Artsweek

Closing Time

February 16, 2006 by

There's something heartwarming about Philip Seymour Hoffman, and it isn't just that scruffy teddy bear look he's been sporting as of late. In front of an overflowing theater of friends and fans, Hoffm...
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Thank You for Smoking | Go Ahead, Light Up

February 16, 2006 by

After 10 days of back-to-back movie viewing, reviewing, discussing and disliking, one's appreciation for a sub-par trip to the cinema is all but shot. Lucky for us, Sunday night's closing film, "Thank...
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And the Award Goes To…

February 16, 2006 by

After nearly two weeks of non-stop moviegoing, we here at Artsweek would like to stop, recognize and congratulate the winners of the 2006 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. The envelope please...
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Globalization of Animation

February 16, 2006 by

It's ba-ack. That's right, "The Animation Show" has survived its second year and is coming to an end right back where it started: Santa Barbara. "The Animation Show" is the brain child of Mike Judge, ...
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Firewall | Burn It Down

February 16, 2006 by

You have to wonder what happened to Harrison Ford. Throughout the '80s and '90s, he was one of the most bankable actors in Hollywood and arguably the biggest star in the world. However, it seems that ...
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In Flames | Come Clarity | Ferret Music

February 16, 2006 by

This is the popification of death metal. On In Flames' latest accomplishment, Come Clarity, the Swedish Gothenburg maestros fuse fearsome, Metallica-emulating guitar riffs with FM staple hooks.
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Bragging Rights

February 9, 2006 by

It takes a certain type of guy to get on a stage in front of 2,000 people and wax poetical on himself for two-plus hours without coming across like a self-centered schmuck. And after Friday's Modern M...
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Dazed and Confused

February 9, 2006 by

Does the phrase "School Daze" ring any bells? If so, that may be because there are some seven films with this title. But fear not, the new independent Japanese film, "School Daze," is nothing like the...
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Aurora Borealis | I’ve seen the Lights

February 9, 2006 by

James C.E. Burke's drama "Aurora Borealis" opens in the icy waters of Minneapolis, echoing Duncan Shorter's (Joshua Jackson) inability to connect with another human being. Duncan struggles to find a j...
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“Woman is the Future of Man” | Sexual Evolution

February 9, 2006 by

It's utterly amazing how much action one man can get and still not have any idea about the true nature of women. In "Woman is the Future of Man," South Korean director Hong Sang-soo paints a vivid, if...
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The Guns of the Navaronne

February 9, 2006 by

I can almost guarantee that at some point in our lives, we all have seen some variation of the hero's epic journey taken straight from the Greeks to the big screen. The hero, through encounters with v...
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Wonda’ From Down Unda’

February 9, 2006 by

If George Clooney were the matador of this year's film festival, then Naomi Watts was certainly the picador or possibly the banderillero. Naomi Watts graced our humble town on Saturday as the recipien...
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The Nature of the Business

February 9, 2006 by

What do you think the most successful filmmaker of all time is doing these days? For one, he was here at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) to receive the Attenborough Award for Exc...
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Lights, Camera…

February 9, 2006 by

Sunday morning's Directors on Directing Panel discussion played out like the film class that everyone is dying to take: There was educated discussion, rational debate and that one kid who just loves t...
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The West Wittering Affair | An Affair to Forget

February 9, 2006 by

Imagine a cross between the sexual escapades of “The Real World” and the hilarious circumstances of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and you have the makings of “The West Wittering...
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