Nashville has seen its share of Elvis impersonators, but none as unique as El Vez, the Mexican Elvis. Underneath the eccentricity and camp, though, El Vez is a bona fide revolutionary, a second-generation Mexican American who tempers sociopolitical ideas with humor, making his message less didactic—and maybe more subversive—than that of over-earnest political rockers. “Destroy los capitalistas,” he sings in his version of “Mystery Train,” which includes references to Pancho Villa and the Zapatistas. He examines the plight of Mexican immigrants in a James Brown spin-off, “Say It Loud! I’m Brown and I’m Proud!” “En el Barrio,” his take on “In the Ghetto,” offers this pithy summation of the dubious benefits of suburban ennui over inner-city strife: “Out of East L.A. with no more gangs and no more crime / To the promised land out in Anaheim…near Disneyland.” In addition to performing at Katy K’s Valentine Girlesque at Mercy Lounge, El Vez will serve as emcee for the evening, which also features burlesque by the Panty Raid Dames and Kicky LaRue, big-haired comedy from Melba Toast and an appearance by old-school soul treasure The Valentines, whose 1969 gem “Gotta Get Yourself Together” is included on the first Night Train to Nashville CD. ( www.elvez.net ) —JACK SILVERMAN MUSIC THURSDAY, 9TH THE SACRED MUSIC OF DUKE ELLINGTON A couple years ago, a major L.A. production needed more than 150 performers to stage Duke Ellington’s Second Sacred Concert. On a more humble but no less powerful scale, the MTSU Jazz Artist Series has organized this program of Ellington’s rarely heard Sacred Music. A preoccupation over the last decade of his life, Ellington’s spiritual compositions draw upon classical masses, gospel harmonies, blues history and, of course, the majestic swing and eloquence of the big band era. With the Middle Tennessee Jazz Orchestra filling in this last role, the performance will include solos by local R&B singer Abby Burke, a setting of the Lord’s Prayer, a tap dancer and a jazzy hymn by a student choral group. Wright Music Building, MTSU; the concert will also be performed Feb. 12 at Nashville’s Christ the King Catholic Church. —BILL LEVINE FRIDAY, 10TH SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR The ebullient, rhythmically charged choral music of this South African ensemble bears some resemblance to the mbube style of their more famous predecessors, Ladysmith Black Mambazo. But besides singing in languages other than Zulu and English—including Sotho, Xhosa and other African tongues—the 26-voice Soweto choir also perform traditional American folk and contemporary gospel music with full-band backing. They even essay politically conscious modern rock hits like Peter Gabriel’s tribute to Stephen Biko, the martyred South African dissident. The choir has worked with Gabriel in the past, as well as with an array of other global pop stars ranging from Jimmy Cliff to the Eurythmics. Yet as heard on Blessed, the group’s latest album for Shanachie, it’s on their own, with their glorious synthesis of Western church and South African choral styles, that the Soweto choir are at their stirring best. Langford Auditorium, Vanderbilt University —BILL FRISKICS-WARREN AMERICAN VINYL This recently formed local quartet tread the familiar path of rootsy country-influenced rock, but keep it interesting with an idiosyncratic approach. Guitarist Lee McAlilly does the bulk of the singing, his voice exhibiting a vulnerability akin to that of Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy. It’s not a great voice, but there’s something affecting in its mix of eagerness and nonchalance. The band’s drummer is the only true Nashvillian in the bunch, with the rest of the band hailing from Mississippi and Florida. Together, they create a good-time, homey sound replete with quirky constructions like the banjo-infused “Accident,” a rollicking track that’s equal parts jam-band bluesiness and indie irony. The Basement —LEE STABERT FRIDAY, 10TH-SUNDAY, 12TH DONNA McELROY You’ve probably heard McElroy, singing in what she calls a “black testimonial style,” on country recordings by Garth Brooks, Faith Hill, Kathy Mattea and others. A member of the Berklee College faculty, McElroy studied classical voice at Fisk and went on to perform locally, even recording a solo album for Warner Bros. Nashville. When she returns to town, she continues to play with combos led by Nashville Jazz Workshop co-director Lori Mechem. The two are currently working on an album of traditional standards and originals written in a modern idiom: a cross between Sarah Vaughan and Nnenna Freelon, as McElroy puts it. Tickets are sold out for the Friday concerts, but spaces are still available for her 