Three Questions with
GERARD STEMBRIDGE

Gerard Stembridge is the director of About Adam, starring Kate Hudson, which opens later this month. It is the story of three middle class Irish sisters who fall for the same man, at the same time, but for different reasons. Gerard uses some time lapse techniques, previously used by Tarantino and Kurosawa, to restart the film every 25 minutes and show each sister's take on Adam, and how they fell for him.

Finally, a movie where the man has his way with a woman's mind. Adam knows exactly what to say to every woman. Where did you come up with the idea of his character?

I was fascinated by how everybody looks at the world and sees different things. You and I can meet someone and I could think she was gorgeous, whereas you would think she was a bit of a bore. From that I came to an idea that these three girls would all know somebody and they each think different things about him. Then I suddenly decided that it should be a sexual thing. I figured that they all loved him, but for different reasons, because they'd each get different stuff out of him. And that's often what men do. When men start to talk to girls, they plan out what they have to say to get just so they can get into bed. And they make sure they say and do the right things. So I thought it would be real fun to create this character that just always seems to say the right things.

The film is structured so that every 25 minutes or so, we start from the beginning with the introduction of Adam to the sisters. Is it me, or does it seem as if you could mix each story and the film would still work?

Godard, the French film director from the '60s, said a very famous thing. He said each film should have a beginning, middle and an end, not necessarily in that order. He's right. Many of these modern comedies are so boring. You sit down and after five minutes, you know exactly what's going to happen in the rest of the film. Yet we sit through them. I wanted to structure the film in such a way that I would keep the audience guessing, but in a good way. It will make you think that the film is going straight, but now it's going that way, but wait here it goes this way. In the end it will all come together.

In recent years most films that come stateside from Ireland have a sad, depressing tone to them. Is this film the antithesis to all those films?

When we debuted overseas, most critics were saying, "Thank God it's not another dreary Irish film where it rains all the time and the dad's drunk while he's beating his mother while a mad IRA gunman is walking the streets with priests everywhere." All these Irish films I see, they have nothing to do with the way I live my life. This is more of a reality than those films [depict]. I think you're going to see many Irish films like this. I just hope that they aren't bad imitations of my film!

--Neal James

Local Arts

Many of us have visited a "museum without walls," but what about an "invisible museum"? As you read this, such a place is being built by a group of dedicated Denver art-aholics led by the tireless Marina Graves. They are currently focused on producing the first issue of Eye Level, a magazine of articles and criticisms and musings about (duh) art, due out in September. Attendance at a recent meeting confirms this group is not only well qualified, but, well, anxious to share its opinions on all that's wrong-- and what happens to be right-- with the regional art scene. A better read than a museum guide any day.

Recent conversation with artist and University of Denver professor Lawrence Argent reminds us that the art life is a tough life. Argent led his students in sculpting a tree that had died in front of DU's Ricks Center for Gifted Children. The artists met with students and faculty from Ricks Center, a design was formulated, and work ensued ... work fraught with danger. At one point, Argent found himself atop a rickety ladder, wielding a chainsaw. Luckily, no one was hurt. Unluckily, none of the artists received a single word of thanks. The head of the Ricks Center, who shall remain unidentified, declined to comment on the resulting piece, which alludes to climbing and looks like a whimsical tree house, saying she didn't want to "say anything [negative] that could be misconstrued." Perhaps the Ricks Center folks were hoping for a performance piece titled, "Free Tree Removal."

--Kimberly Graham

LOCAL MUSIC

Nine local bands will perform at the first City Park West Festival of the Arts May 20. Scheduled between 11 am and 6 pm, performers will share the City Park Bandshell and a second stage created specifically for the event. Included in the public event are Eugene Bass and a Touch of Class, Perpetual Motion, 303, Janet Berger Duo, The New Majestics, Gobs O'Phun, David Booker and the Swingtet, Marty Jones and the Pork Boilin' Poor Boys, and Gregory Goodloe. All are welcome to join the festivities, which will be held annually. Other items include clowns, jugglers, puppeteers, dancers, spoken word, storytelling, and a children's drum circle led by Emilio Dominguez. See details online at pweiss.com/festival

Local drummer Bob Rupp, also the owner Rupp's Drums, can be spotted in upcoming issues of Modern Drummer Magazine and Drum! Magazine. Rupp's will also be hosting two impressive drum clinics this week with internationally famed drummers: Kalani, known for expertise in hand drumming, May 12, 1 pm Swallow Hill Music; Cindy Blackman, known for her jazz playing and albums with Lenny Kravitz on May 16, 7 pm at the Acoma Center. Both are all ages and free. Rupp stresses the importance that these clinics have on Denver's music scene. "These people have made it. They are famous, and at these clinics, they have secrets to share with the rest of us. Anyone can come and interact and see the expertise in these players." Call 303-756-5777 for more details.

Erica Brown, formerly of Cherry Bomb Club and now the songstress of the Erica Brown Band, was filmed during a May 3 performance at Brendan's Pub. The footage will be part of a comprehensive documentary of bands across the country made in association with KROQ radio in Los Angeles. Brown's band will be the sole representative from Colorado.

The dreaded and pain-in-the-ass illness of mononucleosis has made its presence known on the local music scene, and at least one young local singer is down for the count. Mono is often called "the kissing disease" because the virus is easily transmitted between saliva and mucus. Signs are variable and often hard to differentiate between other illnesses at the onset. Fatigue is the most common symptom, along with fever, headache, loss of appetite, swollen glands and sore throat. Since the side effect of being absolutely tired all the time can last up to four weeks, local musicians would be advised, unfortunately, to avoid contact with any ill-fated lips for a while. But hopefully not too long!

--Judy B.