Artsweek

February 8, 2007

The Journey West

By Will Wolfsalu

Zhang Yimou, China's most successful director, is known for his chameleon-like ability to change genres, styles and stories. In the 1990s, Zhang become renowned for his realist style in films like "Not One Less," tales f...

February 8, 2007

Truth, Justice and an Anti-Apartheid Play

By Stephanie Cain

The two coffee mugs in Athol Fugard's "The Island" serve every purpose except drinking. The mugs help wash wounds, bind together to form a make-believe telephone to talk to long-lost relatives and shelter breasts in a pe...

February 8, 2007

Calendar for 2/8/07

By Mollie Vandor

Thursday (2/8/07): People who liked "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers," should check out director Zhang Yimou's "Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles" at Campbell Hall tonight.

February 8, 2007

The Shins, Wincing the Night Away, Sub Pop Records

By Nick Durnhofer

Hoping to be known as something other than "That Band From 'Garden State,'" the Shins return to the music scene this year with their latest release, Wincing the Night Away.

February 8, 2007

Hot for Hedonism

By Colin Marshall

The world of wine writing can be a confusing tangle of high-flown descriptors and bizarre metaphors, owing in no small part to a collective case of tunnel vision on the part of the field's biggest names.

February 1, 2007

Dance Dance Revolution

By Hillary Scott

Stephen Petronio is the creative force behind some of the most innovative choreography in contemporary dance, and his dance company has toured in 25 different countries. On Jan. 24, the Stephen Petronio Company brought t...

February 1, 2007

Ready, Set, Red Carpet

By Mollie Vandor

The air was thick with palpable excitement as the photographers and fans lined up alongside the red carpet at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's opening night last Thursday. The anticipation was as overwhelm...

February 1, 2007

A Dream Come True

By Marissa Stockham

On Monday night, "Dreamgirls" director Bill Condon received the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's Montecito Award for his skills as both a director and a screenplay author. By his side were two stars of the "Dr...

February 1, 2007

Big Willie Style

By Alyson Osterman

On January 28, a red carpet was laid on the wet ground, welcoming Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith, who was to receive the Modern Masters Award at the Arlington Theatre.

February 1, 2007

Direct Address

By Mollie Vandor

Having grown up in Los Angeles, I don't get star-struck easily. That said, I can still be reduced to a nervous, sweaty-palmed wreck when in the presence of certain, very special people. Imagine my reaction when faced wit...

February 1, 2007

Write On

By Will Wolfsalu

As any SBIFF regular can tell you, the Screenwriter's Panel, usually occurring during a late weekend morning in the Lobero Theatre, is both one of the festival's best and most overlooked offerings.

February 1, 2007

Cultural Production

By Mollie Vandor

It was a rainy Sunday morning when Graham King ("The Departed"), Jon Kilik ("Babel"), Robert Lorenz ("Letters From Iwo Jima"), Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa ("Little Miss Sunshine" and "Little Children"), Judd Apatow ("Tal...

February 1, 2007

Method to the Madness

By Will Wolfsalu

For some comedians, obscurity is a curse. For comedian/provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen, star of "Da Ali G Show" and "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," obscurity is his me...

January 25, 2007

Insert Hoeing Pun Here

By Sophia Kercher

I am standing at UCSB's 2007 Word Farm watching Harrison Reiner say, "I'm totally star struck. And I thought I couldn't get star struck anymore, I am a big fan of your work, big fan," to a flaming-haired woman. Reiner, a...

January 25, 2007

Child’s Play

By Colin Marshall

Adam Gopnik's fans have endured an awful dry spell since 2000, when Paris to the Moon, the longtime New Yorker essayist's previous collection, saw publication. His refined, observant prose made the recounted experience o...

January 25, 2007

Nuns, Guns and Ron Livingston

By Mollie Vandor

Whether you're on the film majors e-mail list, an avid surfer of local news sites or just someone who happens to pay attention to what's going on around them, you've probably noticed that something's happening in Santa B...