Richard Russo’s latest, 'That Old Cape Magic,' returns to the novelist’s longtime topic of choice — family, and all the endlessly fascinating narrative and dramatic tension that topic allows. Russo speaks at 7 p.m. at the University of Cincinnati's McMicken Hall (127).  

Richard Russo's latest, 'That Old Cape Magic,' returns to the novelist's longtime topic of choice: family, and all the endlessly fascinating narrative and dramatic tension that topic allows. Its very Russo-ian protagonist Jack Griffin is going through an existential crisis of sorts, set off by the death of his mother and the marriage of his only daughter.   

More than a few mouths fell open when it was announced that Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning had been tapped to play leads in 'The Runaways,' a biopic about the pioneering all-girl Punk/Metal group’s rapid rise and debauchery-fueled fall in the late 1970s. Writer/director Floria Sigismondi discusses the fuss around the casting as well as the movie's teen-angst subject matter.  

Cincinnati World Cinema returns to save us from another thin week at the movie house. The locally based group with typically discerning fare presents its annual "Oscar Shorts & More" screenings April 11, 13 and 14 with a different lineup of programming each night at The Redmoor in Mount Lookout Square.  

Cincinnati native Bryce Dessner's MusicNOW brainchild has evolved into one of the singular musical events in the Midwest, a multi-day festival featuring a like-minded collection of creatively adventurous musicians who relish the opportunity to partake in its laid-back, artist-friendly atmosphere. Dessner talks about his approach to MusicNOW, why Memorial Hall is the right venue and the upcoming album from his band, The National.  

St. Vincent can be deceiving. First there's the name, which brings to mind a chanting religious dude in white robes (it's actually a reference to the hospital where poet Dylan Thomas spent his final hours). Then there's the physical appearance of the person behind the moniker, Annie Clark, a demure woman with a mop of curly, jet-black hair and a face that looks as innocent as Bambi's. She headlines the second night of MusicNOW.  

The three-day festival, which takes place at Memorial Hall in Over-the-Rhine March 30-April 1, features performances from Joanna Newsom, a singer/songwriter/ harpist whose sprawling new album; St. Vincent, the solo project of singer/ songwriter/guitarist Annie Clark; and Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver).  

St. Vincent/Annie Clark is an Indie Pop tour veteran (she’s played with Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens) and a classically trained musician with the voice of an angel and a guitar sound that would probably provoke Ronnie James Dio to throw up his patented “devil horns.” She headlines the MusicNOW festival.  

The Oscar-nominated documentary 'The Most Dangerous Man in America' reexamines the events that led Daniel Ellsberg to speak out — a decision that would ultimately lead to our withdrawal from Vietnam after the resignation of then-President Richard Nixon and affirm the media's vital role as governmental watchdogs. CityBeat recently connected with co-director Rick Goldsmith to discuss a film whose various issues still resonate today.  

This Oscar-nominated documentary looks at the events that compelled Daniel Ellsberg, a former Marine and defense department staffer, to leak the Pentagon Papers to The New York Times in an effort to stop what he deemed an unjust Vietnam War. Ellsberg's articulate first-person narration and unique personal history give the film an intimacy and emotional depth lacking in most political/historical documentaries. Grade: A-.