Blacksmithing careers went out of fashion with swordfights to the death and horse-drawn carriages. But four local artists revived the tradition by hammering, piercing, and welding metal into exotic sculptures for the “Urban Metal” exhibit, on display through November 18 in the windows of the U.S. Post Office. The free…
Inception is a chilling trip into the psyche . . . of writer-director Christopher Nolan, an Anglo-American action director who shattered the Tomatometer of mass-consensus with The Dark Knight. Nolan’s follow-up offers more muted colors, gift-wrapped themes, and GQ leading men with stockbroker comb-backs over the frowns carved in their brows — indicators…
Serious comedy, powered by an enthusiastic cast and full of good-natured innuendo, Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right gives adolescent coming-of-age and the battle of the sexes a unique twist. It does this in part by creating a romantic triangle between a longstanding, devoutly bourgeois lesbian couple, Nic and…
Last August, I bought a car with a sun roof. No big deal for most people, but for someone like me, who loathes the sun and hates nothing more than climbing into the toaster oven that every automobile becomes in the summer, it wasn’t my wisest move. (Before you condemn…
Jessica Carroll knows what she likes and she knows where to find it.Her home in central Phoenix is a fusion of objects found at various thrift stores or acquired through other less conventional means. Hare Dryer by W.F. Martin, a surrealist folk piece hangs on her wall, a gift from…
More than his laid back attitude or smoldering green eyes, Tyler Colburn’s known for something very special around Casey Moore’s Oyster House — kickass bloody marys.But when he’s not serving up his famous spicy hangover juice (you can catch him behind the bar on Sundays), he’s at the front entrance…
“So, did you ever think you’d see so much of Mickey Rourke’s bare ass?” “No, I didn’t even look. I was too busy trying to see Lisa Bonet’s boobies.” I’m discussing the sex scene in the 1987 movie Angel Heart with Bootstrap, my girlfriend of more than two years. Obviously,…
Artist Spencer Hibert has done good.Not only does he run Soyal Gallery in Scottsdale with Emmett Potter III, he also won a New Times Big Brain Award for Visual Arts.When we profiled the guy, we talked all about his Miigiis. The small toys, created by Hibert, can be found in…
Ben Turk isn’t trying to turn you in to an anarchist. But if you want someone to discuss it with, he’s okay with that. “The idea is to get people to think about questions they maybe haven’t before,” Turk says, explaining his purpose for his DIY company Insurgent Theater’s latest…
You know those lucky folks that make a living with their passion? Amy Lamp is one of them.Lamp is the full-time design director at Forty, a Chandler-based design and marketing firm. Most everything she does for the small biz is in the visual-design vein, ranging from social-media sites and logos…
Today is a good day. Isaiah Mustafa, aka the Man Your Man Could Smell Like, aka the Old Spice man you wish your man was, is fielding questions and streaming responses this afternoon on Reddit.com.You may have missed the opportunity to chat him up when he was studying history and…
It’s about time Phoenix sees some serious mural love. In the interest of giving credit to their artists and because we’re losing track of the times we’ve said, “Woah, when did that go up?”, we bring you Mural City, a series on the murals springing up around town –…
Somehow the Salt River gets a bad rap. Sure — it may not be as impressive as the raging Colorado. It may not be deeper than six inches in most places (depending on the year’s monsoon season). It may have a reputation for carrying diseases. It may be full of drunk…
Last month, we reported that drug tests capable of detecting “synthetic marijuana” use were being developed and were expected to be available by the end of this year.Well, one laboratory moved faster. Yesterday, California-based Redwood Toxicology Laboratory (RTL) announced it now offers lab-based testing for so-called “fake pot” metabolites (if…
If this was truly Raul Martinez’s first event, we’re so looking forward to more. Martinez, the brains behind the SB 1070 Lowrider Car Show and Voter Registration event that took place over the weekend at El Pajarito, threw a slamming shindig that attracted loads of folks and phat rides…
While Heather Hales cringes when she says it, she’s a card-carrying suburban mom. She even has the minivan and sippy cups to prove it. When she’s not taking care of her three kids, she’s busy embroidering, sewing, teaching and designing.Heather says she doesn’t feel like her day is complete unless…
You might say collaboration is Gangplank’s middle name. Part coworking space, part startup incubator, it’s more of a community than a location. The idea is that working together, even if not on the same projects, leads to more ideas and better end results for everyone. For the second year running, Gangplankers will attempt to…
For summer activities, an inside setting is often necessary. Perhaps it’s the butter-drenched popcorn or the near-arctic temperature, but summertime screams movie time and we have just the right places to cool off and catch a film. And while getting out to see a movie can be costly, especially at…
We can’t get enough of pool parties. (Who can at 115?) And we’re looking for the best ones around town. This past weekend we checked out Chandler Hilton’s “Sip & Dip Pool Party.” Was it the best? Check out the full slideshow and judge for yourself…
If you’re looking for stellar vintage fashions it’s common knowledge around these parts that Blue Jean Buyer in Scottsdale is the jam (click here to read their Best of Phoenix award).Owner Steve Vizzerra has a keen eye for used fashion gems and a vast collection of fine Levi’s products. So,…
Among her many talents, Wendy Ford makes sock monkeys. She’s also into cooking, renovating and operating a screenprinting company, TripCreative, with her husband, Jay Hall. But the monkey thing really stuck. Her DIY passion led her to projects involving old cars and old furniture. It even led her to Home…
Thanks to an “unfortunate incident” involving Harkins Theatres owner Dan Harkins, his dog, his car, and this typical white-hot Valley summer, moviegoers at certain Harkins theaters must now sit through simplistic PETA public-service announcements before films.PETA announced today that following the incident, in which Harkins was cited by Scottsdale police for leaving his dog in his…
