We had no idea this party had been rocking for a full 42 years! If you haven't visited during any one of those, make this the year you turn out for the West Indian American Day Carnival — you won't be disappointed. Countries from all around the Caribbean are represented (gregariously, always) in the parade, with blaring speakers stacked atop flatbed trucks and the roofs of buses; women in outlandish Carnival costumes (aka feathers, sequins, and not much else) dancing along side; and stand after stand of the best Caribbean soul food in Brooklyn. Fill up on curries of every kind (we've even come across a vegan goat curry), fried fish, callaloo, plantains, coco bread, and of course, jerk everything. Our advice: go with an empty stomach, and head over earlier in the day, as by the end of the parade things can get a bit hectic.

We're guessing — both from the title and the crazy creative B'more troupe producing it — that A Fistful of Flowers is one seriously effed-up version of a spaghetti Western. The plot may be thin, but the artists in the collective are so individually talented, that we're expecting epic feats of, well, epic poetry, throat-singing (courtesy of Bloody Panda's Gerry Mak), and more — all with a surreal Western backdrop. So while we're not exactly sure what to expect, we're beyond excited to find out just what the Baltimore Annex (now touring the country with this show) can do. The show is bookended by performances by Secret Boyfriend, SEABAT, and German Ghost.

Some say that Iran hasn't seen protests this size since the 1979 revolution. These green movement protests began as a response to the 2009 election of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which was thought to be fraudulent, and called for his removal. Ahmedinejad announced his victory before all the votes were tallied, hence the motto that rose up from the movement: "Where is my vote?" This show by SVA exhibits the unique position that socially responsible designers can take when fighting for free speech. Looking, for example, to Russian agitprop posters, we know how powerful design can be in supporting political aims. In this case, we're glad that the aim is to inspire political activism.

Julie Mehretu uses architecture and the city as starting points for her large-scale paintings. Her complex canvases layered with acrylic paint and pencil marks refer as much to Italian futurism as they do to the abstract expressionism of Kazimir Malevich. With its strata of geographical schema, city maps, and building plans, Mehretu's work is evocative of compressed and densely populated urban environments. Looking for her inspiration: she was born in Addis Ababa (population 3.3million), and now lives in New York City (population 8.4million).

With our attention trained once again on the Gulf Coast, we're contemplating the effect of disasters on the surrounding environs. Mario Tama, an award-winning photographer for Getty, has spent the last five years navigating the complex landscape of New Orleans in the aftermath of Katrina — not only the devastation, but the reconstruction and spiritual resilience of its people. About the experience, Tama told the NYT Lens Blog, "Every news bone in my body says you have to go to New Orleans." If you don't get a chance to make that trip any time soon, you can make it to DUMBO to view these arresting images, which offer a fresh angle on an ever-growing body of cultural criticism.

See Twyla Tharp's Come Fly Away for the dancing — it is rare to see dancers of this caliber on Broadway. Anchored by a series of duets, the choreography is a fluid mix of ballet and social dancing, and performed with an easy panache. The story, such as it is, is about different types of love, and the entire show is set to a medley of Frank Sinatra recordings, although Old Blue Eyes gets an update with the addition of a live singer and 19-piece big band.

These days, vinyl-only DJ sets always get our attention. When they're on a freakin' sailboat, that goes double. There is only room for 100 folks aboard the good ship Good Peoples, so get your tix while you can, and set sail with crate-diggers extraordinaire, Vin Sol and Lloydiski.

Is our government lying to us? In Amir Bar-Lev's documentary The Tillman Story, the Tillman family is unfortunately faced with this question. Son Pat, a football player who left a promising career in professional sports to enlist in the army with his brother Kevin, was fatally shot during a tour in Afghanistan. Initially told he died heroically during enemy combat, his parents later learned that the story was a complete fabrication and that Pat's death was seemingly used as a propaganda tool. Bar-Lev's film traces the family's footsteps as they try to reconcile what happened, as well as rectify Pat's "heroic" image. More a family drama than a war doc, the film's subject matter and thoughtful dramatic storytelling are reason to see this important film.

