1 Loosely inspired by the real-life cancer battle of screenwriter Will Reiser, "50/50" is 50 percent affecting medical drama and 50 percent first-rate character study. It's also a comedy that sometimes makes you feel uneasy about laughing. The film chronicles a 27-year-old radio reporter (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) with a 50 percent chance of surviving spinal cancer and how his blowhard, quirky best friend (Seth Rogen) helps him fight the battle. Think of "50/50" as a message movie disguised as a buddy comedy.
2 "Everything Is Boring, & Everyone Is a [Expletive] Liar," the long-awaited second album by horn-dog/nerd-genius East Coast rapper Spank Rock, offers one sonic surprise and whiplash beat turnaround after another, like a Girl Talk album where the tracks aren't stolen. The foul but clever lyrics are quite original, too. Spanky gets his soul rejected by the devil in the Prince-copping "Baby," sounds like a perverted wallflower eyeing the dance floor in "Hot Potato" and somehow connects racism to his genitalia in "Race Riot."
3 After school, make a beeline to rookiemag.com, newly launched by teen fashion-blogging phenom Tavi Gevinson, who's broadening her scope way beyond hemline commentary. While still a bit sparse in some categories, random posts include a beginner's guide to skateboarding, the coolness of a "Clueless"-themed girl gang and contributions from such hipster heavy hitters as Miranda July, who reveals her first feminist action (click on "live through this"). It's really fetch, even if they post only three times a day so far. rookiemag.com
4 You don't have to be a horse lover to be taken in by the precision and majesty of the nearly four dozen horses in "Cavalia," the equestrian extravaganza that is playing on the West End near Interstate 394 and Hwy. 100. The horses execute their paces with impressive skill. There are also some trick- and fast-riding acrobats who often top off their derring-do with applause- encouraging gestures. Who can blame them? They're competing with such fine ponies. cavalia.net
5 In "Moneyball," Kerris Dorsey, who plays Brad Pitt's guitar-playing daughter, sings "The Show," a tune about being caught in the middle, to her dad. Although Aussie singer/songwriter Lenka wrote the song in 2008 about a romantic relationship, director Bennett Miller has recast it about a young daughter caught between her divorced dad's love and his life as a major league baseball general manager. Thrown into the film twice, "The Show" is pitch-perfect for "Moneyball."
