Artsweek

November 5, 2009

Fall Sounds ***

By Nicole Sands

Ola Podrida, a.k.a. musician David Wingo, makes music that fits perfectly into the mold cast for the indie-folk sound: While his latest album, Belly of the Lion, may not be incredibly original or groundbreaking, he&#8217...

November 5, 2009

Britney’s Back, Bitches! ****

By Lucas Villa

To celebrate her decade of contribution to the pop music scene, superstar (turned hot mess) Britney Spears is releasing The Singles Collection. For fans and those discovering Britney alike, The Singles Collection is a mu...

October 29, 2009

Crappy Halloween!

By Virginia Yapp

Halloween is all about guilty pleasures, especially here in Isla Vista, which is already the year-round guilty pleasures capital of the universe.

October 29, 2009

Hacky “Saw” Flicks Mature ***

By Hunter M. Daniels

"Saw" was never designed to become a franchise. The first film made a point of killing off all its main characters, save for one who was already dying of an inoperable brain tumor. But when a movie grosses 100 times its ...

October 29, 2009

Monsters of Folk Brings Its Show to the Granada

By Virginia Yapp

Last Thursday's Monsters of Folk show at the Granada Theatre left no doubt as to the immense talent of supergroup members Mike Mogis, Conor Oberst, M. Ward and Jim James (who, for some reason, insists on being billed as ...

October 29, 2009

Phantom of the Orchestra

By Max Massenkoff

Zombies and orchestral music do not mix well. So might go a common misconception that UCSB musicians are seeking to correct. This Thursday, the UCSB Symphony Orchestra, along with the jazz band and members of the music f...

October 29, 2009

Different Strokes ****

By Lucas Villa

Before The Strokes return with a new album next year, frontman Julian Casablancas looks to finally have his own say with Phrazes for the Young. The new LP marks the first solo release for Casablancas, while other Stroke...

October 29, 2009

“Amelia” Fails To Take Flight **

By Lance Kosher

There has been a spate of recent well-done biopics worth noting: Taylor Hackford's "Ray," James Mangold's "Walk the Line" and Gus Van Sant's "Milk," to name just a few. These films all center around fascinating cultural ...

October 22, 2009

Foxy Sounds at the Hub

By Hunter M. Daniels

The line formed early for The Sounds' Monday-night gig at the Hub, which was a fortunate thing, because the real show was over by the time the headliners even took the stage.

October 22, 2009

“Gunmetal” Brings Noir to Sunny SB

By Nico Kiefer

Picture a bar by an airport, just a little hole in the wall that people stop into when they're running away. It's the kind of place that "smells like stale cigarette smoke and shattered dreams." The only thing anyone dri...

October 22, 2009

Twins Achieve Sainthood ****

By Nicole Sands

Canadian twins Tegan and Sara have the world at their fingertips: After winning a local music contest at the age of 17, they landed a spot on a "Grey's Anatomy" soundtrack, gained a devoted following of fans and even won...

October 22, 2009

It’s a Wild, “Wild” World Out There *****

By Artsweek Editor

"Where the Wild Things Are" has achieved a rare quadruple-media self-referential storm that has taken the beloved children's book from its place at the bottom of boxes in attics and elevated it to a multimedia cultural f...

October 22, 2009

The “Paranormal” Phenomenon ****

By Emelie Battaglia

It only took one million online demands for the independently produced "Paranormal Activity" to be distributed to theaters nationwide, but it has finally arrived. And boy was it worth it.

October 22, 2009

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: [REC]

By Hunter M. Daniels

1968's "Rosemary's Baby" featured a shot of a woman sitting in a bedroom on the phone with her face blocked by the edge of the doorway. Legend has it that at the first screening, nearly the entire audience leaned forward...

October 22, 2009

The University Art Museum Takes a “Holiday”

By Stephanie Leong

The University Art Museum opened its doors to four new exhibitions last Wednesday, all of which will be showing through Jan. 31, 2010. The distinct and diverse exhibitions deal with enticing themes, all confronting large...

October 22, 2009

New “Stepfather” Is No Replacement *

By Tyler Anthony

From the brilliant minds that brought us 2008's "brilliant" remake of "Prom Night" comes another 1980s horror-film retread that should have gone straight to DVD. Nelson McCormack's update of "The Stepfather" lacks the or...