For four weeks the Brick is hosting clowns. Some wear big red noses and others appear normal. For example, Theatre Group Dzieci's Cirkus Luna! has tried-and-true tent acts, while Julie Goell's opera house charwoman gets a star turn in Carmen the Mopera. Then, James and JF consider who and what would play on the last television on Earth in Channel One. These are a few of the lovestruck, hula-hooping, spectral, and musical acts participating in the Clown Theatre Fest. Audiences too can clown around at selected cabarets and workshops. Everyone is welcome to participate in the opening night pie-in-the-face melee at the Brick, and at the closing day clown funeral procession, through the streets of Brooklyn.

Just a two-hour drive from the city, Litchfield, Connecticut is a great escape for stressed-out city dwellers. Home to a stellar spa, Charym (worth a visit in its own right), the tiny town should keep you entertained for a day, a night, or even a full weekend. On that note, for those wanting to make their jaunt to Connecticut an overnight excursion, make reservations in advance at Abel Darling. This cozy B&B is located within walking distance of both Charym and the town's best bars, restaurants, and shops, putting smooth asanas and stiff cocktails within easy reach. For more details on Litchfield, check out Jauntsetter's guide to the destination, including insider tips from a local on how to best enjoy your visit.

If you're familiar with award-winning German-Turkish filmmaker Fatih Akin's more serious offerings, Soul Kitchen serves as a nice palette cleanser. An ode to folks who work in the food-service industry, this comedy takes us to a greasy spoon in the heart of an artsy, gentrifying area of Hamburg called Wilhelmsburg (not dissimilar to the beloved Brooklyn version). Shaggy-haired restaurant owner Zinos is coming to a crossroads — his beautiful rich girlfriend is moving to Shanghai for a job, his ex-con brother has resurfaced, and his labor of love, Soul Kitchen, has become a pain in his neck. The resulting romp is great date fodder, filled with some fun twists; we recommend viewing this lighthearted picture as a prelude to a meal.

A dramatization of real-life events, this Mexican film's disturbing subject matter will make for a difficult watch. Daniel and Ana are siblings from an affluent and close-knit family. The action opens in a genial fashion with Ana preparing for her impending nuptials and Daniel timidly experimenting sexually with his high-school girlfriend. But as this psychological drama unfolds, the pair shares an experience that causes their relationship to implode. Starring TV actress Marimar Vega, and Gael Garcia Bernal's little brother Dario as Daniel, this low-budget, delicately directed debut feature from Michel Franco is probably a good choice for those that prefer Antichrist to Avatar.

Vampire fever has overtaken America, but BAM does several better than Bella and (as much as we love him) Erik Northman. Catch any number of 33 vamp films, from Nosferatu and the classic Lugosi to modern-day undead parables by directors including Herzog, Coppola, and Ferrara. Suck on this, Twihards.

Former Princess of Persia, Gemma Arterton, comes down off her throne for first-time director J Blakeson's thriller The Disappearance of Alice Creed. Without giving too much away, the action in this twist-filled indie British kidnapping drama is more or less confined to one location and three characters. This may not seem like much, but Blakeson's visual choices, inspired by Lynch and Kubrick, and smart storyline keep viewers on their toes. An impressive first effort, which also features actor Eddie Marsan (Happy-Go-Lucky, 21 Grams), we suggest grabbing a date and seeing Alice Creed before she vanishes from theaters.

 The pains of being pure at heart are many in Bradley Rust Gray's The Exploding Girl, a moody, osmotic character study that thoroughly stresses the awk in youthful awkwardness. The American accompaniment to wife and co-director So Yong Kim's In Between Days (both winking allusions to the same Cure single), Girl mirrors the former in its observational focus on best friends whose relationship lies between platonic and romantic. With her perfectly expressive, cherubic features, a winsome Zoe Kazan stars as Ivy, a collegiate gal who returns to Prospect Heights for a between-semester spell and ends up spending much of it with old kindred spirit Al (Mark Rendall).