1 p.m. clinic Saturday and for the free Young People’s Concert Sunday at 3 p.m. Nashville Jazz Workshop —BILL LEVINE SATURDAY, 11TH NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALLSTARS While most kids their age were learning to play the blues by listening to records, the boys from the North Mississippi Allstars were learning in person from legends like B.B. King. Of course, it helps if your parents are legends too. Luther and Cody Dickinson (guitarist and drummer, respectively) are the sons of producer Jim Dickinson, and bassist Duwayne Burnside is the son of the late Delta bluesman R.L. Burnside. The band’s 2005 album, the Grammy-nominated Electric Blue Watermelon, brings the hill country blues of their forebears into the 21st century by infusing it with psychedelic rock. ( www.nmallstars.com ) Cannery Ballroom —JESSICA FRIEDMAN GRACE POTTER & THE NOCTURNALS Imagine Norah Jones if she played a Hammond B-3 instead of a piano and was influenced by soul and blues rather than jazz and country, and you’ll get some idea of why Potter has become such a fast-rising star in the roots-rock scene. Recently signed to Hollywood Records, the young singer from Vermont and her band play loose-jointed, laid-back rhythm ’n’ rock packed with sweet inspiration. Best of all, she leads a sharp, tasteful quartet and writes with uncommon insight. ( www.gracepotter.com ) Cannery Ballroom —MICHAEL McCALL PAT ROBITAILLE AND JAKE SHIMABUKURO Shimabukuro’s broadening of the ukulele’s vocabulary parallels the expansive retooling that Bela Fleck has accomplished on the banjo. Shimabukuro can get a dirty sound out of the uke with pedals and fuzz, but he can also generate a warm, acoustic folk vibe that’s widely diplomatic, and not coyly Hawaiian at all. His graceful textures should meld easily with the soft troubadour style of Canadian folk-rocker Robitaille. Rounding out the bill will be local sax player Max Abrams and Damien Horne, whose neo-R&B knows few boundaries. ( www.jakeshimabukuro.com ) 12th & Porter —BILL LEVINE SUNDAY, 12TH NADA SURF It’s been 10 years since “Popular,” this New York trio’s sardonic, nerd-rock hit, and they’ve used the intervening decade to develop a polished, melodic sound better suited to comparisons with Death Cab for Cutie than to the perennial allusions to Weezer. On last year’s The Weight Is a Gift, they continue to hone their talent for irony but deal with love and ennui instead of cheerleaders and angst. In other words, they’ve grown up. Shored up by tight pop production, Nada Surf’s latest batch of songs are finely observed ruminations on the battle against life’s inertia. They also play a 5:30 p.m. in-store at Grimey’s the day of the show. ( www.nadasurf.com ) Exit/In —LEE STABERT TUESDAY, 14TH SIGUR RÓS Beautiful like a glacier, Iceland’s Sigur Rós create orchestral pop rich in mystery and transcendence. Drawing heavily on Erik Satie, the quartet blend lingering piano chords, long horn lines, gentle rhythms, operatic voices and electronic bleats and coos that shift from mournful meditations to cathartic eruptions. They rarely tour, and the cathedral qualities of the Mother Church of Country Music should provide a perfect setting. Ryman Auditorium —MICHAEL McCALL APRIL VERCH This Canadian fiddle champ doesn’t “concertize”; she puts on shows charged by her elegant and varied fiddling, which mixes traditional Canadian folk, bluegrass, Texas swing, Cajun and hard country. A child prodigy on the violin, Verch is already something of a road vet at age 27, having built up a winning act that includes step dancing, surprise moves to the spoons and an ace band. Her new CD, Take Me Back, is due Valentine’s Day, and it further accents her vocals and North Americana with contemporary songs from Buddy and Julie Miller and Claire Lynch. Verch’s polished fiddling on a traditional number like “Tennessee Wagoner” may be more exciting than her occasionally timorous vocals, but she’s developing a winsome singing style as well, especially on the ballads. ( www.aprilverch.com ) Station Inn; also playing Feb. 14 at Billy Block’s Western Beat —BARRY MAZOR WEDNESDAY, 15TH SUPERGRASS Emerging from the Britpop scene alongside Oasis and Blur in 1994, Supergrass sounded like they were trying to ransack their nation’s rock history—British Invasion cheek, glam cockiness, punk aggression, Pink Floyd spaciness, Elton’s melodies and Bowie’s vocals. After the sugar rush of their 2004 singles collection affirmed their prowess with a three-minute pop nugget, the group slowed down and stretched out on last September’s Road to Rouen. Recorded in a barn in Normandy, Rouen finds the quartet emerging from that hothouse environment with both long, portentous suites (“Tales