So, you wish to know if Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is as good as the first Harry Potter movie. Is it as charming, visually gratifying, faithful to filthy rich author J.K. Rowling’s inescapable books? Well, that’d be yep times four, as it’s definitely an enchanting spectacular for…
The repellent Casanova portrayed by Campbell Scott in Roger Dodger has an instinct for looking up skirts and down cleavages, but no capacity for looking in the mirror. Part salesman, part caveman, Madison Avenue copywriter Roger Swanson is, deep in his cynical heart, as loathsome to himself as he is…
Three years on, the besieged phenomenon — the scourge, the antichrist or the Vanilla Ice of the ’00s, pick ’em — has been rendered beloved; when they, slick bizzers in suits and cell phones, speak of “Eminem” and “gross” in the same sentence, they’re talking only receipts, merchandise, profit. The…
There are contrasting elements that co-exist in Japanese culture: the speedy, high-tech world that inspired Blade Runner, and the earthier realm of ancient beliefs and arts. Lately, as a generation of video gamers can attest, we’ve become fascinated with the flash of the ultramodern. But has anyone appreciated time-honored traditions…
For all you purists who are continuously annoyed at the commercialization of the martial arts, this weekend you’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime shot to see purity in action. For those of you who have never experienced martial arts, this weekend you’ll have the opportunity to witness one of the most innovative,…
Avery Wiseman has never eaten anyone. But he’s written about it, in The Next Taboo: Curing Cancer Through Cannibalism. Wiseman’s newest book has been receiving national attention, mostly from people who have mistaken the good doctor’s first novel for nonfiction. Wiseman doesn’t seem all that concerned about the mix-up. The…
One indication of the Valley art scene’s healthy pulse is the proliferation of small, worthwhile shows in unexpected places. Recently, the lower level of the Tempe Public Library has housed several such treats, the most recent of which features works by six artists participating in the city’s Studio Artist Program…
There was a hearse in the parking lot on opening night of Desert Foothills Theater’s Simply Sammy, perhaps waiting to cart off audience members who died of disappointment. The tip-off that this tribute to the late Sammy Davis Jr. was going to be a dog came with the first strains…
With Frida — the story of profoundly passionate and uncompromising Mexican-Jewish painter Frida Kahlo — it’s evident that a few folks in marketing know how to work the demographics (it’ll be extremely PC, possibly mandatory, to gush in adoration of it), but that’s the first and last cynical comment of…
It’s possibly more ironic than Brian De Palma realizes that his latest movie, Femme Fatale, features a down-on-her-luck mother who was “replaced” seven years ago by her less benevolent, reputation-destroying, jewel-stealing doppelgänger (both are played by Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, who was apparently recommended to De Palma by Rollerball director John McTiernan)…
The current TV ad campaign for the sleeper hit My Big Fat Greek Wedding plays cleverly on the film’s cross-cultural appeal by substituting the words Italian, Jewish and Russian for Greek. The implication: A person from any ethnic or religious background will relate to this story’s characters, drama and humor…
Until the Brazilian dance instructors featured on an episode of The Simpsons unveil their promised “la Penetrada,” the tango will remain the world’s sexiest dance. Argentina’s native dance is enjoying a stirring surge in popularity, thanks in large part to Tango Pasión. The spirited musical has been igniting audiences worldwide…
The creative process never ends — that’s the secret behind the success of Cirque du Soleil’s Dralion, a lush, dramatic performance combining traditional aspects of the circus with dance, theater and acrobatics, staged in the Montreal troupe’s signature avant-garde style. Just as a musician improvises on a song’s theme or…
David Hans Schmidt won’t drink with me. The infamous media flack is determined to be a model parolee, so he talks me into leaving Devil’s Martini and joining him at his place, where we sip parole-sanctioned bottled water. Schmidt has been a free man for less than two weeks, and…
My favorite characters in Neil Simon’s Rumors are Charlie and Myra, because they never once take the stage. They are only ever talked about, never seen — a condition that might improve this tired farce if it were to exist in every corner. Phoenix Theatre last week joined the parade…
The Santa Clause, released at the height of Home Improvement’s popularity, played like a Very Special Holiday Episode of that now-defunct television series — what might have happened if an eggnog-saturated Tim Taylor fell asleep with visions of sugarplums in his head and woke up sporting a white beard and…
Now here’s an innovative narrative: Two shticky goofs of different races get stuck with a ridiculous mission and must overcome their mutual antagonism to save the day. Been there? Done that? You bet! Yet somehow, amazingly, the new I-Spy dishes out fresh and funny antics while simultaneously spewing forth the…
If you’re a fan of the baseball-cap-wearin’, Nader-votin’, muckrakin’, best-sellin’, corporation-confrontin’ son of a gun known as Michael Moore, all you need to know about his latest film, Bowling for Columbine, is that it’s more of the same. You know, the mix of easy humor, political pot shots, attempts (some…
If death is the great equalizer, then perhaps no other tradition is as welcoming as Día de los Muertos, Mexico’s Day of the Dead, devoted to the memory of ancestors. After all, says Carmen de Novais, “the only sure thing about life is death.” De Novais is an active member…
Nothing rose-tints Matthew Yenkala’s world more than that quintessential ritual for creatures of the night — an interactive performance of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. As the “self-appointed archivist and historian of all things Rocky in the Valley,” Yenkala is proud to have an instrumental role in reviving local showings…
If you’d like to see some extraordinary art by someone whose name has all but vanished from the art world, go to Vanier Gallery and look into the paintings and drawings of Jochen Seidel. Seidel has been called “the German Jackson Pollock” and “a unique link between German and American…
From the stage of Phoenix College’s John Paul Theatre, the Black Theatre Troupe has scored another triumph. The Trial of One Short-Sighted Black Woman vs. Mammy Louise and Safreeta Mae is a smartly executed, vividly written political satire full of sharp performances. It’s a morality play that’s never preachy; a…
