Our Critics Picks
In last year’s movie The Aristocrats, 100 of the world’s funniest comedians took turns delivering their interpretations of the most perverted, disgusting joke in the annals of jokedom—featuring incest, pedophilia, defecation and bestiality, among other such edifying topics. Stanhope chose to share his depraved version while holding his infant child. That’s twisted enough—but while the other comedians were enjoying an atypically vulgar detour, Stanhope likely found the exercise fairly polite in comparison to his normal act. He’s hosted such illuminating entertainments as The Man Show and Girls Gone Wild, and as his bio explains, “He started his career in Las Vegas doing jack-off jokes for free drinks. Not much has changed, save for the mullet.” Amid the profanity and filth, though, is a layer of no-holds-barred social commentary reminiscent of Bill Hicks. On his website, Stanhope puts out a call for new venues, adding, “Dirty taverns work best. That’s where the adrenaline lies.” If that’s the case, this Thursday (May 4) night’s show at Springwater should be incendiary. —JACK SILVERMAN
MUSIC
THURSDAY, 4TH
MARIA MULDAUR Many moons have passed since Muldaur’s seductive invitation, “Midnight at the Oasis,” became rock’s only classic love song to involve shooing a camel out of the house so the couple won’t be interrupted. Some 32 years later, she’s still a cheeky vocalist who celebrates strong women unafraid to glorify their desire for good sex, among other things. Having just turned 60, Muldaur’s latest, Sweet Lovin’ Ol’ Soul, updates the brazen blues of Bessie Smith, Memphis Minnie and the bawdy Lucille Bogan. That’s mighty big company, and there’s few women alive better equipped to breath healthy lust into these gems than Muldaur, whose husky tone sounds like a muted trumpet providing mood music in a brothel. “I told my Daddy not to get high, we’re going to pack a trip for a long, long ride,” she sings in the Depression era “Lookin’ This World Over,” a travelogue about going on a journey of discovery without leaving the sheets. In this downtown club, she’ll have the patrons hootin’ and hollerin’ like a river city speakeasy back when Bessie stalked the earth. B.B. King’s Blues Club —MICHAEL McCALL
FRIDAY, 5TH
|
---------------------------Advertisement---------------------------
|
|
---------------------------Advertisement---------------------------
|
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS They Might Be Giants are certainly one of quirkiest bands of what’s left over of the ’90’s alternative rock scene, what with their jangly, literate pop songs devoted to birdhouses and entire albums devoted to letters of the alphabet. But what’s more interesting than their oddity is their durability. This time they have taken their deadpan, adventurous wit and focused it into a new theme: The Venue Songs Tour. The story goes like this: They Might Be Giants aren’t just on any old tour; they’re are on a mission to fulfill a challenge from a self-proclaimed “deranged millionaire” who wants them to write a new song—daily—that celebrates each venue they play. And if they fail in their mission? The deranged millionaire warned them that they’d “lose their magical songwriting talisman” which would “leave Brooklyn (their home city) vulnerable to endless roving baseball gangs and monstrous creatures.” A band this prolific hardly needs a reason to write more songs; but what city wouldn’t love to be immortalized? There are nearly a dozen hilarious videos for the first leg of the tour already on the band’s website; stay tuned for Nashville’s. ( www.tmbg.com ) City Hall —JESSICA FRIEDMAN
STRUT Strut dish out lively horn-spiked ska-punk-funk that’s more Madness than Music Row. But have no fear, Nashvillians: these are certified rednecks. Just check out “Country Boy,” from their just-released second album, Non-Hostile Takeover—that’s a banjo plunking along with the rubbery rhythm, and lead singer Agent Ishi singing about “how we long to be back in the country.” The members grew up together at the Farm commune in Summertown, Tenn. (they’re now based in Asheville, N.C.), so you know they were right at home at Bonnaroo 2005, where they played three side-stage sets. Exit/In —CHRIS NEAL
JOHNNY SKETCH & THE DIRTY NOTES New Orleans bred and proud, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes have amassed a loyal following in their hometown, but their sound is closer to a Morphine-Fishbone-Tower of Power synthesis than anything laid down by the Dirty Dozen Brass Band or the Radiators. Proving that funk lies latent in the heart of all musicians, bandleader Marc Paradis (a.k.a. Johnny Sketch) actually studied cello at Loyola; the rest of the Dirty Notes are all to some extent classically trained. But if the addition of violin and harmonica amounts to tacking bowties and bandannas on a zoot suit, the ensemble somehow doesn’t clash. Are they smooth? Like crayons on a Louisiana dashboard in August. Windows on the Cumberland —COLLIN WADE MONK
