R.W. Goodwin (The X-Files) made this loving ode to 1950s Red Scare sci-fi, featuring a deadly alien named the Ghota. The flick stars Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Dan Lauria, and Robert Patrick. Sat., April 4, 10:10 p.m.; Sun., April 5, 5:15 p.m., 2009…
Michael Peterson portrays the loony-bin title character of Charlie Bronson in director Nicolas Winding Refn’s “based on true events” drama about a small-time British thug who got seven years in jail for attempted robbery, but has been in prison for 34 based on his incorrigibly violent behavior. Sat., April 4,…
Paul Osborne’s documentary offers a bald look at the politics of the indie-film-fest world (including Phoenix and Sundance). It features appearances by Kevin Smith (pictured), Lloyd Kaufman, Chris Gore, Bryan Singer, Jenna Fischer, and Andy Dick. Sat., April 4, 7 p.m.; Sun., April 5, 4:35 p.m., 2009…
The 2001 “post-modern Meatballs” from David Wain is an over-the-edge satire of summer-camp movies starring Paul Rudd, Janeane Garofalo, Elizabeth Banks, David Hyde Pierce, Amy Poehler, Michael Ian Black, and Molly Shannon. Fri., April 3, 10:30 p.m., 2009…
Mondo-creepazoid flick from David Gregory and Dark Sky Films about a bunch of kids run bloodily amuck. Says the director/co-screenwriter of the disturbing, Ireland-set film: “Plague Town goes into far more perverse and disturbing territory than the average horror film. The entire cast and crew [were] not only prepared to…
One-of-a-kind, irrepressible, and/or insufferable, the Valley’s eternally youthful Mormon thrash vocalist/performance artist Ryan Avery rocks the opening night of this year’s PFF. Thu., April 2, 10 p.m., 2009…
Bruce Springsteen is an icon who’s divided music fans like few other artists have. There’s a sizable faction of fans that worshipfully buys every album, attends every concert, and generally believes that “The Boss” can do no wrong. Nothing written here is going to persuade them not to go to…
It’s perfectly normal to admit you enjoy a small dose of the Grateful Dead. One need not be a hippie or a ponytail enthusiast in his 60s to enjoy the Dead, as the popular — and painfully accurate — stereotype dictates. For example, I enjoy putting on American Beauty and…
The late Scottsdale dance palace e4 (which closed last December) has been transformed into the appropriately-named Afterlife. Opening this Friday, it’s designed as a late-night hangout running from midnight until 4 a.m. where people can decompress and sober up on the weekend after club-hopping around Old Town. Much like it’s…
Fall Out Boy have a few ties to Phoenix that you may not be aware of. The band released Live in Phoenix, a DVD it recorded last year at Cricket Pavilion. Kyle, the band’s soundman, is from Phoenix. And the guys used to chill with Valley promoter Will Anderson years…
One of the reasons we love Leonard Cohen is because we don’t know him. That’s not to suggest he’s hiding sinister skeletons in his closet, but his 40-year-plus career has been significant precisely because of its air of eternal mystery. It’s even more amazing given he emerged in the late…
This weekend holds a bevy of entertainment for the Valley. Tempe has its annual Music Fest and Florence will cast some Country Thunder down upon the masses. If neither of those spark your fancy and you want a fun (and cheap) way to enjoy the weekend weather while hearing some…
Dr. Sameer Hinduja, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida Atlantic University, talks cyberbullying. Free appetizers will be served. Mon., April 6, 5:30 p.m., 2009…
The photographer and process historian for the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film speaks about his work in Coor Building Room L1-20 in conjunction with his current exhibit at downtown’s Tilt Gallery, “Artifacts of a Curious Mind.” Sat., April 4, 2 p.m., 2009…
The exhibit features works by 36 artists “unfettered by genre,” including Susan Beiner, Jason Briggs, Rebecca Catterall, Chad Curtis, Jennifer Forsberg, Alex Hibbitt, Jeannie Hulen, Hoon Lee, Michael Jones McKean, Anders Ruhwald, Joanie Turbek, and Julie York. (McKean’s The Rivers Shallow is pictured.) Wed., April 8; Thu., April 9; Fri.,…
Dustinn Craig and Sarah Colt, writers/directors/producers of the upcoming PBS documentary series, will provide an outdoor sneak peek at the film and discuss it afterward. Geronimo airs May 4. Fri., April 3, 7 p.m., 2009…
The cycling event features 26- and 74-mile rides into the Salt River Recreation Area and the Tonto National Forest. Proceeds benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Sat., April 4, 6:30 a.m., 2009…
Numerous local artists contributed work in support of the New School’s “nurturing academic environment,” including Yuko Yabuki, Dayvid LeMmon, JJ Horner, Randal Wilson, Lalo Cota, The Mac, Luster Kaboom, Amy Austin, and Colton Brock. Matt Dickson curated. (A work by The Mac is pictured.) April 6-30, 2009…
The founders of New York performances spaces PS 122 and Dixon Place, respectively, speak about “Leveraging Venue to Create Opportunities for Artists.” Wed., April 8, 1 p.m., 2009…
Aside from a plane ticket, some music gear, or a night out with some no-good hookers (kidding about that last one), we can’t think of one good darn reason to fork over $125 for anything. Until now. You see, the one and only Stephen J. Hawking will speak at Gammage…
It’s 1902 and we’re Dutch. We’re riding our only form of transportation – a bicycle – after a 10-hour workday on the farm. Traveling along the Holland countryside, nobody marvels that we’re pedaling a fixed-gear machine that sports badass grip tape. Now, it’s 2009 and we’re in downtown Phoenix. We…
If Pete Doherty starred in the next three James Bond movies, he’d be the perfect incarnation of Italian garage-rock sextet Movie Star Junkies. Now, don’t get all ethnocentric, because these aren’t the Italians who groped your girlfriend at a club during her summer abroad. Rather, the Junkies – with their…
