Artsweek

“Gunmetal” Brings Noir to Sunny SB

October 22, 2009 by

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 o...
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Twins Achieve Sainthood ****

October 22, 2009 by

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

October 22, 2009 by

"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 m...
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The “Paranormal” Phenomenon ****

October 22, 2009 by

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.
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OFF THE BEATEN PATH: [REC]

October 22, 2009 by

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 aud...
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The University Art Museum Takes a “Holiday”

October 22, 2009 by

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, a...
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New “Stepfather” Is No Replacement *

October 22, 2009 by

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 Step...
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“Citizen” Abides the Law of Action Entertainment

October 22, 2009 by

Earlier this summer, Gerald Butler demonstrated how he does in fact has some range as an actor by playing a crudely endearing nice guy/asshole that pursues the chick from "Knocked Up" (I know her name...
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Ghostface Killah’s Spectre Haunts Velvet Jones

October 22, 2009 by

Fresh off an appearance at VH1's Hip Hop Honors, founding Wu-Tang Clansman Ghostface Killah made a shambolic appearance at Velvet Jones last Saturday night. Apparently battling some sort of flu, Ghost...
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Thao Nguyen with the Get Down Stay Down at SOhO

October 22, 2009 by

Last Thursday, SOhO was graced with the presence of Kill Rock Stars artist Thao Nguyen and her backing back, the Get Down Stay Down. Though the Virginia-based band's only been around for the past thre...
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New Noise Festival’s Debut Is Promising

October 15, 2009 by

The organizers of New Noise Santa Barbara, a three-day "music and digital media conference" that invaded downtown State Street this past weekend, sell the event as a hip and timely educational event f...
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Local Act, The Sunshine Brothers, Brings Reggae Rock to the Sandbar

October 15, 2009 by

The Sunshine Brothers brought the motion of the ocean to Sandbar last Saturday night with its island-loving tunes as part of the first annual New Noise Santa Barbara music festival. Sunshine Brothers ...
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Will The Real John Leguizamo Please Stand Up?

October 15, 2009 by

John Leguizamo is a complicated man, a man full of contradictions and seemingly mutually exclusive ideas. He has turned this premise into a long career as a character actor and performance artist.
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Lovely, Flawed “Education” Shows a Young Life at a Crossroad ***

October 15, 2009 by

"An Education" puts forth the thesis that there are two roads to be traveled for a young girl on the cusp of womanhood: One involves pedophilia, con-artistry and glamour; the other, academia and a lif...
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Paradise, Lost: Artsweek Urges Audiences to Quickly “Retreat” *

October 15, 2009 by

What do you get when you bring together a huge cast, an overly invested writing team and an inexperienced director? A failed comedy. Were it not for the non-stop hilarity roll that is Vince Vaughn, "C...
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