FILM | Akira Kurosawa at Cinematheque: No Regrets for Our Youth and Yojimbo
The profound influence Japanese director Akira Kurosawa had on modern cinema might be best illustrated by the fact that his work was the inspiration for such differing genres as the sci-fi epic and the spaghetti western. The Star Wars trilogy and films like A Fistful of Dollars borrowed heavily from Kurosawa's masterpiece Yojimbo, about a lone samurai who stumbles upon a turf war in an isolated town. Widely considered the best samurai movie ever made (sorry Ninja Turtles III), the film is the second part of a double bill at Jackman Hall tonight as part of a 28-film program marking the centenary of Kurosawa's birth and the twentieth anniversary of Cinematheque. It will be preceded by No Regrets for Our Youth, Kurosawa's 1946 morality tale about anti-communist paranoia.
Jackman Hall, 317 Dundas Street West, $10.15 for single film, $5.90 students, No Regrets for Our Youth 7 pm, Yojimbo 9:15 pm

MUSIC | Fiery Furnaces at the Drake Hotel
Well it's all over folks. Luminato, NXNE and even the MMVA's have come and gone for another year, but the music must go on and to paraphrase the great R. Kelly, after the show it's the afterparty, and after the party it's the hotel lobby, and adjacent to the hotel lobby you will find something fun happening tonight. The lobby in this case is in the Drake Hotel, where quirky indie veterans the Fiery Furnaces are playing in support of their recent release I'm Going Away. The album's being hailed as a return to form for the brother sister duo who are often accused of being too deliberately complex for their own good. The Drake's going out of its way to put on the show, knocking its regular Elvis Monday nights to Tuesday this week to accommodate the band's touring schedule.
Drake Hotel, 1150 Queen Street West, $18.50, 8 pm doors

FITNESS | Elevate to Exhale
Yonge-Dundas Square is not the best place in the city to find some peace and quiet. Bathed in the sickly light of a few hundred billboards, when its not playing host to massive concerts or being swarmed by tourists, there's always the chance it will be the site of the latest downtown shooting. But today it will be turned into a veritable haven for still minds and lithe bodies with Spynga Yoga Studio's Elevate to Exhale event, which will see yoga practitioners lay down their mats in the downtown core and downward dog themselves into a state of bliss. Yoga enthusiasts of all levels are encouraged to participate, and yoga teachers from across the GTA will be giving lessons. Lululemon will be giving free goal coaching sessions, and teas and cool drinks from Starbucks will also be on offer.
Yonge-Dundas Square, Free, 9 am - 6:30 pm

BOOKS AND LIT | Playwrights Canada Press Spring Launch
Since 1984 Playwrights Canada Press has been the official imprint Playwrights Guild of Canada, giving this country's theatre writers a reliable forum through which to publish their work. At first the press only put out a handful of titles a year, but now publishes around thirty books of plays, theatre history, and theatre criticism annually. Tonight they launch their spring titles, which include new plays by Charlotte Corbeil-Coleman, Andrew Moodie, Ronnie Burkett, and Anusree Roy. The launch party includes some free appetizers to nibble on and will be hosted by NOW Magazine's Jon Kaplan and Susan G. Cole.
Rivoli Upstairs Pool Hall, 332 Queen Street West, Free, 7 pm

SPORTS | Go Skateboarding Day
In case you hadn't heard, today is International Go Skateboarding Day, which encourages boarders everywhere to hop on their decks and annoy the hell out of everybody else by riding en masse through the city streets. The Quiksilver team, including Danny Garcia, Riley Hawk (Tony's son), and Reese Forbes will be putting on a demo at Ashbridges Skate Park in the afternoon, and after a hard day of kick push kick push, head to Parkdale skateshop/art gallery the Baitshop to test your skills on their mini ramp and eat some tasty bbq treats.
Quiksilver Demo: Ashbridges Skate Park, Coxwell Street and Lakeshore Boulevard East, Free, 1 pm - 5 pm
Baitshop Afterparty: Baitshop, 358 Dufferin Street, Free, 7 pm - 10 pm

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Photo: "Adam Lambert" by Josh Jensen, member of the blogTO Flickr Pool.