John Huston’s noir masterpiece, starring Humphrey Bogart as anti-hero PI Sam Spade, screens in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts’ “Big Read” salute to Dashiell Hammett’s novel about “the stuff that dreams are made of.” Admission is free, but tickets are required. They’re available at any Phoenix or…
Artist/performance artist Jo Novelli speaks about how contemporary artists “use their bodies as the message and the means of their art.” Wed., Sept. 17, 6:30 p.m., 2008…
The Ask a Mexican columnist returns to discuss his new book, Orange County: A Personal History, which tracks the Arellano family’s journey to Southern California and deconstructs the myths surrounding that so-called paradise, the O.C. Wed., Sept. 17, 7 p.m., 2008…
Sam Bassett’s documentary casts light on the strange life of New York artist/infamous recluse Bettina Grossman, and the symbiotic relationship that developed between the two during the making of the flick. Tue., Sept. 16, 7 p.m., 2008…
By Benjamin Leatherman Perehelion Arts’ new home at the Artisan Villages complex. Here’s a news tidbit just in time for tonight’s monthly First Friday event: Perehelion Arts has left its long-time home on Grand Avenue and relocated two miles east to Roosevelt Row in the Evans-Churchill neighborhood. The renowned downtown…
Arty Girl, Phoenix Art Museum, Jumpsuit
At first glance, Allison Manch’s work looks quaint, maybe a little fussy. Her delicate, hand-embroidered handkerchiefs recall a prettier era, before someone thought to invent Kleenex; back when no gentleman or lady left home without a clean, pressed hanky tucked into pocket or purse. But a closer look at Manch’s…
Another summer movie season comes to an end, not with a bang but a whimper — what else to call four new releases (Babylon A.D., Bangkok Dangerous, College, and Disaster Movie) in the past 10 days that weren’t screened for critics by their respective distributors? These are, literally and figuratively,…
When asked what new titles are worth buying right now, employees of big chain video game stores can barely muster a sales pitch. “You like sports games? There’s another Madden out. And Mercenaries 2 just launched. It’s a . . . first-person shooter. I hear Too Human is kinda good…
Biltmore Fashion Park used to be so full of itself. Once, about 10 years ago, I went there to buy a wedding band, and no one would wait on me. I visited each of the mall’s jewelry shops, as well as the jewelry counters in two department stores, and none…
You might’ve seen DJ Dino (a.k.a. Denard Webb) rocking the decks with dirty electro tracks last weekend at the Lovestruck party in downtown Phoenix. Or perhaps when he was doing the same back in July at the Dark Knight, or at any of the dozens of other local raves this…
After pulling out of Fashion Square back in 2001 following a lease dispute with the mall’s landlord, Westcor, the world-class toy shop returns as a 1,000-square-foot “store-within-a-store” at Macy’s. Fri., Sept. 5, 2008…
ASU prof and one of the smartest guys in town discusses his new book African American Icons of Sport: Triumph, Courage and Excellence, which offers “an examination of African Americans in sports from a variety of perspectives and through a lively range of rhetoric styles.” Tue., Sept. 9, 7 p.m.,…
What did you say? You’ve been losing sleep because every time you turn back the bedsheets, there isn’t a scorpion waiting there to say hi and you really want to get up close and personal with one? Well, if you’re one of these types of folks, then check out the…
Think Jesse Ventura and your mental image may very well be the emotionally traumatic sight of his jiggling crotch bulge, clad in purple iridescent fabric. Still, though ’80s wrestling spandex may have propelled the man’s career, he’s due some credit for his stints as a Navy SEAL and the former…
Worthwhile road trips feature unique sights and sounds, from tourist-drawing dinosaurs to roadside diners stuck in the past. It’s rare that the road-trippers bring the sights and sounds with them. San Francisco-based performance-art troupe Double Vision trucks its combination of choreographed and improvised dance, video projections and animation, and live…
Mad Juana’s MySpace page boasts, “Imagine Django Reinhardt and Patti Smith fronting the Velvet Underground in a Bourbon Street dive, and the exotic soulfulness and inflamed passion rises like a possessed voodoo spirit.” Yeah, well, that’s kind of true, but let’s break it down a bit more simply: The band’s…
Ah, Carnaval, the debaucherous Brazilian street party riddled with sparkles, feathers, and grabby hands galore. It’s usually reserved for spring, right before all the Jesus lovers in the world restrict their normal states of debauchery and perversion for Lent. Somehow, they believe that a measly 40 days of self-control redeems…
Just because you wrote a few songs doesn’t mean you’re qualified to author an entire book. (How would you like to read Donny Osmond’s memoirs?) Fortunately, former Phoenician Art Edwards — co-founder, co-songwriter, and bass player of The Refreshments — has more than the necessary credentials (i.e., an MFA in…
Many equate the ancient-Indian mandala with life itself, so it’s an interesting analogy that artist Jason Ripper’s working in his new “Mandala” exhibit at Step Gallery. Ripper’s metaphorical floor construct is crafted out of colored duct and gaffing tapes, and life held together by industrial adhesives is a pretty good…
While Hurricane Katrina was wreaking havoc in New Orleans on August 29, 2005, President Bush was in Phoenix, posing for a photo-op, cake in hand, with birthday boy Senator John McCain. That lack of priority was only the beginning of the government’s failure. For filmmakers Ed Pincus and Lucia Small,…
Rob Gardner’s musical profiles the infamous pirate Edward Teach. This production represents the world premiere following last year’s successful workshop at the Herberger. Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays and 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays. Thursdays-Saturdays. Starts: Sept. 5. Continues through Sept. 27, 2008…