of Endurance [Parts 4, 5 & 6]” and “Roxy”) and moments of fleeting whimsy (“Coffee in the Pot”). ( www.supergrass.com ) City Hall —CHRIS NEAL MUSIC FROM JAPAN FESTIVAL 2006 One of only five performances in the U.S., this year’s “Music From Japan” concert continues its tradition of presenting young musicians who’ve given innovative voices to the classical instruments of their native land. Akikazu Nakamura brings a third-stream jazz sensibility and circular breathing techniques to the shakuhachi, a bamboo flute whose musical repertoire originated with the Komuso monks of the Middle Ages. Also integrating Western and Japanese approaches is Michiyo Yagi, who plays the koto—a zither-like instrument with movable bridges—in Nakamura’s jazz-rock band, Kokoo. Yagi composes and plays in a style informed by postmodernism and new music, which caught the attention of John Zorn, the producer of her solo album Yural. On this tour, Nakamura and Yagi will be performing works by Masao Endo, who shows a similar breadth. ( www.musicfromjapan.org ) Wright Music Building, MTSU —BILL LEVINE SHARON JONES & THE DAP-KINGS As an underground-funk revivalist, Jones brandishes a forceful stage presence and lacerating, church-bred chops. “Once you get moved by the Spirit, you just gotta let it out and share it with the people,” she says on her label’s website. Backed by the ultra-tight Dap-Kings, the Brooklyn-based singer has become an unlikely Afro-Messiah in Music City, her recent albums becoming touchstones for local indie tastemakers. Yet as this TV taping will prove, the records only approximate the in-the-flesh glory of experiencing Jones, glistening with sweat, belting out scorching soul. ( www.daptonerecords.com ) Mercy Lounge —JOEY HOOD MICKI FUHRMAN/RED LANE During the mid-1980s, Fuhrman was the Louisiana Hayride’s guiding star. The institution had seen better times, but Fuhrman’s gospel-tinged alto was a link to the days when the Hayride was country music’s farm team. Her latest recording, Back Porch Torch, shows that she still can sell a ballad; if anything, years of being buffeted by the music business have added richness to her voice, which, though still angelic, is now a little closer to the ground. Joining Fuhrman for this early, in-the-round show will be Red Lane, a member of the Songwriter’s Foundation Hall of Fame. A hit for John Conlee in 1981, Lane’s “Miss Emily’s Picture” is one of the greatest in any genre. He had some other hits to bolster his nomination, including Tammy Wynette’s “Till I Get It Right” and Merle Haggard’s “My Own Kind of Hat.” Bluebird Café —PAUL V. GRIFFITH THEATER AIN’T GOT LONG TO STAY HERE For the first time in nine years, Barry Scott, arguably Nashville’s finest actor, will perform this highly regarded one-man show in his hometown. Comprising excerpts from the speeches and writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Scott’s tour de force also interpolates material derived from other notable figures of the civil rights era. Conceived originally as a tribute to Dr. King and as a vehicle to inform audiences about one of America’s most violent and inspiring historical periods, Ain’t Got Long to Stay Here has toured nationally to resounding critical acclaim, earning Scott the heartfelt endorsement of the late Coretta Scott King. He concludes his dramatic speech-making with a group discussion designed to elicit honest feedback and reflection. As a part of its Sacred Space for the City Arts Series, Christ Church Cathedral hosts this program 7:30 p.m. Feb. 9. For more information, visit www.christcathedral.org or phone 255-7729. —MARTIN BRADY TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE Primarily a Detroit-based sports reporter, Mitch Albom gained widespread acclaim with the publication of 1997’s best-selling Tuesdays With Morrie, which served as a tribute to his former Brandeis University sociology professor, Morrie Schwartz. Upon learning that Schwartz was stricken with Lou Gehrig’s disease, Albom made regular weekly visits to his aging and physically fading mentor. Their resultant conversations formed the basis for the internationally popular book, which immortalizes Schwartz’s passionate spirit, his essential wisdom and his lifelong dedication to teaching. Dramatized for television in 1999, Tuesdays With Morrie was later adapted for the stage by Albom and Jeffrey Hatcher. The national tour comes to TPAC’s Jackson Hall, Feb. 14-19, starring veteran actor Harold Gould. Phone 255-ARTS. —MARTIN BRADY CASHETTA Scott Weston has been a drag performer since the early ’90s, but somewhere along the way he divined that adding magic to his act might enhance his show-biz niche. So he moved to Vegas, studied a new craft and emerged