Palm Beach County dropped its pants (metaphorically speaking, of course) last month with the "25 Days of Culture" event in an effort to prove it's still hip. One of the more interesting featured activities was "Cult Cinema: Movies that Shook the World," which included a screening of the Sam Peckinpah splatter-fest The Wild Bunch. Now, that's a pretty radical thing for a county rife with opera fanatics, plastic surgery aficionados, and mansions with their own ZIP codes. But, God bless 'em, Theatre West (11320 Fortune Cir., Wellington) keeps the flame of intellectual stimulation burning two Mondays a month with their own film series titled "Groundbreaking Work by American Directors in the '60s and '70s." Past movies have included Easy Rider and Midnight Cowboy, which start out the era; then Harold and Maude, Pink Flamingos, Nashville, Network, Taxi Driver, and every college student's favorite acid-trip movie, Eraserhead, round out the decade. If cult cinema is true to its implied meaning, then this week's film, the always controversial and much discussed Stanley Kubrick classic A Clockwork Orange, is certainly deserving of the "cult" title. It's got the underlying social commentary, the satire, the gritty and dreary depictions of everyday life, the uncomfortable scenes of graphic violence, and it's even been banned -- the book and the film! The film series runs through March 1, on the first and third Monday of the month. Movies start at 8 p.m. and are free. Call 561-791-1950 or visit www.theatrewestsite.com for a complete list of films. -- Audra Schroeder
Like, Totally Minimal to the Max
THU 11/27
A line. Another line. A circle. Some paint. It's art! While it's true that minimalism isn't the most exciting genre of art, it's sometimes the simple things that hold your attention, no? "Simplicity to the point of complexity" is the phrase used to describe "Minimal to the Max: the Brownstone Collection," which is now on display at the Norton Museum of Art (1451 S. Olive Ave., West Palm Beach). The exhibit features austere works from Sol LeWitt, Imi Knoebel, Ed Ruscha, Sylvie Fleury, and Larry Bell, as well as decades of collected minimalist works from the collection of Gilbert and Catherine Brownstone. The exhibit runs through March 7. Call 561-832-5196. -- Audra Schroeder
Queer Cheer
Gimme a Q! Gimme a U! Gimme a double-E R!
SUN 11/30
Robby Kendall is more than your average local playwright. Sure, his Victoria Place series of plays has probably gained the most press -- but when you've got a set of plays about the life and times of an ethically ambivalent drag queen and her laundry list of freaky friends, you've got to expect that. Aside from the plays, Kendall has also given local audiences a live game show pitting gay and straight couples against each other. Oh, and there's also the Queer Leaders. Kendall's "renaissance man" status gains new ground with a performance by the Queer Leaders at Georgie's Alibi (2266 Wilton Dr., Wilton Manors) this Sunday at 6 p.m. Put together a few months back, the group is probably exactly what your dirty little imagination has already come up with: a bunch of guys in cheerleading outfits who do cheering routines that are, well, gay-friendly. Call 954-565-2526. -- Dan Sweeney
Respect Your Elders
RSC turns 16 and sasses back
FRI 11/28
There comes a time in every teenager's life when he or she has to say, "No more little white gloves, Mom! I'm a big kid now!" You've got to hand it to Respectable Street Café (518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach). A few years ago, the only reason to go there was to cultivate that perfect level of angst whilst doing the "graveyard shuffle" with fellow nightcrawlers. Yes, those were dark days indeed. But in the past few years, the gloves came off, and RSC has risen from the dead. Well, the goth crowd still finds its way there, but with concerts like the so-packed-I-could-hear-the-person-next-to-me-crying-inside Death Cab for Cutie show a few weeks ago, and upcoming +/- and American Analog Set shows, it's proof we can all get along. So help good ol' Respecs celebrate its 16th anniversary Friday and Saturday, and dance off that turkey gut. Word on the street is there will also be soda and pie. Call 561-832-9999, or visit www.respectablestreet.com. -- Audra Schroeder
It's Fishing, but Is It Art?
THU 11/27
The Palm Beach Institute of Contemporary Art (601 Lake Ave., Lake Worth) presents the first solo museum show of Maine-based photographer Scott Peterman through February 29. Since Maine's claim to fame is the fishing industry, it comes as little surprise that the large-scale color photographs featured in the exhibit concentrate on portraits of fishermen and lonely ice-fishing shacks. By snapping shots of these shacks and solitary fisherman, Peterman creates a sort of minimalist photography that stresses what isn't there rather than what is. Call it the Zen of ice fishing. Then call 561-582-0006. -- Dan Sweeney
