the ballet slippers movie

The watchman of the title, Mickel Cardell, is one of the ragtag crew employed by the city’s police force to arrest vagrants, prostitutes, orphans and others who struggle to survive in Stockholm’s cesspit streets. A veteran who lost his left arm during Sweden’s ill-fated war with Russia, Cardell works at a beer cellar, where he keeps order with a carved wooden prosthetic – a formidable weapon for dealing with truculent customers. Very early one morning, he’s awakened from a drunken stupor by two children who have found a body in a nearby lake that’s little more than an open sewer.

Where: Santana Row, San Jose, Info: the ballet slippers movie www.santanarow.com, The music: Jazz artists perform on the patios of some of Santana Row’s restaurants, Highlights: Funky jazzman Brian Ho and his Duo play the Counter, while Latin/modern jazz outfit Rick Vandivier Duo plays at El Jardin Tequila Bar (July 17); The terrific Anton Schwartz and his trio Trio play Rosie McCann’s Irish Pub & Restaurant, while the Gus Kambeitz Duo performs at Left Bank Brasserie (July 31), Where: Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City..

• Area Wide Fire Valor and also Fire Valor: Foster City Firefighters Thomas Linari and Daniel Strambi, and Captain Albert Piacente; Menlo Park Engineers Dave Bragg, Ross Frazee, Chung Lai, Brenden Murphy, John Quadt, Steve Rohrer, Mike Stahl, and Rich Villa, and Captains Rod Brovelli, Randy Kelly, and Keith Slade, and Acting Captain Todd Ellis; Redwood City Captains Marc Bernall, Glendon Chan, Greg DaCunha, Nick Dickson, Steve Martin, and Shawn Wilkerson, and Firefighters Ryan Coy, Forest Dyer, Michael Elhihi, Julie Gardner, Alison Harper, Brian Jenson, Tom Jinks, Travis Jones, Erick Olson, Costa Papas, Brian Steach, and Brent TenBruggencate; and Daly City Engine Operator Mike Rosales.

“The Jungle Around Us” by Anne Raeff (University of Georgia Press, $24.95, 160 pages) Anne Raeff’s book of short stories, a 2015 recipient of the the ballet slippers movie Flannery O’Connor Award for short fiction, is newly out in print, and it’s a marvelous collection, From Europe to Bolivia, suburban New Jersey to Vietnam, the San Francisco author explores the ways that war and violence color our lives, Raeff will appear in an Oct, 11 Litquake panel at Center for the Book in San Francisco; readings are Oct, 19 at Pegasus and Oct, 27 at Mrs, Dalloway’s, both in Berkeley..

Smuin: “The Christmas Ballet.” Dec. 6 through Dec. 10. “Classical Christmas” and “Cool Christmas.” Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. $25-$84. www.smuinballet.org or 650-903-6000. Menlowe Ballet: “It’s a Wonderful Nutcracker.” Dec. 8-10 and Dec. 15-17. Menlo-Atherton Performing Arts Center, 555 Middlefield Road, Atherton. $28-$55. http://www.menloweballet.org or 800-595-4849. Kerry Irish Productions Inc.: “An Irish Christmas.” 7 p.m. Dec. 20. Featuring Scott Doherty and Tyler Schwartz. Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St., Mountain View. $35-$60. http://mvcpa.com or 650-803-6000.