AltWeeklies Wire
Mandela's Lessons Come Across Loud and Clear in 'Invictus'
Morgan Freeman's brilliant performance as Nelson Mandela is the kind of transformation that Academy Award members aggressively reward come Oscar season. Whether or not they'll be as impressed with Anthony Peckham's airy adaptation of John Carlin's book Playing the Enemy is questionable.
City Pulse |
Cole Smithey |
12-07-2009 |
Reviews
'Up In The Air' Steers Clear of the Predictable Route, Lands the Emotionnew
Jason Reitman's very loose and awfully affecting adaptation of Walter Kirn's 2001 novel about Ryan Bingham, who, when he's not busy traversing the flyover states delivering pink slips, delivers motivational speeches about emptying out one's metaphoric backpack.
Dallas Observer |
Robert Wilonsky |
12-07-2009 |
Reviews
How a Designer Found a Niche Packaging Music in Something You Can’t Downloadnew
Byron Kalet has been applying the basic conventions of popular song—rhythm and tone—to an audio magazine he calls the Journal of Popular Noise. Recently, he released Residential, a collection of tracks by Foscil that is limited to 300 copies.
Seattle Weekly |
Brian J. Barr |
12-07-2009 |
Music
Q&A: Jay Farrar on Kerouac, 'Big Sur'new
Son Volt frontman Jay Farrar has been reading Jack Kerouac since he was a teenager. But writing the music and lyrics for the soundtrack to One Fast Move or I'm Gone, a documentary about Kerouac's semi-autobiographical novel Big Sur, provided plenty of firsts for the songwriter.
Seattle Weekly |
Chris Kornelis |
12-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Can a Mild-mannered Bakery Clerk Solve Grocery Workers' Labor Strife?new
Kim Cordova's termination, and the filing of a slander lawsuit against her and two other union members, convinced her to make a play for the top job at one of the largest unions in Colorado. She'll be the first woman to head Local 7.
Westword |
Melanie Asmar |
12-07-2009 |
Business & Labor
It's Tough Being an Immigrant, Unless You're Richnew
The Dallas Morning News recently reported that City Hall is looking to create a regional center under a federal program that offers green cards and a shot at permanent residency to immigrants willing to invest $500,000 or $1 million in the city.
Dallas Observer |
Patrick Williams |
12-07-2009 |
Immigration
An Army Sergeant's Case May Help Explain the Surge in Non-combat Deathsnew
In Sgt. John M. Russell's chaotic Army world the morning of May 11, the enemy was closing in. The big Texan had talked of conspiracies, woken up from constant nightmares, and broken down in tears, wishing someone would put a bullet in his head.
Seattle Weekly |
Rick Anderson |
12-07-2009 |
War
Young Undocumented Immigrants Face Dead End After High Schoolnew
An estimated 65,000 undocumented immigrants graduate from high school each year, only to enter a purgatory in which they feel they can neither return to Mexico nor become productive, law-abiding citizens. Attorney Laurel Herndon calls them “blameless."
Boulder Weekly |
Jefferson Dodge |
12-07-2009 |
Immigration
Can Alexi Giannoulias Shake Off His Problems to Win Obama's Old Senate Seat?new
Victory in the race for state treasurer transformed Alexi Giannoulias into a promising young progressive with big prospects—until the media began reporting that his family's bank had given a series of loans to figures involved in organized crime or political corruption.
Chicago Reader |
Mick Dumke |
12-07-2009 |
Politics
Bill Callahan Balances Uncertainties on His New Albumnew
With an eye for such tragic ironies as Cain's ignoble fate, Callahan has written toward various shades of darkness and light, from pitch black to only slightly dim.
The Memphis Flyer |
Stephen Deusner |
12-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Duffel-bag Classnew
Memphis city residency requirements sound good in theory, but for some, it can lead to an economic nightmare. Here's one man's story.
The Memphis Flyer |
Chris Davis |
12-07-2009 |
Housing & Development
Up in the Air: A Big-hearted Film about Corporate Downsizingnew
Ryan Bingham spends nearly his entire year traveling, hopping from company to company in his position as a "career-transition counselor," and he likes it that way.
Washington City Paper |
Tricia Olszewski |
12-07-2009 |
Reviews
The Messenger's Bad News Comes in Threesnew
Because life, especially in wartime, can be understatedly described as "messy," it's perhaps feasible to excuse The Messenger's disarray.
The Portland Mercury |
Marjorie Skinner |
12-07-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Oren Moverman, The Messenger
Prostitution Report: Jail Doesn't Worknew
The key to cleaning up prostitution in Portland isn't making more arrests or slapping streetwalkers with steeper fines.
The Portland Mercury |
Sarah Mirk |
12-07-2009 |
Sex
Buju Baton: One Hate, One Fearnew
Jamaican reggae does more than praise Jah and push ganja. It also promotes an increasingly violent rise in homophobia. Buju Baton, recently meeting with protesters on a U.S. tour, exemplifies the hate.
North Bay Bohemian |
Davis Sason |
12-04-2009 |
Culture