as that rarest of flowers: a drag magician. Since then, Weston (a.k.a. Cashetta) has played New York clubs, toured overseas and appeared on TV shows ranging from HBO’s Drag Time to Law & Order. Cashetta comes to Nashville on Feb. 10 for two shows, 8:30 and 10 p.m., at Play on Church Street. For information, phone 322-9627 or 300-8758. —MARTIN BRADY COMEDY LILY TOMLIN Lily Tomlin is 66 years old. This fact might strike a chord of incredulity with those who recall her character Edith Ann, the bratty 5-year-old who, dwarfed in an oversized rocking chair, spewed comic nuggets of precocious wisdom. Edith Ann and other Tomlin creations such as Ernestine the phone operator were an essential part of a budding comedy career that landed her on NBC’s Laugh-In in the late 1960s. From there, she went on to compile an amazingly versatile résumé that included concert appearances, best-selling albums, Broadway success and films such as Nashville, Nine to Five and, more recently, I Heart Huckabees. A Grammy recipient, a two-time Tony Award winner and honored in 2003 with the Kennedy Center’s prestigious Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, Tomlin comes to TPAC’s Jackson Hall on Feb. 9 for a 7:30 p.m. show, which promises a look back at her classic routines while working in her typically playful takes on contemporary life. Phone 255-ARTS for tickets. —MARTIN BRADY HOW WE FIRST MET With an eye toward Valentine’s Day, this improv comedy show draws its material from the spontaneously related stories of couples in the audience. Improv actors from Paul Bellos’ Ideaprov troupe riff on the true-life tales of romance, working them into humorous sketches with songs. There’s one show, Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. at the Bar Car. Tickets for this dinner-theater combo are available by visiting www.ideaprov.com/hwfm.asp. —MARTIN BRADY ART “100 ARTISTS SEE GOD” For this exhibit, artists John Baldessari and Meg Cranston asked 100 other artists to submit a work that represented their view of God. Those responses, which not surprisingly took a wide variety of forms, make up this show, which opens Feb. 10 at Cheekwood. The results don’t exactly look like the prints on the walls of your Sunday School classroom; to these artists, God is more ineffable and expressed in varying degrees of indirection. In addition to the thought-provoking variety of visions represented here, this is a chance to see works by major contemporary artists who don’t commonly show in Nashville, among them Gerhard Richter, Damien Hirst, Catherine Opie, Andreas Gursky and Susan Rothenberg. The show opens with a reception on Friday at 6 p.m.; curator Meg Cranston will deliver a public lecture on Thursday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m. in Cheekwood’s Botanic Hall.  —DAVID MADDOX ELIGIBLE RECEIVER—RECENT WORKS BY RICHARD FEASTER The new exhibit in Cheekwood’s Temporary Contemporary Gallery features the work of Nashville painter Feaster. Repeated curling shapes lie on and within a base of paint mixed with metallic powder that reflects light in a way that recalls graphite, turning the material of drawing into the ground for these works. Feaster uses these compositions to explore underlying structures of experience, complex systems and accidental patterns. There will be a reception for the artist on Friday, Feb. 10, from 6-8 p.m., in conjunction with the opening for Cheekwood’s “100 Artists See God” exhibit. —DAVID MADDOX “THREE PATHS TO ABSTRACTION” In an era when conceptual and installation art often command the most attention, this show at Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery—along with others currently running at Zeitgeist and the Frist Center—affirms the durability of painting and abstraction. Especially when the work is as commanding as that of the three Tennessee artists featured here: Memphis’ Pinkney Herbert, Knoxville’s Whitney Leland and Nashville’s Carol Mode, each of whom has refined his or her own visual vocabulary through years of work. Herbert’s paintings explore the elemental properties of fire and water in canvases that capture a barely controlled energy, whether it be conveyed in burning reds or cool blues. Leland’s work, by comparison, is a model of control, with clearly delineated lines that interlock and overlap in seemingly endless variations, yet his paintings are just as full of life, suggesting the complex natural processes of growth and development. As for Mode, an enduring presence in Nashville’s art scene, her paintings are charged with feeling, the exploring of specific experiences and emotions, expressed in hovering, overlapping orbs and an unerring eye for color. The show, which is traveling across the