The Stranger

Autobahn is a cycle of five short plays by Neil LaBute—the world's leading misanthrope—all of which happen in cars. In one, a jackass husband begrudgingly apologizes to his silent, weeping wife: "I was wrong. Is that what you want to hear? Is it? 'Kay. It was bad of me to call you a cunt, whether we were in the Albertsons or not." Re-bar is an appropriately moody place to watch a couple returning a foster child, a date turning sour, and other stripped-down vignettes on human awfulness. (Re-bar, 1114 Howell St, 233-9873. 7:30 pm, $15, 21+.) by Brendan Kiley

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Pleasureboaters, the fantastically spastic local trio, thrash around the stage like cartoons, bending their bodies and twisting their faces into positions and expressions that echo their corkscrewing, discordant sounds. Opening band Vampire Hands are on the opposite side of the spectrum. They captivate their audiences with a mellow—sometimes sexy, sometimes haunting—guitar-heavy vibe, layered with breathy vocals and the occasional psychedelic jam. (Vera Project, Seattle Center, 956-8372. 7:30 pm, $7/$8, all ages.) MEGAN SELING by Megan Seling

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How the fuck are Dark Meat even going to fit in the Comet? This future-freak-folk-psych-punk collective rolls 13 to 23 people deep on tour, including a full horn section, face painters, confetti throwers, and probably whoever else felt like hopping on the bus the day they took off from their commune in Athens, Georgia. The Comet, meanwhile, is roughly the size of a large bong chamber—or at least that's how it will feel (and smell) come Sunday. (Comet, 922 E Pike St, 322-9272. 9 pm, $7, 21+.) by Eric Grandy

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In this movie, Taiwanese director Hsiao-hsien Hou gives thanks and praise to Albert Lamorisse's The Red Balloon, which was made in 1956 and concerns a boy, a balloon, and the rooftops of Paris. In Hou's Flight of the Red Balloon, the boy, balloon, and the rooftops are associated with a young Chinese filmmaker (Fang Song), a mother (Juliette Binoche), and a cluttered apartment. The result is a film that gets to the truth of a balloon—its beauty and vulnerability. Each scene in the movie is in danger of going "pop!" (See movie times for details.) by Charles Mudede

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All three of Aleksandar Hemon's books of fiction are smeared with violence, squalor, Sarajevo, and America. The Lazarus Project, Hemon's newest novel, is about two Eastern European men, separated by nearly a century but brought together by a collection of odd, beautiful photographs. Hemon writes life into even incidental characters. In one diner scene, he gives us hope and STDs, served over eggs: A businessman has a gait "suggesting a sore groin" and two prostitutes "savor... the sunny, pimpless morning." (Elliott Bay Book Company, 101 S Main St, 624-6600. 8 pm, free.) by Paul Constant

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Mandy Greer takes craft as far as it can go—and then much, much further. At Bumbershoot in 2006, she filled a room (and caused a backed-up line of viewers) with a pile of obsessively sewn and crocheted entrails. Now Bellevue Arts Museum is displaying her largest and most intricate installation to date, a new work based on Greer's interpretation of Jacopo Tintoretto's painting The Origin of the Milky Way. "It's about broken me," the artist wrote in an e-mail. (Bellevue Arts Museum, 510 Bellevue Way NE, 425-519-0770. 10 am–5:30 pm, $7.) by Jen Graves

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