Nightswimming: Brief Encounters with Famous Men (& Women)

I love a good brief encounter. Just the other night, I ran into downtown sensation Justin Bond on First Avenue. He looked radiant, and raring to go for a night out. I was on my way to see The Wrestler. (He hadn’t seen it, but his cute friends said they liked the trailer.) “Well, I’m going to see people,” Justin said in his uncanny delivery, and he and his two pals were off to the Metropolitan Bar. Not a minute later, while en route to Sunshine Cinemas, I stopped into my local coffee shop for a surprisingly delicious vegan red velvet cupcake, and in walks BlackBook’s Icons issue cover star Matt Dillon. I was happy to hear that our story elicited such “great feedback -- I got so many emails and calls about it.” He had seen The Wrestler and gave it serious praise.

I understood why a little while later: Mickey Rourke’s career-resuscitating performance had as much heart and soul as anything I’d seen recently. It was Rourke’s film, but the supporting cast held me in thrall as well: Marisa Tomei has never been so convincing, and Evan Rachel Wood? She wasn’t on screen for long, but the brief encounter left a lasting impression. Her raw strength and vulnerability packed a wallop nearly as big as her on-screen errant father’s crushing belly-flops onto his opponents. It reminded me of another memory-searing character part in theaters now: Viola Davis in Doubt. She stole the movie in under ten minutes. Fellow Doubt cast member Amy Adams raved about Davis’ awe-inspiring performance when BlackBook caught up with her recently, summing it up in two brief words: “My god!”


Brief Encounter Tickets
Mcguire Proscenium Stage Guthrie Theater Tickets
Minneapolis Tickets