It was supposed to be make-believe, a disturbing but ultimately uplifting work of science-fiction from a celebrated author of grim futurama and glorious fantasy. The subject matter of Orbiter, a hardback graphic novel about a spaceship that disappears for years and returns sheathed in skin after visits to faraway places…
My father disliked comic books, even smart, deep ones, like Art Spiegelman’s Maus. He just couldn’t get past the words-and-pictures-in-boxes thing. To him, the comic book was a crude, impoverished vehicle, and its content became less significant by virtue of its form. This frustrated me. After all, he liked art,…
It’s been weeks since the last clump of mistletoe was yanked from Gilbert’s doorways, but the town is still ringing with Christmas jeers. That’s because, like a hunk of holiday fruitcake, the memory of Gilbert Mayor Steve Berman’s Christmas card lingers with townsfolk, who are still grumbling about his cheeky…
Anybody who’s cracked open a recent Disney G-rated DVD has probably witnessed the ultimate in sequelmania: On Lilo & Stitch, for instance, the feature was preceded (skippably, thank God) by trailers for The Jungle Book 2, Atlantis 2: Milo’s Return, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure, Inspector Gadget 2, and…
If nothing else, because there’s nothing else to this movie, Shanghai Knights allows Jackie Chan, he of halting dialogue and poetic movement, to pay direct homage to his idols. He hangs from the arms of Big Ben, dangling off the stories-tall clock like Harold Lloyd in 1923’s Safety First; he…
The fanboy suckled at the teat of comic-book writer-artist Frank Miller, circa 1980-81, will be satisfied, for the most part, with this cinematic Daredevil; if nothing else, the thing’s got enough Marvel Comics in-jokes to amuse ’em down at the comics shop for ages, or at least till Hulk smashes…
Just because artist Lesley Dill inserts poetic texts into her work doesn’t mean that viewers can literally read into it. On the contrary, the words prompt us to consider things that are much more profound, and often raise questions more than they provide quick and tidy answers. “She’s not illustrating…
What becomes a tragedy most? Expression, according to director Marshall W. Mason, whose upcoming production of J.B. at ASU’s Herberger College of Fine Arts considers ages-old questions of loss and suffering. “I’m looking at the story in the context of September 11,” Mason says. “The question that came boldly out…
Thursday, February 13 Lovebirds and party animals alike will relish the opportunity to start celebrating V-Day a little bit early at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art’s Valentine’s Eve SMoCA Nights event, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday, February 13. Skyy Vodka SMoCAtinis and screenings of short films presented by…
All games start at 1:05 p.m., unless noted. “(SS)” denotes a split squad. In addition to the means noted, tickets for most games can be purchased online at www.mlb.com. Anaheim Angels, Tempe Diablo Stadium, 2200 W. Alameda, Tempe. Tickets available through www.ticketmaster.com and 480-784-4444.Feb. 28 Seattle March 2 Colorado March…
It’s more than a book sale. The VNSA Book Sale is an annual event a Phoenix tradition that for the past 48 years has drawn collectors from as far away as Manila; one that finds book nuts and savvy dealers lining up for hours at the Arizona State Fairgrounds on…
A staire & Rogers. Hepburn & Tracy. Heck, Ball & Arnaz, Houston & Washington or Vardalos & Corbett. Over the decades, Hollywood has proven that its romantic comedies needn’t suck. But alas, they often do, as is the case with How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Clearly, bigwig…
While virtually no one in this country foresaw the American disaster in Vietnam, the late British writer Graham Greene glimpsed it with astonishing clarity a decade before the first U.S. “adviser” set foot on Vietnamese soil. Greene’s 1955 novel The Quiet American, which has now been made into a disturbing…
In Japan, people never seem to outgrow anime (abbreviated Japanese lingo for animation). From toddlers’ cartoons and action-packed shows for middle-schoolers, to romantic tales for young women and sci-fi series for salary men, there’s an incredible spectrum of genres. But until recently, anime in the U.S. was pegged as kids’…
Rawson Thurber has been so busy the past few days that by the time he finally returns a reporter’s phone call, he does so at 1:30 in the morning and he doesn’t even realize the late, or early, hour till he hears the groggy croak on the other end. He’s…
The heck with Tent City. Sheriff Joe should start sending miscreants to Stagebrush Theatre, where the Scottsdale Community Players have been doling out punishments galore these past several months. The company’s latest catastrophe, a bastardization of Rodgers and Hart’s Babes in Arms, has all the charm of a day spent…
Director Gary Hardwick’s first film, The Brothers, was a refreshing take on the single black man romantic comedy, offering a surprisingly mature perspective full of depth and well-rounded characters without resorting to the time-honored stereotypes of black man as player and black woman as ball-busting bitch. Hardwick wrote the script…
Feeling sheepish? This could be your year. According to the Chinese zodiac, this is the year of the sheep. And it’s coming in like a lion, as Chinese Week 2003, continuing through Sunday, February 9, ushers the Chinese New Year into the Valley. A series of cultural, social and educational…
There’s an unusual and relatively new trend in theater that finds actors performing monologues written by and specifically for other performers. The latest evidence of this trend is Actors Theatre’s production of Gray’s Anatomy, one of Spalding Gray’s better-known monologues now being read by Phoenix actor Jon Gentry at the…
Brittany Evans is not that kind of girl. Sure, she took off every last stitch of clothing for Playboy this month, and she hangs out at Hugh Hefner’s mansion in a bikini and high heels, but she’s really just the girl next door. She collects old books and loves her…
First off, make no mistake: Biker Boyz is not, and has no intentions of being, The Fast and the Furious on two wheels, which will be considered a serious shame by the 12- to 12-year-old demographic who were hoping to chug a little more Diesel fuel until the official sequel’s…
Let’s start with two raves and a beef. Final Destination 2 is a tight, rockin’ popcorn flick packed with nasty kicks. It’s also a rare beast, a second horror-franchise installment that matches and in some ways supersedes the original (unlike such sputterings as Jaws 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street…