state, opens at the Vandy Fine Arts Gallery this Thursday with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Gallery director Joseph Mella will moderate a panel discussion with the artists at noon on Friday. —JONATHAN MARX FIONA KINSELLA AND MARIAH JOHNSON: “GOOD HOUSEKEEPING” Canadian artist Kinsella was in last summer’s “Eponymous” group show at Zeitgeist; her assemblages of emu eggs, velvet and lace stood out as the most exquisite objects on display. She returns to Ruby Green this month for a full-fledged show featuring works in which wedding cakes serve as a vehicle for ruminations on identity; in one potent image, an array of dental tools and a mass of hair erupt out of a square of lily-white cake. She’s paired here, in a show appropriately titled “Good Housekeeping,” with Mariah Johnson, whose paintings incorporate fabric and images of Southern domesticity. In one series, Johnson arranges stacks of colorful bed sheets and pillowcases to create sculptural forms reminiscent of abstract paintings. The show opens with a reception, 6-9 p.m. Feb. 11, with an artist talk at 7 p.m. —DAVID MADDOX/JONATHAN MARX FRANNE LEE: “SITTING IT OUT” Franne Lee has had a colorful career, and it’s reflected in her vibrant artwork. In the mid- to late ’70s, she worked as a set and costume designer for Saturday Night Live during its earliest—and wildest and craziest—days, and in more recent years she’s brought her distinct brand of freewheeling creativity to Nashville’s artist community, serving as the guiding force for Plowhaus Artists’ Cooperative. For this show at the Belcourt, she brings together an assortment of mixed-media works that show off her colorful visual sense and inventive use of materials. “In Perfect Harmony” consists of a curio cabinet filled with doll’s heads, each painted with lively designs that recall the art of Mexican Dia de los Muertos celebrations. In a painting of a taco vendor, she inventively uses a piece of striped cloth to mimic the awning over a storefront. Lee’s one-woman show opens Friday with a reception from 6 to 9 p.m. and hangs in the Belcourt Theatre lobby through March 14. —JONATHAN MARX CHARLES S. ANDERSON The Charles S. Anderson Design company has developed award-winning packaging and product design for companies ranging from Nike to Levi’s to Coca-Cola. Its work for the French Paper company is indicative of its vivid, humorous layouts, which incorporate high and low art alike, borrowing from German Expressionism, Pop and kitsch Americana. The company’s work has been shown in museums worldwide, and this one-night show at the Belcourt Theatre spotlighting CSA Design is a testament to the local movie house’s consistently dynamic programming, which extends well beyond film. Jerry French of French Paper and Jesse Williamson of Williamson Printing will be on hand, and freebies from both companies will be given away at the show. The reception begins at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9. The cost is $20 for general admission, $15 for students and free admission for AIGA members and DISH attendees. —JOE NOLAN MICHAEL BARRINGER AND JIM GIBSON, “ARTICULATIONS” Barringer composes soothing abstract paintings with layers of materials and shapes, in this show inspired by the work of poet Kenneth Rexroth. Sculptor Gibson is retired from a long career as a member of the art faculty at MTSU. He uses the human form as the starting point for works in steel and wood. Their joint show at Cumberland Gallery opens with a reception 6-8 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11. —DAVID MADDOX DUY HUYNH Art & Invention Gallery hosts a solo exhibition by Charlotte, N.C., artist Duy Huynh. Originally from Vietnam, Huynh explores Asian traditions, family and relationships in glowing acrylic paintings that depict solitary figures in simple compositions filled with rich iconography reminiscent of fairy tales and children’s books. Most of the works are quirky narratives with figures either in the woods or on a waterway—transitional spaces—surrounded by birds and other creatures. The saturated color palettes lend a somber mood to the works, but the imagery is both dark and whimsical, with people sailing on floating ships and ladders leading up into the sky. Huynh’s exhibit is up through April 2; the opening reception is Saturday, Feb. 11, 6:30-10:30 p.m. —NICOLE PIETRANTONI THE BROWNLEE O. CURREY JURIED STUDENT ART EXHIBITION Established in 1952, Watkins College of Art & Design’s Currey Awards recognize student excellence in the visual arts. This juried show features the best paintings, prints, drawings, mixed media, photography, sculpture, video and film art being created by the student body at Watkins. The awards will