The Stranger

The Goodwill Outlet (better known as "the bins") is like the regular Goodwill except that all the clothes are just dumped into gigantic wheeled carts and sold by the pound and sometimes there's, like, a tampon in there. But do not be deterred! You dig, you are diligent, and then you find it! An oversize sweatshirt with an airbrushed portrait of Aaliyah and "JAZMINE" in bubbly letters on the back! Or the best jeans you will ever own! Or a tampon! (Just ignore it.) Afterward, head to Saigon Deli in the ID for a crunchy, tangy, cheap-ass Vietnamese sandwich. Wash your hands first. (Goodwill Outlet, 1400 S Lane St, 860-5711, 9 am–9 pm. Saigon Deli, 1237 S Jackson St, 322-3700, 7 am–7 pm.) by Lindy West

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The deepest, hottest rings of hell are reserved for the bad abstract painter. He harms us all, and his circle is crowded. By contrast, every single great abstraction is an angel, and Michael Dailey has made a few. Zoom right in on the 8-year-old acrylic painting Butterfield (right), a square of glowing pink-yellow with a curtain of lines around it—it's a stage for pure light. Two galleries are celebrating the Seattle artist's four decades of work. (Francine Seders Gallery, 6701 Greenwood Ave N, 782-0355, 11 am–5 pm. Greg Kucera Gallery, 212 Third Ave S, 624-0770, 10:30 am–5:30 pm.) by Jen Graves

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Stories by Jon Raymond have become the basis for movies like Wendy and Lucy and Old Joy. Miranda July loves his writing. But none of that matters as much as the fact that Raymond's book Livability, about things like felching and weird people at bus stops, is an especially beautiful collection of short stories. "Young Bodies," about two teenagers who trap themselves in a mall overnight, is sexy and sad and ultimately hopeful, just like life when life is really good. (University Book Store, 4326 University Way NE, 634-3400. 7 pm, free.) PAUL CONSTANT by Paul Constant

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The 2000 rerelease of Jules Dassin's high-art heist film inspired Stranger film editor Jamie Hook to such intoxicatingly rapturous praise—"flat-out perfect piece of cinema"—that his essay was included in the Criterion Collection's Rififi DVD. In Hook's words, its towering highlight is the "tingling, ecstatic, sustained act of brilliance" in a "virtually silent, gleefully long heist scene. For an astounding 33 minutes, Dassin removes all dialogue, hushing the soundtrack to the mere sounds of breath as we observe the criminal team at work." (SIFF Cinema, 321 Mercer St, St, 633-7151. 7 pm, $10.) by David Schmader

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Four men stand onstage among a mess of wires, synthesizers, drums, and guitars. With a heavy blast of fog and well-timed flashes of multicolored spotlights, the lines between man and machine become blurred. Layers of fast-paced keyboard stack on top of fuzzy guitar and airtight drumming. The beat buzzes below your feet and threatens to knock you down. You'll walk away intact, but your idea of what a live show should be will never be the same. (Neumos, 925 E Pike St, 709-9467. 8 pm, $8, 21+.) by Megan Seling

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A movie about one fucked-up war produced during a different fucked-up war, Oh! What a Lovely War traverses the events of WWI (in which unfortunate coincidence and brazen foolishness conspired to grind up all of Europe's young men) with deep sarcasm and glossy movie-musical aplomb. It's small wonder that in 1969 America was primed for a sour satire about lots and lots of young people dying for king, country, and almost no reason. The film nearly topples under sludgy symbolism, but the final aerial shot of white crosses by the thousands is a sight worth remembering. (Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave, 329-2629. 8:30 pm, $9.) by Lindy West

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