AltWeeklies Wire
Barbara Kingsolver Makes a Misstep as She Tries to Make Her Point in 'The Lacuna'new
Kingsolver has created a reserved, unassuming character in Harrison Shepherd. He's so unassuming, in fact, that he becomes a cipher. Kingsolver's trademark nuanced characterization is not well-served by this collaged point of view.
Tucson Weekly |
Christine Wald-Hopkins |
11-11-2009 |
Fiction
One Helicopter Crew Looks Back on an Unforgettable Rescuenew
With the Afghan war back in the headlines, and none of the news good, the rescue led by the Air Force's 305th Rescue Squadron provides a glimpse into one story that began horribly and ended well, thanks to the ordinary Americans who made it happen.
Tucson Weekly |
Leo W. Banks |
11-11-2009 |
War
Price Tags: The Elephant in the Room in Health Carenew
Selling stuff to patients is like supplying the Pentagon: Welcome to the wonderful land of the surreal markup. When you're sick or in pain, you do not shop for bargains -- which is the main reason that the free-market model is a catastrophe for health care.
Tucson Weekly |
Renee Downing |
11-11-2009 |
Science
Reality Fiction: How 'The Road' and '2012' Might Predict the Future ... For Realnew
From health care to finance, the prefix "broken" has been applied to every industrialized system humankind has had the gumption to design. The world that lapped up Roland Emmerich's last two end-time fables might not be so eager for part three.
North Bay Bohemian |
Hannah Strom-Martin |
11-11-2009 |
Movies
Using Soccer to Help Juvenile Offenders in Santa Cruz Countynew
For the last four years, Gina Castaneda has been a deputy probation officer for Santa Cruz County, working with juvenile offenders who live in the Watsonville area. Her soccer team is made up of a small handful of the 400 youths currently on, or at least in contact with, county probation, some of them from rival gangs.
Good Times Santa Cruz |
Jessica Lussenhop |
11-11-2009 |
Crime & Justice
'Pirate Radio' Rocks the Boatnew
This is one of those ensemble comedies in which each member of the ensemble tends toward one-dimensionality, but that's OK because there are so many members, and they're all so talented.
C-Ville Weekly |
Jonathan Kiefer |
11-11-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Pirate Radio, Richard Curtis
Solid Gold's Fantastic Voyage: From Twin Cities Band to National Treasurenew
The band's slow and steady climb doesn't seem to surprise any of the members of the group. For Solid Gold, this latest leap onto the national radar is just part of their master plan that started at the beginning of the decade by a couple of party boys in Madison, Wisconsin.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Andrea Swensson |
11-11-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Bodies of Water, Solid Gold
Margaret Atwood Renders Today's Troubles into Absorbing Dystopian Tomorrowsnew
Atwood discusses her new novel, The Year of the Flood, today's environmental movement, and why no one can predict the future.
Santa Fe Reporter |
Julia Goldberg |
11-11-2009 |
Author Profiles & Interviews
Daryl Hall and John Oates Get the Box Set Tribute They Deservenew
Four discs, packed with 74 tracks -- including 16 previously unreleased rarities, about half of them live -- and a glossy 60-page book with track-specific information, details Hall & Oates' crossover appeal, longevity and somewhat unexpected resurgence in recent years.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Hal Horowitz |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Fuck Buttons Makes an Impressive Shift Without Sacrificing the Experimental Gritnew
Even as the buzz and mutant cut-ups on "Rough Steez" morph into obtuse beats, there's a soothing quality to the clutter that reaches in through your brain, grabs ahold of your guts and tugs you along ever so subtly.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Tarot Sport, Fuck Buttons
Nirvana's 'Bleach' is a Ramshackle Work of Perfectionnew
Before there was grunge, there was Bleach, Nirvana's harsh, '89 debut that dragged punk's contemptuous sneer through the mud to churn out one damn fine album.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
Tags: Bleach Deluxe Edition, Nirvana
U2's 'Unforgettable Fire' Documents an Early Shift in the Band's Soundnew
Best considered as a warm-up for U2's next album, the classic The Joshua Tree, 1984's The Unforgettable Fire finds the quartet retreating from the overt commerciality of War and, with the help of Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois, gradually shifting to a more ambient sound.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Hal Horowitz |
11-10-2009 |
Reviews
A River Runs Through Coyote Bonesnew
David Matysiak jokes that if Bruce Springsteen's brooding Midwestern odysseys Nebraska and The River were meant to be part of a trilogy, the third installment is Coyote Bones' Niobrara.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
11-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Coyote Bones, Niobrara
Alela Diane Makes Herself at Home on 'To Be Still'new
The folk singer infuses sophomore album with a sense of place.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chris Hassiotis |
11-10-2009 |
Profiles & Interviews
Tags: Alela Diane, To Be Still
The Sweat of Yow Returns, as Does the Jesus Lizardnew
The Jesus Lizard has been canonized in its own right as one of the greatest American rock bands of the '90s. This year, they're back on the road, restoring the band's legacy and reminding the world what a force of nature they really were.
Creative Loafing (Atlanta) |
Chad Radford |
11-10-2009 |
Concerts
Tags: The Jesus Lizard
