Artsweek

Top Dog ****

December 4, 2008 by

Hollywood films about heavy-duty social issues tend to fall into one of two categories: condescending melodramas that appeal to sentimental pre-teen girls ("Crash" and "Blood Diamond") and truly gut-w...
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The “Milk” Man ****

December 4, 2008 by

When it comes to addressing tragedy and hot-button social issues, director Gus Van Sant has plenty of experience - his previous films have addressed topics of school shootings, suicide and inner-city ...
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Female Fantasy ***

December 4, 2008 by

Twilight is the first of four best-selling young adult novels written by Stephanie Meyer, following the budding romance between the teenaged protagonist, Bella, and her 107-year-old vampire lover, Edw...
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Robotic Engineering (0 stars)

December 4, 2008 by

Wherever T-Pain is, he needs to be dragged out in front of the public and put into the stockade for crimes committed against music. He has directly contributed to this increasingly distressing vocorde...
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Third Time’s The Charm ****

December 4, 2008 by

The Killers can do no wrong and with its new album, Day & Age. The Las Vegas-based band's third record will make new fans, keep old fans and have everybody coming back for more.
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The Sounds of the Season

December 4, 2008 by

That voice... Arkansas' Adam Faucett comes straight from the netherworld releasing his second album, Show Me Magic, Show Me Out, that somehow manages to upstage his brilliant debut. Here, Faucett agai...
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Another Night in the Neighborhood

November 20, 2008 by

After only a few minutes at the Biko Co-op Garage Performance Space on Sueno Road, one gets the feeling that most weekend nights at the garage turn into wild, decadent dance parties - at least when th...
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MC Lyte Holds Court in I.V.

November 20, 2008 by

MC Lyte is known as one of the greatest female rappers of all time. With a career spanning almost 20 years, which began when her first single dropped in 1986, MC Lyte is a woman who changed the game o...
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Meet the Smiths ****

November 20, 2008 by

The Sound of the Smiths is an extensive collection of the Smiths' greatest hits, with 23 of its better-known tracks on the first disk and an impressive collection of 22 lesser-known (but equally good)...
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Bond Is Back… ***

November 20, 2008 by

James Bond movies are supposed to be fun, escapist and entertaining fare that pass in one ear and out the other without a great deal of consequence and with a great deal of snappy one-liners, smoking ...
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C’mon, Get Happy ****

November 20, 2008 by

Poppy (played in a beautifully nuanced performance by newcomer Sally Hawkins) is an optimistic person. She is a 30-year-old elementary school teacher and lives a somewhat carefree life in London with ...
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Art Imitates Life ****

November 20, 2008 by

Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman's characters have always been insanely neurotic and self-obsessed, but his directorial debut, "Synecdoche, New York," takes the unrelenting self-examination to new heights...
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Out and About

November 13, 2008 by

One of the first films screened at OUTrageous! was "20 Straws: Growing Up Gay," directed by Liv Gjestvang and the Youth Video OUTreach Collective. The short film documents the experiences of nine gay ...
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Dance Dance Revolution

November 13, 2008 by

To the throng that waited outside the Thunderdome at 6 p.m. to be let into the concert, I tip my hat and shake my head. The doors opened at 6:30 p.m., but Lupe Fiasco didn't take the stage until aroun...
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Ronstadt Brings Retro Charm to State Street

November 13, 2008 by

Linda Ronstadt's performance at the Arlington Theatre last Tuesday was shamelessly cheesy, but it was more on par with aged, quality Swiss than with Kraft Mac in a box.
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