The surprise in Grudge Match, the not-quite-a-comedy that pits Rocky Balboa against Raging Bull, isn’t that it has the chutzpah to posit a universe in which Sylvester Stallone and Robert DeNiro have, since the early ’80s, been equally matched rivals. The surprise is in how easily audiences will buy it…
In the 20 years since Reality Bites, his directorial debut, Ben Stiller has metastasized from sketch comedy lunatic to Generation X darling to blockbuster king. Among the funny men, most of whom have calcified into cliques (yawn, Anchorman 2), he’s the last of the triple-threat writer-director-stars, and the only one…
Just because you’re feeling cash-strapped from buying a pile of presents doesn’t mean you have to become a social pariah until after the New Year. We’ve been on the hunt for drinking deals and found one that’s actually pretty sweet. On Thursday nights from 8 p.m. to close at The…
Ten years ago, Madonna kissed Britney Spears at the VMAs. Finding Nemo and The Lord of the Rings were the most popular movies of the year — if you don’t count Paris Hilton’s sex tape, One Night in Paris, which had just hit the stands. But the most memorable event…
Nowadays, we kind of accept that rap stars might pop up on the silver screen. For better or for worse, Drake and Nicki Minaj are fair game for stunt casting. When legendary group Run DMC made the 1988 flick Tougher Than Leather, which screens Friday, December 27, that wasn’t the…
The kadomatsu, or gate pine, is an arrangement of pine, bamboo, and plum blossom. It’s a traditional decoration for Japanese New Year celebrations that, when placed on either side of a house’s front entrance, wards off evil.The pine in the arrangement represents strength, longevity, and youthful optimism, while the bamboo…
The big game between the Central Florida Knights and the Bears of Baylor University may not be until the New Year, but the celebrations start early — and not just for football lovers.The 16th Annual Fiesta Bowl Art Walk helps usher in the party with “Art Walk the Line,” a…
The lull between Christmas and the New Year is a precarious time where mopeyness can creep in. Don’t let your guard down. Instead, put your nervous system into the capable and hilarious hands of sketch comedians Bully Mammoth on Saturday, December 29.Over the years, the Bully Mammoth crew (Christian Atkins,…
Al Madrigal is no stranger to Arizona, what with his coverage of Tucson’s Mexican-American Studies Ban, SB 1070, and government gridlock. Now The Daily Show’s senior Latino correspondent returns to the Valley with some breaking new comedy. While many know Madrigal from his Comedy Central appearances, including his special Why…
It’s a shame that Apple ditched its big cat-naming scheme for its operating system before the company could unveil OS X Sex Panther. Fortunately, the beer sultans of the San Tan Brewing Company created a brew worthy of the Anchorman-inspired moniker, which will be tapped and available Monday, December 30,…
A little cognitive dissonance can get you to focus more clearly on what’s important. So whether you want to put 2013 behind you or hit 2014 running, an out-of-the-ordinary New Year’s Eve is just the ticket. Therefore, don’t head for an existing bar or a friend’s house. Go to Peoria…
Forget 1999. This December 31, the historic Hotel Valley Ho is inviting locals to party like it’s 1956.The retro resort will be ringing in the new year for roughly a thousand 1,000, DJ performances from DJ DECiPHA and DJ Xcalibur, a complimentary three-hour open bar, hors d’oeuvres, midnight champagne toast,…
Snow days sound pretty awesome, and not just because work and school are closed for the day. It’s a foreign concept to us desert dwellers, but some folks are lucky enough to sleep in and curl up with some hot cocoa if the weather is too nasty. Too bad we…
Their story began after a French street clown, Napoline Zoppe, fell in love with a ballerina — a compelling entertainer in her own right — while wandering around Budapest. The love was forbidden, like all good legends, and so, naturally, they fled to Italy in order to be together. But…
If enjoying the music of ABBA qualifies as a “guilty pleasure,” then a lot of people are guilty as charged. The Swedish pop outfit has sold upwards of 400 million albums and singles to date, and that’s based on a catalogue that was amassed in just 10 short years. “Dancing…
Without big truth-telling scenes, grand, great-lady, Meryl Streep-type actors would be out of work. Hell, Meryl Streep would be out of work. But for now, at least, August: Osage County, John Wells’ film adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit, keeps her out of the bread line. Streep plays…
Google My Son the Waiter: A Jewish Tragedy, and you’re rewarded with an ad for death and mourning support services. This is undoubtedly taken in stride by writer/performer Brad Zimmerman, who’s made comedy gold out of struggle and disappointment. After decades waiting tables in New York, the underemployed actor began…
Growing up, Brandon Ferderer wore a lot of shirts with his own picture on them. The 36-year-old Arizona State University Hugh Downs School of Human Communication instructor would get someone to take a photograph of him, and then he’d put it on a T-shirt. “I did that into my late…
Before you run out to see one of the several movies opening on this Christmas Day 2013, listen to this very special Voice Film Club podcast: Voice film editor Alan Scherstuhl runs point while Voice film critic Stephanie Zacharek and L.A. Weekly film critic Amy Nicholson run down their top…
Ryan Gosling might be newly single, but the chances of you getting the “hey girl” heartthrob in your life are still slim to none. Fortunately there’s a new phone app that offering the next best thing…
Didn’t have time to put up the Christmas lights this year? No bother. Historic Phoenix neighborhood Willo is pulling out all the stops to give you the scenic holiday stroll you’ve been searching for…
‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all across town few bars were stirring with little revelry to be found. Most dance clubs were closed, with nary any twerking. Nor drinking, nor dancing, nor mindless ass-jerking. Except over at Stacy’s, a midtown gay bar, where a Christmas Eve party brings in…
