AltWeeklies Wire
'The Hurt Locker' is the First Good Film About the Iraq Warnew
So, yes, someone finally made a decent feature about the Iraq War. Bigelow accomplishes that because she doesn't make it about the war at all, but rather about men whose incredibly stressful jobs put them smack in the war zone.
San Diego CityBeat |
Anders Wright |
07-08-2009 |
Reviews
How Atlanta's Garage-Rock Mascot Saved Himself Before Dyingnew
One year ago, the man best known by his stage name Bobby Ubangi was a rebel without a pause, partying like a rock star and working as the grouchy door guy at the Drunken Unicorn. But he got serious about his life, and his music, when faced with his death.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
07-07-2009 |
Music
'Public Enemies' Starts With a Bang & Ends With a Whimpernew
The first hour or so comes on like, well, gangbusters as Michael Mann sets up compelling scenes of bank theft and manhunt procedures. The script feints at overarching themes, such as the idea that neither Dillinger nor Purvis have a place among "modern" mobsters or feds, but the script leaves both men underdeveloped as characters.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-07-2009 |
Reviews
'Whatever Works' Hardly Worksnew
In addition to the film's skeevy May-December romance, Woody Allen displays breathtaking condescension to Southerners that makes him seem utterly parochial, despite his recent productions in Europe.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-07-2009 |
Reviews
What Can Americans Do to Help Iran's Democracy Movement?new
Even though I'm an Iranian-American and think you're kind of a bigot for asking me, I'm going to answer you, anyway.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
07-07-2009 |
Commentary
'Moon' Hits Your Eye Like Old-School Sci-Finew
In a season of silly sci-fi films like Transformers, Moon's thoughtful approach proves inspiring. If we're not going back to the real moon anytime soon, how about launching a space program for serious films?
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Curt Holman |
07-07-2009 |
Reviews
Is Oil or Religion More to Blame for Iran's Ills?new
Even though I'm a theocracy-hating non-believer, I actually think Iran's primary illness is that it has oil. In my opinion, the country's evil theocrats are merely a secondary symptom of the main sickness.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Andisheh Nouraee |
07-07-2009 |
Commentary
Robert Kenner Talks Cloned Meats, Big Agribusiness and 'Food, Inc.'new
Kenner is no stranger to controversial subjects. He won an Emmy for his 2005 "Two Days in October," which examined the domestic response to the Vietnam War during the turbulent fall of 1967. Kenner runs into a even more volatile subject with his new documentary, Food, Inc., an investigate peek into America's big agribusinesses and meat and poultry industries.
Baltimore City Paper |
Bret McCabe |
07-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
'Farewell to Dejla' Follows Iraq's Jews Across Borders and Oceansnew
In Farewell to Dejla, Tova Murad Sadka uses the short story to explore the travails of Iraqi Jews, both in their homeland and in dispersion. Though marred by crude ethnic and religious stereotypes, her book offers a sensitive treatment of a community's existential fears and an exquisite probing of the painful and comic aspects of culture clash.
Chicago Reader |
Rayyan Al-Shawaf |
07-07-2009 |
Fiction
Meet the People Who Fought (and Continue to Fight) Our Wars in the Middle Eastnew
More than 1.5 million Americans have fought in this country's two ongoing wars. While public interest and news coverage in Iraq and Afghanistan have waxed and waned, these volunteers have continued to stream to and from the battlefield. Here are 12 such people from the Philadelphia area.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Charles Cieri |
07-07-2009 |
War
Michael Dean Damron Can Still Lick Any Sonofabitch in the Housenew
Plenty of musicians pay reverence to Townes Van Zandt, but not so many look upon him as a father figure. Michael Dean Damron does both.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Bill Forman |
07-07-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Potheads & Hopheads Have More in Common Than Being Mellownew
The hop plant is part of the Cannabinaceae family and, therefore, it's marijuana's sister. But don't think for a second you can smoke hop as a marijuana substitute. For those who do, prepare to cough and not get off.
Fast Forward Weekly |
Mike Tessier |
07-07-2009 |
Food+Drink
'Far' Feels More Serious Than Regina Spektor's Previous Albumnew
Sure, this is an album that contains a line about constructing a computer out of macaroni pieces, but sturdy production and easy, memorable piano melodies manage to ground nearly all of the songs.
Tags: Far, Regina Spektor
Planned Parenthood Gets Squeezed Out in Orange Countynew
Anti-abortion-rights activists and the Orange County Board of Supervisors teamed up to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood.
American Consumers and Growers are Left in the Dust as China Goes Organicnew
Even as demand for organic food continues to explode, organic farmers in America are getting thrown under the beet cart they helped build. The Chinese are taking over the market share, especially of vegetables and soy, thanks to several American-based multinational food corporations that have hijacked the organic bandwagon they only recently jumped onto.
Weekly Alibi |
Ari LeVaux |
07-07-2009 |
Food+Drink
