We’ve all been kicked in the junk by Marvel superheroes before. Watching Elektra was like two hours of nut-pummeling by a relentless, sack-hating donkey. But superhero films — even bad ones — gross bazillions of dollars. So it’s no surprise that Marvel is cashing in with a slew of licensed…
Colin Chillag’s paintings at Modified Arts make you feel like you’ve seen them before, in an earlier life. The one of a grandmotherly woman holding a baby is eerily familiar, as is the one of the middle-aged couple standing in front of an elaborately decorated cake. We’ve all lived these…
Some superstars of photography come together in a fascinating exhibition of photographs at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. “Private Pictures: Photography From Arizona Collections” features work by classic shooters like Edward Steichen, Paul Strand, Cindy Sherman, Henri Cartier Bresson and Tina Modetti. It’s a greatest-hits show, the art world…
I’ve had it up to here with work, so I’ve decided to phone in my column from the thriving Mexican city in which I’m vacationing. I’m seated on a long, brown and green picnic table with clusters of Hispanic families and couples, all speaking so fast in Spanish that about…
THU 20What a glorious racket the Yamato: Drummers of Japan make — glorious, that is, unless you happen to be the poor schlep who lives above them in Japan’s notoriously cozy residential quarters. The 12-piece percussion ensemble makes joyful noise reminiscent of Stomp, only with hands instead of feet. Founded…
1. Dangerdoom, The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph) 2. Story of the Year, In the Wake of Determination (Maverick) 3. O.A.R. , Stories of a Stranger (Lava) 4. Explosions in the Sky, How Strange, Innocence (Temporary Residence) 5. Atmosphere, You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having (Rhymesayers) 6. Jimmy…
Thursday 20 Acme Roadhouse: College Night with DJ J. Alan (Top 40) Ain’t Nobody’s Bizness: DJ Suzy (hip-hop, dance) Anderson’s Fifth Estate: Area 51 with AKA (gothic, industrial) AZ 88: DJ P-Body (jazz fusion, funk) Dos Gringos — Scottsdale: Block Party with DJ Sterling (all genres) e4: “Eve” Ladies’ Night…
Born out of the blues revival of the early ’60s, John Hammond Jr. has defied stereotypes from Day One. You know, like when he said he wanted to play the blues and someone sharply replied, “Boy, you white.” Then came Day Two, when someone else said, “Boy, you from the…
Please welcome tonight’s three contestants for accolades, riches and fame. From Los Gatos, CA, we have Dredg, whose meandering, oceanic compositions hint of ballad-oriented modern rock. The guitars swirl while singer/guitarist Gavin Hayes croons and swoons over the top like Matchbox Twenty covering Oasis. The band’s third release for Interscope,…
Poor man’s Shins no more, California’s Rogue Wave moves past the dwarfish indie rock that defined its debut into grand, 70mm glory on its second record. You can tell right away, when the giant chorus blows up big in the center of “Bird on a Wire”, with elephant-size drums stomping…
The evolution of Breakestra has been an auspicious journey of funk and feeling. Bandleader Miles Tackett has reserved his place in the Los Angeles mind as leader of the weekly Rootdown party, a hangout for conscious and breakthrough hip-hop/soul/funk mavens. His band started by playing covers of soul classics, eventually…
You feel the chill in the air, that ooky tingle at the base of your spine, the growing sense of dread in the pit of your stomach. You know it’s coming, and your ass had better be prepared. We’re not talking about yet another numbskull Adam Sandler flick, pal. Nope,…
Mold School Truth, moral values and justice: I’m appalled at the Gilbert Public School District’s denials and inaction regarding black mold at Mesquite Junior High School (“Mold Attacks!” Robert Nelson, October 13). The district should model truth and moral values, not dishonesty and evasion. Hopefully, a good lawyer will be…
There’s a whiff of brimstone in the air, or is it that I forgot to bathe? Sniff. No, it’s definitely brimstone. The fires of hell lap around me, and there are a number of hot devil chicklettes naughtily flashing their pointed tails as I await the arrival of the Jettster,…
The Adventures of Superman: The Complete First Season (Warner Bros.) American Movie Musicals Collection (Columbia/Tristar) Batman Begins (Warner Bros.) Bruce Lee: Ultimate Collection (Fox) The Care Bears: Big Wish Movie (Lions Gate) The Coen Brothers Collection (Universal) CSI New York: The Complete First Season (Paramount) Dark Shadows: The Complete Revival…
10/20-11/6Broken pipelines, rolling blackouts and real estate fraud — ah, life in corrupt paradise. GUV TV, the long-awaited sequel to GUV: The Musical, picks up where the original cult classic left off, making light of our most notorious politicos, as well as polygamous cults in Colorado City and the recent…
10/22-10/23Critics of dodgeball consider the game a “dangerous sport,” but it’s really only as sadistic as the person chucking the ball at you. The main thing to remember is: A big rubber ball full of air is flying at your torso. So move. We know from experience that a rock-hard…
SAT 10/22Their résumés boast credits from Seinfeld to The Simpsons, but Everybody Loves Raymond executive producer Phil Rosenthal and the sitcom’s writers found the richest material in the minutiae of domestic life. While the show, starring Ray Romano (pictured at right), may be gone to that great rerun channel in…
FRI 10/21Unlike those works of art that can’t even be breathed on without a whack on the hand by a beefy security guard, J. DeSanti’s creations are meant to be used. They’re pretty nice to look at, too. His funky, functional pieces — which he crafts out of shattered glass,…
Halloween, schmalloween. All of the Valley’s ghoulies, ghosties, long-legged beasties, and things that go bump in the night are booked up solid thanks to the First Annual International Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival, which plays host to an astounding galaxy of genre superstars — especially for its first go-round. Tobe…
Perhaps the only thing more unusual than producing a program about 9-year-olds with nothing to live for is having actual fourth graders show up to audition for parts in the show. “I was floored,” says Ron May, who’s directing The Fourth Graders Present an Unnamed Love-Suicide for Stray Cat Theatre…
It’s always hard to pan an earnest film, especially one by a first-time director. And The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, a plucky striver if there ever was one, can’t find a single cynical note on the scale. Essentially a hagiography in praise of Evelyn Ryan (Julianne Moore), a woman…
