AltWeeklies Wire
'District 9' Uses Alien Invasion as Apartheid Metaphornew
With its corrugated tin sheds and abject poverty, District 9 stands in for the township settlements where more than a million South African blacks still live without basic human services, two decades after the end of apartheid.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
08-14-2009 |
Reviews
Hayao Miyazaki Dives Under the Sea for His Latest Environmental Fairy Talenew
Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, by way of Jules Verne, Miyazaki's Ponyo sticks to Andersen's basic story of an enchanted sea creature and her love for a human -- except, in the Miyazaki version, the mermaid princess is an anthropomorphic goldfish, and her handsome prince is a 5-year-old schoolboy still in full possession of his baby teeth.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
08-14-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Ponyo, Hayao Miyazaki
Bye-Bye, Bill Brattonnew
Media coverage has been filled with praise for Bratton, but some are questioning how he could so readily accept a job right after Michael Cherkasky played a key role in helping to hand Bratton a historic career and political victory -- the lifting of the consent decree.
L.A. Weekly |
Jill Stewart |
08-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Sunn 0))) Guitarist Greg Anderson Talks 'Big Church' and 'Monoliths & Dimensions'new
Sunn 0))) offer big ideas gradually, thoughtfully, create a monolith of sound and then mold it into something graceful but menacing. It's no accident that their new album features a cover painting by sculptor Richard Serra; the band's output feels heavily inspired by Serra's massive series of Torqued Spirals.
L.A. Weekly |
Randall Roberts |
08-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Somers Town' Gets at the Heart of Working-Class Londonnew
Without ever trivializing his characters’ meager circumstances or resorting to the rags-to-riches fantasy of Slumdog Millionaire, Shane Meadows has made a lovely film about the ability of the imagination to offset the harshness of reality.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
08-10-2009 |
Reviews
Jimmy On the Edge of Townnew
A homeless Christian-Muslim from Palestine pitches a tent behind Bed Bath & Beyond in Northridge. Then come the railroad men and feral cat activists.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald |
07-31-2009 |
Culture
State Budget Debacle: California Descendingnew
Some experts predict the state budget will quickly become unbalanced again, thanks to a persistently bad economy. But that didn't stop self-congratulations and posturing by Arnold Schwarzenegger, Democratic majority leaders Karen Bass and Darrell Steinberg, and Republican minority leaders Dennis Hollingsworth and Sam Blakeslee, the so-called "big five" who worked out this latest budget.
L.A. Weekly |
Jill Stewart |
07-31-2009 |
Politics
At the Hollywood Bowl, Grace Jones Proves She's, Well, Just Differentnew
In case you need reminding after all these years, Grace Jones isn't like us. If, halfway through her astounding show Sunday night at the Hollywood Bowl, a flying saucer had descended from above and carried her away, few in the crowd would have been too surprised.
L.A. Weekly |
Randall Roberts |
07-31-2009 |
Concerts
Gay Director Todd Holland's Advice to Play it Straightnew
Holland, a 47-year-old gay man who has become a success with critically acclaimed TV shows such as The Larry Sanders Show and Malcolm in the Middle, is an informal mentor to young, gay male actors. They seek his advice, he told an Outfest audience, and he routinely tells them to stay in the closet.
L.A. Weekly |
Patrick Range McDonald |
07-24-2009 |
LGBT
How LAPD's 'Closers' Nabbed A Serial Killer Known as The Westside Rapistnew
In a long-shot quest to find one prominent serial killer, police instead found another. Through tantalizing coincidences and teamwork that tapped the memories of long-retired cops, LAPD found the The Westside Rapist, a man who had slipped away from the cops in 1957 and went on to terrorize elderly women in Southern California for a generation.
L.A. Weekly |
Christine Pelisek |
07-24-2009 |
Crime & Justice
That Old Black Potter Magic Continues to Beguile in 'Half-Blood Prince'new
Going a few shades blacker than 2007's already funereal Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, this penultimate Potterpicture includes the firebombing of a series regular's home, an episode of demonic possession that wouldn't look out of place in an Exorcist movie, and multiple attempts on the life of Harry himself. The greater threat, however, is those unseen forces that compete for the hearts and minds of impressionable boy wizards.
L.A. Weekly |
Scott Foundas |
07-17-2009 |
Reviews
Buddyhead Redux: L.A.'s Most Loved and Feared Music Website is Backnew
Travis Keller describes the origins of Buddyhead's notorious "take no prisoners" gossip column, his record label, and why it went quiet in 2005. He then digs into the details of his latest project, creating Buddyhead 2.0.
L.A. Weekly |
Erin Broadley |
07-17-2009 |
Music
L.A.'s Yawning Loophole for Pot Dispensaries Spawns a Woodstock Economynew
In 2005, every city in California was busy adopting ordinances to allow for medical-marijuana storefronts while keeping out the bad actors and illegal peddlers. But the Los Angeles City Council couldn't get it done.
L.A. Weekly |
Daniel Heimpel |
07-17-2009 |
Drugs
Memorial Day: Michael's Staples Center Farewellnew
Roll your eyes at the spectacle if you want. You're right. It's insane, and says something about something. But, still, a man, once filled with supreme musical inspiration and overwhelming charity, has fallen, and that sucks, regardless of whether said man was a kook or not.
L.A. Weekly |
Randall Roberts |
07-10-2009 |
Music
Tags: Michael Jackson
A Website You Can Dig Your Claws Into Is Up for Salenew
Attention all you who like cats, stuff and stuff on cats: the Web site StuffOnMyCat is up for sale.
L.A. Weekly |
Gendy Alimurung |
07-10-2009 |
Culture
Tags: Mario Garza, StuffOnMyCat.com
