Can't Miss It: Monday

Muscle Cars and Vagabonds: By the 70s, Monte Hellman had earned a reputation for crafting westerns that were intense and brooding character studies; he had stripped the storytelling to its core components, tearing away dramatic distractions and simply focusing on the men at the center of the stories and their actions. He brought that same attention to his non-Western movies, the most celebrated being Two Lane Blacktop, which is playing at the Grand Illusion this week. The movie is as lean and muscular as the Chevy sedan the central characters drive, telling the story of The Driver (James Taylor, yes, that one), The Mechanic (Dennis Wilson, drummer for the Beach Boys) and their encounters with The Girl (Laurie Bird) and GTO (Warren Oates); all characters who are defined more by their actions than anything they have to say, the script tells you just enough about the situation and character motivation and not one iota more, leading to one of the most open ended endings in American cinema.

Tonight at 7:00p.m. and 9:00p.m. // Grand Illusion Cinema, 1403 North 50th Street // $8

Tantalizing Glimpses: A lot can happen in 12 minutes, which is one of the underlying truisms that run underneath On the Boards' 12 Minutes Max, their regular showcase of works currently in development by the artists presenting them. The current installment features seven burgeoning projects, each worthy of attention, and the highlights are the ones that engage and confound within the time given: ilvs strauss' enigmatic movement puzzle; Lüster & Stubble's neo-clowns bringing back the spirit of Laurel and Hardy and Lingo Productions' short film by KT Niehoff Parts Don't Work (shot at the Fun Forest) that combines Niehoff's evocative choreography with impressionistic touches. From these seeds, the projects that will capture Seattle's imagination will grow.

Tonight at 7:00p.m. // On the Boards, 100 West Roy Street // $8

More About The Bean: The origins of the coffee bean could be traced back to Ethiopia, so close to the cradle of civilization, it's no wonder the marvelous drink concocted from its essence is such an ever present element in our daily lives. Tonight at Town Hall, Majka Burhardt, author of Coffee Story: Ethiopia, will help to elucidate the impact the coffee bean has had on its mother country, how it helped to shape Ethiopian culture and how it has been the foundation that the country has used to shed its recent calamitous past. We can only assume coffee will be served.

Tonight at 7:00p.m. // Town Hall, 1119 Eighth Avenue // $5