Serendipity already feels archaic, like some dusty relic that’s been unearthed from an antique store attic and polished off for display. It reeks of quaint and cute, from its gauzy panoramas of Manhattan at Christmastime to its tattered plot of lovers bound by destiny to its scenes of travelers casually…
It’s generally considered a violation of the unwritten code of film criticism to reveal anything that happens more than halfway into a movie, let alone near the end. But these are unusual circumstances, and anyone attending Stephen Frears’ new film Liam this weekend should really be forewarned. If you think…
Broadway’s Tony Awards — a celebration of New York theater’s best — is not the first place you’d look for controversy. But the award of the coveted Best Musical for 2000 to Susan Stroman’s Contact stirred up some serious debate: Some critics claimed that Contact, which won four Tonys (not…
Arizona cowboy Cody Hancock rides bulls. It’s something that he loves to do and that his father did before him. It’s also how he makes a living. When Hancock, a national champion, is asked why he’s riding in the Justin Boots Bucking Thunder Tour, he says, a little too quickly:…
Rene Balcer, like you and everyone you know, can’t stop talking about what we now refer to simply as The Attack. We may resume our lives, fall back into our routine until it again feels mundane and comforting, but sooner or later, The Attack becomes the only topic of conversation…
“Stories and Souvenirs,” an exhibition of documentary and portrait photography now lining the walls of ASU’s Northlight Gallery, inspires confidence that classic film-based photography, as practiced by camera masters in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, still survives and thrives, despite the world’s present predisposition to All Things Deeply Digital.Located in…
The cynic may notice only how Hearts in Atlantis plays like a Stephen King best-of compilation, a reheating of familiar stories and favorite themes. At times, it feels so much like Stand by Me — with its nostalgic, flashback tale of cherubs and bullies accompanied by sad and weary narration…
Combine teenage angst with suburban emptiness and you’ve got a movie formula with an appreciable advantage over some other current movie formulas — particularly in the eyes of those who believe the American family has disintegrated and most of us are headed for eternal damnation. This is not to say…
Fred Ho, a kick-ass composer and baritone saxophonist, is also a formidable political activist against racism. A New Yorker, he was in San Francisco on September 10, giving a benefit concert for the Jericho Amnesty Movement. He flew home late that night, just in time to wake up to the…
On Oscar night, do you ever wonder why you’ve rarely heard of, much less seen, any of the nominees for Best Foreign Film? Let’s be frank. Phoenix is not a hotbed of international cinema. But this weekend, the first Scottsdale International Film Festival provides an opportunity to catch up with…
As soon as you walk in the door, you can tell that Cowtown Skateboards is run by a bunch of skateboard-loving purists. What gives us that notion? Ah, could it be the unavoidable wall-o-boards, covered from floor to ceiling in colorful, shiny new decks? Everything else in the store is…
Parents can get a bite in edgewise at Chevys because the kids will be happily occupied with an assortment of activities. Chevys goes beyond the standard crayons-and-placemat handouts, throwing in a ball of raw tortilla dough (sometimes the crayons are stuck in it) that doubles as Play-Doh when the placemat…
Never having another kid’s birthday party at home, even if the stains did come out of the rug after the umpteenth cleaning? Looking for something more memorable and, God forbid, more meaningful than cardboard pizza and head-splitting video games at the usual locales? For little ones 10 and older, this…
This wonderful store with the awkward name (most patrons just call it “Piggy” and leave it at that) has the funkiest, hippest collection of clothes for the preschool and grade-school set. Grown women have been heard requesting some of the more fashion-forward girls’ items in grown-up sizes, but the real…
The summer heat demands that you keep the kids inside, hour after pent-up hour, day after frustrating day. Don’t throw yourself under the wheels of a train. Just throw yourself near the train — in this pretty park with a restored historic train depot, an antique carousel and a clock…
Nothing against Raffi, who surely means well, but his and other children’s CDs are really not meant for adult ears. So tell your tiny tot to just grow up . . . because we happen to live in a city with a really topnotch classical radio station. Let your tyke…
We love the fact that Pure Style Kids is just across the breezeway from Three Dog Bakery — a shop offering the ultimate indulgences for Fido. Those of you making the transition from Dog Mom to Real Mom will find it much easier after a trip through Pure Style Kids…
How can one small person require so much stuff? Traveling with an infant requires more gear than a rock concert — babies should have their own roadies to help them set up when they arrive for a vacation at Grandma’s house. With Baby Boom Rentals, a visiting entourage can bring…
A small but hip section of this unassuming strip mall comes alive on Friday nights with teens and preteens sporting big shoes and baggy shorts. In addition to the 24-screen AMC theater with valet parking, there’s Coffee Society for non-alcoholic, caffeinated refreshment. As You Wish can keep artistic hands busy…
Whether you’re partial to that sweet young thing from the ’80s, Ms. Pac-Man, or you need to burn up a little testosterone with Virtua Cop 2, you can conquer the universe of your choice at Video Roundup, an independently owned video arcade that’s been around for more than a decade…
We chose Kidstop after rigorous scientific testing, which can be duplicated by anyone with access to a 3-year-old. Simply turn the child loose in any toy store while you shop for another kid’s birthday present. If the range of merchandise is good enough and the staff is helpful enough, you’ll…
New attractions here have turned a fun but standard amusement park into the ultimate kiddy attraction. Golfland/Sunsplash is a one-stop entertainment center that will manage to please vanloads of multi-aged kids with different interests. Golfland, which is open all year and charges fees in the neighborhood of $4 to $6.25…
