There are four good things we can say about I, Frankenstein, another muscles-and-rubble comic book adaptation just un-terrible enough not to alienate its core audience, yet never consistently grand or surprising enough to win over anyone else. First, Aaron Eckhart brings it, scowling like a champ beneath his jigsawed scar…
The term “Mayan” conjures notions of end-of-days predictions. Yet the pre-classic civilization is better known for intricate art, architecture, and a far-reaching influence beyond the modern Maya peoples into greater social society. “Growing Up Maya: Prehispanic Head Shaping Practices, Social Meanings and Ethnicity” explores this, as one of a series…
On Thursday, January 23, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is hosting a Steampunk Ball. If you happen to be a steampunk fan, then you’re probably quite well aware of this and may kindly excuse yourself from the following description, which you’re likely to scoff disapprovingly at anyway.For you remaining…
The Nitro Circus is just like any other circus you’ve been to, with a few minor differences. Like, instead of three rings inside a giant tent, the Nitro Circus features a dozen steep ramps inside a packed stadium. And, instead of four or five leotarded carnies doing a few flips…
Attending a workshop at Arcosanti is usually as much about the setting as the course itself, but the two typically intersect in determined fashion. Arcosanti is the-still developing vision of late architect Paolo Soleri, whose belief in Arcology — the blending of architecture and ecology — created a compact society…
Monster truck rallies are wholly predictable; which is exactly what we love about them. You don’t know what you’ll get out of a baseball game or a movie, but you know a Monster truck rally is going to deliver basically the same product: a bunch of massive trucks launching themselves…
Recreation is getting a lot more creative, from warrior dashes to mud runs and bubble courses to neon dances. And this January you can add some much needed motivation to your New Year’s resolution with The Color Run AZ. Also known as “The Happiest 5K on the Planet,” this 3.1-mile…
The cool weather is nice, but Valley heatseekers might be getting antsy. If you can’t wait for the summer and you want to provide the flames, The Circus Farm’s Dragon Training is for anyone who wants a belly full of fire on Saturday, January 25.Crystal Cruz, better known to fans…
Local artist Paul Wilson is known for a tongue-in-cheek approach to the monotonous and bizarre. Reality meets the far-fetched with “I Am Not Myself,” an exhibition about JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswald. The artwork places Oswald in a greater historical context, depicting his imagined presence at the Titanic and Hindenburg…
For the seventh year, Breaking Ground will bring contemporary dance, film, and art to the Valley from an impressive roster of national and international artists. Organized by Carley Conder, artistic director of CONDER/dance, the two-night event includes 17 works selected from nearly 100 applications.”The overriding criteria for Breaking Ground was…
The Walking Dead is essentially the hottest television show on the planet. As the fourth season of AMC’s ongoing horror serial prepares to commence in a couple of weeks, the Amazing Arizona Comic Convention becomes ground zero for all things zombie, comics, and pop culture starting Friday, January 24.If you’ve…
Since their acting debut in older brother Kennan Wayan’s I’m Gonna Get You Sucka, and early days on the Emmy-award winning show, In Living Color, to their self-cast sitcom The Wayans Brothers and box office-hit franchise, Scary Movie, the Shawn and Marlon Wayans have made a serious career out of…
It’s obvious Mimi isn’t feeling well in Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, because she wears a shawl in the promotional photo. The opera that inspired Rent, itself based on a French magazine serial that later became a play, features sublime music (Puccini’s famous even among philistines for Madama Butterfly’s soaring, weepy…
It’s time for food with some serious street cred. Presented by New Times, the Third Annual Street Eats Festival returns with a whole new lineup of 50-plus old and new food truck favorites, including everything from The Main Lobster Lady to The Great Pho King. In addition, this culinary festival…
Last August, Governor Jan Brewer did something big. Something that we totally supported and thought was nothing short of great. No, really. She named writer Alberto Álvaro Ríos Arizona’s first-ever Poet Laureate. The official purpose of the Arizona State University Regents’ Professor and award-winning poet and memoirist’s new gig is…
Since it was founded in 1980, Brooklyn-based Mark Morris Dance has become one of the most well-known dance companies in not only dance circles, but also by mainstream audiences. Choreographer Mark Morris is celebrated primarily for his one-of-a-kind musicality and has worked with artists and companies including the San Francisco…
It’s hard to imagine that home-field advantage could possibly be a thing in golf, but Phil Mickelson’s performances at the Waste Management Phoenix Open certainly make the case for its existence. The former ASU Sun Devil has won the tournament three times — including a dominant wire-to-wire win in last…
In Arizona we get to enjoy a little fun in the sun while much of the country freezes. Having lunch outside on the lawn at a free concert is a bonus, and entirely do-able at the weekly Sunday A’Fair shows at the Scottsdale Civic Center Park. Entering their 27th season,…
The Sundance InstituteEvery Sundance there’s a crowd-pleaser, and most years it’s got one degree of separation from the Little Miss Sunshine crew. But the most delightful flick of the 2014 fest is an unconventional documentary with no plot, no dialogue, and nothing but party. Living Stars, a fleet 63-minute film…
Jesika Novoa always has had an eye for beauty. In fact, it’s been her driving force toward happiness. Once upon a time, the 31-year-old was working for an insurance company doing accounting work and making really good money. “I was able to afford anything I wanted, but I was really…
Good news, all you analog photographers. Art Intersection currently is accepting submissions for its annual juried exhibition, “Light Sensitive.” Selecting a maximum of three artists, this exhibition will showcase only prints created through traditional darkroom practices…
“Let’s play VWs,” Randy Slack says. It’s a phrase the Phoenix artist and his fellow local Volkswagen lovers use when they want to meet up at Kevin Stramandinoli’s Phoenix auto shop, Crown Restoration. The shop’s a clubhouse of sorts, where Slack geeks out over obscure parts and hard-to-find models. He’s…
