1 Many of the greatest European and American artists — from Rembrandt to Warhol — have depicted murders or their aftermath. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has assembled 51 pieces — from Old Masters paintings to modern-day photos — for "The Art of Murder," a visually fascinating, psychologically rich and politically provocative show. Works by several Minnesotans are featured, too, notably Tom Arndt's 1985 photo of uneasy visitors touring the "Crematoria, Dachau." artsmia.org

4 In the spunky production of the Filipino-American coming-of-age play "The Debutante's Ball" at the History Theatre, Sherwin Resurreccion's performance as a tough choreographer to kids is gorgeously understated, without ever a hint of caricature. He barely whispers the character's gender, yet he creates a fierce personality from her human center. Even when he slinks and winks, Resurreccion never wastes a gesture and never makes the performance about himself. historytheatre.com

2 "Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter" is a supple combination of Little Red Riding Hood adventure, ironic road film and cross-cultural confusion. A 29-year-old Tokyo secretary becomes so obsessed with the Coen brothers' "Fargo" that she flies to Minnesota en route to Fargo to find the hidden fortune mentioned in the movie. Comedy ensues in this droll independent film.

3 Courtney Barnett's charming "double EP" release of last year sure seemed like her debut — that is, until her proper first album arrived Tuesday, the considerably better "Sometimes I Sit and Think, Sometimes I Just Sit." The cheeky title reflects the 27-year-old Aussie rocker's cool stream-of-consciousness writing style. But the music itself is anything but spacey, with coolly swaggering traces of Kinks and Lou Reed and some sophisticated softer tunes.

5 As a young woman, Irène Némirovsky fled Russia during the Bolshevik Revolution. Later, she fled Paris during the Nazi invasion. Still, she kept writing: Her stunning novel "Suite Française" became a bestseller long after her death. "The Fires of Autumn," a kind of prequel to "Suite Française," is her 11th novel to be translated into English. It tells the story of two Parisian families between the world wars. The ending is made even more poignant by the knowledge that its author would soon pay the price of war with her own life.