Part of the renascent body-count action industry, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning and its mere existence might shock many Americans. “There are four Universal Soldier movies?” those shocked Americans would say. They might also be taken aback by the bracing violence that marks the film from stem to stern: the…
I almost never attend Sunday evening theater performances. I did on a recent weekend, when I went to see Arizona Theatre Company’s Lombardi, about the life and football coaching career of NFL hero Vince Lombardi. Sunday night audiences, I can now tell you, are distinctly different from the opening night…
Buckle up, space nerds, the lunar landscape is taking center stage this month at monOrchid gallery, 214 East Roosevelt Street. ASU’s Dr. Mark Robinson is Principal Investigator of the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC), which captures high resolution photos from 50 kilometers above the surface of the Moon. He and…
Whiskey consumption generally isn’t considered healthful, if anything it’s detrimental, but for one brisk night this Movember it may prove beneficial for the health of men all over America. On Friday, November 30, Old Town Scottsdale’s most mustache-friendly haunt, Mabel’s on Main, 7018 East Main Street, will host Whiskey And…
If the barrage of holiday commercials insisting that diamonds are forever and that true love is best expressed with a luxury car festooned with an oversize bow have you down, you might want to spend some quality time with Tyler Durden. The anti-hero portrayed by Brad Pitt is the flipside…
In 2009, friends and artists Matt Brown and Jay B Fail opened the doors of PUSH Gallery at 1145 East Roosevelt with a vision of “pushing” the local arts movement forward with exhibitions and events. For the last four years, the space has hosted a variety of media for themed…
While 70 percent of the country preps for deep freeze, we Arizonans and a million part-time residents (and professional traffic stoppers) are loving everything outdoors. Everything seems more vibrant and energizing when it’s not melting under the sun or stopped cold by sub-degree temps. It makes you want to dance…
If laughter truly is the best medicine, then the people going to see Christian Finnegan perform at Stand Up Live may as well be suffering from life-threatening conditions. Otherwise, all the comedian’s good work will have gone to waste. You see, he’s put a lot of work into being funny…
Known for daring acrobatic feats, strength, and balance, Cirque Du Soleil constantly leaves us in awe as they push the boundaries of human ability. From high dives to quirky circus arts, the Canadian entertainment company has made its name through high-quality, dramatic performances. The troupe hits the Valley on Thursday,…
David Bazan was a pretty cool Christian in 2002. His band, Pedro the Lion (of which Bazan was the sole consistent member) had a string of impressive releases to its name, including 1998’s It’s Hard to Find a Friend and 2000’s Winners Never Quit, plus a couple of singles and…
Over the years, besides looking for baby Jesus, New Carpa Theater Company’s American Pastorela has searched far and wide for intelligent life in Arizona. Makes sense that this year, the troupe’s branching out with Arizona Pastorela: Mission to Mars. Usually, the more-or-less devout Hernandez family of Sonora, Mexico, faces temptations…
Most of us know about Festivus from the Seinfeld episode where the celebration “for the rest of us” is the favored way to celebrate the holidays without the pressures of commercialism or specific religious beliefs. The folks of Get Your PHX and the Phoenix Public Market give the festivities a…
As with department store commercials (especially that “Light the Lights” one — shoot us now), sometimes the promise that you’ve never seen a play before is sufficient. Add the fact that it’s presented by Stray Cat Theatre, one of the Valley’s perennial champions of the new, weird, and sexy, and…
Our inner Scrooge hates this time of year. Radio stations blaring cheesy Christmas tunes, fatsos stuffing their faces with sugary cookies, and that whole “spirit of giving” thing rub us much like that itchy deer-adorned sweater: the wrong way. Though, for fear of ghosts paying us a visit, we’ll indulge…
The Christmas holiday is typically a bi-polar event. On one side we experience the joy of sharing and giving gifts. On the other we combat the stress of making it happen — and the post-consumer remorse that accompanies the mounting stack of credit card receipts. But even the pain of…
You know what? We’re pissed. We’re pissed that Stephenie Meyer and her vampire romantasy drivel have completely altered the perception of the word “twilight.” No longer can we use it to describe that time between daylight and darkness without flashes of Edward, Jacob, and, ugh, Bella. (Note: We don’t hate…
The Wild West has played muse to a number of artists who have fallen for her landscapes, her wildlife, and her people. This year, Phoenix Art Museum continues its tradition of celebrating contemporary Western art with a partnership with the Men’s Arts Council and a public sale of work by…
We miss out on a lot of customary winter activities in Phoenix. Most of these activities (like shoveling your car out of snow or dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder) aren’t worth missing. One of the few that we actually do feel deprived of is the outdoor skating rink, which –…
Tempe has welcomed traveling Portuguese artist Miguel Palma to the ASU Art Museum, 699 South Mill Avenue, to show his work exploring the Southwest’s unique desert landscape. As a part of the Desert Initiative: Desert One regional collaboration, the exhibition, “Trajectory,” investigates Manifest Destiny and the military history of the…
For most folks around this time of year, Sunday afternoons usually involve watching the hard-hitting action of football superstars on the biggest HDTV possible. Those who aren’t NFL fanatics, on the other hand, spend the remainder of their weekend catching up on the exploits of zombie-fighting anti-heroes, heroic serial killers,…
Steve Wiley is Jackalope Ranch’s Parent Hood. He’s a slightly unorthodox father of five who will weigh in weekly with his mildly-rebellious views and observations. Wiley has spent the past 25 years managing and owning Valley record stores, including the past 14 at his beloved Hoodlums Music. If you’d like…
A lineup of 40 local crafters will let their hands rest and machines cool down on Friday night; they’ll be behind their booths, talking shop, and selling their goods during the seventh Crafeteria in downtown Phoenix. The event, hosted by Frances in the Medlock Plaza on Central Avenue and Camelback…