RADNEY FOSTER Since giving up the honky-tonk stardom he sought in the ’90s, Foster has developed a personal amalgam of country, rock and soul. It ranges from electric roadhouse crunch to acoustic coffeehouse refinement, while still leaving room for his voice to soar or whisper. His songs sometimes hint at wild urges, but mostly they’re anchored in stories of relationships and self-discovery. He accepts weakness in himself and others with compassion, as in his great new “Half of My Mistakes,” and he celebrates the joys of good love and good times with a balance of rowdy rave-ups and singer-songwriter sensitivity. His latest, This World We Live In, continues a long run of distinctive work that goes back to 1999’s See What You Want to See, when he began forging a new sound that’s made him one of Americana’s most consistently interesting voices. Seven years on, the one-time co-leader of ’80s duo Foster & Lloyd has built quite a solo catalog—and it’s best heard live. 3rd & Lindsley —MICHAEL MCCALL
SUNDAY, 7TH
ALIAS The chamber group Alias is particularly well endowed with cellists—three players appear regularly in their concerts—so it is no surprise they have the number of musicians necessary for a six-cello version of Grieg’s “Holberg Suite.” This stately piece started life in 1884 as a work for solo piano, then was transcribed by the composer for orchestra and by a later composer for the all-cello ensemble. Two of the group’s cellists are also featured on the concert’s Baroque selection, a Vivaldi sonata. Other items on the program include two works for string quartet—one from Henry Cowell, an American composer whose pioneering experiments in the 1920s expanded the sonorities used by classical music, including tone clusters and techniques like reaching into the case of a piano and strumming the strings. His interest in non-Western musical styles bears influence in String Quartet No. 4, “United,” with its Middle Eastern flavor. Pushing the versatility of the quartet sound even further is an interpretation of Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” a version of which put the Kronos Quartet on the map, proving that a string quartet could achieve the drive and excitement of rock music. Alias is playing a different arrangement, but the energy comes from Hendrix’ original, whose simple riffs can carry just about any arrangement. And in one more cross-over, Alias artistic director Zeneba Bowers collaborates with singer Maura O’Connell on Alan Ridout’s setting of the classic children’s story Ferdinand the Bull. O’Connell narrates the story, accompanied by a violin part that chimes in with themes to echo the characters and events. 4 p.m., Turner Recital Hall, Blair School of Music, Vanderbilt —DAVID MADDOX
THE YAYHOOS If the music business is, as Hunter S. Thompson said, a place where “good men go to die like dogs,” then Dan Baird, Terry Anderson, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel and Keith Christopher must be very bad men—more than 100 years’ combined experience in what Thompson called a “cruel and shallow money trench” couldn’t crush the lumberjacks who swing axes in this brawny supergroup. All were vital members of The Georgia Satellites, the Woods, the Del-Lords or Shaver before tinnitus and arthritis became their constant companions, and even though they flipped the odometer on their E chords years ago, they still keep driving toward The Rawk. OK, so they cover ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”—but they play it hard and loud enough to make Benny & Bjorn beg forgiveness. 3rd & Lindsley —COLLIN WADE MONK
MAZE FEAT. FRANKIE BEVERLY Music critics love to overpraise new talent and belabor the work of drunks, whores and pedophiles, but where’s the ink for artists—especially soul artists—who ply a consistent, respectable trade? For more than 30 years, these old-school R&B journeymen have pitched their circus tent in the fertile crescent between The Ohio Players and “Celebration”-era Kool and the Gang: they don’t want to tear the roof off the sucka, they just want to steam up the windows. In so doing, they’ve notched up a legacy of gold albums, 24 R&B hits and sold-out arenas—all without a single top-40 pop appearance, let alone support from a music press that pays attention to R&B only when Cat Power’s singing. Beverly may not make anyone forget their Teddy Pendergrass LPs, but don’t tell the middle-aged lady fanning her libido third-row center—the slow-jam loveman still makes every woman within earshot believe he’s crooning “Can’t Get Over You” straight to her. Municipal Auditorium —COLLIN WADE MONK
