Perhaps you heard Stephen Colbert say this recently and had no idea what he was talking about. Find out Thursday night when Movies on the Block screens Walter Hill’s 1979 awesomely awesome movie ‘The Warriors’ starring David Patrick Kelly as the villain Luther. These may not be method actors but you enjoy every minute spent watching them. Just try not looking at Deborah Van Valkenburgh when she is on the screen — that face! This pre-Guiliani comic book vision of a gang war in New York City is weirdly benign — several gang members are positively adorable (Jew-fros anybody?) — but the fight scenes do not disappoint. Crazy gang outfits (the Baseball Furies!), unforgettable characters with great faces. . . it’s just fun as hell. Upon its initial theatrical release it drew the predictable young male audience, with some significant fights occasionally breaking out. Film fanatics soon caught on following rave reviews from Pauline Kael, as well as Janet Maslin in The New York Times, but theater managers pulled it pretty quickly. Then came vhs and its second life as a cult fave. Maslin. . .

The film is as handsome to watch as it is preposterous to listen to, full of gorgeous nocturnal city images that splash blaring neon colors against filthy, rain-slicked gray. Mr. Hill uses subways, jukeboxes, spectacularly eerie costumes and deserted streets to create a stark yet extravagant visual style, and a grimy little world in which everything looks curiously brand-new. Thanks to a lot of wipes and slow-motion shots, you are never in danger of forgetting that somebody clever is at the helm.

I don’t know if this will be the ‘25th Anniversary Ultimate Director’s Cut’ to which Hill has added actual comic book segues between scenes. Either one is great, but rent the anniversary dvd for the special features with interviews.

Free, Thursday, dusk, runs about 90 minutes, MoTB, Grant’s Block, Westminster at Union Street

Announcing the 17th Pecha Kucha night in Providence to be co-hosted by outgoing hostess Stephanie Gerson and incoming host Michael Gazdacko. The theme is ’scandalous and slanderous’.  If you haven’t yet heard of this global yet unpronounceable phenomenon, Pecha Kucha is a monthly format for sharing ideas, in which presenters are allotted 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide. Put simply: 6 minutes and 40 seconds of adult-style ’show and tell’. It began in Tokyo in 2003, has since spread to over 300 cities worldwide, and landed in Providence last March. To present or get more info, check the Facebook event.
Wednesday, doors 7:20pm, presentations 8:20pm, Waterplace Park (outside), 1 Finance Way

6000 origami cranes will be distributed in collaboration with the Institute for the Study and Practice of Non-Violence. Salsa lessons on the ballroom stage, then dancing. Martial arts demo at Waterplace Park, Mixed Magic Theater performs a scene from ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’. Also, Starry Starry Night. Go here for schedule of times and locations. Weather not an issue.

WaterFire, Saturday, ignition 7:47pm, downtown

You know the drill. Empire Street gets closed off, bands play loud, there’s performance art and people with bicycles, there’s T-shirt vendors and bubbles and beer and food trucks (the Providence Juice Company’s maiden voyage!) and Megasus and Brown Bird and the What Cheer? Brigade and many many more, and did I mention the beer?! And there’s the awards for Jukebox creator, Brandon Edens, and contemporary artist, Shep Fairey. It’s always a bunch of fun. Get down there. (The Phoenix has a great cover story and oral history of AS220. It’s been a true force for good in the city.)

Great poster design this year by William Buzzell and Cara Collins (cropped here for format reason, hope that’s okay). Nice that old cassettes and 8-tracks are sort of having a second act with designers — flash drives, pocket books.

$5, Saturday, 1pm to 1am, Foo Fest 2010, Empire Street between Washington and Westminster.

It’s such a fine line between persistence and nagging, and I have to say these guys have been very . . . proactive (and this will seal my doom inbox-wise I suppose). But all of this comes to nothing if we don’t find you interesting. I finally got around to giving them a listen and this is some wildly original stuff. I found this amusing mention from a year ago in The L Magazine under ‘8 NYC Bands You Need to Hear’,

Thanks to Arcade Fire and a smattering of other bands that have bought into this idea that it’s perfectly acceptable to have every single one of your friends join you on stage, it’s no longer terribly rare to come across a band like Emanuel & the Fear, a mostly Brooklyn-based band boasting eleven members. What sets them apart, though, is that each and every one of them is there for a reason. You won’t find anyone standing around lightly tapping on a tambourine — they’re a massively ambitious rock and roll orchestra incorporating everything from violin and cello to trumpet and trombone, not to mention the standard guitar, bass, drums and piano that are represented as well.

