Haute Highlights


Cowboy

Ongoing Exhibition

The Autry in Griffifth Park

Throw together the great American West, fine arts and a dash of John Wayne-esque cowboys and what do you get? Why, the Cowboy exhibition at the Autry Gallery in Griffith Park, of course.

From images of open-range Texas grasslands to the late-20th-century ranching period, the Cowboy Gallery celebrates cowboy culture and offers a look at the evolution of ranching iconography.

The Cowboy Gallery also offers images of the varying types of cowboys, from the Southwestern vaquero to the Northern cowboy, and the multiple methods of cowboying — think maintaining the ranch and rodeo.

Additionally, tools associated with cowboy culture, such as saddles and bridles, will be on display.

Admission is $6 for students with a valid school ID.

It might not be the Fourth of July, but any time is a good time to celebrate America.

 

Citizen Twain

Saturday, April 7; Sunday, April 8; Wednesday, April 11 

at 7 p.m. (additional matinee on Sunday at 2 p.m.)

Hollywood Forever

A one-man play about the life and trials of legendary American writer and satirist Mark Twain might not seem like an exciting way to spend a weekend evening. Thankfully, this isn’t the case when such a show lies in the experienced, capable hands of Val Kilmer — yes, the Kilmer of Top Gun, The Doors and Tombstone fame.

Citizen Twain is still considered to be in the “workshop” stage, and each performance wraps up with an open Q&A session with Kilmer. It’s an intriguing addition for anyone interested in the actor, who has been at once praised as a brilliant, dedicated performer as well as decried as “childish and impossible.”

Regardless of what his attitude might be, early reports seem to suggest that Citizen Twain is not to be missed; past performances have sold out, so get your tickets now.

 

Harvey/Donnie Darko Double-bill

Sunday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m.

Aero Theatre

If sitting through three-plus hours of cheesy one-liners and a giant boat sinking in 3-D sounds like a terrible way to spend your weekend, here’s another option: a double-feature of the 1950 Oscar-winning film Harvey and 2001’s cult classic Donnie Darko.

The former, adapted from the playwright Mary Chase’s play of the same name, features acclaimed actor Jimmy Stewart as Elwood P. Dowd. Disconcerting to those around him, Dowd’s best friend is a 6-foot-3 rabbit named Harvey that no one else can see. The latter is a sci-fi psychological thriller in which Jake Gyllenhaal, as Donnie Darko, must stop the world from ending — and, yes, sees an invisible rabbit that follows him around.

The combination of both films is sure to make for a great evening of cinema, and admission is only $11 — less than the price of one movie at many theaters around the city.

 

Titanic 3-D

In theaters now

Near, far, wherever you are, Titanic 3-D is inescapable.

James Cameron’s epic romance has been all over the news as of late: What will the film look like in 3-D? Better yet, is the re-release a greedy attempt to cash in on the same women who saw the film five times when it originally debuted?

Speculation is inevitable, but according to the production notes, “the conversion of Titanic is simply the next step in his [James Cameron’s] exploration of 3-D, and an ode to the film that he always wanted to be the most seamlessly immersive experience possible.”

As much of a public relations statement as this is, Titanic remains a huge cultural phenomenon, with $1.8 billion worldwide in revenue thus far and 11 Academy Awards.

For these reasons perhaps Titanic is worth a second watch on the big screen.


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