6. Reasons to Be Pretty
Sara Krulwich / The New York Times / Redux
The plays of Neil LaBute, American theater's most prolific and astute chronicler of the really bad things men do to women, are sometimes marred by contrivance and a too-facile cynicism. But every once in a while he hits it on the nose, as in this astringent tale of the assorted entanglements of two working-class couples. The fine off-Broadway production directed by Terry Kinney (moving to Broadway early next year) struck a nice balance between LaBute's truth-telling and his moralism.
Asian Film Fireworks for the Fourth
Photos: The Real-Life John Dillinger
Ask Your Questions: The New York Times' Bill Keller
Cartoons of the Week
Inside Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch
Canada Spends Big to Save GM, So Why Not Mexico?
Photos: U.S. Marines Open a New Offensive in Afghanistan
The Incredible Shrinking Sheep of Scotland
In Peru Sports, Men Bumble, And Women Shine
Afterbirth: It's What's For Dinner