Ain’t that the truth, but how are all these musicians (and that guy’s hair) going to fit into this club? I can’t wait to find out. I don’t think Emanuel et al. have to worry about competing with Foo Fest. This should be a completely different experience and may well attract a large number of Foo-ed out fans from up the street. So give a listen to some of these songs, and kudos to ‘the 201′ who have been booking some very cool nights of music. (photo credit: chris becker)

8pm, Saturday, Emanuel and the Fear, 201 Westminster Street

Head over to Dark Lady for Alec K. Redfearn and the Eyesores, Dead Western, Omnivore, Panoptics.

9pm, the Dark Lady, 124 Snow Street

At AS220, Almost Blind (from Pawtucket), Deprivation, Lights Over the Atlantic

9pm, $6, AS220, 115 Empire Street

If I didn’t have to work tonight . . .

California hardcore punk band Ceremony plays tonight at AS220. This video is a couple of years old. I don’t know if the band’s lineup is still the same, but if it is, tell ‘blondie’ he has a fan. Super headbanging percussion here. With Wet Friend, Soul Control, Vaccine.

$7, 9pm, Wednesday, AS220, 115 Empire Street

Interesting pre-Foo evening planned at AS220. First, at 5pm, a showing of Helen Stickler’s documentary Andre the Giant Has a Posse, followed by a special Action Speaks forum on “Free Culture” and intellectual property.

Join artist Shepard Fairey, political activist and author Lawrence Lessig, computer scientist and engineer Brandon Edens, and AS220 artistic director Umberto Crenca in a discussion on “Free Culture”  — The 1998 Sonny Bono Act (Copyright Term Extension Act): Protecting Mickey Mouse or Helping the ‘Beat Go On’ in the Realm of Innovation? — moderated by Action Speaks Host Marc Levitt.

The panelists will be asked to comment on significant moments in their personal, artistic, professional and political evolution as well as dates in the world of public art and cyberspace that changed how we viewed and participated with the world. The public will be invited to join the discussion with comments and to ask questions.

Movie 5pm, forum seating at 5:15pm, Friday, AS220, 115 Empire Street

One week till Foo Fest and that’s the deadline for the Fairey mural on Aborn Street. It looks to us like artist Johan Bjurman will finish on schedule, but the pace for the last week has been grueling. Just think of those hot muggy days we had. David Scharfenberg has a swell profile on Mr. Bjurman in this week’s Providence Phoenix. (For a look at the mural’s progress as of July 23rd, go here.) So head over to Cuban Revolution, have a drink on the sidewalk, and watch paint dry.

Damian Kulash (Brown ‘98) and the boys will perform this Friday as part of the Friday Night Concert Series. And if you have never watched their amazing Rube Goldberg video for the wonderful ‘This Too Shall Pass’ sit down and do it now. It’s one continuous shot that finally succeeded on the 60th take I think.

7:30pm, Friday, OK Go, Free, All Ages, Waterplace Park,

Tonight’s Movies on the Block feature is the 1985 comedy adventure “The Goonies”.  Janet Maslin of The New York Times had this to say when it came out,

Made under the aegis of Steven Spielberg, and crammed with every pop cultural artifact from Mad Magazine to Michael Jackson’s sister, ”The Goonies” doesn’t even pretend to court the grown-up set. So there may be those who share the sentiments of the ”Goonies” character who declares, ”I feel like I’m babysitting, except I’m not getting paid,” but that hardly matters. There isn’t a child in America who won’t want to see ”The Goonies” this summer.

Michael Jackson’s sister? In other words, the movie itself has become a pop cultural artifact. . . which is fun too. I’m thinking it will definitely appeal to today’s “grown-up set” in need of a nostalgia fix. With Corey Feldman, Sean Astin and Josh Brolin. (Check In Downcity for rain updates.)