TUESDAY, 9TH
MOUNTAIN HEART Though they’re plenty popular on the bluegrass festival scene, Mountain Heart have provoked some complaints within the community for the hefty dose of high-decibel hyper-grass in their set lists. The criticism misses the point, though, because while the sextet are experienced and talented bluegrass practitioners, they’re more intent on reaching out to new (and younger) fans than appealing to an older and exclusively bluegrass audience. To that end, they brought in producer Mark Bright (Rascal Flatts, Sara Evans) for their latest album, Wide Open. The result is a stunning and mildly controversial album that melds Music Row sonics and high gloss with high-powered singing and down-home picking. The group does retain a collective personality shaped by the bluegrass scene—relaxed and personable—and so, while the grousing persists, it’s without an edge. Even those who don’t like the group’s music much would like to see them do well. Preceding the 9 p.m. Mountain Heart show is a separately ticketed set by group member Jim Van Cleve, who’s releasing his first solo album, No Apologies. It’s an engaging mix of progressive originals and energetic covers, a strong calling card for the 26-year-old fiddler. The Station Inn —JON WEISBERGER
WEDNESDAY, 10TH
THE SELMANAIRES W/THE MAKEOUT ROOM The Selmanaires represent the way you wish high school would have been: the quirky kids rule and everyone gets their turn to sing. These three moderately dorky guys from Atlanta resist the whole “lead singer thing,” instead rocking by committee. Trading off vocal duties, often teaming up in chant-like unison, brothers Herb and Jason Harris and friend Tommy Chung rampage through youthful, frantic, rhythmically insistent rock, and their unassuming energy is contagious. Each song is a taut bundle of noise and beats—not overly complicated or even melodic, but infectious nonetheless. Opening are The Golden Sounds (see below) and the Makeout Room, four boys from Asheville, N.C., who play bright, brash, vintage rock ‘n’ roll, filled with danceable beats and throbbing bass lines. (www.myspace.com/theselmanaires, www.themakeoutroom.net) The Basement —LEE STABERT
THE GOLDEN SOUNDS In March of last year, The Golden Sounds put on one of Nashville’s best shows of 2005, a dreamy smorgasbord of acoustic guitar, hypnotic grooves, synths, loops and sweet harmonies, centered around frontman Todd Evans’ eccentric persona—pleasantly daft without being contrived. Adorned with a string of Christmas lights, Evans led the band through a stunning performance that caught the crowd off-guard, inspiring quizzical, whispered exchanges along the lines of, “Did someone dose me, or was that set phenomenal?” In the intervening months, the Sounds haven’t played live much, though they’ve recorded a new album, Wings or Horns: The Astronaut Prophecies, which hits Grimey’s this week and should be available at the show. From the two cuts available on their website, it would seem that, as the title suggests, the album continues in the gently trippy vein of their two previous recordings (though the insistently rocking groove of “Elizabeth” is a bit of a departure). After some personnel changes, Evans and his wife Lizzie, along with drummer (and Grimey’s mainstay) “Smokin’ ” Josh Walker, remain the core members, though a rotating cast of accompanying musicians joins them onstage. The Basement —JACK SILVERMAN
THE ASSAULT Two of the three members of Brooklyn’s all-girl rock outfit The Assault met in college, where they bonded over Bikini Kill and Pavement. It’s not a bad musical jumping-off place to approach the band, who wouldn’t have been out of place on an episode of 120 Minutes in its heyday. Toss in a little folk singing, and the trio’s blend of beauty and dissonance also draws easy comparisons to early riot-grrl acts like Sleater-Kinney, without the ax to grind. But there’s more here than just a rehash; though their blend of folk, punk and psychedelic rock is sometimes incongruous, it’s the group’s metal jams that fans of all things rough, raw and heavy will find exhilarating—plus rumor has it they cover Motorhead at live shows. Springwater —TRACY MOORE
DANCE
