New, Native, Now

The 10th annual Native Cinema Showcase kicks off this week in Santa Fe. This year, the showcase is screening four new Native-directed features, five documentaries and 25 short works. In addition to the films, there will be live music, an animation workshop and a gala award ceremony. The showcase, which runs Aug. 19 through 22, is presented by the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the Center for Contemporary Arts and the Southwestern Association for Indian Arts. Featured works include the sports documentary Jim Thorpe: The World’s Greatest Athlete, the Canadian road trip romance Kissed By Lightning and the New Zealand coming-of-age tale Boy. Screenings will take place at the CCA Cinematheque and at a special outdoor screen in Santa Fe’s Cathedral Park. For a complete schedule, log on to nativenetworks.si.edu.

Comic-turned-movie makes for a beautiful oxymoron—a romance that kicks ass

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is super fresh, ultra hip and totally fun. And if that sounds too immature or too flippant, well then too flippin’ bad. Scott Pilgrim is an unabashed celebration of juvenile obsessions—a gloriously ill-spent summer afternoon of comic books, video games and Pop Rocks.

“The Great Food Truck Race” on Food Network

Televised cooking competitions are a dime a dozen. This summer alone, we’re looking at “MasterChef,” “Hell’s Kitchen,” “Chopped,” “The Next Food Network Star,” “Top Chef,” “24 Hour Restaurant Battle” and others. So it’s not like audiences are starved for the fun but familiar offerings of “The Great Food Truck Race.” But it is on Food Network. What else are they gonna serve up? Cooking shows and cooking competitions pretty much cover the full menu over there. At least this one gets us out of the kitchen.

Week in Sloth

The Week in Sloth