Things To Do This Week: 17-23 May

Film: The Great Gatsby, Cornerhouse, Until Thursday 23 May

“There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy and the tired.” A compelling statement from Nick, the quiet and reflective narrator of F. Scott Fitgerald’s 1925 magnum opus. Exploring the hollowness inherent within the upper echelons of American high-society during the Jazz Age of the 1920s, Fitzgerald’s novel is widely considered one of the greatest novels ever produced in the English language (and this category holds a fair amount of competition).

Step in Baz Luhrmann, director of Romeo & Juliet and Moulin Rouge, to splash a brash Hollywood gloss over FSF’s masterpiece. Enlisting the help of a star studded bunch including Romeo-himself Leonardo DiCaprio, Spiderman Tobey Maguire, Drive's Carey Mulligan and curiously, executive producer Jay-Z.

Put away any pre-conceived literary agenda you may have and enjoy this bold and visually stunning depiction.

Tickets available here. Full Price £7.50 with concessions available.

Yes I was in Titanic, fancy a drink?

Comedy: Bill Bailey: Qualmpeddler, The Lowry, Friday 17 May

At first Bill Bailey had doubts about the modern world. But now they’re qualms, fully fledged qualms, and lots of them. The weirdy beardy wonderfully witty Klingon-look-a-likey comedian will be exploring these feelings of apprehension and all round unease with his usual mixture of musical mash-ups and surreal philosophising.

Expect a thorough defilement of the coalition, Horntallica (presumably a Metallica tribute band consisting of a rhino, a bison, a goat and a greater kudu) and a spot of Religious Dubstep thrown in to the fray. Apparently the new pontiff Pope Francis is partial to dropping some wobble bass himself.

Tickets from £27 available here.

Bill Bailey has qualms

Art: Tumbler: Indie Print in China, Chinese Arts Centre, Until 1 June

This pop-up bookstore-cum-exhibition will showcase approximately 50 independent art books and ’zines produced by more than twenty artists, designers and small publishers in mainland China over the past couple of years.

Surprisingly, China is quite strict when it comes to art and the publishing industry, as well as all other facets of the media, producing offspring, fuel economy standards, the internet, haircuts, gender equality, sock colour and 4-year-old gymnasts – in fact, it’s much easier to just say that China is fairly strict on just about everything. Apart from burning fossil fuels and all the different ways to cook-up a turtle bollock.

More information here.

Chinese Indie print, not to be confused with Indian China print

Food: Foodies Festival, Tatton Park, Friday 17 – Sunday 19 May

Enjoy the UK’s largest celebration of all things edible, with a packed schedule of demonstrations, tip-top chefs and interactive classes. See David Mooney of Lord Binning, Great British Menu’s Mary-Ellen McTague of Aumbry, Thai restaurant Chaophraya’s executive chef Kim Kaewkraikhot, celebrity chef Rachel Green and brownie queen Justine Forrest cook their signature dishes live in the Chefs’ Theatre and explain how amateur cooks can prepare the same dishes at home (without the same results).

Explore a multitude of casual eats from around the world down Street Food Avenue (not to be confused with Avenue Food Street in Stockport), sample a wine or two in the Wine Village, or alternatively, gorge yourself on enough free samples to last you until next year’s festival. Up yours Tesco.

Standard and VIP tickets available here.

Benidorm does Tatton

Tour: A Tour Of Uninteresting Objects: The Deansgate and Castlefield Edition, Meet Outside Manchester Art Gallery, Saturday 18 May, 3pm

Jonathan Schofield, the editor of the contemporary, engaging and rewarding organ you're presently reading will be leading the tour which this time takes in Castlefield and Deansgate. Of course what makes something uninterestingly interesting or not is the ultimate in subjectivity. Yet it's a fertile subject.

The Tour of Uninteresting Objects concentrates on the often ignored elements that make a city. It reveals odd sculptures, mad details, washed up remnants, bits of things, the quirky residue of activity. Of course the tour doesn't ignore the big things that can't be ignored but it will surprise guests with the hidden gems of Manchester's fabulous city centre.

Sometimes the uninteresting object in question might be tiny, sometimes it might be huge, it could be hidden or obvious. What is guaranteed is that the tour is different from any other taking place in the North at present.

Prebook here or just turn up.

