Boyishly lean, with a brooding angularity that suggests both high maintenance and nefarious vacancy, Robert Pattinson has managed to fill the role of a grade-A male sex symbol without ever evincing anything like carnal energy, to top the Hollywood A list as a representative of the undead. Pattinson’s casting in…
The transformation might be complete: The crap-and-gore, genre-mincing Tasmanian devil of Asian pulp psychosis Takashi Miike we’ve come to know and, well, kinda semi-love since 1999’s Audition seems now to have finished evolving into a tasteful, even resonant art house master. It has only taken him 50 movies or so…
Hit & Run, a new action comedy engineered by faintly Muppety co-director/writer/star Dax Shepard, is as much about running mouths as running motors and injects estrogen into the few remaining enclaves of American testosterone, muscle cars, and FM cock rock. Shepard plays Charlie Bronson, a 35-year-old in Nowheresville whose life,…
“I’ll just tell you straight out, Killer Joe is the most disturbing film I’ve ever made,” William Friedkin says. This is really something, coming from a filmmaker who has spent much of an eclectic career testing audience limits. The Exorcist riled Catholics and had theaters stocking barf bags in 1973;…
Remember how action movies used to be? The good old-fashioned American (but often European-accented) ones from the ’80s and ’90s, the type paid tribute to (but not necessarily re-created) in the Expendables movies? No offense to your Iron Men and your Jason Bournes, but I miss movies like Die Hard,…
One of the most interesting things about Cosmopolis, writer/director David Cronenberg’s extraordinary adaptation of Don DeLillo’s novel by the same name, is that it’s based on the first script Cronenberg has both written and shot since 1999’s eXistenZ. Additionally, Cronenberg’s adaptation of Cosmopolis marks the first time he has adapted…
One day last summer, I found myself standing on a wobbly stool in a tiny, sweltering cottage in a part of midtown Phoenix that had long been the butt of local jokes. I was there to help paint the kitchen of an old, lath-and-plaster bungalow that had been donated to…
David Koepp writes, and now directs, superior B-movies. This is an admirable and tough-to-master skill given how few major movie studios are willing to take chances on films with lower budgets that don’t employ a found-footage gimmick or generally look like they were made on an aglet-less shoestring budget. So…
Everybody loves the Olympics, but it’s hard to imagine a group was more excited about last month’s Games than the Phoenix Mercury. The Merc’s pre-Olympics season was a 4-15 train-wreck marred by injuries and poor shooting. The good news is that the Mercury will get back a newly-healthy star point-guard…
The movie of choice this week for people who hold the beliefs that A) America is the strongest, best-est country that God ever virgin-birthed and B) that that nation somehow just isn’t strong enough to survive eight years of centrist Democratic leadership, Dinesh D’Souza’s 2016: Obama’s America actually does not…
Imagine combining our modern day lives with those of earth-dwellers from 100 million years past. The clash of technology, ego, survival instincts, and pure brute strength would inspire enough fear and exhilaration for us to question our priorities and reason for existence. In addition to the totally normal questions that…
The work of Lisa Frank has had a special place in the backpacks and hearts of schoolgirls over the past few decades. Frank’s neon rainbows, pandas, and puppies brightened up Trapper Keepers, stickers, and pencils, while inspiring utterances of “cute!” That same artwork inspires Lisa Frank Poetry Collective, composed of…
If you hear a drone of grumbling emanating from college campuses across the Valley this week, it’s because woeful students are returning to school following summer break. Who can blame them? Reporting back to school after vacay is about as fun as heading to work after a lost weekend. It’s…
Superhero costuming has come a long way since the days of clothespinning a towel to your back as a cape. The cadre of cosplayers known as the Arizona Avengers don pretty detailed duds, but they’ll be helping comics fans of all ages get back to the basics on Superhero Saturday…
It drives dudes crazy, but we gals love getting ready. Okay, love might be too strong a word. But making sure that LBD fits in all the right places is important. Unfortunately, it can also prove agonizing, so much so that we’d rather leave the house in our undies. When…
Nowhere is androgyny more embraced than in the world of fashion. Models like Agyness Deyn and Freja Beha and their boyish, lanky bodies and strong brows have gained notoriety as the faces of Armani and Chanel, respectively. While the models walking at Modéle Ruse haven’t starred in any similarly massive…
The people of Citizens Espresso Bar and Parsons Abstracts, Photos, & Prints know there’s only one way to experience a great art show: when you’re highly caffeinated. On Saturday, August 25, Citizen will be the spot for Parsons Abstracts Party, a showcase of new work from the local commercial art…
Comedian Loni Love believes you should ignore the people who tell you that you can’t make it. She thinks you should change your negative to a positive. By her logic, you’re not fat. You’re full! You’re not ugly; you have a unique look! You’re not dumb; you think differently! You’re…
Sitar awareness isn’t typically regarded as a major barometer for cultural sensibility — though our general lack of knowledge about such a historically rich instrument (and subsequent genre of music) might be indicative of westerners’ startling disregard for other cultures. Now that you’ve been sufficiently patronized and are no doubt…
The Olympics are plenty over. But, since our favorite sport — drinking — was overlooked, we’re not too disappointed. Maybe next time they’ll make things more interesting with beer pong, flipcup, or bottle flipping.Until that day comes, we’ll happily rely on our local mixologists for a drinking competition fix. On…
We spend plenty of time in our houses during the summer. A house can be a cool refuge, a sentimental space, or a place for some creative inspiration during vacation. A house is often more than just the walls and a roof, and, this summer, artists including Suzanne Klotz, Dana…
Ways to enjoy music keep evolving, allowing us to niche-ify our listening without all that laborious groove-counting, stylus-dropping, and mixtape-making. It makes sense, then, that the musical revue, which begat the “jukebox musical,” has enabled the playlist musical. Now, instead of asking Pandora or your iPod for some sweet soul…
