AltWeeklies Wire
'The Wackness' is More Than Just Another Pot Movienew
No, Jonathan Levine's movie, set on the sticky streets of New York in the summer of 1994, works well because each of its characters is going through his or her own coming-of-age experience, illustrating the fact that none of us ever truly has that moment when we transition to adulthood.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
07-09-2008 |
Reviews
Virginia Criminalizes Salvia, Nobody Noticesnew
At midnight July 1, Salvia Divinorum, the mind altering Mexican plant whose use by teenagers has been sweeping the nation (or so says some media), officially became illegal, giving some Virginians out there a cool, new, felony-level, drug-using past.
C-Ville Weekly |
J. Tobias Beard |
07-09-2008 |
Drugs
A New HBO Series Puts the War into Perspectivenew
After HBO snatched up the rights to Evan Wright's best-selling 2004 book about his experiences embedded with a squad of First Recon Marines during the early weeks of the Iraq War, he met with The Wire's David Simon and Ed Burns. The resulting seven-part miniseries, says Wright, is very similar to his own experiences.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
07-09-2008 |
TV
Another Problem Fundraiser for John McCainnew
Former Oregon Republican Party chairman and one-time gubernatorial candidate Craig Berkman owes millions to some of Portland's wealthiest investors -- but that hasn't stopped him from making generous political contributions to Sen. John McCain and others.
Willamette Week |
Nigel Jaquiss |
07-09-2008 |
Politics
The Satanic Puppeteer Orchestra: A Labor of Lovenew
The band consisted of Michael Buchmiller (channeling a mad scientist character), playing music using samples and a keyboard, and a robot named SPO-20 that would sing nonsensical lyrics about time machines and Jacques Cousteau.
San Diego CityBeat |
Seth Combs |
07-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Jamie Lidell Lightly Touches His Soulnew
Betraying his roots in U.K. dance music, Lidell applies a slick veneer to his love songs, which can make their seemingly natural swing feel a tinge antiseptic. But that's assuming any objective bystander won’t be too busy tapping his foot to notice such an insignificant detail.
San Antonio Current |
Tim Grierson |
07-09-2008 |
Reviews
Dog Men Poets Swap Juvenile Lyrics for Something Bluenew
On the back cover of their new CD, Dog Men Poets list the artists who inspired each of the disc's 10 tracks. The roster, which runs from Stevie Wonder to George Clinton to Amy Winehouse to Robert Randolph, is pretty impeccable.
San Antonio Current |
Gilbert Garcia |
07-09-2008 |
Reviews
Pregnancy Inspires Thalia's 'Lunada' Beach Fantasiesnew
"In Lunada, I wanted to invoke all my favorite summery songs of all time," Thalia says. "I started to think about the time of my adolescence and the songs I would listen to during the summer. I was pulling together all my favorite songs and writing new songs in the process."
San Antonio Current |
Kiko Martinez |
07-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
Sean Castillo and the Hubcaps Find the Honky-tonk/Rockabilly Sweet Spotnew
For more than 25 years, Castillo has honed his rock'n'roll chops by playing theme-park circuits and the occasional Texas honky-tonk, and through it all, he has shared the stage with a parade of iconic American roots-music figures.
San Antonio Current |
Sonya Harvey |
07-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
The Incredible Hulk Games Gets Tediousnew
The outrageous annihilation physics provided by the Havoc engine aren't enough to hold this open-ended game together. Also reviewed: Lego Indiana Jones.
San Antonio Current |
Jeremy Martin |
07-09-2008 |
Video Games
It's a (Mad) Man's Worldnew
Mad Men is about a segment of society so drunk on its power and influence that the better part of a decade passes before it realizes its time has come and gone.
San Antonio Current |
Luke Baumgarten |
07-09-2008 |
TV
Outlaw Wine Series Shows Off Growing Regionsnew
The Ole Imports G series from Vinos Sin Ley (loosely translated as "outlaw wines") is meant to showcase the effect that different growing regions have on a single grape varietal, the garnacha, a grape native to Spain that is called grenache in France and elsewhere.
San Antonio Current |
Ron Bechtol |
07-09-2008 |
Food+Drink
David Wroblewski Rewrites 'Hamlet' but with Puppiesnew
His debut novel, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle , tracks a young dog trainer as he tries to get up the nerve to murder his murderous uncle.
Willamette Week |
John Minervini |
07-09-2008 |
Fiction
Game Show Imports Like 'Wipeout' are a Study in Orientalismnew
Poking fun at the insanity of a Japanese game show isn't new. But now that mockery is being married with a shrewd commercialism as the very concepts that were once gently derided are Americanized.
Willamette Week |
Daniel Carlson |
07-09-2008 |
TV
Meet Hush Records' Chad Crouch, Your "Full-service Label Guy"new
Back when Portland-born Crouch started Hush 10 years ago, things were a bit more, well, quiet on Portland's musical front.
Willamette Week |
Amy McCullough |
07-09-2008 |
Profiles & Interviews
