We leave the movie theater on this week’s Voice Film Club podcast in favor of a longform interview with Village Voice film critic Stephanie Zacharek, who’s been at the New York paper for about a year. Before that she wrote for Salon, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone and the Boston Phoenix,…
“Given what Phoenix is up against in terms of its public image, and people literally believing that it has no history, I think it’s really important that we as Phoenicians reclaim that history and start to shape it into an image that we believe is faithful to where we’ve come…
Gavin Plooster is highly considering going into the field of computer science. It’d be a good fit. The 24-year-old Southern California native’s life is deeply immersed in and influenced by Internet culture, from the way he thinks to the way he fashions his everyday looks…
Phoenix is brimming with creativity. And every other year, we put the spotlight on 100 of the city’s creative forces. Leading up to the release of this year’s Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome to the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives. Up today: 70. Noelle Martinez. Noelle…
Marvel Studios, Fox, and Sony are all delivering to fans more blockbuster movies based on comic books this summer, not to mention the numerous TV shows that are either running or in development. Mainstream audiences love these movies and shows, with Marvel’s films consistently dominating at the box office and…
Make a note next to your drawing board: Phoenix Design Week returns Friday, October 17, through Saturday, October 24. This grassroots gathering of local and out-of-state creatives will feature everything from practical discussion to hands-on training to networking opportunities with fellow industry members…
True Blood, HBO’s supernatural orgy of ridiculousness, ends its seven-season run this summer. It’s a sad day for fans, of course, but we’d like to think that somewhere supporters of Charlaine Harris (who penned The Southern Vampire Mysteries, or The Sookie Stackhouse Novel, which the show’s based on), are feeling…
Phoenix Fashion Week introduced its new class of emerging designers on Friday, June 13, at Toni & Guy Academy in Scottsdale. While there were more Arizona-based designers than ever before, most of the 14 businesses included in this year’s group of up-and-comers looked like they have a long way to…
The entrance to the new Lisa Sette Gallery requires a small descent. It’s exciting approaching the semi-subterranean Al Beadle building on Catalina Drive just west of Third Street. Excuse the rather obvious metaphor, but coming into the space really does feel a bit like discovering a treasure buried just below…
Phoenix is brimming with creativity. And every other year, we put the spotlight on 100 of the city’s creative forces. Leading up to the release of this year’s Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome to the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives. Up today: 71. Devin Fleenor. Devin…
Leading up to and beyond Independence Day, Phoenix is gearing up for Independents’ Week, a community-wide celebration of locally owned businesses in the Valley. Between Sunday, June 29, and Sunday, July 6, Arizona residents are encouraged to shop at locally owned businesses. And thanks to Modified Arts’ upcoming exhibition “Independents’…
Good news, free spirits. There’s plenty of ways to paint the town red while keeping you in the black. From making masks to bending among books to art appreciation, here are out top three picks for free events this week in metro Phoenix…
Phoenix is brimming with creativity. And every other year, we put the spotlight on 100 of the city’s creative forces. Leading up to the release of this year’s Best of Phoenix issue, we’re profiling 100 more. Welcome to the 2014 edition of 100 Creatives. Up today: 72. Michelle Ponce. Wake…
From sporty hangouts to ancient Egypt and suburban art, here’s what you should put on your to-do list this week. USA vs. Ghana Viewing Party The United States Men’s National Team entry into the World Cup was heightened by their draw into what’s been called the “Group of Death.” The…
Time to let your rainbow flag fly. Whether you’re gay, straight, lesbian, or transgender, the Valley has a growing number of places for drag queens to shake it, karaoke lovers to sing it, and soaking wet go-go dancers to, well, show it. Here are our 10 favorite gay bars in…
Looks like Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch aren’t the only mean mugs you’ll be seeing this coming holiday season. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Phoenix-based Internet sensation Grumpy Cat, a.k.a. Tardar Suace, is finally getting her lifetime achievement award: a Lifetime movie…
The Rover, Australian filmmaker David Michôd’s follow-up to the brutish family drama Animal Kingdom, is a post-apocalyptic western from the outback, a stretch of land that already looks like the world’s been blown away. All Michôd needs to convince us of the devastation is a title card pegging the events…
A truly punk act, a shout of freedom, frustration, and exaltation, hits about halfway through Lukas Moodysson’s girl-punk reverie We Are the Best! The three 13-year-old protagonists, high on the idea of the three-chord band they’ve just started, find some damp garbage bags on the street that, they discover, are…
Yes, Obvious Child is a romantic comedy. And, yes, it includes an abortion. But describing it as an “abortion rom-com” sells short what a thoughtful story director Gillian Robespierre has crafted. Jenny Slate portrays 20-something stand-up comedian Donna Stern, who was “dumped up with” and recently lost her job as…
Fresh off her Big Brain award for Urban Vision, Mary Stephens and the Phoenix Youth Hostel and Cultural Center have already put their prize to good use. Using its Big Brain winnings as a foundation, the Garfield Neighborhood hostel last week announced its newest initiative, an artist residency program offering…
In case Comicon didn’t meet your yearly quota of geekery, here are a few events to nerd out over this weekend — from theater and horror fandom to a celebration of Ulysses. No, really. Mad Monster Party Phoenix If meeting Kane Hodder, the man behind the hockey mask as Jason…
“Really, to me, the whole thing is about building a storytelling scene.” These are the words of Dan Hull, architect of the downtown Phoenix storytelling scene. After two seasons of the weekly Yarnball storytelling open mic night at Lawn Gnome Publishing, and one season of the monthly Storyline feature at…
