The World... This Weekend

Our Top 5 roundup of things to do in and around the ATL this weekend:  

* THEATRE  

Griefers 

Dad's Garage Theatre 

280 Elizabeth St, Suite C-101 

404-523-3141 

www.dadsgarage.com  

As a former Dad's Garage Nonsemble member, I was elated to learn that their 2009-2010 season would consist entirely of shows created in-house. I'm especially excited about this the World Premiere Play (running through Feb 27) from Christian Danley and Randy Havens. A "griefer" is someone who plays a video game in order to irritate and harass other players rather than pursue game objectives. This story follows a griefer who is forced to confront real-life hardships, from birth and failed relationships to his own mortality. The play was inspired by true events: In the months leading up to their previous production, FWD, Havens suddenly lost his father, and he and Danley would play video games together to work through his grief. "Shooting terrorists in the face was the one thing I could do that didn't remind me of how short life can be," Havens admits. Thus Griefers became a story about their videogame-centered bromance, with emotional relevance added when Danley found out he was going to be a father. "The play became a sort of exorcism of our fears, hopes and dreams over the year that it came to fruition," admits Havens, calling the online gaming community "a place for people of a similar ilk to connect... like a kickball team, but for nerds." But these are some of the funniest nerds you'll ever meet, and with a cast that also includes Matt Stanton, Alison Hastings and Jeffrey Szwartjes, Griefers is sure to offer an intelligent and irreverent twist on the classic men coming of age tale.  

* MOVIES  

That Evening Sun 

Regal Tara Cinemas 

2345 Cheshire Bridge Rd NE 

404-634-6288 

Showtimes: 1:45PM, 4:30PM, 7:15PM, 9:50PM  

The ATL's weekend weather forecast promises rain and more rain on Friday and Sunday, making it a perfect time to catch this wonderful little indie film, which we reviewed on the blog yesterday. Hal Holbrook delivers one of the year's best performances as a crotchety curmudgeon who returns home to find a heated rival living there, and writer-director Scott Teems spins a classic Southern yarn about a feud every bit as dramatic as the Hatfields vs. McCoys. These tiny films never stick around long, so support quality independent filmmaking in a season riddled with mainstream escapist crap by catching it on the big screen at the Regal Tara.  

* FAMILY  

Tales of Edgar Allen Poe 

Center For Puppetry Arts 

1404 Spring St NW 

404-873-3391 

www.puppet.org  

OK, so some parents may think that the writings of Edgar Allen Poe are a bit too scary for little kids (and the Center for Puppetry Arts recommends this show for audiences age 12 and up), but I would have no problem taking my 8-year-old to see this creepy-cool adaptation of some of the legendary author's spookiest work. After all, have you READ some of the Grimm Brothers fairy tales lately? Adapted and directed by Bobby Box in collaboration with the great Jon Ludwig, this show brings the macabre master's greatest works to life via an elaborate gothic stage design, haunting live music performed by experimental local artist Klimchak, and some of the most haunting puppets you've ever seen. From lesser-known stories like Lenore and M.S. Found In A Bottle to enduring classics such as The Cask of Amontillado, The Tell-Tale Heart and The Raven, Tales of Edgar Allen Poe (running through February 21) reminds us of the brilliance of one of history's greatest authors while showcasing his originality and creativity in a whole new light.  

* PARTY/FUNDRAISER

Art Papers 11th Annual Art Auction

Mason Murer Fine Art

199-B Armour Dr

404-588-1837 ext. 16

www.artpapers.org/auction

This fundraiser benefits ART PAPERS, one of Atlanta's premiere arts organizations, whose mission is to provide an independent and accessible forum for the exchange of perspectives on the role of contemporary art as a socially relevant and engaged discourse. The auction will feature the disparate works of more than 300 local, national and international artists, and is expected to attract more than 1,700 attendees. The event begins tonight at 7PM with a Collectors' Preview, then continues tomorrow night with a Silent Auction from 7 to 10PM. Some of the best restaurants in Atlanta (Beleza, Fritti, Lupe Taqueria, etc) will be providing tasty nibbles while you peruse for that perfect painting or sculpture to tie the room together, while the lovely ladies of Dames Aflame tantalize your eyes with their brilliant burlesque and DJ El Prez works the crowd on the wheels of steel. Should be a great party, even if fine art isn't necessarily your thing.  

* ROAD-TRIPPING  

Barnsley Gardens Resort 

597 Barnsley Gardens Rd, Adairsville, GA 

877-773-2447 

www.barnsleyresort.com  

Looking for a romantic pre-Valentine's Day getaway? Located approximately 60 miles northwest of Atlanta in scenic Bartow County, Barnsley Gardens transports guests back in time to an authentic 19th-century village. Amenities include two restaurants, a beer garden, a European-style spa, cycling, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, canoeing and a Jim Fazio-designed golf course. We went there last year and had an amazing time, strolling the ruins of the old Barnsley mansion (where historian Clint Coker will regale you with fascinating tales of family history that include ghosts, pillaging Civil War soldiers, Scarlett O'Hara and fratricide), toasting each other with champagne over dinner at the Rice House, and simply soaking our cares away in the hot tub.

THAT EVENING SUN- movie review

THAT EVENING SUN- We won’t hear his name called on March 7, but for my money Hal Holbrook’s performance in this gripping Southern indie is Best Actor Oscar-worthy, and arguably the most moving of his 55-year career. 

Holbrook stars as Abner Meecham, a curmudgeonly coot that escapes from the old folks home where his uppity lawyer son Paul (Walton Goggins) has stowed him and heads back to his farm to live out his twilight years. Problem is, when he gets there he finds the family of Lonzo Choat (Ray McKinnon), a good-for-nothing hooligan prone to getting drunk and abusing his wife (Carrie Preston) and daughter (Mia Wasikowska, soon starring as Alice in Tim Burton’s Wonderland). 

It appears Paul gave the Choats a lease-to-own option on the property, so the stubborn-as-a-mule Abner lays claim to his old guest house and proceeds to make life miserable for Lonzo, openly degrading his manhood and adopting an incessantly barking dog to drive him mad. "I worked too hard and too long," he reasons. "I ain't goin' down without a fight." This heated rivalry develops into a bitter inter- and intra-family feud: Paul thinks his father is mean and unreasonable, while Lonzo’s daughter Pamela would do just about anything to escape. 

Writer-director Scott Teems (a Georgia native) expertly builds the dramatic tension: You’re never quite sure how this war of iron wills will end, but you’ll have a hunch it won’t end well. All the actors, including Barry Corbin as Abner's neighbor/co-conspirator, are excellent at crafting characters that explore the thousand shades of grey dividing good from evil. Abner is old, infirm and dearly missing his departed wife (played by Holbrook’s real-life love, Dixie Carter), but he’s also a devious, ornery cuss who could make a saint swear. Lonzo is lazy, angry and obviously out of control, but he clearly struggles to do right by his wife and child. 

This is the sort of low-profile, low-budget film that indie festivals are made for, but it’s also character-based storytelling at its finest, and truly deserves to find a mainstream audience in theaters.  – BRET LOVE