HUNG-SHENG LION DANCE THEATER To celebrate Asian Heritage Month, the Chinese Arts Alliance of Nashville (CAAN) and the Nashville Taiwanese American Association present this internationally acclaimed troupe of dancers, drummers and acrobats, currently touring the U.S. under the auspices of Taiwanese government agencies. Hung-Sheng was founded in 1988 by a group of men devoted both to martial arts and the traditional lion dance, two pursuits that require considerable agility and strength. With colorful masks and costumes, the dancers explore Asian historical and cultural themes while showcasing their daring skills and rigorous training. In “A Night Tour of the Dragon Palace,” dancers in black and orange propel a huge dragon through the air. (Hung-Sheng will offer a lion dance master workshop free to the public on 6:30-8 p.m. May 8 at Hadley Community Center, 1037 28th Ave. N.) This event includes an appearance by CAAN’s own Chinese Lion Dance Team, under the direction of Jen-Jen Lin, as they prep for their role in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in September. The performance is 7:15 p.m. May 7 at Harpeth Hall School Theater, 3801 Hobbs Road. Admission is free, but seating is limited and tickets are required. Contact jojo_ChineseArts@comcast.net. For more information, visit www.chineseartsalliance.org. —MARTIN BRADY
THEATER
BEAU JEST James Sherman’s romantic comedy of errors involves a nice Jewish girl bent on reassuring her doting parents that she’s dating a nice Jewish doctor (even though she decidedly is not). A dinner party with comical ramifications ensues. Dan McGeachey directs this production for the Gordon Jewish Community Center’s Shalom Theater, with a cast that includes Layne Sasser, David Arnholter, Lynda Cameron, David Bayer, Tricia Hassenfeld and Heath Hinson. Performances are May 6-7 in the Bernard Frank Pargh Auditorium. Tickets are available at the GJCC, 801 Percy Warner Blvd., or online at www.nashvillejcc.org. For more information, call 356-7170. —MARTIN BRADY
THE BELLE OF AMHERST The script for William Luce’s Tony Award-winning one-woman show about poet Emily Dickinson strives to go beyond mere biography. Often drawing directly from Dickinson’s poems and letters, the text probes the inner workings of the artist’s mind and her views on God, nature, death and immortality. Ayne Cantrell takes on the challenging solo performance under the direction of Tom Harris. The play runs May 4-14 at the Murfreesboro/Rutherford County Center for the Arts. For tickets and information, call 904-ARTS. —MARTIN BRADY
BOEING-BOEING Now over 40 years old, Marc Camoletti’s goofy bedroom farce gained popularity, especially as a dinner-theater piece, on the strength of its “Swinging ‘60s” stereotypes, wherein a Paris-based playboy juggles affairs with three unsuspecting stewardesses (that’s what they called them back then) who jet in and out of town. (Tony Curtis and Jerry Lewis starred in the 1965 feature film.) David Compton directs the new production at Chaffin’s Barn Dinner Theatre, and while the plot twists and comic results should be fairly predictable, he’s gathered together an experienced cast that ought to be up to the task of finding some laughs. Presented May 9-June 10; phone 646-9977 for information. —MARTIN BRADY
DEARLY DEPARTED To conclude its largely successful 2005-06 season, Tennessee Repertory Theatre sends its audiences out laughing (we hope) with this 1991 family comedy written by fellow Kentuckians David Bottrell and Jessie Jones. Dearly Departed has become a staple of the commercial and community-theater repertoire, with its zany portrait of Bible Belt family the Turpins, thrown into a tizzy when patriarch Bud passes away. Director David Alford’s cast features some actors who appeared in the now-defunct Mockingbird Theatre’s highly acclaimed 1996 production: Rona Carter, Jan Dial, Sam Whited and Bobby Wyckoff. Many of the other players, though new to the show, are familiar to local theatergoers, including Rachel Agee, Brandon Boyd, Misty Lewis, Jenny Littleton, Martha Wilkinson and Michael Abbott Jr. Production dates are May 4-20 in TPAC’s Polk Theater. Phone 255-ARTS for tickets. —MARTIN BRADY
FOREVER PLAID On its way to becoming a perennial favorite of community and regional theater companies, this musical revue pays loving tribute to the gentler sounds of the 1950s, when clean-cut crooning and tasteful multipart harmonies still ruled the airwaves over the upstart rhythms of rock ’n’ roll. Nostalgia and light comedy are the watchwords here, in a new Boiler Room Theatre production starring Daniel Vincent, Patrick Kramer, Mike Baum and Sloan Yarborough. Billy Ditty designed the choreography. The show opens May 5, and runs through June 3. For tickets, phone 794-7744 or order online at www.BoilerRoomTheatre.com. —MARTIN BRADY
