save stories. Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. “Emilia Pérez” is a French film set in Mexico, shot largely on soundstages in France, blending elements of noir, musicals and occasional winking comedy. The story follows a Mexican cartel boss (Karla Sofía Gascón) who transitions to living as a woman, with Zoe Saldaña playing the lawyer who helps her navigate the dangerous logistics of the operation and its aftermath.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
mprnews.org | Jacob Aloi |Max Sparber
“Conclave” is a gripping political thriller set in the Vatican, centered on the high-stakes election of a new pope. Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, the meticulous and morally driven Dean of the College of Cardinals, overseeing a process where ambition and ideology collide. As factions clash — ranging from hardline traditionalists to liberal reformists — performances by Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow and others bring depth to this web of backroom machinations.
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Nov 8, 2024 | 
mprnews.org | Alex V. Cipolle |Max Sparber
Create an account or log in to save stories. Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories. “What We Do in the Shadows” is a vampire mockumentary series airing on FX, based on the 2014 film of the same name by Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi. The show hilariously explores the mundane and supernatural challenges faced by a group of vampire roommates living in Staten Island.
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Oct 25, 2024 | 
mprnews.org | Alex V. Cipolle |Max Sparber
“Rumours” is a Canadian dark comedy horror film directed by Guy Maddin, alongside frequent collaborators Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. Set during the G7 Summit in Germany, the film satirizes political incompetence as leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, the UK and the U.S. convene in a gazebo to draft a provisional statement.
