Repertory

By Matt Prigge
Add Comment Add Comment | Comments: 0 | Posted Dec. 26, 2007

Civic Theatre
$6-$8. 527 N. 19th St., Allentown. www.civictheatre.com

European Animated Favorites
(Shown on film): Provided you can get up, spend New Year 's Day at Allentown's Civic Theatre watching an entire thorough program of Polish animation. Stretching from the '60s through right now (namely Magdalena Osinska's Joyets, a work-in-progress), the program will feature striking shorts from luminaires like Steven Schabenbeck (Everything Is a Number, Stairs), Zbigniew Rybczynski (Tango) and Pawel Partyka (The Fantastic Flowershop). Tues., Jan. 1, 4pm and 7pm.

Little Theater
$5. 7141 Germantown Ave. 215.247.3020. www.mtairyvideolibrary.com

Once
(2007) (Shown on DVD): Yeah, it 's sweet. What of it? Hate to be the grinch over this year's big sleeper indie hit, but apart from the two big music scenes between Irish street singer Glen Hansard and Czech immigrant Mark�ta Iglov�--each at least as charged as any great sex scene--there's only so much to recommend. Perhaps the film's aims for epic unconsummated love between its two leads would be even more affecting had the focus been a lot less on Hansard's plight or, despite the herculean efforts of Iglov�, had her character amounted to more than a fantasy immigrant babe. But yeah, it's sweet. B- Fri., Dec. 28-Sun., Dec. 30, 8pm.

Wooden Shoe Books
Free. 508 S. Fifth St. 215.413.0999. www.woodenshoebooks.com

Norma Rae
(1979) (Shown on DVD): Hailing from Hollywood 's all-too-brief dalliance with Marxism, Martin Ritt's union saga finds Sally Field drumming up solidarity in a Southern textile factory, with help from New Yorker Ron Liebman. Not one of former blacklistee Ritt's subtler moments, despite some liberal swipes from Barbara Kopple's doc Harlan County, USA, and the whole thing eventually becomes Field's show anyway. Charlize Theron was no doubt taking notes. C+ Sat., Dec. 29, 7:30pm.

Questions? Comments? Email mprigge@philadelphiaweekly.com

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