At this very moment, members of the Television Critics Association are gathered at the Ritz-Carlton in Pasadena, California, to preview this fall’s new series, interview those responsible for them and, finally, gorge themselves silly and drink themselves stupid on the networks’ dwindling dime. This event, the so-called “press tour,” takes…
All signs were pointing to a lousy evening of theater, even before the curtain came up on White Byson Theater Company’s production of Remember My Name. The show’s publicist phoned me at 7 a.m. the day before, to ask that I not review the show — never a good sign…
On the first day (of opening weekend), the Lord said, “Let there be, like, this year’s Evolution or sumpin’, only with more hope for significant box office returns,” and there is, and it is called Eight Legged Freaks, and it is good. The silly title needs a hyphen in the…
People in New York and Los Angeles are used to getting the first look at a new play — they open almost daily. But here, where people are lucky to get the opportunity to see an art film before it comes out on DVD, it’s a pretty remarkable event. Phoenix…
Adolescence is plagued with awkward, sometimes terrifying, rites of passage. For author Lizzie Simon, the crucial turning point of her youth occurred during her final year of high school, which she spent studying and living with family friends in Paris. At a time when she was high on life —…
A pal asked last week, “Who you writing about?” Told him, “Art Linson,” which screwed his face into a big ol’ question mark. “He’s a movie producer. He made Heat, Fight Club, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, The Untouchables, Car Wash…” Said said friend upon hearing that last one, “Dude…
Joe Versus the Volcano ran on cable last week, and contained within that misguided, unmemorable film was a small scene that only now resonates. Tom Hanks, who believes he has not long to live, emerges from a doctor’s office wearing a fedora too small for his head and a trench…
The first generation to be labeled with a letter suffered through some serious metaphysical shit in the ’90s (if you doubt this, try listening to the period-specific music — emphasis on try), but now this societal clusterfuck is searching for antidotes to its own pop-culture poison. Evidence of renewed hope…
Give us your tired, your broke, your starving artists yearning to create freely, the wretched refuse of your corporate culture. We’ll show them filmmaker Michael Dean’s new documentary, D.I.Y. or DIE: How to Survive As an Independent Artist, for inspiration. Two dozen underground icons and unknowns are given equal time…
Are you a lonely goatherd? Love brown paper packages tied up with string? Ever looked at a pair of chintz curtains and marveled at the dressmaking potential? If you’re one of the many who fell off the park bench while trying to practice your jeté, then this bastard love child…
I’m the only adult male at the Mason Jar tonight who isn’t wearing a black tee shirt with sawed-off sleeves. My Kenneth Cole polo sweater marks me as a loser, but at least I’m a loser waiting for a former punk goddess to join me for drinks. Lucy LaMode, once…
Phoenix Aviation Director David Krietor appears almost daily in the local news, despite the fact that he rarely says anything worthwhile. Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, Krietor has mouthed off endlessly about heightened security at Sky Harbor, oozing enthusiasm for the government’s multimillion-dollar plans to protect us from mad…
Like a Jawbreaker that changes color every few seconds that you suck it, MIIB: Men in Black II delivers a quick buzz, lots of stuff to look at, and a totally non-nutritious joy that can only be attained with the aid of artificial flavorings and Yellow #5. In a nutshell,…
The “one thing” at the heart of Jill Sprecher’s 13 Conversations About One Thing may not have one name. But as you wend your way through this intricate meditation on urban solitude and the nature of fate, you’ll likely discover for yourself whether it’s called happiness, hope, domestic tranquility or…
If you’re searching for vitality in the scorched downtown streets of Phoenix, look no further than the LIFE Festival, a celebration of “Liberty, Independence and Freedom of Expression” at the Icehouse on Thursday, July 4. While the venue is in a prime location to watch the fireworks display overhead, there’s…
Celebrating life in the “Land of the Free” takes on a new meaning with all of the freebie (and almost-free) Independence Day events going on around the Valley. Just don’t forget that in the “Home of the Brave,” you can keep all 10 of your fingers and leave the blow-away…
They stream in and out, all day and all night, one after the other: band members, producers, business associates, friends, family, strangers, hangers-on who stare at the familiar face made infamous long ago. The tour bus, this parked sanctuary where he can roll his joints and drink his bottled Starbucks…
Roger Egan is pissed off. After 14 years as proprietor of McDuffy’s, Tempe’s most popular sports bar, Egan is about to get boned by Big Brother. To make matters worse, his efforts to squash Proposition 200, Tempe’s just-passed anti-smoking law, have come to naught. Neither Egan nor Tempeans for the…
If it’s possible for a film to be simultaneously ambitious and banal, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys is it. There’s little here we haven’t seen repeatedly in some form or another — growing up Catholic is popular fodder for filmmakers, as is growing up in the American South, usually…
What’s most surprising about Nine Queens, a wry if awfully derivative caper come-on from first-time feature director-writer Fabián Bielinsky, is how easily it suckers you into its swindle. After all, you know from jump that something’s up. You’ve sniffed out this con before in the films of David Mamet and…
Long before The Strokes, The White Stripes or The Hives — bands currently being hyped as the new triumvirate of torchbearers for the rock ‘n’ roll legacy — were a glimmer in anyone’s eye, vocalist Sky Sunlight Saxon was cranking out fuzz-blasted freak-beat psychedelia with his influential band The Seeds…
