Richard Linklater’s Bernie is part fictionalized, part documentary, and entirely well-made, but the tone of its fictionalized elements put this uncomfortably close to mockumentary.

First things first. Let’s get this whole controversy bit out of the way. Ben Stiller’s Hollywood action satire, Tropic Thunder, has drawn the ire of a number of groups representing the mentally disabled. The offense is taken at a plot point which has Stiller’s Tugg Speedman, an action hero desperate to be taken seriously, playing a character in the mold of Sean Penn’s in I Am Sam. Speedman’s performance in this past role is a…

Monday >> This past December, Matthew Ryan released his latest album, From A Late Night High-Rise, a collection of songs inspired by the death of his friend and the sentencing of his brother to 30 years in prison. Tonight you can experience his acoustic contemplations on stage at Iota Club with Tim Easton. 8:30 p.m., $12. >> Do you want to see Silver Spring’s Flaming Cooters? Did you ever think you would hear those words…