Artsweek

April 16, 2009

No Chance of Parole *

By Hunter M. Daniels

Stop me if you've heard this one before: A naïve and rage-filled man date rapes a girl so schnockered that she doesn't realize the vomit on her blouse is her own. He pounds away at her until he notices that she has ...

April 16, 2009

“Dragonball” Zzzzzzz… *

By Hunter M. Daniels

Over the holiday weekend, I found myself cornered at the Passover Seder table by a cousin (aged five-and-three-fourths years old) who seemed determined to tell me a story.

April 9, 2009

New UAM Exhibit Honors UCSB’s Brown

By Stephanie Leong

Among the three recently opened exhibitions at the University Art Museum, "Signs of His Times: Gary H. Brown's Works and Selected Gifts to the University Art Museum" is instantly memorable, filled with iconic and inspiri...

April 9, 2009

Dynamic Living Thing ****

By Alexander Congrove Reporter

Swedish trio Peter Bjorn and John spices up its instrumentation a bit on its sophomore effort, Living Thing; the group's addition of a more eclectic, electronic sound to its insanely catchy brand of rock will undoubtedly...

April 2, 2009

A Little Spring In Your Step

By Virginia Yapp

Artsweek compiles some of the season's choice entertainment for your convenience.

April 2, 2009

A Blitz-ful Experience ****

By Aaron Harms

In the early 2000s, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs burst onto the indie/alternative/punk/art garage rock scene with its debut album, Fever to Tell. The New York trio's debut featured a unique sound that it continued to rely on in i...

April 2, 2009

A Cloudy Forecast *****

By Sara Weitz

Although “Sunshine Cleaning” may share some DNA with popular indie hit “Little Miss Sunshine,” the films could not be more different. While “Little Miss Sunshine” follows a dysfunction...

April 2, 2009

A Monstrous Monstrosity *

By Hunter M. Daniels

“Monsters Vs. Aliens.” Stop and think about that for a minute. Monsters. Versus. Aliens. If that title doesn’t give your inner 10-year old boy a seizure of awesome, I don’t know what will. Think a...

March 5, 2009

Pure, Unadulterated No Age

By Hunter M. Daniels

Every generation claims that rock is dead. And every generation has been wrong. Someone always comes around. Whether it's Jimi Hendrix, Axl Rose or Kurt Cobain, there is always someone with a new spin on that old three-c...

March 5, 2009

Q&A: A Chat With No Age Frontman Randy Randell

By Artsweek Editor

Guitarist Randy Randall and drummer Dean Sprunt are collectively known as the noise punk band No Age. Randy and Dean have become iconic in the L.A. music scene, inspiring hordes of imitators and inspiring throngs of rail...

March 5, 2009

Another Acid High *****

By Artsweek Editor

The Black Lips' musical talent somehow surpasses its considerable reputation for debauchery. That's saying a lot for a band that has been banned from multiple concert venues in L.A. for its members making out onstage and...

March 5, 2009

Joaquin’s “Two Lovers” ****

By Sara Weitz

James Gray is one of the rare dark romantic filmmakers left in Hollywood, and he demonstrates his mastery of this style with his most recent film, "Two Lovers." The film, which features a performance by the Letterman-bel...

March 5, 2009

UCSB Actors Prove “Conways” To Be Timeless

By Amy Silverstein

Thespians from the UCSB Dept. of Theatre & Dance showed off their convincing British accents this weekend in a well-acted performance of "Time and the Conways," a melodramatic play written by playwright J.B. Priestley in...

March 5, 2009

Batsheva Dance Co. Comes to SB

By Jacob Mark Schpall

The Batsheva Dance Company is based in Tel Aviv and was founded in 1964. Its members consider themselves ambassadors of the Israeli artistic community. Some people believe that Batsheva is a ploy to give the Israeli imag...

February 26, 2009

Not Exactly Child’s Play *****

By Hunter M. Daniels

There is something to be said for taking risks. Without great risk, there can be no great reward. Sometimes that risk leads you to something average like "Keeping Up with the Steins"; other times, it leads you to brillia...

February 26, 2009

Watching the Oscars: A Bore of a Chore

By Amy Silverstein

Sure, The clothes were pretty, and "Slumdog Millionaire" won a well-deserved seven awards, including Best Picture, but last Sunday's 81st Annual Academy Awards ceremony was an incredibly stupid event.  These were, i...