Interestingly uninteresting

Film: Macho Movie Marathon, Islington Mill Studios, Friday 17 May, 8pm – 8am

Hugh Grant milling around Notting Hill? No thanks. Colin Firth doddering about in yet another period costume? Shouldn’t have thought so. Sometimes you just want to see someone punched in the face. You know, something blown up with c4, a muscle-bound and incomprehensible Austrian mow down an endless swarm of nameless soldiers in a merciless hail of semi-automatic machine gun fire.

So for this very reason the Islington Mill Studios, near Salford Central, are showcasing six of the finest testosterone-fuelled macho-man movies in one twelve hour gun-slinging marathon. It’s reportedly so macho that former WWF wrestler Macho Man Randy Savage was turned away at the door for not being macho enough.

Tickets at £6 available here (Free popcorn, free gun)

Gung Ho

Music: Beethoven: Manchester Camerata 40^th Anniversary Concert, The Bridgewater Hall, Saturday 18 May

No not that big old daft St Bernard from the 1992 film, unfortunately his back paws wouldn’t allow him to reach the una corda, never mind the sostenuto. No this is Ludwig van, masterly pianist and composer, victim of intolerable tinnitus and most interestingly, a notorious booze hound.

The grand finale of Manchester Camerata’s 40th anniversary season features a feast of Beethoven. Music Director, Gábor Takács-Nagy will be joined by Camerata’s talented young leader, Giovanni Guzzo, for Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, one of the most popular concertos ever written.

Tickets £3 for under 18s to £34 full price available here.

Giovanni Guzzo

Market: Crafty Exchange Artisan Fair, Corn Exchange, Saturday 18 – Sunday 19 May

There will be around 80 stalls taking over the city centre Corn Exchange this weekend, peddling an array of offbeat crafts such as recycled cufflinks, papier mache thingys and Swarovski crystal encrusted Converse trainers. There’ll also be a number of crafty workshops and demonstrations teaching you how to make all sorts of tidbits at home, turning old crap in to new crap.

Here we’ve picked a few of the more intriguingly named artisans, mainly because they either sound like a toothless Dickensian character or rubbish nu-folk bands: Scavenger Annie, Muffin Ceramics, Yapper Chappers and I am Tree.

Entry free, more info here.

Corn Exchange

Film: Beware of Mr Baker, Cornerhouse, Opens Friday 17 May

“Ginger Baker is a motherfucka, that’s it”, “He is certifiably mad” and “Ginger Baker just hit me in the fucking nose.” But a few of the glowing assessments of a man that is by all accounts, one of the greatest drummers to ever have lived, and an utter bastard. Ginger Baker (not his vocation) is best known for his work with Cream and Blind Faith, that and by somehow still being alive. Baker claims to have come off heroin around 29 times.

Jay Bulger’s award-winning and frequently hilarious film features contributions from Carlos Santana, Stewart Copeland, Lars Ulrich and Baker’s Cream band members Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce. Baker is one of those talented and terrible characters that you may never have heard of, but probably should. If only because during filming, he breaks the filmmakers nose.

Tickets available here.

Drink: Saturday Wine School, Gaucho, Saturday 18 May, 12pm - 3.30pm

Ran by the Cheshire Wine School, this class attempts to shrug off the preconceived notions of the pompous gittishness associated with wine-tasting and just have a bit of fun. With tips on how to handle a wine list, an introduction to food and wine matching, the difference between old and new world wines and how to be wine savvy in the supermarket (pick the one with the most garish discount label, naturally).

Tasting seven wines, the £49 price tag also includes a light Argentine lunch. Tickets available here.

Gaucho

Art: My Generation: The Glory Years of British Rock, The Lowry, Opens Sat 18 May

As Top of the Pop’s resident photographer from 1964 - 1973, Harry Goodwin documented some of the most important musical stars and performances of this pivotal time in rock history. From Bob Dylan to the Jackson 5, Jimi Hendrix to John Lennon, Elton John to Mick Jagger (The letter J’s popularity peaked in this period, it’s never been the same since), Harry shot them all.

This exhibition includes almost 60 framed photographs and a film presentation of 140 of Goodwin’s most striking and memorable images. Just don’t expect to see any photos of Uncle Jimmy, for some reason he’s fairly persona non grata these days.

More info here.

They'd spent a fortune down the joke shop