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM For ACT I’s latest venture into the classics, director Marc Mazzone has relocated the Bard’s delightful romance to a dilapidated urban park. Jim Manning provides the unexpected set pieces, and the chic postmodern costumes are designed by Helen Stevens. Mazzone’s cast is by and large a youthful and energetic group, including Tyson Laemmel, Erin Mihalik, Chuck Mosieri, Stephanie Meek, Lauren Atkins, Matt Bassett, Hailey Collier and Shane Lowery. Veteran Bob Young plays the ass-headed Bottom and Brandon Valentine is the mischievous Puck. There’s also an all-female chorus of singing, dancing fairies. The show opens at the Darkhorse Theater May 5 for performances over two weekends. For tickets, phone 726-2281. —MARTIN BRADY
ART
TOM THAYER AND “SCENE”/SALON: D6 This occasional exhibit series in Murfreesboro ends with a show that features a performance by MTSU art professor Tom Thayer and a show of work by a group of international artists active on the punk/hardcore scene. Thayer has a wide-ranging experimental approach to art-making that encompasses sound as well as visual media. His performances incorporate sound in animation pieces, and he has long engaged in a regular practice of meeting with friends for sessions of improvising abstract sound. At the D6 show, he’ll present music from an upcoming album. The work showing that night under the title “Scene” comes from artists from Switzerland, Japan, Italy and France, most of whom split their time between making music, doing graphics for their bands and related groups, and making other visual art. The show will be from 7-10 on Saturday, May 6, with Thayer’s performance starting at 8. Salon: D6 takes place at 1311 Greenland Drive, Apt. D6, Murfreesboro. —DAVID MADDOX
I.E. A network of seven artists from Chicago, I.E. draw upon their personal histories to create work that combines images and actions in provocative ways. They place a strong emphasis on performance and the use of everyday materials, and are engaged with some of the most vital intellectual concerns in contemporary art, including gender, sexual transgression, identity, surveillance and social control. The artists share much of their sensibility and approach to subject matter and medium, which seems to provide coherence across their individual bodies of work. The show takes place at 310 Chestnut St. from 7 to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, May 5 and 6. —DAVID MADDOX
“Penguin My Ride” A steady presence on the Nashville art scene for the last five years, painter Brenan Sharp creates colorful and dynamic works addressing elements from popular culture. This newest body of images merges two radically different film and television themes into a singular artistic statement—a visual mash-up of March of the Penguins and Pimp My Ride. The works are on view May 4 through July 1 at Jackson’s in Hillsboro Village; an opening reception takes place at 5:30 p.m. May 4. —ARMON MEANS
CHRIS CAMPBELL During the 1950s, a wave of utilitarian design swept all manner of appliances and knickknacks into the American home. One product blended the mid-century design craze with America’s newfound obsession with television: the TV lamp. Moviegoers were accustomed to darkened theaters, early TV tubes were extremely low light, and people tended to watch in the dark. Amid fears about eye damage, the TV lamp was born. Whether or not these small, backlit figurines—in such shapes as animals, mythical creatures and exotic people—actually relieved eyestrain was a moot point: TV lamps soon became a must-have item. Today, these ceramic dioramas are valued for their aesthetic whimsy. Nashvillian Chris Campbell’s collection includes 66 examples from the Cote d’Azur region of France, an area known for ceramic expertise, and is featured in “French Majolica: TV lamps from Valluris and Monaco 1946-1969,” an exhibition that runs through May 31 at the Green Hills branch of the Nashville Public Library, 3701 Benham Ave. —PAUL V. GRIFFITH
Lesley Patterson-Marx/Emily Holt TAG Art Gallery presents “Drops,” a show of new work by Nashville artists Lesley Patterson-Marx and Emily Holt. Though they’re longtime friends, “Drops” is the first time the two artists have had the opportunity to show together. Patterson-Marx is a founding member of the printmaking cooperative Plate-Tone Press and is best known for her narrative prints and drawings; some of the pieces include the found objects that originally inspired them. Her work in this show reflects the understanding she has gained as a mother, regarding not only her infant son but also the ecology of our planet. Holt’s drawings, painting and sculpture also lend themselves to narrative interpretations, though her work is more process-oriented; images and stories reveal themselves as she engages her work in an active dialogue. A reception for the artists will be held at the gallery on Saturday, May 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit runs through May 27. —JOE NOLAN