Your opinion of holiday travel headaches is certain to be redefined after viewing Last Train Home, an award-winning documentary that examines the plight of migrant workers in China. Focusing on one family's struggle to stay connected despite seeing each other only on Chinese New Year, filmmaker Lixin Fan uncovers the effects of industrialization on Chinese society. Shot in an observational style, Fan spent several years capturing this candid, emotionally fertile and heartbreaking story.

Mesrine: Killer Instinct is the first part in a two-part series based on the memoir of notorious French gangster Mesrine. During his active years in the '60s and '70s, Mesrine committed burglaries, robbed banks, loved and lost, engaged in kidnapping, and busted out of prison — a résumé ripe for cinematic realization. The first film leaves us with Mesrine earning the well-deserved title Public Enemy No. 1. Vincent Cassel is brilliant as the anti-hero, a charismatic cold-blooded killer, and director Jean-Francois Richet delivers gritty action sequences that channel Don Siegel's Dirty Harry days. Gérard Depardieu even pops into the melee as Guido, a local Godfather. We don't recommend robbing a bank to do so, but Killer Instinct is worth a trip to the theater.

The MoMA's film collection may not be as old as the Declaration of Independence but it does embody similar principles. Perhaps that's why it's using this weekend to start a run of some of the library's recent acquisitions. Among the films that met MoMA's artistic and creative criteria are Miranda July's quirky ode to romance, You And Me And Everyone We Know; Ondi Timor's documentary We Live in Public, about Internet pioneer Josh Harris and the burst of the dot.com bubble; and Brodre (Brothers), the dogme-like Danish film directed by Susanne Bier that inspired the Jake Gyllenhaal and Toby Maguire English-language remake. Check back in with this series over the coming months as more MoMA-deemed cinematic artainment will be revealed.

While we'll never understand folks who want to go hunting with the Nuge, we admit: we booked this fishing trip with Deaner (aka Mickey Melchiondo) because we're huge Ween fans, and not because we're expert anglers. Luckily, Mickey is. The band's still very much a part of the Cap'n's life (raise your hand if you're catching them on September 17 at SummerStage), but he's also a master sport fisherman, now operating the Archangel out of Belmar, New Jersey. Book seasonal trips for two to three people and take home monstrous fluke, sea bass, striped bass, and bluefish. We found ourselves talking more bass than guitar, but Mickey — a self-described "pretty good conversationalist" — was chill to hang out with, and we even managed to sneak in a live request for Ween's upcoming show. Be sure to set extra alarms for the super early start time, and you'll have a blast out on the Atlantic. Sorry, no bananas allowed on board.

Between grief and nothing, widower and father-of-two Michael Farr (Ciarán Hinds) chooses grief — a perfectly Gothic response in Irish dramatist Conor McPherson's excellent and often breathtaking new film.  In this atmospheric and spectral portrait — apparitions and startling hues expertly double to rouse you from the beautifully lulling gloom — Michael gets psychologically and physically beaten out of his Edgar Allan "Woe" phase (his middle-aged, ecclesiastic face initially spells "nevermore" to the opposite sex) over a cathartic weekend spent volunteering at the local Cobh Literary Festival, for which he chauffeurs two writers caught in an internecine relationship themselves.

If you're a fan of Zhang Yimou, the acclaimed Fifth Generation director behind such films as Red Sorghum, Raise the Red Lantern, and The House of Flying Daggers, seeing his outrageous adaptation of the Coen Brothers' Blood Simple is a no-brainer. Taking inspiration from old Chinese opera, A Woman, a Gun and a Noodle Shop is a visually stunning work set in ancient China. The plot involves a wretched noodle-shop owner who hires a local detective to murder his cheating wife and her lover. Part farce, part thriller, the film is filled with brilliant compositions, most notably the well-choreographed noodle-making sequence which alone is worth the cost of admission.

The interns of New York's toniest museums and galleries are, surprise, artists in their own right. Come check out what these young artists are up to when they're not donning their aloof and exclusive dispositions in those lofty white gallery spaces. We tip our hat to Art Since the Summer of '69 for thinking up an original way to exhibit the work of this historically neglected group of young hopefuls. And the next time you walk into the Gagosian, be nice to that kid behind the desk. She may be the next Marina Abramovic.