[Thank you Annie. And I have fixed the typo for the other commenter. BC]

Free, Movies on the Block, Friday, Dusk, Grant’s Block, Westminster at Union Street

Special WaterFire treat tonight at Turk’s Head Plaza — the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Francisco Noya will perform an evening of orchestral music inspired by the flaming, floating extravaganza that is. . . WaterFire.

Approximately 2,500 chairs will be placed in the Plaza for audience members . . . The program includes Smetana’s The Moldau, Mahler’s Adagietto from Symphony No. 5 and Pärt’s Fratres.

Plus doughboys. The music will be miked and broadcast along the river for all to hear. Also performing — dancers from the Festival Ballet of Providence and soprano Diana McVey will sing music by Puccini and others. According to the ProJo there will be 5000 chairs. Anyway, lots of chairs. Further,

Noya said it’s music that “connects on a deeper level,” pieces like Barber’s Adagio, which was used in the soundtrack of the movie “Platoon.” He said that he and Evans picked a program with the “WaterFire vibe,” selections chosen to “support the ambience and the mystique of WaterFire.”

Ignition at 8:04pm, concert 9pm to 10:30pm, WaterFire, Saturday, downtown

See what I mean about the birds. . .  they are up to something. Providence is jam-packed with things to do tomorrow (some bands even doing double-duty). A perennial favorite is the IndieArts Fest downtown at Burnside Park and the BoA Skating Rink. Featured bands and performers include the Cellar Doves, Mahi Mahi (at 10pm), the Viennagram, Atlantic Thrills, Homewreckers and many many more. Also visit the Arts Exchange,

. . . a marketplace offering artwork, locally-designed jewelry, clothing, accessories, silk-screened posters and T-shirts, handmade crafts, cards, prints, vinyl records, compact discs, vintage clothing, eyeglasses, jewelry, books, etc.

There will be Roller Derby with DJ KingEvRock, and the best part of the whole thing — the General Burnsides Facial Hair Contest at 5pm on the BoA Skating Stage! Join host Christopher Johnson and cheer on your favorite whiskers.

IndieArts Fest, Saturday, noon to midnight, downtown Kennedy Plaza, schedule here

Head down to the 201 for a special benefit for Nicole Reinert, featuring Lightning Bolt, the What Cheer?Brigade, Red Dons, and Peter Glantz and the Imaginary Company.

Great line-up and if you’ve never seen LB this is a nice intimate venue for your first time. . . should get pretty ripe. This is a Bolt’s-eye view of the crowd taken somewhere.

9pm, Monday, 201 Westminster Street, $8 donation requested, 21+ only

I’m happy to see that Shepard Fairey’s mural on the side of the Pell Chafee Theatre includes one of the endangered Atlantic Mills Towers; it will of course be sad if the mural outlasts the actual tower. The theater itself fronts on Empire Street, but head over to Cuban Revolution on Aborn Street to see the mural in progress on the side of the building. . . and buy a cubano while you’re at it. Rhode Island artist Johan Bjurman is executing the project. His work already adorns of few of our downtown buildings; and check out his portfolio for some cool tromp l’oeil. AS220 is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and, in addition to commissioning the mural, has created a “Free Culture Award” which will be bestowed this August at Foo Fest,

. . . its honorees: AS220’s own Jukebox creator, Brandon Edens, and contemporary artist, Shepard Fairey.

Further, Fairey has created a Providence-themed limited edition screen print that you can pre-order through AS220 (picture after jump). More at ProJo.

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The MOTB people must be thrilled with this weather forecast — they’ve been up against it all summer. Tonight’s installment in the series is the 1979 classic ‘Rocky II’. Writing for The New York Times Janet Maslin described Stallone as “unexpectedly affable”, a dream blurb for the publicity department to be sure. This film is a good choice for an outdoors movie where you aren’t always paying attention and catching every line of dialogue. You will never get left behind by the complexities of the plot.  Plus, music by Providence native Bill Conti!

Free, Dusk, MOTB, Thursday, Grant’s Block, Westminster at Union Streets