Artsweek

March 1, 2012

‘Bunraku’ Proves Puppets Aren’t Just for Little Kids

By Damion Damaske

“Bunraku” is my favorite avant-garde, post-apocalyptic, kung fu, Western, noir, Socialist propaganda film I have ever seen. To put it in a word: awesome. Now, I don’t know if I’d necessarily call it good, but it ...

March 1, 2012

Surfer Blood Makes Being Weird Cool at Velvet Jones

By Emily Hunt

A Thursday night at Velvet Jones in downtown Santa Barbara already has the potential to lean towards absurdity. With sinister graphic art and an unimaginably cramped dance floor (due in large part to the venue’s strict...

March 1, 2012

Movies to See in Isla Vista and Beyond: “Young Adult” and the Highly Anticipated “Project X” Bring the Crazy

By Darrell Hall

Yes, it’s cold out. But this is not a reason to stay at home. To take a well deserved break from your studies, you should venture from your cozy apartment and see two films that will set the tone for your weekend: “Y...

March 1, 2012

‘Vagina Monologues’ Return to UCSB

By Nicole Valencia

After weeks of spotting an inconspicuously colored, human-sized vagina around campus — an image that has probably loomed in many students’ minds — the “Vagina Monologues” finally hit the stage at Campbell Hall ...

March 1, 2012

Getting ‘Entangled’: An Interview with Lila Rose Kaplan

By Audrey Bachelder

Artsweek’s Audrey Bachelder recently sat down with playwright-in-residence Lila Rose Kaplan to talk about her new play Entangled, which premeires at UCSB this week. Check back for complete coverage of Entangled next Th...

February 23, 2012

Exploring a Game of Chance: La Lotería at Gallery 479

By Demi Anter

Many of us are familiar with the Mexican bingo-style game Lotería, whether we played it at home with our families, at day-care with our childhood friends, or with classmates to learn basic Spanish vocabulary. Recently, ...

February 23, 2012

Artsweek Finds Light “In Darkness”

By Damion Damaske

I’ve never been inside a sewer. I’ve never been trapped in complete blackness for over a year. I’ve never had to fear for my life every second. But after seeing “In Darkness,” I feel like I have. This is a brut...

February 23, 2012

UCSB Puts Unique Spin on ‘Tartuffe’

By Audrey Bachelder

A glossy checkerboard floor, notched table, elegant chairs and glittering chandeliers set the scene for the Department of Theater and Dance’s latest performance, Molière’s “Tartuffe.” Directed by Tom Whitaker, a...

February 23, 2012

Raised by Popular Culture: “For Your Consideration”

By Damion Damaske

Wow, that was a fun and/or sobering week. I’m still deciding which. You see, from Tuesday, Feb. 14 to Saturday Feb. 18, the Pollock Theater at UCSB screened five of the Oscar-nominated foreign films for 2011. I was luc...

February 16, 2012

A Guacho Survives his Quarter-Life Crisis

By Jaime Oliveira

Many people have anxieties about their next step after college. With graduation looming around the corner, I, for one can attest to the feelings caused by my impending quarter-life crisis. According to recent UCSB gradua...

February 16, 2012

New Midseason Series Prove the Sun Always Shines on TV

By Darrell Hall

You may have noticed that streaming sites are being shut down. Thank God. For a while there, the Internet was killing the video star, but alas! It seems that TV is still kicking, still streaming and still dedicated to br...

February 16, 2012

Pollock Theater Screens Canadian Film ‘Monsieur Lazhar’

By Damion Damaske

Grief, depression and dealing with death are never easy things to come to terms with, especially when you’re young. What makes the film “Monsieur Lazhar” — one of Canada’s contenders for Best Foreign Language O...

February 16, 2012

I.V. Stand-up is on the Rise at Javan’s

By Emily Hunt

“Stand-up in its worst form is distilled ignorance and bigotry. In its best form, it’s a palatable form of philosophy,” fourth-year literature major and amateur stand-up comic William Buescher said as he took a sip...

February 16, 2012

Raised by Popular Culture: Tucker and Dale Take Fight Bad Cinema

By Damion Damaske

Drop everything you’re doing and see this movie right now. It’s awesome. It’s hard to describe exactly why this film is so special. For starters, it has a one-note premise. A bunch of dumb, drunk college kids mista...

February 9, 2012

Lana Del Rey’s Born To Die Keeps Her Fame Alive

By Carly Bonilla-Flores

Six months ago, nobody knew who Lana Del Rey was. Last October she released a grainy self-made music video for her single, “Video Games,” and the Internet exploded into a Lana Del Rey shrine. But, like a dysfunctiona...

February 9, 2012

Oscar-Nominated Foreign Language Films to Screen at UCSB’s Pollock Theater Next Week

By Corie Anderson

As the 84th Annual Academy Awards draw nearer (airing Sunday, Feb. 26 on ABC), more and more people are rushing to theaters to see the nominated films. However, the films of one category in particular are rarely shown at...