THURSDAY/8/25
Magnolia Pictures
Senna: The racer in repose.
Kevin P. Casey
Caution: Some goats are adorable.
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Food: Frozen Friends
Theo Chocolate says National Ice Cream Sandwich Day is today. (Google disagrees, but so what? I'm hungry.) And the shop has other reasons to celebrate: It's welcoming new neighbor Bluebird Microcreamery (a few blocks east at 3515 Fremont Ave. N., next to the Dubliner), which has long used Theo's sweet, organic product in its Theo Chocolate Chunk flavor at its original Capitol Hill shop. Today their collaboration goes further: Bluebird will be onsite at Theo, providing the cold stuff for the ice-cream sandwiches. As for the two sandwiching pieces, Theo's going to bake three types of cookies—double chocolate espresso, snickerdoodle, and vegan quinoa chocolate chunk (also gluten-free, this being Fremont and all). Klondike bars these are not. You won't ever find such fancy, gourmet treats in the 7-Eleven freezer section. These one-off concoctions ($5 each) are only being created this afternoon, and the anticipation is melting me. Theo Chocolate, 3400 Phinney Ave. N., 632-5100, theochocolate.com. 3–7 p.m.ERIN K. THOMPSON
FRIDAY/8/26
Film: Last Lap
The subject of the new documentary Senna was 34 years old when a well-placed blow from a suspension shaft ended his life during a Formula 1 race. Overcast with foreboding, Asif Kapadia's expertly orchestrated film condenses the breakneck decade leading up to Ayrton Senna's 1994 apotheosis, beginning with his arrival in Europe after a karting career in his native Brazil. Senna's life story is told through his races, including three World Championship wins. The journey is relived through a synthesis of broadcast footage, an onboard camera feed, and omnipotent backstage camcorder recordings. There are also home movies of Senna, often traversing the waterways of Brazil, usually accompanied by a passel of women. The footage is silent, the private man left inscrutable. Senna appears also in his own words, in candid interviews talking about his favorite subjects: his faith in God and his skepticism regarding the politics of F1 racing. Both provide the structure for Kapadia's film. It is a cynical truism that professional athletes are divided between egomaniacs and religious zealots, but Kapadia treats Senna's conflation of Catholic fundamentalism and state-of-the-art speed respectfully—so much so that Senna approaches the feel of a religious artwork. (Rated PG-13, 106 min.) Varsity, 4329 University Way N.E., 781-5755, landmarktheatres.com. $10. Call for showtimes.NICK PINKERTON
SATURDAY/8/27
Film: That Rug Really Tied the Room Together
The Coen brothers' 1998 stoner noir The Big Lebowski is Raymond Chandler filtered through dirty bong water, where almost every line of dialogue is a hazy, hilarious non sequitur. My favorite is when accidental P.I. Jeff Bridges (forever the Dude) is ambushed in his tub by nihilists bearing a ferret. "Hey, nice marmot," he greets them, with his usual unflustered amiability. Nothing rattles Bridges' Dude—not a lost rug, not a leering Tara Reid, not a lisping John Turturro, not a raving John Goodman, not a simpering Steve Buscemi, not even shrieking performance artist Julianne Moore, who joins Bridges in a Busby Berkeley–style bowling fantasy that sums up the movie's sweet, silly spirit. This outdoor screening also features food trucks from Where Ya at Matt and Charlie's Buns N' Stuff, and it should attract many viewers dressed in character. (Rated R, 117 min.) Fremont Outdoor Movies, 3501 Phinney Ave. N., 781-4230, fremontoutdoormovies.com. $5. Gates open at 7 p.m. BRIAN MILLER
Pets/Food: Herd Mentality
Backyard chickens are so two years ago. The latest rage in urban animal husbandry is goats. And thanks to the efforts of the Goat Justice League of Seattle (yes, a real organization), it's perfectly legal for city-dwellers to own a herd of Capra aegagrus hircus—as long as they're pygmies, dwarves, or miniatures. (So if you were thinking of cashmere goats for a sweater-wool scheme, sorry, that idea's out.) For prospective owners, Seattle Tilth helpfully provides City Goats 101 classes covering basic city regs. For example, Billy must be neutered, has to lose his horns, and can't leave your property. (No taking him down to Norm's for a walk.) You can also learn the benefits of urban goatherding, which are many. There's the fresh milk and goat cheese, which go beautifully with the beets from your garden. Goats are also zero-emission, eco-friendly lawn mowers. (Their full-size cousins help clear brush for the UW, City Light, and WSDOT.) Plus, baby mini-goats are tiny, furry, and crazily cute. Who knows? They could become as trendy as George Clooney's potbellied pig. Good Shepherd Center, 4649 Sunnyside Ave. N. (Room 107). $30–$40 (advance registration required). 2–4:30 p.m.ERIN K. THOMPSON
SUNDAY/8/28
Books: Cook for 72 Hours, Then Publish
Last year, while most of us eagerly slacked off during Labor Day weekend, Jennifer Chung hid in her guest bedroom to churn out her entry in the International 3-Day Novel Contest. "I only left to go to Starbucks!" she says. Still, the Bellevue software engineer was stunned when she won the contest. She shouldn't be. Loosely inspired by her personal life, Terroryaki! (Arsenal Pulp Press, $14.95) is an engaging tale about Samantha, a Taiwanese-American girl who works part-time at a teriyaki restaurant and blogs about her favorite Seattle teriyaki joints. This dismays her strict parents, who'd rather she followed in her lawyer sister's footsteps—only without getting engaged to a white guy. Sam faces an even bigger problem when she stumbles across a cursed teriyaki takeout truck. Terroryaki! is as creepy as it is playful, and an easy read about family and food. Surprisingly, Chung says her greatest challenge wasn't the writing marathon, but accurately describing the food—because, she notes, "I'm a vegetarian." Elliott Bay Book Co., 1521 10th Ave., 624-6600, elliottbaybook.com. Free. 2 p.m. ERIKA HOBART
