Artsweek

Porntastic ****

November 6, 2008 by

"Zack and Miri Make a Porno" sees Kevin Smith doing lots of things that he has never done before -- moving out of his favored New Jersey locale and into a slightly different but equally industrial cor...
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From the Heart ***

November 6, 2008 by

Solo albums are a tricky thing. How does an artist "do their own thing" and manage to make a relevant and enjoyable record without sounding like an ego gone awry? Luckily for lead singer Tom Gabel of ...
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Solar Meltdown ***

November 6, 2008 by

Irish rock group Snow Patrol is too often unfairly compared to Coldplay, but both bands are cut from the same cloth. Sensitive lead singer? Check. Striving for universal truths? Check. Over-done senti...
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Lupe Fiasco To Raise Havoc Monday

November 6, 2008 by

It's an event many UCSB students have been waiting for: One of hip hop's most popular commercial artists infecting radio today, Lupe Fiasco, will be playing at UCSB's Thunderdome on Monday evening, in...
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They’re Here, They’re Queer: Outrageous!

November 6, 2008 by

Prop 8 might not have passed (thanks a lot, Central California), but Santa Barbara still knows how to have a gay old time. Tonight at UCSB's Multicultural Center, SB's annual LGBTQ film festival, Out...
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The Boner Killers

October 30, 2008 by , , and

More likely than not, your first sex ed lesson didn't come from mommy and daddy or from your wrinkly fourth-grade teacher. Your parents sat you down in front of the boob tube and popped in a VHS while...
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Great Mutations ***

October 30, 2008 by

The futuristic "Repo! The Genetic Opera" hits some good notes, but never quite assembles itself into a coherent melody. I viewed "Repo!" during its advance screening at I.V. Theater last Wednesday. Th...
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A Worn-Out Story *

October 30, 2008 by

The limp, generic police drama "Pride and Glory" can be seen as a second-rate sequel to James Gray's 2007 film, "We Own the Night." Despite the film's considerably talented cast, this overcooked thril...
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Funny Business

October 30, 2008 by

Upon entering the stage at the Arlington Theatre last Sunday evening, writer David Sedaris' sense of humor was instantly palpable; he is a short man, probably barely 5'6'', with a distinct, nuanced v...
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Androgynous Vamping ***

October 30, 2008 by

Skeletal Lamping is definitive proof that Of Montreal's Kevin Barnes has taken a dive off the deep end. The Athens, Ga. band takes its brand of freaky, psychedelic folk and infuses it with a sexual en...
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Back To Basics ***

October 30, 2008 by

Given the fact that it's been nearly a decade since alt-country troubadour Ryan Adams released the Gram Parsons-esque Heartbreaker, it seems somewhat strange that that album remains the impossibly hig...
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Electro-house Revolution

October 23, 2008 by

Two Fridays ago, the Marley house was, in DJ Raphy's words, "packed packed packed" with partygoers. Last Saturday, he again played music for a packed house, this time on Pasado. But DJ Raphy, AKA fou...
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Setting Up the Scene

October 23, 2008 by

Last weekend kicked off the first annual Cam-Con, a convention and series of workshops dedicated to teaching local film students everything there is to know about cinematography.
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Indecision 2008 ***

October 23, 2008 by

What exactly is Oliver Stone trying to say with his biopic on our current president, "W"? It seemed nearly impossible for a director as famous for openly courting controversy in his films ("JFK," "The...
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Just Like Honey ***

October 23, 2008 by

Despite taking on heavy subject matter - that would be racism in the Deep South during the '60s - "The Secret Life of Bees" manages to stay lighthearted and entertaining. The film tugs at the heartstr...
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