As a native SoCal girl with roots still sunk deep into Southern California and its crazed cultural scene, I was really looking forward to seeing “southwestNET: PHX/LA” at Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Touted as a fresh look at urban life in Phoenix and Los Angeles, it was to feature…
Angel Cabrales lives and works in alternate realities. While driving through Cabrales’ neighborhood in east Mesa, you find that the cliché of suburban mass production — identical two-story floor plans inhabited by 2.something kids, canines and/or cats — ends at Cabrales’ property. Save for the unkempt lawn that hasn’t been…
It takes some brass huevos to crack on Rosa Parks. But if your name is Cedric Kyles (better known as Cedric “The Entertainer”), it’s all in a day’s work. Cedric’s lively, physical standup comedy first took mainstream audiences by storm in Spike Lee’s 2000 docu-film The Original Kings of Comedy…
Fri 5/14 As long as there are summer Olympics, there will never be a summer Olympics in Phoenix. But while the Games continue to elude the Valley, Olympic gold medalist pole vaulter Nick Hysong makes Arizona the center of his sport’s pre-Athens universe at 5 p.m. Friday, May 14, when…
Thu 5/13 Contrary to public opinion, at least one Valley charter school isn’t its students’ last-ditch effort to make a go of this whole education thing. In fact, at Metropolitan Arts Institute, the kids are literally dancing in the halls. “I didn’t come [to Metro] to get away from public…
She’ll let you chew gum in class, but if she catches you saying “fuck,” reading teacher Elizabeth Anne Moore might very well drag your ass into court. The Trevor Browne High School instructor made national news last month when she filed harassment charges against one of her surliest students, and…
What Boogie Nights did for porn stars, What Alice Found does for truck-stop hookers. That is to say, the film takes a sleazy profession, sexes it up for the cameras, and depicts those involved in the field as a weird sort of family with truer ties than some of the…
In the mood to launch a thousand ships? Fine, but it’s gonna cost you. Feel like sacking the Temple of Apollo? Okay, but bring drachmas. Depending on who’s counting, Warner Bros.’ pre-summer blockbuster Troy budgeted out at anywhere between $175 million and $250 million, including the big wooden horse, assorted…
If even one of the major networks had a successful sitcom in the vein of Friends but with an all-black cast, movies like Breakin’ All the Rules would have no reason for existence. Part of an ever-expanding subgenre that includes The Brothers, Two Can Play That Game and Deliver Us…
One man’s trash is another man’s self-published magazine, Simon & Schuster book deal, 126-city tour and guest spot on Letterman. Davy Rothbart has taken the pick of the nation’s litter — collected from parking lots, buses, waiting rooms and recycling bins — and assembled it into the phenomenon of the…
5/13-6/25 Being the hard-core culture warriors we are, we’ve considered joining the annual pilgrimage of peculiars to Burning Man in Nevada. But roasting in 127 degrees at the late-August mecca of eccentricity is daunting. We’re down with the bohemian spirit, but not a killer case of heatstroke. We’re more than…
5/13-5/25 It’s hard enough to discover one’s personal identity, much less develop one that represents an entire culture. In the eighth annual “Arte Latino en la Ciudad” exhibition, on display at the Phoenix Center Gallery, 214 East Moreland, eight artists tackle their issues individually and end up coming together in…
In Israeli writer-director Nir Bergman’s Broken Wings, we never see an automatic weapon, a military roadblock or a horrific explosion on a city street. Rather than dealing with the volatile politics of the Middle East, this quiet, soul-wrenching film examines the unresolved traumas of one middle-class family trying to cope…
Thursday, May 6 Catch a commando performance of Steve Martin’s naughty new play. A young housewife endures a brief encounter with notoriety in The Underpants, Martin’s spin on Carl Sternheim’s 1911 comedy. Thanks to an elastic breakdown, Louise’s panties plummet to her ankles during a parade for the Kaiser. The…
All season long, Actors Theatre has been threatening us with its production of Tapestry: A Musical Revue Based on the Music of Carole King. Earlier this month, this usually clever troupe delivered on that threat. The good news is that the horror will end shortly — Tapestry closes on Sunday…
Mixing the down-under period charm of The Dish with preteen sweetness and some lightly rendered but significant social issues, Her Majesty provides an enjoyable family viewing experience. The period here is 1953, the setting is provincial (and currently very trendy) New Zealand, and the global significance is not quite that…
If you know Donato Giancola, you might find your likeness in the unlikeliest of places — immortalized on bookshelves or idolized by millions of geeks the world over. The renowned sci-fi and fantasy artist, a guest of honor at this weekend’s LepreCon 30, taps both friends and family members as…
Mon 5/10 In the grand tradition of twosomes taming the open road (Thelma and Louise, Bill and Ted, Kermit and Fozzie), Rosella North and Eva Duvall are bound for the big screen. In 1941, the friends hopped a Harley and rode from Detroit to Venezuela, a ballsy move even by…
Sat 5/8 There is a place for those who yearn for blue-collar intellectualism, pale-skinned nymphs, and the melancholic moodiness of Morrissey. And it isn’t 6,000 miles across the Atlantic, thanks to “Trash!”, a new monthly event at The Clubhouse, 1320 East Broadway in Tempe. To kick off its homage to…
Ugly, boring guys with no prospects, take heart: John Adams’ A Foreign Affair can help you bag a gorgeous Russian bride faster than you can say “Imperialist Murmansk.” For a sneak peek at what this Phoenix-based betrothal business can do for you, check out A Foreign Affair, David Arquette’s new…
There was a time, not so long ago, when “edgy” theater produced by young thespians in tiny black boxes was a hit-or-miss proposition, often involving tunics and more than a little angry posturing. Today, local companies keen on selling oddball stories are riding high, and Stray Cat Theatre is ahead…
