Home for the Holidays Food Drive Concert at Pittsburgh Winery; ‘The Big Short’ A Good Buy (Wed., 12/23/15)

1) It’s all happening at Pittsburgh Winery tonight with Home For the Holidays Food Drive Starring a pleasant assortment of some of Pittsburgh’s best musical talent including: Kevin Garrett,  Arianna Powell,  Clinton Clegg, Joy Ike, Paul Luc, Morgan Erina, Jimbo Jackson, Anthony Jardine, Guy Russo, Max Somerville,  Mark Dignam and more. All are backed by the very capable trio of  Jason Rafalak, Ryan Socrates, and Joe Sheehan. Bring non perishable food items which will be collected for the North Side Food Pantry. A lot of great music, fine wine, and holiday spirit add up to a fantastic evening! 8 p.m. 2815 Penn Ave., Strip District.

2) The Big Short – In 2010, Michael Lewis wrote the highly regarded nonfiction book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, about the financial crash of 2008 and the build up to the housing and credit bubble. The book focused on several people who foresaw the coming troubles, and, through complex financial instruments, bet that both the market would crash and some banks would disappear. (In other words, they “shorted.”) Now director Adam McKay along with writer Charles Randolph have turned the book into a comedy/drama. Financial comedies may seem like an oxymoron, but advance word is tremendous, thanks in no small part to the stellar cast: Brad Pitt, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Karen Gillan, and Marisa Tomei. See Fandango for screens and times. (TH)

3) Chi-Raq – The latest from director Spike Lee, the movie is again proving Lee is one of the most inventive filmmakers around. “Chi-Raq” is a reference to an area of south Chicago plagued by gang violence. Certainly sounds like the set-up for your standard Hollywood movie, but Lee enlists Aristophanes to help tell the tale. Remember him? He’s an ancient Greek playwright and the author of Lysistrata, which, you’ll recall (if you were paying attention in class) is about a woman who organizes a protest against the Peloponnesian War by having Athenian women refuse sex with any man until peace is negotiated. Lee along with Kevin Willmott have updated the story to present-day Chicago, and the film features a knock-out cast: In the role of Lysistrata is Teyonah Parris, and she’s joined by Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, Samuel L. Jackson, John Cusack, Jennifer Hudson, David Patrick Kelly, Dave Chappelle, Harry Lennix, Nick Cannon, and many more. My favorite thing about the movie is the tag line on the ad: “No peace? No piece.” (TH)

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