Can't Miss It: Monday
Of UrSkeks & Skeksis: In 1982, Jim Henson and Frank Oz were looking to break from the mold of their earlier work and evolve into creating whole worlds. And so they came out with The Dark Crystal, a fantasy epic that was both a labor of love and a statement that their palette was a lot more complicated than previously given credit for. The result is an ambitious dark fable that has gained a cult status over the years. Though the special effects may feel dated, Henson's gift for visuals still impresses, and several sequences and images have a visceral haunting power that will stay with you.
Tonight at 9:30p.m. // Central Cinema, 1411 21st Avenue // $8
Beyond Shark Week: Considering how long mankind has been fixated on sharks, we still haven't moved beyond an elemental fear about them. There is much we don't know about our violent and sharp-toothed friends in the ocean; enter Juliet Eilperin, whose latest book, Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks provides some much needed facts, behavioral observations and compelling arguments for fighting to keep them alive, aggressive buggers though they may be. Did you know that sand tiger shark fetuses fight, kill and eat each other in the womb? This pleasant thought, among others will be shared at Eilperin's reading tonight at the University Bookstore in the U-District.
Tonight at 7:00p.m. // University Bookstore, 4326 University Way NE // Free
Preacherman in the UK: Tonight's installment of ACT's Summer series of play readings, Pinter Fortnightly, features the work of Doug Lucie, one of England's most highly regarded modern playwrights. Tonight, they'll be reading Grace, Lucie's 1992 play about an American televangelist who is looking to create a market for his services in the United Kingdom and is planning on buying an expansive estate to use as his base of European operations; an idea that the current owner of the estate isn't too keen of. This is a sharp and biting little play that needs to be done with no holds barred.
Tonight at 7:00p.m. // ACT's Bullitt Cabaret, 700 Union Street // $10
