On the outside
On the outside By Jodie Briggs Panel addresses prisoners’ reentry to the free world This year, about 600,000 offenders will be released from prison, but the places and conditions they usually return to are the same ones that groomed them to become criminals in the first place. Thrust back into drug-ridden neighborhoods or impoverished areas,…
Sometimes it’s good to be flaky
A selection of cookies at La Poblanita Bakery. (Photo by Mark Greenberg) Sometimes it’s good to be flaky By Eric Bradshaw Local Mexican bakeries treat the sweet tooth in all of us Among San Antonio’s numerous Mexican bakeries, La Poblanita on Zarzamora is one of the finest. Its large selection is gratifying, especially considering that…
The lawlessness of the law
Iris Baez The lawlessness of the law By Alejandro Pérez Youth summit addresses police brutality Ten years ago, Iris Baez’ son Anthony was murdered on the streets of the Bronx. But he wasn’t the victim of a drive-by shooting, gang violence, or a drug deal gone bad – the type of incidents labeled as brown-on-brown…
All You Can Eat
All you can eat News and notes from the San Antonio food scene Cementville has a new chef, Rick Frame, who worked as a grill chef during Bruce Auden’s watch at Restaurant Biga and as a sous chef under Silo’s Mark Bliss. He learned the art of Asian cooking from sushi chef Sammy Wong of…
Is Lackland AFB aglow?
Is Lackland AFB aglow? By Lisa Sorg The Air Force must deal with remnants of the Atomic Age The Atomic Energy Commission’s leftovers are now Lackland Air Force Base’s problem. Air Force officials unveiled details about low-level radiological sites during a July 28 meeting of the Lackland Air Force Base Community Council on Restoration. Lackland’s…
Iron men
Slipknot continues to work the masks-and-jumpsuits look. Iron men By Michael Alan Goldberg Ozzfest brings its punishing heavy-metal carnival to the masses Another year, another Ozzfest! Now in its ninth incarnation, the traveling carnival of metal continues to plow across America while other package tours like Lollapalooza have bitten the dust. Like its equally successful…
Sound and the Fury
Sound and the Fury A week on the scene Side one dummies Fresh off a stint on the Vans Warped Tour, LA Latina-punk quartet Go Betty Go returns to town for a show with the Boston band Avoid One Thing. As documented on Worst Enemy, Go Betty Go’s five-song EP for the SideOneDummy label, the…
Phair warning
Liz Phair, second from left, with tour mates Nina Perssons, Katy Rose, and Charlotte Martin Phair warning By Gilbert Garcia Liz Phair contends with a chilly exile in major-labelville In 1969, when Bob Dylan released a collection of slick, country tunes called Nashville Skyline, many critics were dumbfounded. How could the poet of his generation…
Pelle the conqueror
Pelle the conqueror The Hives are a meticulously conceived Swedish rock ‘n’ roll cartoon, but it’s their perverse streak that really sets them apart. How else to explain the two pudgy Sopranos rejects – guitarist Vigilante Carlstroem and balding bassist Dr. Matt Destruction – who sneaked into this exclusive party? How else to explain the…
Dirty gospel
Rev. Vince Anderson Dirty gospel “I joke a lot,” the Rev. Vince Anderson says on the Texas Barroom Revival live CD he cut last year with San Antonio’s Boxcar Satan, “but I mean it. That statement captures Anderson in a nutshell. For all the weird, satirical contortions that he puts Christianity through on original hymns…
Just plain heavy
Screaming fans provide one form of therapy for Metallica, but it wasn’t enough to keep the band from near-implosion. Just plain heavy By Gilbert Garcia Metallica unloads the baggage of 20 years as metal legends Some art forms are about control, and some are about collaboration. Writing and painting are basically solitary pursuits whose appeal…
Right to Left
Right to Left By Sean-Paul Kelley Two sides debate ‘Fahrenheit 9/11’ Conservative critics have derided it as propaganda. Liberal supporters have praised it as a powerful indictment of a foreign policy gone awry. The film has grossed more than $100 million since it opened. And on July 29, when the lights dimmed on a crowd…
New reviews
New reviews The Door in the Floor Writ. & dir. Tod Williams, based on a John Irving novel; feat. Jeff Bridges, Kim Basinger, Jon Foster (R) When Eddie O’Hare, a junior at Exeter, obtains a summer job as assistant to Ted Cole, his father advises: “Do whatever it is he wants you to do.” An…
All ears
All ears By John DeFore Alternative hip-hop, past and present The Tipping Point (Geffen) may not be the right title, carrying as it does associations of turning points, back-breaking straws, and the like, but this latest record from The Roots is still a step in the right direction. Less self-consciously arty than their last one,…
Collective unconscious
Denzel Washington’s handsome face is all over the ads for The Manchurian Candidate, but Liev Schreiber plays the brainwashed faux war hero who is the pawn of forces seeking global domination. Collective unconscious By John DeFore Jonathan Demme’s remake of ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ mines the paranoia of our times If John Frankenheimer’s Manchurian Candidate was…
Two Tons of ‘Wheel and Deal’
Champion eater Bud, who has been banned from two all-you-can-eat Houston restaurants, displays the giant burger he is about to consume for the honor of having his picture posted on the wall behind him. Two Tons of ‘Wheel and Deal’ By Elaine Wolff Trio TV launches a month of Texas-related programming with a look at…
Special screenings
Special screenings First Annual Texas Independent Film Festival When it comes to Texas filmmaking, Austin certainly holds the title belt, for better or worse. Still, even the reining champion is bound to provoke some formidable challenges, amateurs who may never compete in the same ring but train for it nonetheless. San Antonio has managed to…
Recent Reviews
Recent Reviews Anchorman, Before Sunset, Carandiru, Catwoman, Fahrenheit 9/11, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, and all the rest… Anchorman Dir. Adam McKay; writ. Will Ferrell & Adam McKay; feat. Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steven Carell, David Koechner (PG-13) Ferrell plays anchorman Ron Burgundy, whose all-male, fraternity-like news team is thrown into…
When a man (now a woman) loves a woman
Jessica and Robin Wicks with their pastor at First Universalist Church, Frank Rivas. When a man (now a woman) loves a woman By Glynis Christine Despite the Texas ban on same-sex marriage, Jessica and Robin Wicks celebrate their fourth anniversary this year Almost four years ago, Jessica and her lesbian partner, Robin Wicks were married…
South Side ambrosia
The lines start during lunch at Los Valles. (Photos by Mark Greenberg) South Side ambrosia By Lisa Sorg Los Valles Frutería: the cure for scurvy We were in the middle of our mango when the rain moved in: Lightning bolts stretched across the east like spider veins; arching thunderheads blackened the salmon-colored sky; the wind…
Basic knife skills, then some Greek
Basic knife skills, then some Greek Hands-On Knife Skills A Hands-On Knife Skills class will take place Thursday, August 5, 10am-12:30pm, at the Central Market Cooking School. Will Thornton of St. Philip’s College will show students how to slice, dice, mince, julienne, and chiffonnade like a professional. A light meal will be served. Bring a…
