Artsweek Picks for Santa Barbara International Film Festival

  “Jean-Michel Cousteau’s Secret Ocean 3D” Phi Do, staff writer In many ocean documentaries, large creatures like dolphins, sharks and whales often dominate the frame. But thanks to the gro...
read more

SB International Film Festival Promises Big Celebrities and Films

Jennifer Aniston, Steve Carell and Eddie Redmayne walk into Wildcat, sit down and sip on $10 whiskey sours while a crowd of Gauchos dance their faces off to “I don’t give a f*ck,” the latest ram...
read more

“Big Eyes” Review: Amy Adams rules in biographical. Christoph Waltz, not so much. Spoiler Alert!

Tim Burton made a colorful comedy-drama?  Is he well? His newest take to the silver screen is “Big Eyes,” based on the real-life drama surrounding artist Margaret Keane (Amy Adams) and her swindl...
read more

“Foxcatcher” Review: Carell sheds his funny-guy image in somber biographical drama

This critic resolves from now on to never watch any Steve Carell comedies, so that his perception of Carell will always be as an amazing actor, as opposed to a comedian. Although that promise will lik...
read more

“The Hobbit” digs further into the pit of mediocrity

Saying “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies” is “the defining chapter” of the middle of the Middle-Earth saga is like saying “Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace” is the best of ...
read more

Best of 2014: Film

Artsweek Staff Shares the Movies that We’d Re-watch “Gone Girl” Alex Wehrung, Staff Writer David Fincher and Gillian Flynn adapted Flynn’s novel to the big screen to chillingly eff...
read more

John Cleese Makes Laughs at Granada

“The thing about Fox News,” said John Cleese as he sat onstage at the Granada Theater, “is that when you bring up ‘quality programming,’ they have to go find a dictionary.” The packed thea...
read more

Save it for Netflix, Lacks Character Depth

This film is proof that movies are being split for the sake of profit as opposed to story. Don’t get me wrong, “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” is not a bad movie. It’s well-acted...
read more

Five Christmas Films You Have to See

Thanksgiving has barely passed, but if Target is any indication, Christmas season started back in October. So, in light of the oncoming brouhaha that is crowded malls, irritating carolers and holly jo...
read more

“King Lear” Sports All-Star Cast from “Game of Thrones” and “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”

Reviewing Shakespeare is admittedly a little difficult, as it’s difficult to criticize or analyze the story without causing traumatic memories of interpreting extremely difficult texts in high schoo...
read more

John Cleese Coming to the Granada

He is the John Lennon of comedy, and it isn’t just because they both have John for a first name. One of Britain’s most treasured filmmakers, the Black Knight sans limbs is coming to Santa Barbara ...
read more

Musically Energetic Film “Band Baaja Baaraat” Screens at MCC

I must confess, when it comes to Bollywood films, I am a newcomer — a noob — a virgin. The closest I have ever come to seeing one was “Bride and Prejudice,” which was basically Hollywood’s a...
read more