BOOKS
JIM DERYCH Intelligent people may not know what a dittohead is, since it tends to be associated with a certain dull-mindedness. In Confessions of a Former Dittohead, Jim Deyrich, a financial planner from Memphis, defines the label as a slavish adherent to the radio tirades of braying Republican shill Rush Limbaugh. Derych was once a dittohead himself while he was a student at UT, but in his maturity became a born-again Democrat. He has now penned a trenchant analysis of the way Limbaugh uses half-truths, “fact-free gibberish” and outright lies to create a hermetic, resentful universe for his listeners. According to Derych, “[T]here is no more natural home for the insecure loner than Rush Limbaugh. Rush makes you feel like you’re an insider. Like you get it and nobody else does. That you are not alone.” Hence the “ditto.” Along the way, Derych covers all the big issues Limbaugh rants about, and cannot resist pointing out that this self-aggrandizing spokesman for American morality is a drug-addled, thrice-divorced alleged criminal. Derych will appear at Davis-Kidd Booksellers at 6 p.m. May 4. —WAYNE CHRISTESON
TED P. YEATMAN No outlaws in American history have been more mythologized than Frank and Jesse James. Following Jesse’s death in 1882, newspapers, stage shows and dime-store novels continued his adventures as though nothing had ever happened. Now, 130 years since their last caper, the outlaws still generate text. Witness The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Ron Hansen’s well-researched historical novel that’s poised for release as a major motion picture (starring Brad Pitt) later this year. Witness also Frank and Jesse James: The Story Behind the Legend, an equally well-investigated book of nonfiction by Ted Yeatman that attempts to separate the historical brothers from the reams of fiction they’ve generated. In addition to exhaustive library research, Yeatman includes formerly unpublished documents and interviews with James family members in his balanced depiction of the felons. Of particular interest is the portion of the book that explores the James’ exile of sorts, in and around Nashville—at least three East Nashville houses were associated with the pair. Ted Yeatman will sign and discuss Frank and Jesse James at Elder’s Bookstore at 1 p.m. May 6. —PAUL V. GRIFFITH
FILM
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III TV auteur J.J. Abrams (Lost) returns to the big screen at the helm of this underpublicized indie character study. Tom Cruise IS Ethan Hunt, here attempting to protect his identity and his girlfriend (Michelle Monaghan) from the best villain James Bond never faced: Philip Seymour Hoffman! Prepare to bounce harmlessly off a car when the missile strike hits theaters Friday. —JIM RIDLEY
SOPHIE SCHOLL: THE FINAL DAYS/TSOTSI The Belcourt holds over two hit foreign films from this year’s Academy Awards: nominee Sophie Scholl, the German docudrama about the 21-year-old student resistor (Julia Jentsch) who defied the Nazis even in the face of execution; and Oscar winner Tsotsi, Gavin Hood’s drama about a violent South African teen whose thug life capsizes when he unwittingly steals an infant. Call 846-3150 for more information. —JIM RIDLEY
THE PROMISE The latest director from China’s “Fifth Generation” of filmmakers to try his hand at a big-budget martial-arts epic, Chen Kaige (Farewell My Concubine) deployed the biggest budget in Chinese cinema history on this psychedelically colorful storybook fantasy. A cursed princess brings woe to the men who love her: a fearsome general and his self-sacrificing slave, who possesses super powers. Filled with splashy costumes, digital effects and gravity-repealing wire-fu battles, the film opens Friday at Green Hills; see the full review available online. —JIM RIDLEY
AN AMERICAN HAUNTING Cower before the onslaught of every Tennessee schoolchild’s worst nightmare, the Bell Witch, in Courtney Solomon’s re-creation of the historic haunting. Donald Sutherland plays John Bell, and Sissy Spacek co-stars as his wife Lucy; the afflicted supporting cast includes Rachel Hurd-Wood and recent Nashville Film Festival visitor James D’Arcy. The movie opens Friday. —JIM RIDLEY