be announced at a public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10. The Anny Gowa “Best of Show” honoree will receive a purchase award, making the artist’s piece a part of Watkins’ permanent collection. The show runs through March 3. —JOE NOLAN 3RD ANNUAL VALENTINE ARTIST MARKET Stained glass artist Chris Botkin, jewelry designer Jennifer Claxton, ceramicist Shannon Mitchell and mixed-media artist Angie Schmerbeck have joined forces as the 4 Queens of heARTS to present this show, a timely opportunity for people in search of a Valentine’s gift for their sweetheart. The Queens scout out artists while participating in art festivals across the region and have brought together some 17 artists from Nashville, Memphis, Birmingham and Atlanta. The show will be held 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 13, at All Fired Up in Hillsboro Village. —JAMES NIX “HOT, COOL & WIRED” The Tennessee Art Center at Madison brings together the work of three Tennessee Artists’ Guild members to showcase paintings and jewelry in its “Hot, Cool & Wired” exhibit. Featured artist/singer-songwriter Dawna Coleman is known for her bright, easygoing paintings such as “Riverfront,” a colorful abstraction of First Avenue as seen from across the river. Jewelry designer Melody Stern will feature her “wearable art” of wire-and-bead contortions. The ostensible “Hot” of the exhibit, artist Arthur Kirkby, delivers abstract paintings influenced by pop culture imagery and the male body. There will be an opening reception and cocktail party Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m. with live entertainment. The exhibit runs through Feb. 25. ––JAMES NIX FILM BUBBLE The rare filmmaker who’s comfortable slipping back and forth from the mainstream to the fringes—and blurring the boundaries a bit in the process—Steven Soderbergh shot this micro-indie about a love triangle in an Ohio doll factory as part of an experiment in film distribution: it was released simultaneously in theaters, on DVD and pay-per-view. Part of a banner week here for art movies, it opens Friday at the Belcourt, where its head-scratcher of a trailer has been amusing and puzzling people for weeks.  —JIM RIDLEY AT LAST Husband-and-wife filmmakers Tom Anton and Sandi Russell drew upon their own experiences for this romantic indie comedy-drama, in which two soul mates (Martin Donovan and Kelly Lynch, gifted actors who’ve rarely received their due) reconnect later in life in the midst of unhappy marriages. If nothing else, the movie stands as a love letter to pre-Katrina New Orleans, where the movie was shot and was slated to premiere before the levee broke. The filmmakers are in town visiting this week, so help ’em find some decent gumbo. (Better still: hot chicken.) The self-released movie opens Friday at Green Hills; check out the website at www.atlastthemovie.com . —JIM RIDLEY RACE RELATIONS: SINGLETON VS. LEE That’s what Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Cinema called this Spike Lee-John Singleton double bill, which is about as uneven a match-up as Muhammad Ali vs. Jimmie “J.J.” Walker in Let’s Do It Again. Singleton’s 1991 Boyz ’N the Hood and Lee’s 1989 Do the Right Thing show back to back Friday and Saturday; if you’ve never seen Do the Right Thing with a big audience, you’re missing one of the movies’ great screening experiences. Call 322-2425 for more information. —JIM RIDLEY FINAL DESTINATION 3 If you’re the kind of bloodthirsty sicko who gets off on seeing nubile teenagers slaughtered in baroque Wile E. Coyote ways, you’re probably standing behind me in line. Once again, fresh teen-meat interrupts Death’s grand design by not dying, which Death decides to fix—using malfunctioning subway cars, falling metal spikes and that old favorite, the tanning bed on the fritz. The procession to the funeral home starts Friday, along with the movie version of Curious George, Steve Martin in The Pink Panther, and the Harrison Ford thriller Firewall. —JIM RIDLEY THE INTRUDER Claire Denis’ elliptical thriller is the kind of film praised as “pure cinema”—which translates as, “I don’t know what the hell’s happening in this movie, but damn, is it pretty.” But with a bad-ass like Agnès Godard as cinematographer, there’s never a dull moment visually: the camerawork is so shockingly tactile that when Godard scans a woman’s outfit, you can tell where the thread count changes. The hallucinatory, chronologically scrambled journey of a mystery man (Michel Subor) seeking an organ transplant, it’s a literal and metaphysical take on the implications of a bad heart. I was frankly bewildered on one viewing, but I can’t wait to give it another look. It opens Friday at the Belcourt. —JIM RIDLEY