7 Free Things to Do This Week in Metro Phoenix

Halloween can be an expensive holiday. The cost of costumes, candy, cocktails, and Uber rides home can be scarier than any horror movie you’ve seen. Give your bank account a rest, and check out these seven free events to help you recover from Halloweek 2015. Indoor Ping Pong Tournament  You’ve…

5 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Week

Spillers Storytelling events have been all the rage the last few years. Unlike many of these happenings that feature writers presenting pieces based on their own real-life experiences, the quarterly event, Spillers: Short Fiction and Tall Drinks features six wordsmiths performing edgy, 10-minute, short fiction stories for the crowd. If…

5 Things to Do Outdoors in Metro Phoenix This November

The leaves are changing, the winds are blowing a little cooler, and the smell of pumpkin and cinnamon is in the air. With that in mind, here are five great outdoor activities to celebrate the return of fall. Questival Scavenger Hunt Looking to experience a taste of adventure, Amazing Race…

10 Nerdy Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This November

It’s a great time to be a nerd. We know people say that a lot, but consider it: Scientists are making incredible strides in space exploration, a new Star Wars trailer made everyone collectively lose it, and we live in a world where a human being can make a living…

The Problem With Dating a Human Yawn

Entirely too many comedians do jokes about only dating “crazy” people. You know, lines like “If I like you, it’s not a compliment. It’s a diagnosis.” No matter how many times I’ve seen it done, it’s always been a sentiment I can relate to. As many people could tell you,…

City of Scottsdale Cancels Thursday Artisan Markets After November 12

Those who’ve grown accustomed to visiting Artisan Markets on the Scottsdale Waterfront on Thursday nights will have to change their Thursday night plans after November 12, which is the last Thursday night Artisan Markets is authorized by the City of Scottsdale to operate there. The City recently responded to an…

7 Best Things to Do in Metro Phoenix This Weekend

Phoenix Ghost Tours Opening as part of the nationwide Orpheum Circuit of theaters in 1929, Phoenix’s Orpheum saw its fair share of vaudeville performers and touring Broadway productions pass through. It seems inevitable that in its storied history that eerie creaking, bumps in the night, and other imprints of the…

Sandra Bullock Embraces the Political Dark Side in Our Brand Is Crisis

David Gordon Green’s Our Brand Is Crisis is a horror film wrapped in fast-talking political comedy. Watching Sandra Bullock, as ruthless campaign manager Jane, flog her uncharismatic candidate for Bolivia’s next president, I snickered at her knowing quips. Asked by an offscreen TV interviewer (the film’s awkward framing device) to…

Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin Is a Film of Rare Beauty

Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin is the Taiwanese director’s first foray into the martial arts genre. It may also be his most resplendent film yet: Watching it is like floating along on a sumptuous gold-and-lacquer cloud. Hou favorite Shu Qi (who also starred in Millennium Mambo and Three Times) plays Nie…

Restaurant Drama Burnt Is Dead on the Plate

Before Anthony Bourdain published Kitchen Confidential, in 2000, mere mortals who simply eat in restaurants had little idea about the drinking, debauchery, and drug use rampant among the folks responsible for getting their fettuccine alfredo to the table. The book was eye-opening if true, and a rambunctious, vicarious pleasure even…

FOUND:RE Hotel Coming to Downtown Phoenix in 2016

For years now, developers have been working toward transforming the former Lexington Hotel in central Phoenix into a boutique art hotel. Finally, the project has a name and a semi-firm timeline.  On October 26, Habitat Metro and Bond Partners announced that renovations will be completed in spring 2016 and the new…

5 Must-See Movies at the Scottsdale International Film Festival

We’d encourage you to see as many of the movies at this year’s Scottsdale International Film Festival as you possibly can. Once again, festival director Amy Ettinger has put together a fantastic lineup of intriguing documentaries and narrative films that will challenge, inspire and entertain you. If you have to…